Storm Trilogy

by Ria Cantrell

  “I had no idea you had done that, Erik. Even from the first when the two of you were in the same room or space, there was no denying the thing that was between you. It was powerful.”

  “I was a fool. I thought in that weak moment, that things were not going to be fixed between us. I petitioned the king, like a brooding child. When I did not hear from him, and Rhianna and I found we actually loved each other, I just rather forgot about it. There has been so much going on here in the past two months that I gave it no further thought.”

  “Well, what are you going to do about that?” Drew stood, brushing off his trews and facing Erik.

  “I cannot even give that dilemma merit at the moment. I have to get her back. I have to save her from the horrors that demon can do to her. Then, once she is back safe and sound, I will take my plea to the king and beg him to reconsider since Rhianna and I are already husband and wife.”

  Drew gave a curt nod and said, “He is like a specter from Hades. I do not say this to cause you more heartache, but to stand in agreement with you that we have to get Rhianna away from that maniacal fiend.”

  “We ride at dawn. It will take us at least a day to get to Morcar and I would rather have the cover of night to cloak us when we arrive. I hate that we have to wait some hours yet, but we need any advantage we can for our cause. It would not be wise to show up on his doorstep in the light of day and be sitting ducks. This man does not play with any decency. He is evil to the core. He cares not for anything of honor. He plays without any rules that we hold to our code. He answers to one so dark, that he is beyond reason.”

  As Erik’s shoulders now collapsed in defeat, his heart was heavy with dread and he continued, “In truth, I do not know how we will be able to help her without him harming her. I have never felt so helpless in all of my life.”

  Putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder, Drew said, “We will succeed. I know we will and do you know why I know this?”

  “Because you share the Gift that she has. I know; you both told me.”

  “Not because of that. Because you love her. Erik, I do not know about that sort of love. I have not been graced to feel it, but you have. For that reason alone, you cannot fail.”

  “I cannot fail, Drew. I will die without her--I will die if something terrible befalls her.”

  “We have to just keep thinking about her strength. She is smart. She is beautiful. She will use what she must to survive…and I know in her heart she will be waiting for you to bring her home.”

  Erik raised an eyebrow to the last statement and Drew tried to smile and he said, “That is because of the Gift.”

  Then seriously again, he said, “I feel it here.…” Drew tapped his chest and he nodded his affirmation in emphasis of his words to Erik.

  ~Chapter Forty-Six~

  Rhianna stood in the private chamber of the man she feared most in life. He was the embodiment of what nightmares were made of. So many thoughts were racing through her mind. The one that pinned her with conviction was that no matter what she and Erik would face, she had to live. She was not sure she could ever forgive Erik, but she knew that nothing would ever change that she had loved him; even if the words Jasper had spoken were true.

  Her love was real, regardless of what his motives had been. Out of the love she had born for Erik, she had conceived a child and for that reason alone, she was prepared to do anything to live. Only as she gazed at the monster before her, she was not certain just how she was supposed to survive. She needed to think calmly; if calm could be something a person could attain in such a situation. She knew Aaron Jasper was sadistic and cruel. He had taken great pains to show her some of his handiwork in order to frighten her to his will.

  He had given her a tour of his dungeons and she heard first-hand the tortured wails and moans of those stuck within the walls below the crumbling stones of Morcar Keep. She was not sure if he wanted her to know that he would be happy to have her suffer the same if she did not bend to his will or if he wanted to impress her in some sick way. It was almost as if he had great pride in the destruction of men that were imprisoned within those terrible cells. He took her past the oubliette where the pitiful cries of a woman raked at her soul. Rhianna had no idea who that woman was or what she had done to receive such a fate, but her heart went out to her.

  No one deserved to be thrown into a pit to be forgotten. She knew the word, oubliette meant “to forget” and it was a cruel small space that a person was put without food, water or other base comforts to be left and to be forgotten. The woman would die eventually of starvation or of thirst, but madness would come first. Already the sounds of her screams, rants and ramblings marked one who had embraced insanity.

  Rhianna again had the strange thought that though Aaron wanted her frightened, he also wanted her to be impressed with his twisted capability for cruelty. Several times during the ride to Morcar, he had made mention of the power that would be theirs, once harnessed with her. That was the thread of hope that she would hold on to and use to benefit her survival. She had to make him believe that she could eventually be won with the promise of power from dark magic. She first had to appear horrified, which she truly was, but then she had to make it seem that she would embrace the lure of the Dark so that he would spare her for his own benefit.

  Her logical mind was warring with the terror that was engulfing her soul. Not only was she horrified by what Aaron had so proudly shown her, Rhianna was beside herself with fear of what he could do and would happily do to her if he did not get his will. It nearly stopped her cold, but Rhianna could not afford to allow fear to paralyze her now. She watched his movements as he circled her; leering at her with his one good eye.

