by Ria Cantrell
Erik hacked away at the tinder and he finally cleared enough of a space for him to climb upon the smoldering planks. He still had to work fast, because the flames had engulfed the other side of the scaffold and were making their way ever closer to Rhianna. Steeling himself for what he had to do, Erik pulled the axe back behind his head and he put all his strength into bringing it down on the stake that Rhianna was bound to. He had cut through the rope on one side, and Rhianna slid free, but her hem got stuck on one of the burning pieces and it started to catch flame rapidly. Without thinking, Erik grabbed Rhianna, mindless of being burned himself, and he plunged them both into the raging waters beneath them.
The dark cold waters swirled around them, dragging them to the bottom of the river. Despite the full moon, no light seemed to permeate the depths. Erik tried to hold onto Rhianna until they could surface, but she slipped from his grasp. He kicked his way to the surface to gulp air and then dove down again. The current was swift, but he was not going to lose her now. Not after all they had endured. Fighting against the pull of the waters, Erik held his breath and swam in the direction he had last held Rhianna. He forced his way downward, grasping at the weeds at the bottom of the river bed. He was blindly groping for something to pull to the surface but his hands kept coming up empty. After three such attempts, Erik surfaced and fought for breath. He thought he felt something beneath him and so he went under again. His lungs burned with the effort to stay beneath the churning currents and he dove as far as he could. In the gloom of the river, Erik saw her.
She was just beneath him and she looked as if she was already lifeless. He grabbed her and pulled her with all his might to the surface. By the light of the moon, her skin looked blue and Erik knew she was dying. No, it was not going to end this way. He swam as hard as he could, riding the current until he was able to grab onto a fallen log. Propping Rhianna against it, he breathed into her mouth.
“Breathe, my love. You have to breathe.”
He blew into her mouth again, trying to put life back into her. Her lips were cold and he could not feel air coming out of her. “Breathe, damn it. Do not do this to me.”
As his mouth descended upon hers again, he felt a spasm convulse through her. She sputtered and coughed, choking up the liquid that had found its way into her lungs. Her eyes fluttered opened and she said, “Erik…”
Rhianna coughed again, bringing a fresh wave of water up from her lips. She looked at him and there were drops of water clinging to his lashes and small trickles were forming on his cheekbones. She knew it was not from their plunge into the river. Those were tears! He was crying…crying for her. He had saved her, like he had done so many times in her dreams. He did love her! There was no denying that fact. If she had doubted it; it was confirmed now as she looked into his eyes that were filled with anguish over the prospect of losing her.
He said, “I am here, my love. I’ve got you. Hold on to the log, I am going to try to push us safely to the bank.”
Erik was not certain where his strength was coming from because the search for Rhianna under the water had sapped what energy was left of him, but strength it was that aided him to kick the log toward the banks of the river. Grabbing Rhianna about her waist he said, “Kick now, if you can, my love. Do not stop until you feel the earth beneath you.”
As the log came to rest at a small outcropping of sand, Erik pulled Rhianna onto solid land. She shivered uncontrollably from shock and from the cold depths of the water. Erik had to get her warm quickly but he did not know how. He was as cold and wet as she was and they had gone fairly far from the keep. Even if they had not, Erik could not bring her back into that dreadful place after what she had endured. He pulled her into his arms and he tried to will warmth into her with his body. Her teeth rattled in her head and she tried to speak.
“He…said…y-you w-w-worked for h-him.”
“Never, my love.”
“H-he s-said h-he s-s-sent y-you t-t-o b-b-bed me.”
“No. I never met him. I have ridden all day and night to find you.”
She looked up into his eyes and she said, “Y-you saved me…”
He nodded. A tear trickled onto his cheek and he said, “I love you. I cannot live without you.”
“But th-the k-k-king…” She could barely get the words out because her teeth were chattering so badly.
“The king is wrong. We are already wed. I will not change that. I am sorry about the letter. I had not meant to hurt you. It was a mistake and I wish I could take it back. Once we return home, I will see the king and make this right again. You have my word.”
“You l-love me?”
“Yes. With all my heart, Rhianna. I have never stopped loving you, from the day I first saw you.”
Rhianna kissed his lips and felt how cold they were. He was no warmer than she was at the moment. She said, “We…need to g-go back.”
Erik shook his head. He said, “No. We will find our way back to my men. Surely they have cloaks and mantles that we can warm ourselves in. I will never take you back to Morcar. I never want you to set eyes upon that pit of hell again.”
“Pit…”
“Yes, it is a pit.”
“No…Erik…no, listen. We have to go back. There are people locked in dungeons there. We have to go back and save them.”
Shaking his head, Erik said, “No. It is too dangerous.”
“We have to, Erik. We cannot leave them to die in that horrible place.”
“What would you have me do?”
“Release them. Please…I hate to think they are suffering as Randall did. And there is a woman…in the oubliette. I think she is already mad, but we cannot leave her there. Please Erik. I am a healer. I cannot live with myself knowing that others suffer and I have done nothing to help them.”
