“Victor,” I said, “I didn’t get a chance to tell you all of the details in all the commotion, but maybe if I explain what Ethano did, it will make sense to you.”
“Go on,” he said.
“Well, he cut some kind of symbol into my chest and burned me with a gold medallion, and it hurt like hell.” I sucked in a deep breath, the pain still fresh in my mind.
“You healed very quickly.”
“I know. Somehow, it all disappeared. He cut me right here,” I said, gently touching myself where he’d sliced into my flesh.
Victor’s eyes widened as he ran his fingers over the skin on my chest. He then ran a hand through my hair and gazed deeply into my eyes. “I am so very sorry, my Queen. I should have been here to protect you instead of tending to my horses.”
I cupped his cheek. “You couldn’t have known.”
He looked away, as if pondering his thoughts, then finally spoke. “What did he say?”
I bit my lip. “Not much. Just that he has plans for me.”
“I hope his plans were foiled when I rushed up here.”
“I’m not sure. When he seared me with the pendant, it must have disconnected us somehow,” I said. “Maybe he intends to kidnap me…or worse.”
“I fear that you are right. If I cannot feel you, sense you, it will be easier for him to harm you or take you away. My guess is he wants to use you against me. In his grand scheme, he needs you. He had to damage our bond, or I’d have been able to find you anywhere.”
“But without the bond, he could easily hide me somewhere, and you’ll never find me,” I said, cringing at the horrible thought.
“Ethano seeks revenge, and he knows nothing would hurt me more than losing you.”
“I’m surprised he just didn’t kill me then. It would have meant death for both of us. Wouldn’t that have been the ultimate revenge?”
“Ethano is pure evil. His heart is as dark as night, if he even has a heart at all. Killing you would have been too easy. I fear he is more intent on making us suffer the way he’s suffered. He is dangerous and does not think with a stable mind. We must be on constant guard.”
“I’m sure he’ll come after me soon and often, since the bond has been broken.”
“Let him try. I will still guard you with my life, to my last breath. Also, I will teach you as much as I can so that you can defend yourself even better.”
I laid my head on his warm chest and snuggled into him, and we spent the next few minutes just holding one another. He was angry and wounded, but he was still my brooding hero. I wondered if he’d ever open up to me about the emotional scars he wore, left over from an ancient past I knew little about. Whatever had happened, the pain ran deep and still tormented him. I wanted to assure him that I was there for him, that I’d wipe every tear away and would hold him until the end of time, but he was a prideful man, and I knew I’d have to let him do things in his own way and his own time. Victor was secretive and puzzling, and I wanted to know what dark secrets he was harboring. I wished he’d let me in, but I knew I’d have to give him his time and space until he was ready. My heart told me he was the one, so I was more than willing to wait.
I finally broke the silence, my voice quivering. “Victor, do you think our bond is lost forever?”
The sadness was visible in the lines across his face. He looked away, serious and upset, pondering. “I don’t know. I do not even understand how he was able to accomplish it. It has never been done before.”
I recalled that Ethano had mentioned something about me being his bride, and I wondered what he had meant by that, if anything beyond an idle threat to scare me and turn my stomach. Maybe he’d planned to take me away. Without our bond, Victor wouldn’t have been able to follow us. Fortunately, I didn’t have to find out, because my Victor came in the nick of time to save me from a fate worse than death. The thought of Ethano touching me made me nauseous. Imagining his hands on my body made me shudder. I’ll kill him before he ever comes near me again. I frowned and looked at Victor. “The bond we’ve shared over the last year was amazing. I’ve never felt so close to anybody before, and I don’t want to lose it.”
“Yes, I know, and he will pay for what he’s done. I will ask the others if there is any way to reconnect. Even if we cannot, your life will be safe, my love. There are many enemies who would love to see me dead. If we are not connected, they will not be able to harm you through me. That is at least of some relief.”