  With each assessing look from him, he grunted his approval. Rhianna’s skin crawled. He licked his lips as he extolled the shapes of her breasts or the juncture between her thighs. There was something else she learned about this animal and it was that he wanted her. He had no qualms about describing the disgusting things he wanted her to do with him. He proclaimed, in great detail, the acts he wanted to perform with her.

  Rhianna had to fight the urge to vomit each time he procured some carnal act he had envisioned her to engage in. She did fight it, because this lust he had for her body and her magic was the thing she could best use against him. May God have mercy on her soul, she would play into it to save herself and to save Erik’s babe.

  Aaron Jasper smacked his lips again, like a man who had finally received a tasty treat. Haughty as she was, she was so damned beautiful. He could not wait to have her warming his bed. Even though she was his captive, she stood there like she owned the place. He thought about giving her a come-uppance and to teach her to learn her station, but something about her strength belied the power she possessed and Aaron wanted that even more than he wanted her body. He did not want her to relinquish even one drop of it until he had found a way to harness and use it. Only after he had obtained it, he would tame her and use her body for his pleasure.

  He watched her looking at him with hatred and disgust. That mattered not to him. It would make her unleash the darker side of that power with more might. Besides, he would enjoy her fight when he finally took her. He had thought to drug her, like he had done to her brother, but he wanted her in her right mind when he made her his whore after all. That thought only enhanced his pleasure.

  She looked upon him with something akin to the way one looked at a bug about to be squashed. No amount of acting could make her pretend to not hate him. He was the most vile of creatures and while she sensed his evil, she also sensed he was undisciplined and that he let his desires rule him. That could work against him, too. Many thoughts were being mulled over in her mind and she prayed for the strength to pull off her ruse. His odor was enough to send her retching in the soiled rushes again, but she closed herself off to it. She had to stay her course and she had to be strong. At least, she had to appear that she was.

  Aaron peeled off his gloves. He wanted to touch that beautifully un
marred flesh and he would not be deterred. He approached her again and his meaty paw closed over her upper arm. She flinched but said nothing. He grinned, showing his pointed and rotted teeth.

  “You find me lacking, Mistress. Such a shame! But I care not if you want me. In truth, when I rut with you, I prefer it when there is resistance…to a degree.” He taunted, “I do hope that Erik opened you up enough to take me. I am far bigger than he. I had heard you were a virgin? T’is another shame that you gave yourself so freely to him.”

  Rhianna wanted to scream that she did not give herself freely, like a whore. She had been a woman in love. But love had no place in her defense so she just stood stoically and bore his vile and piggish taunts. She felt his hand on her and she held her breath. The last thing she wanted to do was to provoke his anger. She steeled herself as his fingers lightly danced down the inside of her arm and she felt a tremor race across her flesh, causing it to bump up as if a chill had come upon her.

  Rhianna wished she could jerk her arm from his filthy, dirt caked fingernails, but she held herself as still as possible. He jeered, “Hmmm, goose flesh. I wonder if your nipples will pucker so at my touch.”

  As his hand went to close over her breast, she lost her sense of self control and she raked her nails across his face, wishing she could claw out his one good eye. His hand, swift and punishing, cuffed her and she felt her head snap back at the blow. “Damn you, you spiteful bitch! I do believe you drew blood.”

  She wanted to cry as the sting of the blow burned on her cheek, but she did not. She looked at him levelly and she said, “I only wished to grant your request, m’lord. You said you wished me to resist you. Have you changed your mind?”

  He laughed and said, “You are playing a dangerous game, Mistress. You do not know what I am capable of.”

  “I do know. I saw the sadistic things you did to your prisoners. I know what you did to my brother. If I die at your hands, so be it, but then you will have not gathered the…gifts you so desire. Mark me, Aaron Jasper, I will die resisting you or you will use me wisely, because you will not have many chances, I can assure you of that. You will choose, either my other worldly gifts or my body, but you shall not have both for I would rather die than become your whore.”

  He spat, “You are already a whore.”

  Rhianna’s spine stiffened at his words. If what he had said about Erik was true, he was right. His words warred in her mind and heart and she could not allow herself to believe them or all would be lost. She had to hold on to the promise of love, at least for a little longer. If she got out of Morcar with her life, she would seek retribution from the king himself for what had been done to her; mostly, what Erik had done to her heart.

  Dabbing his cheek with the back of his hand, he inspected the beads of blood that dotted his skin. She had courage or stupidity, he knew not which. He said with sarcasm dripping from his tongue, “I see you are tired, Mistress, from your long ride. Perhaps a night in the cells will tame some of that venom. Guards!”

  Before she could protest, two foul looking men came to Aaron’s aid. He said, “Take her to the cells.”

  “Shall we set her in the chains, m’lord?”

  “Nay. I do not want her flawless skin marred. The nasty chains will chafe her badly, I am afraid. Put her in one of the pits so she can think about her lot until morning. The moon is nearly full. I need full power of it to complete my rituals. I lost the benefit of Samhain by a day. Upon the moon’s rising, her fate will be cast by then. Until that time, let her enjoy my hospitality in our fine dungeons.”

