To Capture Her Heart

by Hartman, Ginny

  The rain had caused the walkways to turn muddy and slick, but the unfavorable conditions didn't seem to deter the merchants and magicians who were clamoring for attention. Gwendolyn's eyes scanned the throngs of people, hoping to see the brown-haired mind reader, but the spot where he had been the previous day was empty. Her heart dropped. He had probably left, and now she would never have the chance to get her gift.

  Twisting a lock of hair in her hand, she thought about returning to camp. She was in no mood to be lectured for going off on her own. As she reached the end of the line, she turned to leave when she heard someone call out her name. The feminine voice was smooth and soft. She turned swiftly and her eyes beheld the fair haired Loreena.

  “Come with me child. Roreck has been looking for you.”

  “Roreck?” Gwendolyn questioned.

  “Aye, the mind reader.”

  Hope filled her. “Truly? You know where he is?”

  “Follow me,” the girl indicated as she turned and strolled purposefully though the crowds.

  Gwendolyn eagerly followed the tall girl, watching as she gracefully maneuvered her way through the people. Before she knew it, they had left the festival behind. Gwendolyn briefly wondered if Loreena was taking her to the big tree, but before they got that far, she turned in the opposite direction, weaving her way through a maze of trees, back and forth so many times Gwendolyn had a hard time figuring out what direction they were going in. Several times she felt as if they had done nothing but go in circles, but she was hesitant to question the girl.

  Finally a small tent appeared in the clearing. Loreena held the flap back and indicated that Gwendolyn go inside, which she did so hesitantly. A small fire burned in the center of the tent, its thick smoke curling and reaching skyward, exiting through a small opening in the ceiling. The smell of burning herbs assaulted her nose. Her stomach rolled. The mind reader was sitting cross-legged on a fur next to the fire, a pleased grin on his face.

  “You found her,” he cooed to Loreena.

  “Aye, I told you I would.”

  “Very good,” he praised her.

  Then, locking eyes with Gwendolyn he commanded, “Sit.”

  She did so, arranging her skirts modestly around her legs. “You didn't come last night.”

  “I tried but you weren't alone.” His tone was disapproving and Gwendolyn suddenly felt guilty for doing something she didn't know had been wrong.

  “What I have to share with you is special; 'tis not something I share with any commoner.”

  “Then why are you sharing it with me?” she asked.

  “Because you are not common. I saw in your mind yesterday the yearning of your soul. You desire a gift above anything else.”

  'Twas true that she desired a gift greatly, but Gwendolyn wasn't sure it was what she wanted more than anything, but she kept silent, afraid to contradict the man Loreena had called Roreck.

  “What gift do you desire the most?” he asked, his dark eyes never leaving her face.

  Gwendolyn squirmed under his scrutiny. “I'm not entirely sure. There are so many wonderful gifts out there, I don't know how I could pick which one I favor the most. My sister-in-law Rosalind is a transporter, and there was a time I was insanely jealous of her gift. I couldn't understand how I came from a line of transporters yet she was the one with the ability. It wasn't until later that I learned that my brother, Terric, had deflected his gift to her and that...”

  Roreck put up one hand to stop her. She was so nervous she hadn't realized that she had been rambling on. Her cheeks burned, but she couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or from the heat of the fire.

  “This is very good to hear, very good indeed,” Roreck drawled. He dug his fingers into a small, leather pouch he had hanging on a string around his neck. Producing a small glass vile of golden liquid, he held it out to her so she could see.

  Gwendolyn leaned in closer to get a better look. She reached up to take the liquid he was offering, but he quickly snatched it back. “Not so fast. I must first tell you how it works. Then you must make me a deal.”

  Gwendolyn nodded.

