A Dark Guardian

by Donna Grant

  “Enough,” Bernard bellowed and pulled Theresa off her. “I told you I would take care of this,” he told Theresa.

  Mina held her arm and swallowed down the nausea that had suddenly assaulted her. “What is going on?”

  “You always play the innocent,” Theresa spat as she struggled in Bernard’s arms.

  “But you won’t get away with it this time. I told them ‘twas you who attacked me.”

  Mina would have rolled her eyes if she didn’t think it would make her pass out.

  “I don’t know why you are lying, but you know it wasn’t me.”

  Instead of the retort she expected from her sister, Theresa merely gave her a small smile that sent chills over Mina’s body. Just what had Theresa done?

  No one spoke, and it was then that she noticed just how crowded the great hall was. She turned to Bernard, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. When she turned her gaze to Hugh, her blood froze in her veins.

  Gone was the man who had held her so tenderly and shown her what it was to be a woman, and in his place was the warrior that did the Fae’s bidding.

  “Ah, I see,” she said around the growing lump in her throat. “Guilty just because Theresa said I was. What about my side of the story?”

  Bernard pushed Theresa away from him. He turned to Mina and said as he grasped her shoulders, “I think you should go to your chamber.”

  “If I’m to be a prisoner, then shouldn’t I be in the dungeon?”

  “Don’t be silly,” Bernard hissed.

  “Oh, I think that would be wise,” Theresa said. “She is controlling that creature after all.”

  Mina waited for Bernard to say something, anything, but he didn’t. She raised her chin and squared her shoulders. “So be it,” she said and turned toward the dungeons.

  Footsteps sounded behind her and a hand clamped on her shoulder and spun her around. “This isn’t necessary,” Hugh said.

  “Bernard is in charge of this castle, not you, and he obviously wants me in the dungeon.” She looked over his shoulder and nodded. “See,” she said as a guard walked toward her.

  The hall began to spin around her, and she would be damned before she collapsed in front of everyone. With one hand supporting her along the wall, she walked down the steps that would take her to the cold, dank dungeon.

  The musty, stale odor made her stomach churn painfully. She barely waited until the guard left the dungeon before she lost the contents of her stomach. She hadn’t eaten since noon yesterday, but her body didn’t seem to care. She longed for water, but she knew she wouldn’t receive anything for quite awhile.

  She leaned against the damp stone and slowly lowered herself to the floor. She couldn’t move her right arm or hand. It throbbed and burned so badly that it brought tears to her eyes. She had no idea what Theresa had done to her, but whatever it was, it was something awful.

  Off to her left came a squeak. She glanced over and saw a small brown mouse.

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  “You won’t get anything from me, I’m afraid. They’ll forget about me soon enough.

  They always do.”

  That thought brought Hugh to her mind. Why had he turned on her? Had she done something wrong between the monastery and the castle? Shouldn’t a person be asked and questioned about a crime before everyone judged them?

  The sound of crying and heavy footsteps reached her from above in the great hall.

  Though she was far below, the stairs were directly in front of her and brought the sound to her clearly. It sounded like a funeral, and then she remembered.

  Darrick.

  He had given his life for her. Out of all of them, he had never turned on her. She buried her face in her hand and cried for his loss of life, for not being there to see him put to rest, and because she didn’t know how much longer she could go on with her life.

  She wiped away her tears, and memories of the night before assaulted her. She took a deep breath and made a fist with her right hand. The pain shot through her like a lance and brought the blessed darkness she craved.

  * * * *

  Hugh stood with Cole and Gabriel as they buried Darrick. He had been surprised to see the entire castle attend, but there was one person he knew should have been there.

  Mina.

  He inhaled deeply and glanced around at the lush foliage that would guard Darrick’s resting place. Cole had wanted to have his traditional funeral where they burned their warriors, and, had they not been staying at Stone Crest Hugh, would have done just that.

  A shadow out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned and found Aimery and several of his Fae warriors. It warmed Hugh’s heart to know that the Fae really did care about them. He wasn’t surprised that the villagers didn’t see the Fae for Aimery had only allowed Hugh a glimpse.

  Once the priest finished blessing the ground and Darrick had been placed in the earth, Hugh turned toward the castle. Bernard nodded and pivoted before reaching out and grabbing a hold of Theresa to lead her back to the castle.

  “Did you see Aimery?” Cole asked.

  Hugh nodded as he watched the baron and his sister.

  “I knew the Fae would be here,” Gabriel said and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “What is it, Hugh?” Cole asked.

  “I’m not sure.”

  Cole flexed his hands. “It must be something for them to catch your attention like they did.”