Tears welled up in my eyes at the thought of anyone harming so much as a hair on his head. “No, Victor!” I said. “If anything happened to you, I’d be devastated, whether we were connected or not. I can’t lose you. I don’t want to be without you.”
He kissed my lips. “You’re my world, Sarah. I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
He pushed a strand of stray hair from my eyes and gazed at me intensely. “You brought meaning to my life when everything was a black blur. You brought color into the dreary halls of my aching heart and mind. For that, I will always love you and owe you my protection.”
I gripped his hands. “My love for you hasn’t changed, Victor. We don’t need some ring to tell us how much we love each other,” I said. “Lovers do not all have ruby rings with paranormal powers to bond them.” I took a deep breath and let it out. “My parents have been happily married for fifty years, and I don’t think either one of them has ever owned a ruby. Our love runs so deep and true that nobody can ever take it away from us—not even Ethano.”
“My feelings for you are stronger than ever,” he said, kissing my hands that rested on his.
I snuggled into his chest. “Victor, what do you think is going on?”
“I don’t know, but we need to find out. I’ll be back shortly, after I meet with King Taggert. Perhaps he can provide me with some much-needed answers.”
“If you can wait till I get dressed, I’ll go with you.”
“No, my love. The castle is the safest place for you.”
“Now hold on just a minute! I am not some pretty daffodil that you can keep sitting on a shelf. Ethano attacked me, and I have a right to—”
“Sarah, I know you are capable of defending yourself to some degree, but you have only been practicing your powers for one year, while Ethano has been practicing for hundreds. You are much safer behind these walls and the swords of my men, who are all sworn to protect you.”
“Fine, but one day, I’m going to personally kick Ethano’s ass.”
Victor laughed, appreciating my feisty spirit. “Perhaps you will…and I shall help you do it.” He pushed a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “Besides, have you forgotten that 200 guests are coming for dinner tomorrow? One of us must make an appearance.”
“Dinners can be canceled, you know,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Yes, and you may do so if you really want to, but it is a charity event, and you did plan it.”
He had me there. Being Queen Fesque of Tastia came with its privileges, and one was that I had the power to change things for the better. I wondered if fate had landed me there so I could speak for the ones who could not speak for themselves. I had put a lot of time and effort into preparing for the event, and it was for a good cause that I strongly believed in, a project I’d named No Child Shall Ever Go Hungry. I’d seen the starving children in the villages, and it had broken my heart. The charity dinner would allow me to put some food into their growling little bellies, and I couldn’t possibly cancel it, no matter what. Those children needed me.
As I thought about it, Sandy’s face popped into my mind, my best friend when I was ten. When I saw how skinny she was, I was horrified. Sometimes she didn’t eat more than a few crackers and a can of tuna over the course of an entire weekend, so I took food to her every chance I got. One day, when I realized I could actually count her ribs, I was horrified and ran to tell my mother about her unfortunate situation. Social Services rushed in, but by the time they got there to do anything about it
, Sandy had come down with pneumonia; her immune system was compromised severely from malnutrition. Ultimately, the poor little girl passed away, and at her funeral, I swore I would make sure that no child would ever starve again, as long as I could do anything about it. As I sat there with Victor, a tear dripped from my cheek and into the bath water at the thought. When I got my first job at sixteen, I donated any extra money I earned to feed the hungry. I often saw Sandy’s face in my mind, and I knew if I could save just one hungry child, her death was not in vain. When I’d first met Victor, he was turning a blind eye to the poor in his kingdom, to those less fortunate who seldom had food to eat. Nothing infuriated me more, and I made sure to tell him about it. After I became the queen, I could finally do something to put an end to the hunger and misery.
“You’re right, Victor,” I finally said, sniffling as I recalled Sandy. “I will take care of the charity event,” I said. “Please just hurry and get back here as soon as you can…and be careful.”
Droplets of water rolled off his body as he climbed out of the tub and kissed my lips. “I’ll be back soon.”