  “This potion is very powerful and works exceptionally well when administered properly, but if you fail to do exactly what I say, horrendous consequences will follow. It works like this—you must give this potion to the person possessing the gift you wish to obtain, but you must do it without their knowledge. Within an hour after they have consumed all the liquid, you must take something from their person—a strand of hair, a nail clipping, something of that sort, and brew it with these herbs.” He produced a small satchel of herbs and held it in front of her nose. “Once you have made the tea, you must partake of it in its entirety, making sure you don't tell a single soul what you are about. The gift will transfer to you, and you will find yourself with the ability to transport.”

  “That's it?” Gwendolyn asked, thinking it sounded simple enough.

  “That is all. Now just to reiterate what I have said—first you will slip this potion into your sister-in-law's drink.” He held up the vile of golden liquid. “Second, you will take something off her person and brew it with these herbs.” He held up the bag. “Then proceed to drink the entire contents. That is it. You will have your gift.”

  Gwendolyn was thoughtful. Could it really be that simple? “But what will happen to Rosalind? Will she still be able to transport?”

  Roreck laughed. “Nay, of course not. The potion derives the gift from her and gives it to you.”

  “But I want a gift of my own. I don't want to steal hers and leave her with nothing. Isn't there some other way? Can I perhaps find somebody else with a gift, perhaps somebody who doesn't want the ability they possess and give the potion to them?”

  “Nay,” he snapped at her quickly, angrily. “I've seen into your mind. I see that you wish for this gift above all others. The potion is only designed to work for somebody with real desire. Your sister-in-law will not miss the gift. For after she partakes of the potion, she will no longer recall she ever possessed it.”

  Gwendolyn exhaled in relief. Mayhap she wouldn't feel so guilty taking the gift from Rosalind if she never remembered having it in the first place.

  “Now, you must make me a deal. That is, if you are still interested.”

  “Aye,” Gwendolyn said reluctantly. Perhaps she could take the potion and wait awhile to decide if she would really use it.

  “You must promise me that you will use this potion within the next two days. If you fail to do so, there will be dire consequences.”

  Gwendolyn swallowed loudly. “What kind of consequences?” She was beginning to feel uneasy as the man continued to pressure her.

  “Nothing too extreme,” he intoned as he placed the vile and the sack of herbs into her hands, wrapping her fingers tightly around the items, both of his hands still clasping onto hers. “Just the life of the person you love most.”

  “What?!” she shrieked, trying desperately to unclench her hands and let the potions fall from her grasp. She was unsuccessful in her attempts, for Roreck was clenching her hands so tightly she felt as if they might break.

  His head moved so close to her face, their noses were almost touching. She could smell his rank breath as he spoke and she wanted to retch. The man's eyes were evil; he was evil. “'Tis too late now, for you have already taken my potion. You will follow my instructions precisely within two days’ time or you will find the person you love above all others dead. And it will be allyour fault.”

  “But,” she protested as a cold fear slithered into her being, “I never agreed.You didn't give me time to make a decision.”

  “You already did, child,” he leered, “for I read it in your mind.”

  Gwendolyn gasped. Nay, it couldn't be. Her inner thoughts had been in turmoil. She racked her brain trying to think if she had ever decisively concluded to do as Roreck said, but she couldn't remember doing so.

  “Now go. Do as I say, for I will be watching you.”

 
“But who do I love most?” she managed to ask, her voice ripe with fear.

  Roreck laughed wickedly. “You tell me.”

  “But you are the mind reader. Don't you already know?”

  “That I do, child, that I do.”

  Gwendolyn rose swiftly, anxious to get as fast and as far away from the tent and its evil occupant as she could. She made to throw the potions at Roreck, but just as she was about to do so, he spoke venomously, “Don't you dare do it, for I will kill you this instant.”

  Gwendolyn eyes widened in alarm. She knew he was serious too. Clasping tightly to the potions, she turned and fled, knocking into Loreena as she did so.

  Loreena snaked one hand out, clasping tightly onto Gwendolyn's arm. Venom dripped from her voice as she spewed forth a threat of her own. “Do not speak a single word of this to anyone or I will kill you myself.”

  Gwendolyn ripped her arm angrily away from the girl and ran away as fast as she could, hoping this was all some horrible, bizarre nightmare.