  Rhianna felt the two goons grab her by each arm and she protested, “No…do not put me in there. No,” she fairly screamed.

  She strained against them and she tried to kick at them. She heard Aaron Jasper’s malevolent laugh as he said, “Careful lads, she has quite a lot of force in her kicks. I would not let her catch you unawares.”

  The men overpowered her and dragged her toward the dungeons. She twisted her body and squirmed, trying to break free from them, but she was no match for their strength. Rhianna felt panic rise in her breast at the prospect of being tossed in one of those dark, closed-in places. She needed a little light or she would feel like she was drowning. As the two thugs tossed her into the cell, they slammed the heavy iron-hinged door behind her.

  She heard them slide the bar home and she was plunged into darkness. There were no bars or shafts of light to aid her into seeing her surroundings. She pounded furiously and screamed to be let out until both her knuckles and her throat were raw. She could hear the wails and cries of other people locked away and the sound of that woman howling in the oubliette wafted through the crack of the door.

  The cell was airless and dank. It smelled of rot and human waste. Her feet slipped on something wet and slimy and Rhianna could only imagine what horrible liquid she had stepped into. The darkness felt like a tomb and it closed around her like a vise suddenly gripping her heart. Rhianna sank into a corner and hugged her knees. Only then, did she let her guard down and she cried long overdue tears. She cried for herself and the human despair of all those around her which settled upon her like a heavy cloak. She cried for the courage she could not find. And most of all, she cried for Erik; for his false heart and for all the love she had given to him, which he did not deserve. The tears fell like rain and she sobbed silently in her misery. She felt the cold slime of the wall ooze through her clothes and into her flesh and Rhianna realized she no longer cared.

  ~Chapter Forty-Seven~

  Erik gave commands to the men gathered with him. No one, not even Randall questioned him and so all followed his lead as they surrounded the outlying area of Morcar Keep. It was bordered by only a thin line of trees. Not much to use as cover, Erik thought. He should have been tired, for they rode from early morning and into the night to get there and he had not slept at all the night before. When he saw the castle in such horrible disrepair, his heart twisted in his chest. He had never prayed so vehemently as he had during the silence of the ride. He had to get Rhianna out of that hideous place even if he had to die trying.

  He worried a little about the bordering river on the one side of the keep, but for now, they were hidden among the trees as they waited for night to completely shroud them. Erik watched the sparse amount of guards that walked upon the battlements. It seemed that Morcar Keep was not as well protected as he may have thought. Although, perhaps things were truly not what they appeared to be. As luck would have it, the moon seemed to be unnaturally bright this night and their cover was not going to be as complete as Erik had hoped.

  Erik had spoken in great length to Randall about the layout of the inside of the keep. It seemed it was much more a convoluted mess of crumbled corridors than most keeps were prone to be. In fact, from what Randall could remember, most of it seemed to be beneath ground. The edifice that rose before them was in great disrepair and much of it was in ruin. Unnatural sounds drifted on the breeze and Erik felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise in warning.

  He tried not to let his mind wander, and to stay focused on the business of saving his wife, but thoughts invaded his reason. These were thoughts of things that Andarra had said to him; things he now carried in his heart. Rhianna was with child. He had suspected it might be so, but Andarra had confirmed it. Andarra had tried to protect him with a ward charm or spell; he neither knew nor cared which. It had been undone because of the letter from the king. First he would have to save his wife and unborn child and then he would have to save their marriage…if, of course, she still wished to be married to him. First things first, though, Erik pondered and once again focused on the strategic tactics that had been carefully thought out.

  They had left du Montefort with a cursory crew of defense, but they had no choice. Most of the men wanted to be ready to lay siege in order to return their precious Mistress to them. Erik was glad for it.

  The moon lit the trees where they lay in wait. While it could be a hindrance to the men, it could also be an aid
. It lit the battlements and Erik could see that much of that was lying in ruin as well. There seemed to be actual breaks in the walls and so the guards could not rally across the top without having to descend from one tower to gain access to another. That was good. He could easily elude the men on one, while the guards were taken from another. It would also help reduce the number of archers set to man the posts.

  There seemed to be great braziers dotting along the castle walls that could be used to house molten pitch, but many of them were dark and seemingly unused. Some were readied, but most were not. That was also good. Erik would have his men avoid the areas where pitch could be poured upon them. He had his bowmen and crossbowmen poised at the ready. Now they just needed to wait.

  ~~~~~

  When Rhianna was dragged from her cell, she was brought before the evil lord of Morcar once again. She had suffered much while sitting in that foul place. It seemed like an eternity and she had no doubt that it did not take long for people to go mad in such a place. She had no concept of time so she did not really know how long she had been in there. Her eyes streamed tears as she was suddenly met with light after being plunged in darkness for so many hours. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust and she almost thought she had momentarily gone blind.