To Those Who Never Knew (A Monksblood Bible Novel Book 1)

by Isabella Anton

  Moving closer to the rain wall, I could just barely make out movement from inside, the deafening noise making it impossible to hear any oncoming enemies. I felt as the wind pulled at me, the sheer force of it unyielding to my presence.

  Okay Jade. You can do this. Just remember your spells and training. What had Bowen said? “Think and move.”

  I knew I would never be ready to face whatever awaited me so I jumped right in. The onslaught of wind, rain, and hail bashed at my body. Little pellets of frozen ice sliced shallow cuts around my exposed face and hands as I numbly gripped the hilt of my sword tighter. My progress into the heart of the squall was slow, passing by individuals fighting along the way. I couldn’t tell if we were winning or not, though by the fact the mushroom weather had not dissipated it was evident what damage we were taking.

  I could only see about five feet in front of me and was unprepared to face my first enemy. He was bigger than me, wielding nothing but his magic. He threw something at my right side, letting him get in closer as I parried, and swung a blade of magic cross-body, only slightly grazing my protective armor. I tried to step out of arms’ length but he kept hitting me with spell after spell. The dangerous death dance went on for I don’t know how long. All the while my wet-soaked clothes and the below freezing temperatures were slowing down my movements.

  I need to stay warm or I’ll never make it. What was that fucking spell?

  I kept my blade up, defending myself as I stalled to remember the incantation to change cool air into hot. With my mind distracted, the sorcerer in front of me managed to skim his blade across my cheek. Startled, I felt the drip of blood freeze onto my face. With adrenaline at full capacity my mind kicked into gear.

  Ignis.

  Calidus.

  Sol lucet omnibus.

  I repeated it over and over. Each time the ice that fell around me softened into snow, then into rain, and soon after I was encapsulated in a bubble of warm air, the elements unable to penetrate its borders.

  The man in front of me continued his assault. I took a chance and screaming the same spell, substituted omnibus out with the word corpus humanum, and like a gas fire, the man was engulfed in my blaze. Their flames were surprisingly beautiful, the snowy backdrop making their vibrant color stand strong against it. His body fell to the ground with a weight I never thought a body possible to possess.

  I… I killed him.

  My knees buckled out from under me and I fell to the ground, my fists balled in soppy mud. The sheer emotions of realization hit me. I could smell the burnt flesh that emanated from his corpse and threw up what was left in my stomach, which wasn’t much considering I hadn’t eat all that afternoon. My hand unsuccessfully covered my nose and mouth to filter the smell, replacing it with dirt. The sounds of grunts from other fights around me were almost nonexistent as time slowed to a halt.

  It was only when an enemy’s knife whizzed past my head that my instincts took over once more.

  Come on, Jade. Get up! Think and move!

  With my bubble of warmth now surrounding me I was able to get the feeling back in my limbs and moved past the crisply burnt figure in front of me. I used the spell on three other hooded men on my way into the center of the storm, my vision teetering as I could feel my body being drained by the second. I hadn’t used this much magic before, my spells with Master Lewis were small enough that I would only get a headache if we continued for longer, but now… There was nothing left in my stomach to throw up, though the feeling never went away.

  Finally I was in the storm’s eye, the air clear and clean. There, Bowen faced off with an enemy. They moved swiftly together, the synchronization of their blows astoundingly matched.

  De-casting my bubble, I crept silently behind a fallen tree, its roots exposed to the air. I popped my head up only to see Bowen’s attacker headed straight towards me.

  I stumbled to position myself better and was just in time to deflect the crystal spikes that flew at me. Side-stepping, I tried to put distance between me and my opponent. I was ready for the next blow but before I could execute my maneuver, Bowen stepped between us.

  “How did you get here?” The anger on his face didn’t nearly match what it held in his voice.

  “Is this really the right time to be talking about this?” I shouted.

  The man that stood in front of us was tall, his chestnut-brown hair cut close to his head, his eyes matching them with streaks of honey.

  He looked oddly familiar.

  “No,” Bowen answered without ever looking away from the threat in front of him, “but we will talk about it when we are finished here.”

  “Is this her? The one that is supposed to save us?”

  My attention never left the man’s presence, his smile sadistic and body languid in the chaos of battle.

  “Not you,” Bowen’s voice cracked.

  “No, of course. I’m the villain in all of this.” Lowering his arm a fraction of an inch he moved closer. “Is there no salvation for me? Why is that?”

  “You know exactly why, Finch.”

  I looked at Bowen, my mouth going dry at the name. “Finch? As in your brother Finch?”

  “No.” The back of Bowen’s neck stiffened in response.

  “Oh, come now, brother.” Finch spat the word out as if it were poison on his tongue. “You would not want to confuse the poor girl.”

  Without warning he attacked, his strike bringing down hard onto Bowen’s steel blade. I gave them as wide a birth as I dared but stayed close enough in case I could intervene. A couple of times I tried to help but it accomplished nothing. Finch’s movements were too slippery, too fast, for my still unskilled body to keep up with. Put me in a fight between who could sprint the fastest and I would win, but put me in a fight where you had to hit the hardest—I knew I would lose.