  She ran faster than she had ever run in her entire life, only she wasn't sure where she was going. Fear pumped through her veins with every beat of her heart. How had she gotten herself into such a mess? The potion and herbs burned into her hand, and more than once she tried flinging them into the forest, but curiously enough, they wouldn't leave her hand. It was as if they were glued to her palm.

  What was she going to do? She knew without a doubt that Roreck couldn't be trusted. She felt that the minute he placed the offending herbs in her hand. What if the potion didn't do what he said? What if it harmed her? Or worse, Rosalind? But if she didn't use it, someone she loved dearly would be killed. Never in her life had she beheld such evil as she had when Roreck had hissed his threat at her. Her body was shaking all over, but she refused to stop running. All she knew is that she wanted to get as fast and as far away from Roreck as she could.

  Her mind was so preoccupied with fear that she didn't register that she was no longer alone in the forest until she felt herself falling. Somebody had tackled her to the ground. Her mind barely registered the truth as the squishy ground bellow broke her fall. She felt a heavy body atop hers, and anxiety filled her chest. Had Roreck come for her?

  “Gwen, what the devil has gotten into you?”

  Gwendolyn's body relaxed slightly at the familiar sound of Gavin's voice, but she couldn't keep from shaking. “Why are you always pinning me to the ground? There are other ways to get my attention.”

  “Nay, I don't think there is. I called out to you several times and you didn't so much as turn your head.”

  “Just let me go,” she pleaded, her voice feeble. She needed to leave, to get away from the forest and the evil presence that resided there.

  Gavin's head dipped close, “Nay.”

  She could smell the ale on his breath. “You have been drinking!” she exclaimed, pushing furiously at his chest. “Please, I want to go home. Now.”

  Gavin looked confused as he leaped up from the ground, pulling her with him. Though his brain was foggy, he wasn't so deep into his cups that he couldn't realize that something was terribly wrong. “Gwen, what has gotten into you? You look more frightened than you did when the walarute attacked. Tell me, what has happened?”

  “Nothing has happened,” she snapped. She knew she couldn't tell him or Loreena would kill her.

  His hands clamped around her wrists, forcefully pinning them to her sides. She purposefully clamped her hands tightly around the potion, praying he wouldn't see it.

  “I'm not going to stand her and let you lie to my face. Something has happened that has caused you to run like the wind and I demand to know what.”

  “Nay,” her voice was firm despite the fact that she was still shaking all over. “I can't tell you.”

  He leveled his gaze on her, his brown eyes warm and sincere. “I told you things I have never told another human being, surely that warrants a little trust between us. Come, tell me. I promise your secret will be safe with me.”

  Gwendolyn shook her head. Oh how she wished that were true. No one was safe. She wasn't safe. “I can't trust anyone, not even you,” she blurted and watched as his face fell. It pained her greatly to see the hurt in his eyes.

  As his hands loosened their grip on her, he took a step back. She felt not only his physical withdrawal at that moment but his emotional withdrawal as well, and it left her feeling empty, as if a vital part of her had just vanished.

  “Very well,” he said flatly, his voice devoid of all emotion. “We will leave immediately, just like you wish.”

  Chapter 22

  Cause to Hope

  “Do you think she will do it?” Loreena stood outside, watching the girl sprint off, until she could no longer see her before slipping into the tent next to Roreck.

  “Of course she will. I saw the greed in her eyes when I told her she could possess a gift. We have been following her long enough to know that she will go to great lengths to get what she wants. She is selfish to the core. If obtaining the queen's gift isn't incentive enough, the threat of losing someone she loves will do the trick.”

  A wicked grin spread across her face. “And with Queen Rosalind out of the picture, I will be free to pursue King Terric.”

  “The idea seems highly pleasing to you. Is it the power and control of being queen you desire most or the man himself?”