Erik sighed. There was nothing he could deny this woman; his beautiful woman. He knew that now. He agreed, “Alright. We will get you warm and dry and then we will go back…so long as I do not lose any of my men. Now press close to me. Let us try to find warmth enough to find our way back to my men.”
It was not a request that Rhianna wanted to rebuff. She sidled closer and she kissed him. She whispered between exploring kisses, “I love you, too, Erik. I never stopped loving you.”
“I know.”
~Chapter Fifty~
Randall closed the space between him and Aaron Jasper. Blood was coursing down the monster’s arm and he held it with his uninjured hand. Randall was filled with a bloodlust of his own and hatred for the man who had caused him so much harm. Randall could not allow himself to think of God knew what he had done to his sister.
Without thinking, Randall picked up a burning timber from the pyre that had been almost completely engulfed in flames. He held the make-shift torch before him and he ground out, “Burn my sister alive, would you? Well now you shall know how that feels.”
Randall tossed the burning shaft onto the lord of Morcar’s lap. It caught his robe and cloak instantly and Aaron Jasper shrieked in agony as the flames burst upon him. Within seconds, he was completely engulfed.
“May you rot in hell, you miserable bastard!”
The smell of burning flesh assailed Randall but he shielded his nose and mouth and watched as his foe burned before his eyes. He blocked out the screams and turned his back when the screaming stopped. Aaron Jasper was dead and Randall du Montefort was glad for it!
Drew had watched and said nothing to stop Randall. He stood looking at the bank where Erik and Rhianna had plunged and could not see if they had resurfaced. He called upon his Gift and tried to feel their life force. Erik had gotten to her in time. Drew could feel it. He turned to Randall and he said, “Let’s leave this place. We need to find Erik and Rhianna. They landed in the river.”
“I did not see if they survived,” Randall said sadly. His thirst for revenge had blocked out his ability to reason until he saw Aaron Jasper dead.
“They have. I know it. But they will be wet and cold. Come, let’s find the
m quickly.”
Randall was able to kick away the barricade blocking the door to the antechamber. He and Drew met with no conflict as they made their way through the keep, to the outer bailey. They trudged past the fallen guards at the gate. Erik’s men had mustered and called out to the two men. “We have dispensed with any resistance. What about Jasper?”
It was Tristan who spoke. He was covered in grime and blood, but he seemed unharmed.
“Dead and his henchmen with him. He was going to burn my sister at the stake and Erik cut her free. They ended up in the river. We are on our way to try to find them. I hope they were able to survive the strong currents.”
Randall and Drew made it out over the drawbridge. Many men were riding toward them on the road leading to Morcar Keep. Randall called for them to halt and he hailed them. His and Erik’s men followed from within the bailey. One of the men on horseback called back and said, “We saw what happened. Erik and Rhianna have not been found yet.”
Drew said, “They are alive. We just have to find them. The current carried them downstream a ways and so we just have to look for them there. They will be somewhere near the banks.”
One man led the riderless horses toward Randall and Drew. Hopping on the backs of the great war destriers, they each set off along the edge of the river and called out, “Erik…Rhianna…”
They had not gone too far in their search when they heard voices echoing back. Drew turned to Randall and he said, “They are down there, near the water’s edge. Let’s go.”
The horses beat out a staccato rhythm as they neared the place Erik’s voice had been heard drifting up from the rocks and trees lining the river. Drew jumped from his horse and dragged the cloaks of their men with him. Rhianna was huddled against Erik and though she was soaked to the skin and her clothes were charred, she seemed hale. Kneeling before her, he took her icy hands between his own and he brought them to his lips. He said, “M’lady. I am so glad you are safe. Please forgive me for the failure to protect.…”
“Drew, please…you have ever been my champion. What happened was beyond your realm of being able to prevent it.”
He wrapped the cloaks around the couple and he helped Rhianna to mount Erik’s horse. Erik leapt up behind her and he whistled for them all to fall behind. Rhianna implored, “Wait, Erik…we said we would go back.”
“I do not want to take you there. I will send a small party back to see about releasing those imprisoned in the bowels of the place, but I need to get you someplace warm and dry. Please do not fight me on this, Rhi.”
Rhianna could not fight him if she wanted to. As she felt the warmth of the cloaks around her and the comfort of Erik holding her on his horse, she succumbed to exhaustion that came from trauma and from what she had been through in the last few days. Her head soon lulled against Erik’s arm and sleep tugged at her. She could no longer fight it or resist its lure.
~~~~~
When next she woke, Rhianna was tucked safely in her own bed. There was a fire lit in the hearth and it took the chill from the room. Erik was sitting beside the bed watching her. It had not been a dream. He had come to save her and this time, it was real. She tried to speak but her throat seemed raw. Erik leaned closer and he said, “Don’t try to talk, Rhi. Your throat is sore from….”
He did not want to say it out loud. The last thing he wanted to do was conjure the horrible memory of her tied to the stake.
“Yes, the fire,” she rasped. She said, “Erik, I have to talk to you.”
“Shh, my love. I already know. Andarra told me.”
Erik took her hand and kissed it.
“You know about the babe?”
“Yes. I wish you would have told me, but I understand why you did not.”
