by Kyra Jacobs
“Y-yes, my lady.”
Rosalind and Quinn vacated the kitchen and came to a stop in the back hall.
“He will have discovered her missing by now.” Quinn squinted toward a ray of amber light peeking in from beneath a nearby door.
“Then ’tis merely a matter of time before he comes to reclaim his prize.”
“You truly believe he will come alone?”
“How could he not? Surely Zayne would not inform King Robert of his intentions, as the king would never condone an action which might jeopardize our peace agreement.”
“And when he arrives?” Quinn’s dark eyes glowed red in the dim light.
“Patience, my lover. First we use the girl as a pawn to force him into marrying me, then we kill him and his parents. It must happen in that order, or our plan will not succeed. Ready your men in and around the dungeon. In the meantime…” She slid her hand across his chest. “We wait.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Zayne stepped through the window of shimmering air Berinon had conjured and found himself suddenly deep in Forath’s woods. “Are you certain this will work?”
The wizard scanned the nearby trees and nodded. “So long as your men are in position by the time we escape with Addie, aye.”
“You mean to tell me you can predict everything leading up to this moment save for whether or not my army will be ready in time? What good are you, then?”
“I am but a mere mortal, sire.” Berinon winked.
If the gesture was to put him at ease, the wizard had failed. Miserably. Zayne resented having to remain in human form nearly as much as he resented the need to rely on uncertain predictions offered by a wizard who had been less than forthcoming prior to today about this entire ordeal.
“They will be expecting a dragon armed with talons and fire,” Berinon offered as though he could read Zayne’s mind. In all likelihood, he probably could. “Not a man armed with a wizard.”
“I would rather take my chances as a dragon.” The wizard began to object, but Zayne waved him off. “I know, I know. Follow your lead, things will turn out in our favor. For your sake, man, you better be right.”
They continued forward through the dense underbrush and soon found themselves before a narrow stream. Its water ran smooth as ice and allowed Zayne a clear view of the minnows swimming beneath its surface. They darted away as he stepped closer—even the smallest fish seemed able to sense the predator within him.
“This way.” Berinon stepped into the stream. The water skimmed his lower legs, soaking the hem of his robe.
With a scowl, Zayne stepped in after him and felt the stream’s sandy bottom sink beneath his feet. “Could you not have transported us closer? Somewhere drier, perhaps?”
“Odd, I never pictured you to be the whiny sort.”
Zayne shot a dirty look to the back of the wizard’s head. “I’m not whiny, I’m…worried.”
“The girl is fine. Uncomfortable, but fine.”
“You can see her?”
Berinon reached into a pocket and withdrew the small, unfamiliar object that had upset Addie so at the wizard’s cottage. “Aye. They have her in the lowest dungeon. This stream is our safest access point from the outside. ”
“How many guards?”
The wizard stopped and closed his eyes to concentrate. “Seven. One on either side of the room watching the stream for your appearance, one flanking each side of Adelaide, and three just outside the door.”
“Human or dragon?”
“All in human form at the moment.”
“And the king?”
“Sleeping. Though news of your warriors’ arrival shall reach his chambers in short order.” Berinon tucked the item back in his pocket and surged forward. “Come, we must hurry.”
Soon they rounded a bend and came to face a massive black stone wall. As the wizard had earlier stated, the stream didn’t bend and turn from the fortress, but rather cut a path directly underneath it. They drew near the castle’s wall, and Berinon turned to meet Zayne’s gaze.
“You must swim from here. Take a good, long breath, and watch for the glow of torchlight to find your way to the opening on the other side. I shall disable the guards—worry not about them. Just get in, get Addie, and get out.”
Zayne nodded and turned his gaze back to the stream. He felt the beast within him struggling to take control. The dragon didn’t know fear, only instinct. If the wizard’s plan didn’t work—
No, he refused to let his mind travel that path. It would work. It had to.
“Make haste, Prince Zayne.”