  She traced a long finger down the side of his face and watched as desire flamed in his eyes. “Don't be jealous, Roreck. It doesn't become you. You know that it's all about power and wealth. And revenge, we can't forget that important detail. As soon as Queen Rosalind is out of the picture, we will need to take care of Gavin as well. I will never be successful in my attempts at wooing the king while he is lurking around.”

  Roreck, in the middle of nipping seductively at her fingers froze. “You still desire the man,” he accused, his eyes narrowing into angry slits.

  “Nay, you dimwit, because he will recognize me and ruin everything.”

  His scowl relaxed slightly as he pulled her into his arms. “Tell me that you desire me and me alone.”

  She purposefully spoke in her most sweetly seductive voice. “I only desire you, my love. How could you ever think otherwise?” Of course she was lying. “And I promise that when I am queen, I will not forget you. There will always be a place for you in my bed.”

  “And you will ensure that I am monetarily compensated for my loss, will you not?”

  “Aye, but of course,” she purred.

  He kissed her with hunger, oblivious to the lies that dripped forth from her mouth. “If you do not do as promised, you know I will kill King Terric, as was my original intent.”

  She had to bite down the irritation she felt at his persistent questioning. They had gone over it a thousand times, and each time she had reassured him that her word was good. It had taken her some persuading to convince him that instead of killing the king, he should allow her to attempt to seduce him instead. Becoming queen would give them a far greater gain than the vengeful killing would. Or at least it would give her the benefit. She had no plan on ever seeing him again once she was queen, but he couldn't know that.

  Pretending to be offended by his doubts, she pulled away from him, sticking her bottom lip out in a pout and lowering her eyes. “Please, do not doubt me. It makes me upset.”

  “Now I can't have that. Come here and let me kiss the displeasure from your face.”

  She reluctantly returned to his embrace, swallowing down the revulsion she felt at his touch. She'd go along with his desires for now, for soon enough her own desires would be fulfilled. She would be queen of the Southwest and have all the power and money that came along with it. Elation filled her at the thought as Roreck continued to kiss her. Soon she was matching his ardor, the promise of a better future inflaming her passion.

  ***

  As soon as they were back at camp, Gavin began to hastily pull down his tent. “Go wake Brigit and tell her we are leaving immediately.�
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  Gwendolyn nodded as she scurried into the tent. As soon as she was out of his sight, she slid the bag of herbs and the vile of potion into the small leather pouch hanging from the belt around her waist then turned to wake Brigit.

  Pushing the lady's shoulder back and forth, she said, “Wake up, Brigit,” but there was no response. Gwendolyn didn't know how she could sleep so long. She tried rousing her one more time before realization struck—the potion Brigit had taken had most likely been a sleeping potion.

  Her whole body felt tired and achy as she arose to go find Gavin. He appeared angry, a scowl marring his chiseled face, and it pained her to know that she was the cause. She hadn't meant to hurt him, she was only trying to protect him, but she couldn't explain that to him. Besides, at the moment she had a more immediate concern to deal with.

  “Gavin, I think Brigit partook of a sleeping potion. I cannot get her to wake.”

  “Why in tarnation would she partake of a blasted sleeping potion?” he cursed and Gwendolyn cringed.

  “I don't think she did intentionally. I think that the love potion she drank was in fact nothing more than a sleeping potion. The witch that sold it to her couldn't have her customers coming to her angrily demanding their money back when the potion didn't work as she claimed, but if they were fast asleep, they couldn't complain. Clever trickery, I suppose.”

  Gavin swore. “Are we to stay here until the potion wears off then?”

  “Nay,” Gwendolyn snapped quickly. “We must get out of here immediately. You will just have to carry her atop your horse.”

  “I don't think so,” Gavin stated with finality. “For all I know, this is all a part of her plan to work her way into my embrace. She's probably just tricking us both.”

  “Then you go try to wake her.”

  “Fine, I will.”

  He loudly called out to Brigit as he stalked into her tent. He tried every method to wake her short of pouring a bucket of cold water over her, though she was sure if he had access to one he would have done just that.