by Donna Grant
Francesca almost laughed. “I haven’t planned anything. It’s been planned for me since the day of my birth. I’ve been having visions of Nigel and his defeat since I was ten summers. I’ve known this day was coming for years, and I’ve prepared for it.”
Adrianna’s face was lined with confusion. “Fran.”
Serena took a step towards her, but Francesca had been smart enough to stay at the door.
“Sit down and tell us about the visions. What part do you think you have to play?” Serena asked.
Francesca smiled a genuine smile. “Tell Cade that I...I love him.”
“Tell him yourself,” Serena said.
“I wish you both the very best.”
As she turned to go, Serena reached out and grabbed her hand. Francesca knew she was trying to see her death, which was Serena’s power. Francesca jerked her hand away and slammed the door closed. She shoved a chair beneath the handle to keep them inside long enough for her to meet Nigel.
* * * * *
Anger consumed Cade. Where was Nigel? Why wasn’t the bastard coming for him?
The darkness was easier to control, as if it knew Cade would eventually let it out. He stopped trying to fight the men and took a good look at them. Their eyes held no emotion, no life. It was as if they were just bodies. And then he realized Nigel must have their souls.
Men who craved power readily gave their souls to Nigel in exchanged for strength and command. It always amazed Cade how easily men offered their souls, forever damning themselves to a life of darkness and fire. An eternal life of Hell.
It was these men whom Nigel drew his power from. He might have sold his soul to the devil, but he got his strength from others’ souls. Cade plunged his knives into one of the soulless men’s chest. He had moved so quickly the men hadn’t had time to react. They bellowed their rage at seeing one of their own down.
Once more Cade found himself fighting, but this time, the men coming at him were just as strong, just as fast as he himself. They felt no pain, no fear. But they died just the same.
Cade ducked a vicious swing at his head only to feel a blade slash across his back. He hissed in pain but continued fighting. He moved around the circle, sinking his blades into as many bodies as he could. When one grabbed him about the neck, Cade threw back his head, slamming into the man’s nose. There was a bellow, and then Cade was released.
The men’s swords and axes were long, which meant Cade had to move closer to get his blades within reach of them. But it felt so good when his weapons sunk into their bodies.
“You were born to be a killer, Cade,” the darkness whispered, its tone beguiling. “Look at what you can do. Take the power I offer, and we’ll conquer the world.”
Cade hated the evil, hated the way it knew what to say when he was deep in battle. He’d always been good at fighting, had always picked up the skill of a new weapon easily. His mother had said God gave gifts to people for them to use.
Had God given him the ability to kill so easily because he wanted him to do it? Cade had a hard time believing that. Besides, he didn’t want to be a killer.
He wanted peace.
And Francesca.
“Kill for me,” the darkness urged.
It would be so easy to give in to the lure of the evil, to be caught in the false charm.
The darkness laughed. “You’re going to Hell anyway, Cade. Give in. Let me show you what we can do.”
Cade bellowed and crossed his arms as he plunged his blades into one of the soulless men’s neck. He gave a yank, and the man’s head rolled to the ground. He smiled, his vision covered in red. Blood dripped from his weapons to mix with the earth. Another stain upon his soul, another mark against him.
Nigel’s army took a step away from Cade as if they’d just realized who—and what—he was. But it was too late. He intended to kill every last one of them.
* * * * *
Serena pushed against the door Francesca had just slammed in her face. The icy fingers of terror had wrapped around her as she’d seen Fran’s death.
“Francesca! Let us out,” Serena screamed. “Don’t do this.”
Her son began to cry in Adrianna’s arms, and Adrianna walked the chamber to soothe him. “Stop it, Serena. You’re scaring your son.”
Serena, her hands braced on the door, dropped her head to the wood. “We have to get out.”
“Tell me what just happened. Why did Fran leave us here?”
Serena blew out a breath and faced Adrianna, her heart hammering in her chest. “I saw Francesca’s death when I touched her. Nigel will take her life. Today.”
Drina’s face drained of color. “By the saints. It all makes sense. Everything she’s said, everything she’s done. She’s known.”
“I suspect she’s always known. Her visions have told her everything.”
“We have to stop her.”
Serena pushed against the door. “She’s blocked us in somehow.”
Adrianna laid the infant on one of the beds that had been brought to the chamber and went to the door. “Not for long. Push.”
They strained, pushing with all their might, the door only inching open.
“Is her death painful?” Drina asked.
Serena wished she could block out the terror she saw on Francesca’s face. “Aye.”
“That’s how we’ll win against Nigel? By her death?”
“I believe so.”
Drina shook her head, her blonde braid moving against her back. “I refuse to let her die.”
They shoved their shoulders into the thick door, Serena’s son’s cries filling the chamber. Serena closed her eyes and shoved with all her might. Of a sudden, the door slid open. She caught Drina before she tumbled to the floor.
“Now we save Francesca,” Adrianna said after she gained her feet. “I refuse to let one of my sisters die.”