  They stopped their fighting long enough to catch their breaths.

  “You will not succeed, Finch. Not this time.” Bowen charged him, sword held high to his cheek like I had seen before when he was sparring with the other guards.

  He swung into the air.

  Finch was no longer on the ground, but ten feet off it.

  “Why not end this now before someone gets hurt?” Finch reached into the inner pocket of his black cloak and pulled out a pouch. Before I could utter a warning cry to Bowen, he swooped down and smashed the contents into his brother’s face, then gracefully touched back onto the ground.

  Instantly, Bowen went still. Petrified.

  “What did you do to him?” I shouted and tried to run and aid Bowen, only to be intercepted by Finch.

  “It is only a little petrification spell. It will wear off in time.” He tutted and tilted his head, admiring his own work. “He always was better at fighting than magic. Mam said so when we were tested.”

  I tried to bring my sword up to slash across his body, but was stopped when the once heavy metal in my hands turned into a thorned vine, its spikes penetrating deep into my skin. I dropped it, pain and blood shooting through my hands.

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Did your mother not tell you? You should not interrupt a person while they are talking.” He placed his arm around my shoulders and veered me away from Bowen. “Now then, Jade.”

  “H-h-how do you know my name?” I sputtered out. I was completely outgunned. The little magic I knew was no match against a person who could fly without even uttering a word. This was probably what Master Lewis meant when he said powerful people could use magic naturally.

  “It is such a beautiful name. Matches your eyes.” I tried to look away, but he brought my face back to his, his grip tight on my chin.

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked through clenched teeth.

  “I will not bore you with the details,” he finally let go of my face. “Let us say that I am interested in how events will turn out and that I want to be an accompaniment t
o them.”

  “That answers nothing.”

  “It answers everything!” His temperament changed from playful to hostile, and back, in the blink of an eye. If I had to describe him in one word it would be unhinged, his manner jumping around the place. “If you want to know more, I would ask my dear brother for the information. He does love telling stories.”

  I looked back to Bowen. His fingers were moving slightly. The paralysis starting to wear off. I turned back to Finch and found him no longer next to me, once again in mid-air.

  “Wait. Why did you come here? Why all this destruction?” Master Lewis had told me that the Brotherhood took people’s lives in small numbers, not through extravagant events like this. Their actions today were nothing but loud.

  “For you, Milady.”

  I looked on in horror. This was all for me? For my benefit?

  “Oh, do not fret. The time will arrive very soon that you will join us and no one will be able to stop what is to come.”

  Before I could probe him further, Finch flew up and out of the eye of the storm.

  Taking the chance I ran to Bowen’s side. His hand was finally free, leaving the rest of him to still thaw out.

  Minutes passed and finally the wind and rain that had assaulted the district died away, leaving the remaining soldiers to gather the dead and wounded.

  XXII.

  “What were you thinking?” It had taken hours for Finch’s spell to wear off Bowen. Hours safe from his anger towards me for interfering with his fight.

  “I was thinking that I could be of some help. How was I supposed to know they were after me?” With the battle behind us, my hands shook as I went about collecting herbs from the hospital’s shelves.

  “She has a point there.”

  “Shut it, Tristan!” Bowen snapped. He paced the central run of the hospital beds, letting his frustration wear into the stone floor. “I knew this was going to happen,” he muttered quietly to himself.

  “What?” I turned on him. “What do you mean you knew?”

  He stayed silent. I could see him weighing his options whether to tell us. He finally did the smart thing and spilled. “Before, when Finch was here and he escaped, he warned me, but I did not take it to heart. I did not believe they would be capable… but they came so close…” His voice gave out.

  All three of us stood there, two in a state of shock and one in regret.

  “You should have told us.” Tristan’s voice was unforgiving.

  “I did not see you out on the battlefield!” Bowen shot back defensively.

  “If you are thinking that I stayed behind the castle walls like a gath fach ofnys, then you are surely mistaken! Ah!” Tristan sat on one of the low cots stationed in the hospital. I had finally persuaded him to let me tend to the wound on his head. It had stopped bleeding, but the gash was large and needed stitching.

  “Stop moving! Master Lewis only showed me the spell once. If you don’t want to end up with your ear on top of your head, don’t even twitch!” I went to work while Tristan did his best to remain still. Bowen stood with his arms crossed over his chest and continued to watch me. Ever since we had left the battlefield of bloodied men and women, he never took his eyes away from me.

  “You are getting better at that,” he commented.

  “I know,” I huffed out with impatience, a migraine now boring its way into my head. “It’s been almost two months since I’ve been here. Did you think all I was doing was training with you?”

  “No, I did not think that.” His voice was soft, almost an inaudible whisper against the hustle and bustle of cries and moans that echoed in the room. Nurses flew around the place tending to those who needed it most while the rest waited their turn.

  “I’ve not only been studying with Master Lewis. When they had time, Gran would teach me how to cook in the ovens. Her Ladyship taught me the ins and outs of running the castle. Even His Lordship at one point told me the political runnings of the world.” My emotions overwhelmed me and everything came out in a rush. Bowen’s face twisted in sorrow.