Berinon’s words spurred Zayne into action. He took a deep breath and without another moment’s hesitation dove beneath the castle wall. Darkness was all that he could see ahead, but as the light behind him dimmed an orange glow lit the water before him. Panic raked at his mind as his lungs began to burn, but still he pushed on. Addie was there; he could feel it. Again the dragon within him demanded to be unleashed, to be freed to protect her. Again he fought for control.
At last he reached the interior of the castle’s wall, and Zayne broke through the water’s surface with a ragged gasp. He quickly scanned his new surroundings and found a guard collapsed on the ground a few paces away. Several more bodies fell to the ground in quick succession, their armor clattering as it made contact with the stone floor. A startled cry rang out from behind a pillar to his right.
Addie.
Zayne scrambled out of the water and raced toward the sound. The glow of torches was brighter up ahead, and as he rounded the pillar, both the prince and his heart skidded to a stop. There was his beloved Adelaide, shackled like a common thief to an old wooden rack. Her small body trembled with fright, rattling the chains that bound her, and dried blood stained her wrists and ankles. The sight sent the blood in the prince’s veins to boiling, and a low growl escaped him. Her wide-eyed gaze shifted from the fallen soldiers on the ground to him as he dashed forward to free her from her bindings.
“Zayne!”
“My sweet, sweet Addie. What have they done to you?” He allowed just enough of the beast raging within to surface so that he could draw upon its brute strength. Four quick strikes with his fist and his fair maiden was free. She slumped into his arms as tears welled in her eyes.
“Oh, Zayne. I thought…I thought…”
He knelt and cradled her to his chest, stroking her hair while he silently cursed himself for ever leaving her alone. “Shh, I have you now. You are safe once more. But we must go, my love, before the others discover my arrival.”
He stood and gathered her in his arms and cast a quick glance at the fallen guards. Still they slept, but he dared not waste a moment more.
“They’re expecting you,” Addie said suddenly. “We can’t go out the door, Rosalind said—”
Pain flashed across his left cheek. He looked down in surprise to find her glaring at him. Had she truly just struck him? “What was that for?”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were engaged?” she hissed, a fire lit beneath the tears in her eyes.
“I, well, ’tis…” He shook his head and hurried back toward the stream. “We shall discuss this matter later, after I have gotten you to safety.”
“Does that mean you’re choosing me over her?”
He paused at the water’s edge and met her gaze. “From the moment I first saw you, my heart has done exactly that. But still I wait for my beloved to choose me.”
“Zayne, I—”
The soldier to their left began to stir.
“Deep breath,” Zayne warned as he stepped into the water. The air around them shimmered, and in a blink, he found himself outside, standing on the water’s edge with Berinon.
“W-why the devil did you not do that for me the first time around?” the prince sputtered.
“There were no archers aiming for your back the first time.” The wizard cast a deliberate glance to the right. “Or mine.”
Slowly Zayne turned from the str
eam and felt Addie suck in a sharp breath. A dozen armed soldiers stood before them dressed in full battle armor and holding bows at the ready. Stationed at the center of their semicircle was one of Forath’s army captains, his eyes glowing a dark scarlet and his sword in hand.
Had Zayne been alone, he would have transformed without hesitation, knowing the wind might well knock the arrows back before they flew. But with Addie in his arms and the soldiers so close, he couldn’t risk it. He drew in a slow, deep breath, drawing upon his inner beast to brew a breath of flame sufficient to scorch them all, then stopped short as the semicircle parted to allow another member join their ranks. Rosalind stepped into view and spread her arms wide in welcome, an evil smile stretched across her beautiful face.
“Hello, my dearest. So nice of you to join the party.”
* * * * *
Addie bit back a startled cry and felt Zayne’s arms tighten around her.
“Is this your idea of fun, Rosalind?” he demanded. “Torturing an innocent woman to get to me?”
“Torturing her?” The princess tipped her head back and offered them all an amused laugh. “I caused her no serious pain. Unlike your lies and betrayal, which have cut her to the quick. And innocent, well, that could be argued as well.”