Serena picked up her son and followed Drina from the chamber. She prayed she reached Drogan in time for him to stop Francesca. If not...Serena shuddered as she recalled the horror of Fran’s death.
Fran, who had just found happiness with Cade. Fran, who had come each day to help fortify the castle with magic. Fran, whose eyes held so many secrets.
She didn’t deserve to die by Nigel’s hand. There had to be another way to kill him. Serena stopped on the stairs.
“Adrianna,” she called.
Drina halted and turned. “What is it?”
“Cade thinks he’s to be the one who kills Nigel.”
“But Fran thinks she’s the one.”
Serena kissed her son’s forehead. “Cade has no idea, does he?”
“After seeing the way he looked at her, especially after he saved her again yesterday, nay.”
“What?”
“Come,” Adrianna said. “I’ll tell you as we find Drogan.”
Serena swallowed, not liking the way her stomach rolled with dread.
“I caught Fran leaving the bailey through the postern door. She told me she had to save Cade—that she’d had a vision of him being injured by a hole in the ground. So, I went with her.”
“Does Grayson know?”
Drina nodded. “Aye. He’s not happy with me.”
“What happened?” Serena asked as they reached the hall.
“While Fran was covering the hole, some of Nigel’s men attacked. Cade got there in time to save her. The intensity of his gaze, the look of utter devotion and regret in his eyes broke my heart. He wants to protect her. If he knew what she planned, he’d chain in her in the dungeon.”
Serena grimaced as they made their way through the throng of people and out of the castle. “Aye, I believe he would. Apparently Fran knew this as well, which is why she never told him.”
“There’s Drogan,” Adrianna said once they reached the bailey.
Serena followed her finger to the battlements. “Take my son and look for Francesca. Surely she hasn’t left yet.
Chapter Twenty‐four
Francesca walked t
o the gate and the four men who guarded it. “Open the door,” she commanded.
They shared a glance before the one nearest to her spoke. “I’m sorry, milady, but I cannot. Lord Drogan forbids anyone from leaving.”
“Do you want to die?”
He shook his head.
“That is what’s going to happen if you don’t let me out. There is a man so full of evil that he will take you one at a time. I can stop him.”
The guard looked at his three friends. “I don’t want to die, milady, but I don’t know if I believe you can kill such a man.”
Francesca smiled before she reached out to touch his arm. Instantly, her magic surrounded her. She saw him surrounded by seven children as he sat by a fire, a woman humming in the background.
She dropped her hand. “You’re going to have seven children and a loving wife who likes to hum.”
“God’s teeth,” the guard swore. “You’re talking about Mary. I’ve had my eye on her for awhile.”
“Then don’t wait to claim her. Now, please. Open the door.”
The guard took a deep breath and reluctantly unbolted the door in the gate. Francesca stepped through, and just before he closed it, she spotted Serena and Adrianna on the castle steps.
They had gotten out faster than she had wanted, but at least she was outside the castle walls. Now, she could face her destiny and free everyone from Nigel’s hold. Drogan’s life could return to normal, and Cade could return to his lands and resume his life.
Francesca made herself step away from the gate. The first step was the hardest, but after she put some distance between herself and safety, it got easier to face what was ahead of her. She stayed near the wall, letting her fingers run along the gray stones as she walked to the front of the castle where the battle with Nigel would take place.
If she had her wish, no one but Nigel’s army would be there to witness the battle. Drogan and the others would be watching, she was sure of it. By now, Serena would have found Drogan and told him what she was planning. But it was too late for anyone to stop her.
Nigel’s army filled the space between the castle and the forest, leaving a good two hundred strides between the front line and her. Whereas usually the rolling hills were filled with running children and knights training, this time, there was an army. They stretched as far as she could see, just as had been foretold in her vision.
Francesca stopped and put her back to the castle wall. Her gaze moved to her left and the forest where Drogan had said Cade was already fighting. She could see a mass of Nigel’s soldiers gathered together, and she could only hope that Cade had released the darkness and was slaughtering all that was around him.
Movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to look away from the woods. The army parted, and down their flanks rode a man on horseback. He was cloaked with his hood up, hiding his face.
But she knew it was Nigel. She could feel his evil gaze on her.
* * * * *
“Drogan!”
He spun around when he heard his wife shout his name. She was supposed to be in the secret chamber. He strode towards her as she climbed the stairs to the battlements. “What in the name of all that’s holy are you doing up here?” he demanded.
She took his hands, and he felt hers shaking. He knew instantly something very bad had happened.
“What is it?” he asked.
She swallowed, her eyes filling with tears. “It’s Francesca.”
“Is she hurt?”
“Nay,” she said with a shake of her head. “She locked me and Drina in the chamber so she could leave. To face Nigel herself. Drogan, I saw her death. Nigel kills her.”
Drogan felt as if a horse had just kicked him in the stomach. Francesca might be a grown woman, but she was his responsibility now that Phineas was dead. He was supposed to protect her. “Where is she?”
“There,” Grayson said.