  It wasn’t only because as an anthropologist my curiosity wouldn’t let me sit still, it was so I could survive this place.

  “So you see, Bowen.” I stopped what I was doing, my head turning towards him so our eyes would meet, making sure he understood the truth in my words. “This is my home right now, and I plan to protect it, to protect my family, to the best of my ability.” I was on the breaking point, my voice wavered. “And even as screwed up as it sounds that includes you. Both of you.”

  Tristan didn’t move but I could feel him tense up. Bowen, on the other hand, rested his tight shoulders, their width smooth against his sweat-soaked leather. He shortened the distance between us. I could barely see him as my eyes went blurry with tears, and then I felt it—his hand on my shoulder. He was so close, I could still smell the stench of blood coming from his clothes.

  We stood there, connected in this weird chain: Bowen comforting me, my hands still on Tristan. I hadn’t felt this much kinship since arriving in Wales, the way Jackie and I had become fast friends, my parents and their over-doting… I longed for it. Longed to hold those emotions once again instead of the uneasiness that had now replaced everything else. But for the first time in over a month, I had felt those emotions with Bowen and Tristan, my trust and friendship with them growing stronger every passing minute.

  I quickly came back to my senses and finished the captain’s stitching.

  “I am glad you came out of this unscathed.” Tristan looked me straight in the eyes, reiterating that this was a close call.

  And it was.

  “I didn’t,” and I wasn’t just talking about the slice on my cheek.

  Before I could put the finishing touches on Tristan’s bandages, Master Lewis burst into the room, followed by His Lordship and Her Ladyship, Anwen, Haf and Elian. I could see that in the hallway outside there were even more gathered, a few Royal Guards and soldiers… Even Gran was there, a butcher’s knife held firmly in hand, ready to take out any other Brotherhood bastards.

  “We are leaving,” the master’s words catching me off guard.

  “Leaving? Now? Why? To where?”

  Tristan was on his feet in an instance, Bowen already at Lord Gruffydd’s side. They talked in rushed tones while only one of my questions was answered.

  “Why? Because the Brotherhood is after you, that is why. I cannot even imagine what they would want you for, but I am not willing for you to stay here and get captured to find out!”

  Haf and Elian stood there with my good cloak.

  “You can’t be serious? This is supposed to be one of the best strongholds in Wales and you want me to leave?”

  Anwen came over and nimbly ripped my leathers and chainmail off, replacing it with the cloak. “Do not worry, sister, you will not be going far. Only to a more secluded area.”

  My face fell. Somewhere more secluded than Llansteffan? The place practically sat atop a barren hill with nothing but a small town at its front gates and the never ending sea at its back. “Where could be more secluded than this?”

  “Saint Davids. It is a small town west from here,” Master Lewis interjected. “It should be a little more than a week’s ride.”

  Saint Davids. The name wiggled in my mind. I had heard of it a lifetime ago. It was on the list of cultural trips the internationals were supposed to go on. Not that I had gotten the chance at the time. I guess this was going to make up for it.

  “Let’s go then.”

  We were halfway through our journey. The days were cold and the nights freezing. I wasn’t sure if I would make it to Saint Davids alive at this pace, but with Bowen’s attentiveness to my every need, it didn’t seem I was in any danger. We had stopped for the night, this time camping just off the main road as there weren’t many villages between here and Saint Davids. Master Lewis had
never let up in our lessons and I had to set all the fires for us to keep warm by. By the time I was finished my muscles ached with the strain that amount of magic put me through, though better than just a week ago when fighting off the Brotherhood. I went and sat next to Bowen, a blanket already waiting for me.

  He had been surprisingly gentle, the battle’s horrors still fresh in my mind. If I had been taken, I wouldn’t even be here. I could be locked in a cell… or worse. I tried not to think about it, letting the misty night settle onto our thick clothes and blankets. I had to concentrate to make sure the fires stayed lit.

  “Here,” Bowen broke off a chunk of bread for me. Our provisions weren’t many and I tried my hardest not to salivate over the portions we each got. But I knew, I knew Bowen would always give me more of his share.

  “You keep it. I’m not particularly hungry.” It was a blatant lie and he could see right through it, but he let me be, not wanting to push me any further than I had already been.

  This whole week felt as if the walls that had first been erected between us had come crumbling down. The way he would position himself around me now was as if he were a male lion protecting his young. Even though I had my magic and his training to fall back on, I liked it, the proximity of him almost acting like a calming medicine to my frazzled nerves. “Do you know how I got here?” I asked offhandedly, pondering the event.

  He stopped chewing to give me an answer. “No.”

  “I was studying in Lampeter. Anthropology,” I threw in even though I knew he wouldn’t understand it. “I was minding my own business… It was November 11th and I was scrambling to get to the library to start an essay that was due that next week… when... I got a nosebleed and it fell onto this old book.” LIES! I heard my head scream. But that’s what my mouth produced. Maybe it was because every time I now looked at Bowen, all he could see was the broken pieces of me inflicted at the hand of someone else. I didn’t want to add to his weight. “Next thing I knew… I was here.”

  His eyes never left mine as he scooted closer to me, his body warm against the freezing night. “So simple.”