I nodded, wondering if there was more he wasn’t telling me. The thought of him keeping secrets from poor little ol’ me pissed me off so much that I gave the bath water a firm left hook. I could tell he was nervous about something, but I had no idea what it was that had him so unsettled. My heart ached as he walked away; I didn’t want him to leave my side. I wanted to touch his face and tell him everything would be all right, but with Ethano on the loose and our bond broken, I wasn’t sure that was a promise either of us could make to each other anymore.
Chapter 4
Just as I was getting ready for bed, I was startled by a knock on my bedroom door. “Wh-who is it?” I stuttered, sounding more frightened than I intended to.
“It’s Mia, Highness.”
“Oh! Come in, Mia.”
“Sarah!” Mia raced toward me, and the expression on her face told me something was dreadfully wrong.
I cocked a brow. “What is it, Mia? What’s wrong?”
“He’s here,” she whispered.
Shudders shot up my spine. “Who?” If that Ethano dared broke into the castle again, I’m gonna make him pay, and this time, I’m ready for him! This time, we’ll do things on my terms, not his.
She met my gaze and said nothing.
I blinked away my vengeful thoughts. “Who, Mia? Who’s here?” I repeated again, this time more firmly.
“Frank.”
Wait…Frank? My stomach sank, as it wasn’t quite the answer I was expecting. “What?” Frank’s green eyes flashed across my mind. I had risked everything to make sure he’d make it home safely, and I couldn’t understand why he’d come back. I’d made it very clear that things were over between us. He was a mere mortal and I was…well, an Immortal. At one time, I had thought I loved the man, but in the end, it just didn’t work out. He’d tried so hard to win me back, and I couldn’t deny that he’d stirred my feelings for him again, but those were short-lived when I fell head over heels for Victor. I wasn’t sure Frank would ever forgive me for choosing a dangerous Immortal king over him. When he left through the portal, he didn’t even turn around to check for me; he didn’t even realize he was leaving me behind. He was hurt like a wounded dog, licking his wounds.
Mia’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Frank’s here in our world, in the temple outside the city of Zort. And he’s hurt…bad.”
Hurt? All kinds of thoughts raced through my mind. Why is he here? Who hurt him? How…? My mouth dropped open in stunned disbelief, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“I know this must come as a bit of a shock,” Mia said. “I couldn’t believe it myself.”
“More like a punch in the stomach,” I said.
“We’ll need Victor.”
“He’s not here, and even if he was, I wouldn’t want him to know Frank is here.”
“But why not, milady? Surely there remains no angst between them.”
“Angst is putting it lightly. Victor will freak out if he finds out. I’ll go on my own.”
Mia’s eyes widened in shock. “But, Highness, with Ethano out on the loose? You can’t leave this castle without armed guards and Immortals.”
I gripped the girl’s delicate hands. “Don’t worry, Mia. We’ll take our best fleet of soldiers and Immortals.”
“Fleet?”
I laughed, forgetting that my tongue sometimes confused them. “It means we’ll take a whole lot of them. For now, we can’t tell Victor that my ex-boyfriend is back here. He’ll never understand. I’ll make sure Frank is healed, then send him on his merry way, back through the portal, to the world where he belongs.” Suddenly, something hit me: What if this is all some elaborate scheme by that scandalous Ethano? “Mia, do you think there is any chance this is some kind of trap? Do you think Ethano is up to something, trying to bait me beyond the safety of these walls?”
“I saw Frank myself, ma’am, with my own eyes. When I was coming back from visiting my mother, I ran into one of Liz’s messengers, and I went and checked it out immediately. Frank has done so much for me, after all. When I saw him, he asked for you.”
I gasped. “You saw him?”
“Yes, ma’am. In the flesh.”
“Then it really must be him.”
“I suppose it could be a shape-shifter.”
I bit my lower lip, pondering. “Wouldn’t that be a brilliant scheme to get me out of the castle without Victor?”