  Hugh shrugged. “’Tis just a nagging in the back of my mind.”

  “Like you forgot something?” Gabriel asked.

  “Nay,” Hugh shook his head. “Like I’m not seeing something.”

  Gabriel snorted. “What’s there to see other than a spiteful, vengeful woman and her drunken brother?”

  “Not to mention a lady that is not only beautiful but seems as innocent as a new babe,” Cole finished. “Are you sure it’s still Mina?”

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  “My instincts have never failed me before,” Hugh said and strode to the castle.

  * * * *

  “What the hell?” Hugh said once he had descended into the dungeon. He rushed toward the door that held Mina when he spotted her.

  He hadn’t been able to stay away, needing her to realize what was going on and how detrimental it could all be. But he hadn’t been prepared to see her passed out on the damp stones.

  “Guard,” he yelled.

  The guard came running toward him. “My lord?”

  “Find Gabriel and the baron and get them down here immediately,” he said as he took the keys from the guard’s waist.

  While the guard went in search of Gabriel and Bernard, Hugh unlocked the dungeon door and went to Mina. He touched her forehead and found her skin warm.

  He didn’t think it was her wound on her arm since Gabriel had healed it, but something kept telling him to check anyway. He pulled up the sleeve of her tunic and saw the skin red and blotchy. The talon marks that had begun to heal and fade were raised and turning green.

  The sound of boots running down the steps drew his attention. He turned and spotted Gabriel. “Hurry,” he called out.

  Gabriel immediately came to his knees beside Mina. “By all that is holy,” he breathed. “Who did this to her?”

  Hugh raised his eyes to Bernard. “She was fine until we walked into the castle.”

  “Will she be all right?” Bernard asked. “I didn’t want her down here.”

  “Then you should have told her,” Hugh snapped. “I’ve never seen anything like this wound. Gabriel, can you heal her?”

  Gabriel felt her head and shook his head. “I honestly don’t know. There’s magic involved.”

  “Let’s get her out of here,” Hugh said and picked her up in his arms.

  “Theresa won’t like this,” Bernard whispered.

  “Frankly, I don’t give a sheep’s arse what Theresa thinks.” But it gave
Hugh pause. What if he was wrong about Mina and she was innocent? “Is there another way to reach Mina’s chamber without going through the great hall?”

  Bernard’s face lit up. “Aye. Follow me.”

  They reached Mina’s chamber without being seen. Hugh walked in first and went to her bed. It wasn’t until after he laid her down that he realized the stone was once again gone.

  “Bernard, look for the blue stone while I aid Gabriel.”

  The baron nodded and went straight away to searching the chamber.

  Hugh watched Mina’s face become paler. “Hurry, Gabriel,” he said.

  “I don’t know if this will work,” Gabriel said as he added what looked like bits of grass into the goblet of herbs and water. “Raise her head. She must drink all of this.”

  Every time they put the goblet to her lips she would turn her head away, no matter how many ways they tried to get the liquid down her she wouldn’t open her mouth.

  “She acts as though she wants to die,” Gabriel murmured.

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  “The hell she does,” Hugh thundered and turned her face to him. “Mina. Open your mouth. You will drink. You won’t let Theresa win. Prove her wrong. Prove me wrong.” He waited a moment then whispered, “Please.”

  This time when Gabriel brought the goblet to her lips she allowed the liquid to pass through. Once that was done, Hugh laid her back down as Gabriel reached for her arm.

  “Hold her,” he told Hugh.

  Hugh leaned over her and put a hand on either of her shoulders. He watched as Gabriel took out his dagger. “What are you doing?”

  Gabriel’s silver gaze widened in surprise. “You’ve never questioned me before.”

  “Go ahead,” Hugh said and looked away.

  “Just what happened last night?”

  “No questions, Gabriel. Do your work,” he said.

  But he didn’t stop watching his friend as Gabriel set about reopening Mina’s wounds. As soon as the skin was open, a foul odor penetrated the chamber.

  “The red jar,” Gabriel called out anxiously.

  Hugh reached over and handed it to Gabriel who hastily wiped the yellowish mixture on Mina’s open wounds. Mina cried out and tried to jerk her arm away. Hugh held her down while Gabriel finished putting the mixture on and wrapping her arm.

  When he finished, Hugh released Mina. “Will it work?”

  Gabriel ran a hand through his tousled hair. “I hope so. Whoever, or whatever, did that to her meant for her to die.”

  “The only people to touch her were Theresa and Hugh,” Bernard said.

  “She was with me all night in the tunnel beneath the monastery. If it was something there, I would also have it.”

