CHAPTER 24
Jasper sat astride his horse and squinted at the city, from where he stood on a hill above the city of Dravia, he could hear the faraway sounds of their celebrations.
"Your majesty!"
He looked up toward the direction of the strained voice, "yes Ellis, what is it?"
"Come see sire."
Jasper guided his horse closer to the trunk of the tree from which Ellis was perched and hoisted himself into a branch. Then unto another until he was as high up as the other soldier.
"Look," Ellis handed him a pair of binoculars and pointed toward the city in the direction of the castle.
Jasper noticed what looked like soldiers being readied for battle, it looked much like their kingdom when he had left.
"They know we are coming," he growled.
“And they are ready to face us.”
Jasper frowned, “they know that they do not have the resources to be victorious against us in battle. Haddin likes flair but he is not foolish, there must be more to all this.”
"There is more,” said Ellis, “I noticed a weapon, it was gigantic my prince. It could be nothing but…" the look in his eye finished the sentence for him.
Jasper hardened his jaw, he knew what Ellis was thinking and from the spies’ reports over the past few months this was just confirming his fears. The prince was going to try to summon Maldeev, some way or another he was putting things in motion to that end. His father doubted him when he brought up the old prophecy to him, because he was holding fast to the belief that El would never allow it. Jasper believed that El was powerful enough to stop someone like Haddin dead in his tracks, but he also believed that evil thrived when good men did nothing.
“Stiller, has anyone found Stiller,” Jasper asked.
Ellis nodded, “we have a meeting with him set up.”
Jasper and Ellis descended the tree one after the other, both looking concerned over what they saw.
“We will have to divide our men. This mission may require more than search and rescue, we need to figure out what Haddin is planning. Send Achemis and Loyd ahead to get a closer look at that weapon.”
“As you wish your majesty,” Ellis bowed slightly and walked away.
"Hurry Deswald, get her out of there," Jasper murmured, his eyes trained on the palace where he was sure his sister was at this very moment.
Geoff sidled up next to him, a troubled look on his face, “You know this is a trap do you not?”
“With Haddin I will expect nothing more.”
“If this has anything to do with the prophecy, you know that this is not just about the princess.”
The prince nodded, “one of royal blood will make a worthy sacrifice,” he recited, turning to face his friend with a grim expression.
“I know the prophecy,” he said.
“It does not have to be you Jasper,” Geoff said, “we should have told your father.”
“No, he would have never let us come here if we did.”
Jasper shook his head, “you know of what happened with my grandfather, he rejected the oracle of El and despised the fulfilment of prophecy just to protect the way of life he knew. I know my father, he would do anything to protect each one of us and I will not let him stand in the way of El’s will.”
Geoff nodded, “alright, I will continue to pray for you and your family.”
Jasper nodded, “thank you Geoff.”
✽ ✽ ✽
Ruby dragged the metal cup across the bars of the cell once more, blowing her cheeks out as she exhaled. The pinging sound echoing in the quiet dungeon had a kind of soothing effect, it also distracted her from her desire to start crying again. Her delusional spell had passed and with it so did the presence of her mother, so once again she was alone in the dank, darkness of the dungeon. It was then that she heard it; the sound of feet shuffling toward her cell. She stepped back into the recesses of her holding cell, feeling her heart pounding within her chest. The urgency she heard in the footsteps frightened her. She was sure that the prince must have made up his mind about her fate, it was either that or Serin was returning to further rub his betrayal in her face. She heard a muffled grunt and a low thud like a body falling to the floor. She frowned and dashed forward toward the door of her prison, pressing her face against the bars on the cell door.
"Princess!" came a hurried whisper, an elegantly dressed gentleman emerged before the rusty bars of her prison.
He yanked the mask from his face. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked upon the illuminated face of her guard. The one with the judgmental stares and gruff mannerisms, now stood before her with ruffled hair and wide eyes of relief.
"It is you, you have come for me!" she exclaimed.
He smiled, it was the first time she had ever seen him do it and it was the morning light in her dark prison.
"Yes of course," he dangled a ring of keys before her, "got it from the guard napping out front," he said as he bowed to unlock the door.
“I am happy to see that you are okay. Well… I guess you could be better,” he muttered.
She continued to stare at him, a familiar and friendly face was the last thing she had expected, least of all, the face of the grumpy soldier who had often stood outside her door at the castle and always challenged her as if without regard for her station. He wrestled with the door while his companion stood watch, she too had pulled her mask atop a pile of sandy blonde hair much like Deswald’s. Seeing him with her reminded her of the fact that he was not a native Aldorian but was of the prince’s people and here in Dravia he was among his own. For a moment that familiar pain of never truly belonging anywhere thrummed through her.
“How long have they been keeping you here?” he asked as he tried yet another key.
“Oh it has only been one night,” she replied, “I think.”
"Grrr," he grunted, "none of these work."