Zayne winced but stood his ground. “What is it you want?”
A smooth, calculating smile spread across the princess’s lips. “Why, your hand in marriage, of course.”
“Which I had already pledged to give you,” he said from behind clenched teeth.
“Had, yes. Though, it appears you have grown quite fond of your little pet.”
“Excuse me?” Addie shifted her gaze to Berinon, who looked entirely too nonplussed considering their current situation. “Did she just call me his pet?”
The wizard shrugged but said nothing.
“Silence, witch,” said Rosalind. “Or I shall shorten your life further.”
Zayne cast a quick glance at Berinon whose brows had furrowed. “Witch?”
“Do you think me a fool, my lord, to not have seen through her clever disguise?” asked Rosalind.
Zayne looked at Addie, confusion blossoming in his eyes. Wait, was he really buying this woman’s idea? She felt anger begin to shoulder her fears aside.
“Set me down, Zayne.” He did as she asked, but shifted so that his body shielded her from the others. “And I’m not—”
“She is no witch.”
All eyes shifted to Berinon. Addie found him staring at her, his gaze more intense than she’d ever seen it before. He spoke again but kept his face turned toward her.
“Though, she must watch which path she chooses to travel from here.”
With that, he vanished into thin air. Momentary chaos broke out as the women gasped and the archers drew their bowstrings taut.
“Hold your fire, hold your fire!” bellowed their leader—the man who’d kidnapped her the night before and affixed her to the rack. Addie flinched behind Zayne at the sound. Even outside the dungeon’s dark interior, he still looked and sounded frightening.
“Forget him,” Rosalind said as the men around her grew still and fell silent once more. “We have what we need. Bring the prince and his witch into the castle.”
Fear snaked around Addie’s chest and squeezed the breath from her lungs. She couldn’t go back to the dungeon, the rack. Would they even bother taking her that far before killing her? She’d been used as bait to draw Zayne out, after all. Now that he was here, what use did they have for her?
“The wizard already told you, I’m not a witch,” she called, trying to buy herself more time to think. If she could just keep the princess distracted by a battle of words… “In fact, there’s not a damned thing magical about me. And for the record, Princess? He wouldn’t have had time to ‘grow fond’ of me if your soldiers hadn’t shot at us. Hell, I’d have been long gone by now.”
Zayne’s shoulders sagged a fraction of an inch at her words. Surely he knew she’d grown to love him since then, didn’t he?
“She speaks the truth. My men and I rode to Forath’s wall to return her to the village nearest where I first saved her from the wolves. But your guards attacked without cause. Why?”
The sneer on Rosalind’s face grew more sinister. “As one who has long studied the art of battle, my prince, I would have expected you of all people to understand. You see, to kill the girl would have left you vulnerable.”
“Vulnerable?” Zayne murmured.
Addie stepped directly behind him while he and his would-be fiancée argued and cast a quick glance around. The stream was to their left—no way could they make a break for it in that direction. And to the right, a solid wall of vegetation. Behind them extended the narrow path upon which they now stood, no obstacles to block arrows aimed at their retreating backs. They were trapped.
“Vulnerable to what?” he repeated, louder this time. “An attack? If you truly do not wish to be married, Princess, we can—”
“We have no choice!” Rosalind’s shout echoed through the forest around them. When she spoke again, her voice had lost its frantic edge. “Our marriage must commence. You know this as well as I. How else are we to preserve the peace treaty proposed by our fathers? Reaffirm your intentions by marrying me this day…and I shall let the girl live.”
Zayne said nothing, and a different kind of fear took root in Addie’s chest. Not the fear of dying, but rather the fear of living. Living, trapped in a world where the man she’d fought so valiantly not to fall in love with was forcefully bound to another. If only Berinon hadn’t left—he could fix this, zap them out of here, before it was too late.