“But what if it really is Frank?” she asked.
“You’re right. If it is him, I can’t stand idly by while he’s hurt. He was probably worried sick about me when I didn’t show up on the other side of the portal. I never told him I was staying. It was a last-minute decision, and I mean that most literally.”
“Well, in any case, Highness, he is quite injured. It looks as if he’s been stabbed.”
“When a shape-shifter approached me as my sister, we got into a sword fight. When she was stabbed, she bled green.”
“Frank’s blood is red.”
“Are you sure? Bright red? Crimson?”
Mia nodded. “Yes’m.”
“In that case, we can only assume he’s human.”
“Also, your sister is there. I know she is a healer, milady, but I’m not sure he’ll make it if we don’t act soon. He was in awful shape.”
I was floored. “Liz is there?”
Mia shrugged. “She does have the gift of healing.”
“But she’s only healed animals in the past, never humans. Besides that, how did she find out about Frank before I did? That seems odd to me.”
Mia shrugged. “I don’t know, but she was by herself, accompanied by no guards.”
“Alone? Is she crazy?” I shook my head in frustration. “Please go fetch the doctor, our healer, and tell him he’ll be rewarded handsomely for his troubles. Also, get us a wagon. Meanwhile, I’ll get us some muscle.”
She cocked her brow in confusion.
I added, “A bunch of strong soldiers.”
Mia gripped my hands. “Highness, you should stay in the castle. I can go to Frank and make sure he is all right.”
I nodded, knowing it would be wise to follow her advice, but for some reason, I couldn’t leave well enough alone. “No, I’m going. I need to know firsthand that he’s okay, and I have to find out why he’s here. Also, I’d love to see Liz. Meet by the gates, Mia, with the doctor and a wagon.”
“Yes, Highness,” Mia said, looking at the floor and shaking her head.
“I know this is a risk, but it’s something I have to do. Please understand. If I let you go by yourself with the soldiers and doctor and something happens to Frank or Liz or you, I’d never forgive myself. Frank is still a stranger here, and he has no one but me. If he’s hurt, he needs me. I can’t possibly sit here waiting around, wondering if everyone is all right.”
Mia tried to hide the disappointed expression on her face, but I knew she wasn’t
comfortable with me leaving and venturing out into the night. Finally, she nodded, then turned to leave. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
* * *
The moon peeked out from the dark clouds as Mia, the doctor, and I rode along, bumpety-bump, in the back of a wagon. A burst of wind gushed over me, sending chills down my spine, and I clutched my cloak tightly around me; it was almost cold enough to see my breath. The temple loomed in the distance, and I ordered the soldiers to make sure it was safe. A few minutes later, the sound of gallops echoed through the forest.
It’s safe, milady,” a soldier said. “Just one wounded man, asking for you.”
My heart raced. So it’s true. Frank is here. He really came back for me. “You didn’t see my sister, Liz?”
“No, Highness.”
I looked at Mia. “Where’d she go?”
Mia shrugged. “I am not sure. Perhaps she went to fetch a healer.”
Oddly enough, even with her healing powers, my sister hated the sight of blood. It was entirely possible that she would have called in some reinforcements.
“Hoo! Hoo!” An owl hooted as branches shook in the wind, giving the whole scene an eerie feel—like Halloween, without the trick-or-treaters.
“Let’s go,” I said.
The soldier nodded, and our wagon raced off toward the temple. The horses neighed as we stopped. Soldiers held out their hands and helped us down.
I glanced up at my gentlemanly guards. Victor had assigned them to me and had told them to do whatever I asked. They were loyal and brave to a fault. I knew they would lay down their lives to protect me, and I trusted them completely. “Please wait out here until I get back.”
The healer was stick thin, with thick blond hair and brown eyes. He was a kind, compassionate man, and I knew if anyone could help Frank, it would be him.
Eternal Fire - Book 3 of The Ruby Ring Saga Page 4