His companion came to stand beside him, giving Ruby a closer look of her. Once Ruby took in her attire she knew what kind of woman she was. What she could not quite understand is why she was here with Deswald supposedly helping him to get her out.
"Of course," the strange woman said, with an exasperated toss of her head, "They would not make it so easy."
Deswald turned to look at her, his heavily made up eyes amplifying the panic in his blue pools, "Princess, have you any idea where the keys might be."
Ruby sighed, her eyes growing tearful, "Serin must have it," she said breathlessly.
"Serin?" Deswald asked in disbelief.
"We must hurry," his companion hissed.
"What happened?" he asked gruffly.
She knew his anger was directed at Serin, if she remembered correctly they were once friends. Deswald had held her responsible for Serin’s court martial after all. But the look on his face now, made her think that he would go up against anyone who meant her harm. She had never seen that side of him before, or had she? She had always been so caught up with her own life, that she easily ignored those around her. Deswald was easy to ignore, for he was like a permanent fixture in her life since he came to work at the castle. A permanent fixture that she took pleasure in butting heads with and should have been more appreciative of.
"I am sorry. I knew he was your friend, but I am afraid that he is working for the prince now. He locked me away..." she said, stopping abruptly as her voice caught in her throat.
She swallowed hard, “he does not think he has a choice.”
Deswald nodded, his eyes sympathetic. He had always had this knowing way about him, like he always saw right through her, even when he expressed his disapproval.
"Hold on a moment," he said turning to leave.
"Wait no please, do not leave me!" she cried hoarsely.
He came back, holding her gaze so that she could see the determination in his blue eyes, so much like the prince’s yet so unlike it. He reached up and placed a warm hand over her white knuckles where it gripped the bar, gently encircling her knuckles with
a calloused thumb. She found it surprisingly calming.
"I will not leave you Princess," he said firmly.
Surprising her even more, he reached through the bars of the door and touched her cheek where her tears soaked them.
"I will come back for you. As long as there is strength in me I will always come back for you."
She nodded, something about his touch calmed her, "Okay," she squeaked, “but hurry.”
"I will stay," said his companion, breaking their connection.
Deswald released her and turned to the woman, "no, if they find you..."
"I will be fine," said the woman, "you heard the princess, hurry."
He threw one final look her way then took the offered lantern from his friend and disappeared into the darkness. Ruby watched as Deswald's companion lowered herself onto a stone seat outside her cell, placing the other lantern at her feet.
She sighed, "you are one lucky princess," she said, "to have a man risk so much to save you. I wish I could be loved like that."
Ruby frowned, "Loved? He is just my palace guard, probably just following my father’s orders."
But of course, Ruby knew better, if her father was to send anyone to rescue her, she knew that Deswald would never be his first pick. The woman was looking right at her, her face illuminated by the orange lantern light, she had the eyes of someone who had seen much in this world.
"You do not know, do you?" she said almost sympathetically.
"I do not know what?"
"How much he loves you of course."
"And you know this how?" Ruby retorted, her defenses rising higher than the walls of the kingdom of Aldor.
The woman snorted, "you care for him too," she said, "do you not?"
Ruby sighed, "I am not discussing my affections with a commoner in a dark dungeon. Especially one of your particular… profession."
She turned away, she did not want to see the look on the woman's face. She was never very good at being mean, but this woman was crossing lines Ruby had never known she had drawn. Could it be that the grumpy soldier truly cared for her? All this time, could it have been him she had longed to find? She shook the thoughts out of her head. Serin had said he loved her, but his actions did not prove such, Deswald had made no such declaration but he had followed her into the den of darkness, risking his own life for hers. Which of them truly loved her? If only she still cared for love.
“I am sorry if I offended you princess,” the woman said, “I was just trying to keep your mind off your worries.”
Ruby shook her head, taking note that the woman did not respond to her judgement of her lifestyle, “nothing can take my mind off of this as long as I am in this kingdom.”
The woman nodded, “what is it like there?”
“Where?”
“Aldor.”
Ruby sighed, pressing her forehead against the gate, “it is beautiful, the most beautiful place I have ever seen. There are… stones of varying kinds embedded in the stonework of the city, it’s one of the things that makes it unique. When the sunlight hits it, it creates the most beautiful hues. It had always been hypnotizing to me, that has always made Aldor feel like home for me.”
“Like home?”
Ruby snapped out of her reverie. Her longing and regret had almost made her forget herself.
“My father says I have a wandering heart,” Ruby replied quickly, “it is what got me in this mess in the first place.”
The woman nodded with understanding, “I long for a place that feels like home too. I hear Aldor has become that for many.”
Ruby glanced at her sideways through the bars. The light of the lantern showing the full array of emotions on her perfectly powdered face.
“Yes, we have many refugees there. But…” Ruby shook her head and stopped what she was about to say.
“But what?” the woman pressed.