Seconds ticked by with Zayne’s continued silence, and Rosalind’s eyes narrowed. “Are you truly so selfish, Prince Zayne of Edana, as to turn your back upon your own people for this…this girl? To sentence countless men, women, and children to untimely deaths as war between our kingdoms continues to be waged?”
Untimely deaths.
Whatever fight remained inside Addie left her in that moment, slid from her resolve like water down a drain. This wasn’t a simple case of boy meets girl and the two fall into a forbidden love, this was bigger. Infinitely bigger. Entire kingdoms full of people bigger.
A clipped chirp sounded nearby. Addie’s gaze shifted in its direction as hot tears of defeat stung her eyes. The earthen, streamside path to her right seemed to shimmer in her watery gaze—a cruel reminder of the way Berinon had moved them between her memories and the present inside his cottage. And for what? What had been the point of it all, anyway? Was it just some sick game, him trailing her for years so he could someday play matchmaker to Zayne?
And if that was it, then where the hell was he now? Had he lost, the game didn’t turn out like he’d hoped, so he’d bailed on them? Because if he’d given up, then what hope could she possibly hold onto?
“There must be another way,” Zayne whispered in a voice so low Addie wondered if he’d meant to say it out loud.
He glanced over his shoulder to meet Addie’s gaze, a tortured look in his eyes, and her heart broke for him. Sole heir to Edana’s throne, he was bound by duty to protect his people and the land he so dearly loved. How could she possibly ask him to reject Rosalind’s offer? To jeopardize the lives of his subjects? Already the knowledge that she was tied to Korey’s death weighed heavily upon her and would continue to do so for the rest of her days. That the number of deaths could grow exponentially if she asked Zayne to choose her—because he would, she could see it now in his eyes, his stance, his very heart—was too much to bear.
Addie shook her head and looked down, unable to watch the one man she’d ever truly loved pledge his life to someone else. But he had to. Rosalind was right—they had no choice. Tears spilled from Addie’s eyes, and still the ground shimmered to her right.
“She must watch which path she chooses to travel from here…”
Addie froze. Blinked, and blinked again, harder this time. Her vision cleared everywhere except the s
himmery spot to her right. It was no bigger than a manhole cover and placed precisely in what shadow could fall on this overcast day from the profile of Zayne’s lean shoulders. Had Berinon left her a way out after all? A chance to save the people of Forath and Edana from a future of endless wars and needless deaths?
There was only one way to find out.
“Take her offer, Zayne,” she said before she lost her nerve, the words barely above a whisper as they grated across her throat. “Your people need you.”
Zayne turned his face, but not far enough for his gaze to quite reach hers. “No. There are other ways to bring our kingdoms peace.”
“No, there isn’t.” She took a small step to her right.
Zayne spied the movement and spun around. Addie drank in the sight of him one last time, memorizing his face, his hands, the way his wet clothes clung to his strong, lean body. And lastly, his eyes. His beautiful, golden glowing eyes.
He reached for her. “Adelaide?”
“Forgive me, Zayne.” She stepped into the shimmering air beside her. His eyes widened in horror as she offered him one last smile. “I’ll always love—”
“Addie, no!”
Her foot touched down, and suddenly she was standing atop the roadside berm where she’d first fallen. Alone.
“—you.”
Addie wobbled on her feet as she took in the view around her. Gone were the poised warriors, feuding royals, and suffocating forest. Instead, all that greeted her gaze now were lush green fields dotted with close-cropped sheep and lined with hedgerows and rickety wooden fences. A long and winding road stretched out in either direction from where she stood, and as she watched, a compact car drew near and then zoomed right on by.
She turned her body eastward and realized she really was back in her world, just a few miles from her hotel room. From a hot shower and a plethora of modern conveniences. Over the past week, Addie had held tight to the hope she’d return to this very spot, had ached countless times to witness it once again. And yet now that she was here, instead of filling her with relief, her return brought only pain. A torturous, unbearable pain from which she knew in her heart she’d never fully recover.