“I wanted to tell you…but then the letter came.” Her voice faded. She too, did not want to replay the events that had nearly destroyed them.
Placing a kiss on her forehead, Erik murmured, “I know. What are we going to do about that temper of yours,” he said with a laugh. Rhianna looked into his eyes and she saw such love there that her heart hitched in her chest. It was hard to talk, but she said, “I know my temper is bad at times…but I never lost faith in our love…despite what you think. I called upon it…in his chambers when he wanted me to conjure black magic with him. It was powerful and it protected me…long enough until you could save me.”
“Aye. I suspected something like that. It was what led me to you. I saw a bright light and somehow I knew it had come from you. Now, let me put some ointment on your poor little feet. Andarra gave me some of your mixed herbs to help heal the burns.”
“I am fine, Erik. I do not even feel pain. The flames did not do the damage he had wanted them to do.”
Despite her protests, Erik inspected her feet and found them to be healing nicely. They were not blistered, but just a deeper shade due to the licking of the flames. Erik put the cooling salve on the soles of her feet and he tucked her back into bed again. She held out her arms and she said, “Please lie beside me. I cannot seem to get warm enough, even now that I am plied with furs.”
Erik smiled lovingly down at his wife. He was happy to oblige her so he slipped into their bed and gathered her into his arms. She was still unnaturally cold and so he settled against her to staunch the chill that cooled her flesh; his love warmed the ice that had frosted her heart and soul. He breathed in her scent and he thanked every heavenly being for her safe return to him. As he tried to just comfort her, Rhianna would have none of it. She wanted him and she wanted to show him just how much. As she slipped beneath him, she declared her love for him and found the only true comfort she could ever need. She succumbed to love’s power and lost herself in the safety of his arms.
~Epilogue~
The weeks after Rhianna’s ordeal had taken a far worse toll on her than any of them were prepared for. Sometime in the night, during a massive thunderstorm, Rhianna woke from pain that threatened to cleave her in two. By morning, the babe she carried inside of her was gone. Once again, a storm had brought such loss that it threatened to break her resolve. Erik was not prepared for the grief that beset his love and soul mate. He blamed himself, of course, and he cursed the man who had caused the trauma to his wife. There seemed to be nothing he could do to bring laughter back into her beautiful eyes. Erik could not bear the heartache that Rhianna had fallen prey to. He did not know how to ease her pain and suffering, but he knew he had to try. Her smiles and laughter were like heaven’s nectar and without them; Erik’s heart was breaking at her anguish.
After much thought, Erik had decided that it was time to bring Rhianna home; his home. So many sad memories now lived in du Montefort Keep for Rhianna that it was time to start anew. As heir to his father’s holdings, Ragnorsen would be his eventually, so it was right to bring his wife there. Erik hoped that the change of scenery would do Rhianna some good. He wanted to travel soon, despite the approaching winter. He thought it would be best to make it to Ragnorsen for Christmastide. Ragnorsen always promised magical revels for the season and Erik knew that being a part of those festivities may put cheer into Rhianna’s broken heart.
Besides, it was about time she met his parents. They had not been able to make it to their wedding and Erik was just aching to bring his wife to his birthplace. Erik knew that his mother would dote on Rhianna and she would know how to bring Rhianna’s joy back into her heart. His mother had lost a baby, too, many years ago when Erik had been a small child and so she knew the heartache that such a loss brought to a woman. She would know what to do to comfort his beloved Rhianna.
On the day they were set to leave, many had assembled to bid their goodbyes to their precious Mistress. So many people loved her. It warmed Erik’s heart to see the villagers come in mass to wish her well. They had abundant parcels and gifts waiting for her and while it was bittersweet, Erik could see that their love would follow her to the new chapter of her life. He knew that she would gain the love of his people, too. His people would come to cher
ish her and benefit from her healing gifts as her own people had done. Pride blossomed within Erik and he waited while Rhianna hugged and kissed each and every person who had come to say farewell. He would not have it any other way.
Finally, with hugs for her captain of arms, her beloved chatelaine and her brother and new sister, Rhianna was ready for the next adventure, so long as it was with Erik. Andarra had promised that Rhianna would bear a child again soon and this time, there were no portents or warnings concerning that pregnancy. Rhianna knew to trust Andarra’s prophesies and joy returned to her heart at the thought of another child of Erik’s. As she looked over at Erik, she knew she could be happy anywhere if he was with her. Love filled her aching heart and as crystal tears clung to her lashes, she beamed a true smile at her handsome knight and husband. Yes, love made everything possible and everything bearable. With Erik by her side, the future once again seemed to glow brighter before her.
~~~~~
It took them three days to reach Ragnorsen. As they approached Erik’s lands, Rhianna began to worry that Erik’s family would not accept her. She vowed to sit tall in her saddle and not slump in the exhaustion she truly felt. Erik pointed out that Ragnorsen could be seen now in the distance. There seemed to be a golden hue emanating from the edifice on the hillside. The beauty of it struck Rhianna with awe and amazement. The du Montefort Keep was splendid, but Ragnorsen was beyond words.