Ruby turned to look directly at her, “When you are desperate to escape a place, being a refugee and a stranger in another place seems very appealing. But it will only appeal to you for so long until you realize that not everything in this new land is available to you and it never will be, because of who you are or where you have come from.”
“Are you saying I should not go?”
“I am saying, do not believe everything you hear.”
“Well whatever it might be, it cannot be anything like what I have to endure every day. Commoners like me do not have much options in kingdoms such as this one. So, I will grab hold of any fresh start I can find, as long as it means having some self-respect once more.”
CHAPTER 25
Deswald hurried through the dank hallways of the dungeons with renewed purpose. He was right to come after the princess after all, this realization motivated him to complete the task even more. He could not get over how she looked behind those bars, her cheeks tear stained, her eyes sunken with sleeplessness and worry. He could not bear to see her like that and his fist itched to let Serin know this.
As he rounded the corner he heard the heavy door creak shut as unhurried footsteps descended the stairs. He slipped back, placed the lantern at his feet and waited. As Serin came around the corner, his eyes fell on the scowling face of his old colleague and friend, his gaze widened, then narrowed as his lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Well of course. It only makes sense."
Deswald jammed his fist into his palm, "thanks for making this easy," he growled.
Serin chuckled, "It took you long enough to be a man about it."
Deswald sneered at him, still maintaining his fighting stance, "I do not care for a word that comes out of your mouth traitor!"
Serin chuckled, a maniacal gleam in his eyes, "you could not bear it that she chose me, could you? Acting all high and mighty as if someone had broken your precious laws, when you were mad because I beat you to her."
Deswald glared at him, "unlike you Serin," he spat his name, "I understand that loyalty and love does not have to be separated."
Serin lunged for him, aiming a punch at Deswald’s face. Deswald countered quickly, ducking from Serin’s fist and going for a low blow to his gut. Serin staggered backward with a groan, looking up at Deswald with burning rage in his eyes. He launched toward Deswald, forcing him to the ground by his waist. A typical coward’s move, Deswald thought as he lifted his knees to push him off, Serin fell backward and they both jumped to their feet, fists lifted once more. They circled each other in the narrow hall of the dungeon.
“It is not too late you know,” Deswald said finally, “Ruby is the forgiving kind.”
“Oh yeah? You do not know what I am dealing with Deswald, so do not act like you know a thing about me. I do not care for Ruby’s forgiveness, I care for my own life.”
With that he tried to punch Deswald again, as Deswald blocked that blow, he immediately went for a lower blow with his other fist. Deswald caught that too, holding tightly to Serin’s fist, Deswald twisted his wrist as he gritted his teeth. It took a lot of his strength to restrain him, he was stronger than Deswald remembered but just as predictable. Deswald shoved him backward and as he fought to get his bearings, ran up to him, launching three consecutive blows at him; one to his jaw, one to his stomach and finally his itching fist found its mark on the bridge of Serin's nose.
Serin grunted as he staggered back grabbing his bloody nose as he fought to regain his balance. Deswald’s final move was a spin kick to his chest, Serin flew backward, the wall behind him breaking his fall, he lay there weakly, breathing laboriously.
"You were always poor at hand to hand combat," Deswald said as he approached him.
He knelt down before Serin who was staring up at him through heavy lidded eyes and swept his hand down the length of his trousers for the key.
"Only when we have to play by the rules," Serin mumbled as he slipped his dagger from his boot and drove it into Deswald's side.
With widened eyes and a restrained groan of pain, Deswald reached down and grabbed Serin's hand where his bla
de had penetrated. He grunted, feeling the sticky warmth of his blood flow over both their hands. He fought against the sickening feeling in his stomach, and drew Serin's hand back, ejecting the blade and butting him in the head. This time Serin fell back; dazed. As his head lolled forward, Deswald punched him hard again, causing him to hit his head against the hard wall behind him, rendering him unconscious. Deswald paused for a moment, as he looked upon Serin’s vulnerable unconscious body. He could put an end to him right in this moment and never worry that he would hurt Ruby again. His mind assessed all the benefits of such an act; leaving Serin here to work for the Dravians with all the knowledge he possessed of their ways could be detrimental to Aldor’s defenses. But he also thought about what Stiller had said, there is a way that seems right to man but leads to his destruction. In that moment Deswald got a brief vision of what Stiller stood for, mercy and compassion.
Deswald stumbled to his feet, his head smarting where he had knocked Serin and the wound to his abdomen screaming for attention. He took the ring of keys from Serin's unconscious body and he scooped up the lamp with his free hand while the other remained pressed hard against his wound. He growled in annoyance at the predicament such a wound put him in. He reached down and removed a very pompous looking rag from Serin’s pocket and shoved it inside his tunic, pressing it against his wound. He took a deep breath, determined to get the princess to safety. After hoisting Serin’s unconscious body onto his shoulder, he turned and staggered back toward Ruby’s cell.
Kingdom of Refuge (Gemstone Royals Book 1) Page 21