Drogan glanced over his shoulder to see Grayson pointing on the other side of the wall. He walked to Grayson and looked over to see Francesca.
“God’s blood. She’s going to get herself killed,” Grayson murmured.
Serena came to Drogan’s other side. “She thinks her death will end Nigel. She says she’s been having visions of this day since she was a little girl.”
Drogan ran a hand down his face. “I have to get her.”
“What of Cade?” Grayson asked.
Drogan glanced to the trees. Cade had asked him to protect Francesca. He would fail his friend again. This time, Cade would never forgive him.
“I have to go,” he said.
Serena grasped his hand. “Wait,” she whispered.
Drogan halted and spotted a rider coming towards Francesca. “Shite,” he ground out.
It was too late. Nigel had arrived.
* * * * *
Francesca stood still, her body never betraying the fear that turned her blood to ice and made her break into a cold sweat.
The solid white horse Nigel rode clashed with his black soul. He stopped the mount midway between her and the army and dismounted. He wore no weapons, but with the power he commanded, he didn’t need a sword.
Nigel slapped the horse on the rear and sent him galloping back toward his army. For a moment, he simply stood and regarded her. Francesca was amazed at the silence of Wolfglynn and the army. Not even the birds sang. When Nigel started toward her, she could hear his boots crunching on the ground.
The only other sound she heard was the battle in the woods. She recognized Cade’s voice as he bellowed. He was still alive, still fighting. She almost smiled at that small victory.
If she somehow failed with Nigel, it would be up to Cade to kill him, but she hoped it didn’t come to that. Cade deserved his vengeance, but he also deserved some happiness and a future bright with possibility.
“Well, well, well,” Nigel said as he neared. “I’ve seen you in my dreams often enough.”
Francesca moved away from the wall and turned her back to the trees so she could face Nigel. When he had attacked Drogan before, he had come alone and been in a suit of armor. Now, the only thing hiding him was a cloak.
She knew his eyes, though. They were small, black, and full of malice and evil. One could become lost in the hatred of Nigel’s eyes if they weren’t careful.
“You think you can defeat me?” Nigel taunted.
“I know I can.”
“Ah. Courage. It’s such a paltry thing when faced with my power. How soon do you think you’ll crumble?”
“I won’t,” she said with more conviction than she felt.
Nigel lifted his arms and threw back the hood of his cloak. His gaze bore into hers. The black soulless eyes staring at her weren’t human. The body may have been what was left of Nigel’s tall, lanky form, but there was no soul inside him, only evil.
“Let’s see, shall we?”
Francesca grinned. Nigel’s hawkish features were difficult to look upon. As foul a person as he was, she couldn’t imagine the king ever trusting him.
“Is something amusing, witch?”
Her smile faded. Cade had called her witch, never using her name, but he had made it sound like an endearment. Whereas Nigel saying it made her sound dirty and...evil.
She lifted her chin. “You are.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s obvious why you sold your soul.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and glanced up at the wall. “You know nothing of me.”
“It wasn’t just power that made you sell your soul, Nigel. You could get nothing on your own. Not even women.”
His lips pulled back in a sneer as he dropped his arms. “Don’t pretend to know me, witch. You, who’ve had it all.”
“You’re days are numbered.”
“I think not. You may think you have power. For a witch. Yet it’s nothing compared to mine.”
He was right, Francesca knew, but she had something to fight for. She had Drogan, Serena and their child. She had Adrianna an
d Grayson. And she had Cade. They were her family.
Nigel only had his need for power. She had seen firsthand what love could do when Serena had died and Drogan had brought her back. Francesca had used all the herbs she knew, had even tried her magic, but it had been Drogan’s love that brought Serena back to him.
“I can break the curse,” Nigel said.
Francesca jerked.
Nigel smiled and nodded. “Aye, I know of the curse. I know all there is to know about you, Francesca. It’s a pity Phineas wasn’t able to last longer.”
A pang of pain shot through her. “You killed Phineas.”
“He was old—it was his time to go.”
She had known Phineas wasn’t sick. “He had done nothing to you.”
Nigel shrugged. “I wanted to kill something, so I killed Phineas. It’s as simple as that.”
Hate began to boil within her. She wanted to tear Nigel limb from limb, to see his blood leach from his body and his bones decay into nothing.
“Aye, Francesca, let the hate grow. How do you think I got Cade under my control?”
She’d wondered when he would bring up Cade, but now that he had, she wished he hadn’t. She couldn’t think about Cade or anything else other than Nigel. She had to keep her focus or she would fail.
“I’ll kill you and the other witches. By the time I’m done at Wolfglynn, Cade will be mine to control.”
She shook her head. “He was never yours to control, and he never will be. He will fight the darkness. And he will win.”
“Without you, witch, Cade will descend into the evil and never return.”
He lifted his hands, palm up, and a blast of power shot towards her.
Francesca closed her eyes and lifted her own hands in defense, expecting to feel Nigel’s evil surround her. Only there was nothing. She opened her eyes to find white light pouring from her hands.