  “True,” Gabriel said. “Just in case, let me see your back.”

  Hugh raised his shirt. “Anything?”

  “Nothing,” Gabriel said. “The marks look better than I had hoped for. I think you’ll come away without much of a scar.”

  “’Tis strange that the creature didn’t kill you,” Bernard said.

  “I know,” Hugh agreed. “It has had plenty of opportunities.”

  “And it has had amply opportunity to kill Mina as well,” Gabriel pointed out.

  “Mina told us that it spoke to her and said she was to be last. That whoever was controlling it wanted her to witness everyone’s death.”

  “Well,” Bernard said and slumped into a chair as though he had been punched.

  “That either means she is innocent or a liar and controlling it as well as poisoning me and attacking Theresa.”

  “She has good reason to want revenge against both of you,” Gabriel said.

  Bernard hung his head. “Unfortunately, that is too true.”

  “So, Hugh, what do we do?”

  Hugh looked at the sleeping woman, the same woman who had come alive in his arms last night, the woman who made his blood pound. “I don’t know. Everything points to her as the culprit.”

  “But?” Gabriel prompted.

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  “She could be being set up. Who hates her the most?”

  Bernard began to laugh. “That is an easy one. Theresa. But I can honestly say Theresa knows nothing of magic or these blue stones.”

  “Are you sure? Would you stake your life on it?” Gabriel asked.

  Bernard

  paused.

  Hugh sighed. “Did you find the blue stone?”

  “Nay.”

  “I didn’t think you would. Why would Mina place the stone out so that any of us could see it and then hide it again?”

  “She could have forgotten to replace it.” Gabriel shrugged.

  “True,” Hugh conceded.

  “And the evil surrounding the Druid ruins didn’t bother her.”

  “Look,” Bernard said as he gained his feet. “Dusk is coming. I don’t wish to see any more of my people die. Do you know of a way to kill the creature?”

  Hugh walked to the door. “Gabriel, don’t leave Mina. Get your people inside their homes, Bernard. I’ll find your answer.”

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  Chapter Fourteen

  Mina didn’t wish to open her eyes. She wanted to return to the darkness where the pain in her heart and her arm didn’t reach her.

  “Mina. You must wake now.”

  She turned away from the insistent voice, silently begging him to leave her be.

  “’Tis important. Please, Mina.”

  Since the nice, but relentless, voice had dragged her out of her darkness and wouldn’t leave her alone, she had no choice but to open her eyes. She blinked and looked around as her eyes focused. She was in her chamber, though she couldn’t remember getting there.

  “Hugh carried you.”

  She turned her head and found her brother and Gabriel staring down at her. “Go away,” she croaked out.

  “Mina, where is the blue stone?” Bernard asked. “Where did you hide it?”

  “I don’t have it.” She tried to lift her right arm to rub her eyes and cried out from the pain.

  “Shhh,” Gabriel said as he gently took her arm and laid it down. “Don’t move it for a while.”

  “What happened to me?”

  Gabriel’s silver eyes lowered for a moment before he met her gaze. “Dark magic.”

  “What does that have to do with my arm?”

  “Whoever used it intended for you to die. Had Hugh not gone to the dungeon when he did, I wouldn’t have been able to save you.”

  She didn’t want to owe Hugh a debt of thanks. “I would have liked to say good-bye to Darrick. He saved me. I miss his teasing and laughter.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Aye, he will be greatly missed. He gave his life for you because he believed in what we do. And because he liked you.”

  That brought a small smile to her lips. “Thank you.”

  “About your arm, I have heard of the use of Dark Magic used in such a way, but I have never encountered it. I don’t know if my herbs will assist at all.”

  “I wish you would have let me die.”

  “Mina,” Bernard chastised her.

  “How would you feel if everyone thought you were an evil person setting a creature to kill everyone? How would you feel if no one would believed a word you said?”

  Gabriel placed a hand on Bernard. “She needs to rest. Give her some time.”

  When Bernard left her chamber, she turned to Gabriel. “Thank you.”

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  “Thank me later,” he said and brought a goblet to her. “Drink this.”

  * * * *

  Hugh walked the battlements in agitation, the sun sinking lower in the horizon every moment. He had been calling to Aimery for some time now, but the Fae wouldn’t answer him. He slammed his fist onto his thigh and walked into the tower o
nly to find Aimery.

  “I wondered when you would come inside,” the Faerie said.

  Hugh clenched his jaw. “It would have been nice had you let me know you were in here.”

  “Now what would be the fun of that?” When Hugh didn’t smile at his joke, the Faerie straightened from the wall. “What is it?”