Microsoft Word - LadyPendragon

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  She gasped loudly, but an ethereal mournful wail was heard on the wind right at the same moment, which concealed the noise she had made. So far, someone seemed to be working on her side.

  “What the hell was that?” the man demanded, as Gwynne let out a prolonged snort.

  “Nothing, you stinking coward. It ‘twas naught but the sound of the trees whispering in the wind. You need to keep your eyes on the road ahead. We must keep up a steady pace! Even now, my deception might have been detected. I do not look forward to having that pretender king, Arthur, after me. “

  “Trees do not make that noise. These lands must be haunted. The legends must be true,”

  the man said. He belched and followed it up with a long prolonged fart. Then, he let out a bellow of pain. “Keep your fists to yourself, woman,” he said. “I know these lands are haunted…

  we will be terrorized by vengeful spirits!” he whined. The cart swerved, and righted itself before any damage could be done. Now all she had to do was ask Gwynne to go back and pick up her lost stomach. Whoa. Nausea tore at her insides.

  “How can you be so certain? You are naught but a daft, not to mention crude, peasant.

  Do not tire me with your womanly wailing,” Gwynne retorted snidely, just as a whizzing noise sliced through the air. Molly knew what that noise was, and a smile tore across her features, as the arrow hit its intended mark.

  “Holy—” The driver’s voice broke off, and a gurgling noise filled the air. Molly tried to undo her ropes for about the millionth time. She squinted her eyes shut and grunted.

  With all of her might, she tried to draw on her magic. Then, lowering her voice so that it would not be heard she muttered a magical incantation that would loosen her knots. Nothing.

  She was truly cut off from using her magic.

  Seconds later, the driver fell from the cart, and his body thudded against the ground as their speed increased. Gwynne had obviously taken a hold of the reigns. Dratted woman.

  Granted, she didn’t know for certain if the man or woman that had fired the arrow was friend or foe, but anyone would be better than being taken to Lord Cardan.

  She was bounced around again when the cart went hurtling over a giant groove. She slammed against the wooden plank side of the cart and actually heard one of her ribs crack.

  Searing pain rushed through her body. She bit tightly on her lip to keep herself from crying out.

  Blood dripped down her mouth and plopped onto the straw lining the bottom of the cart.

  Wonderful, if Gwynne kept it up they’d be dead before they reached any destination.

  Mustering her courage, she cracked her eyes open. Her inner voice screamed in agony, while outwardly, she grimaced slightly, and then with great difficulty she actually managed to sit up, only to be thrown to the other side of the cart again. Oh, man, at this rate, she’d have every single bone in her body broken into a million bits. Her broken rib was crying out for attention.

  Her breath became labored. Whatever the poison was that had been injected into her bloodstream had begun to wreak hell on her body.

  “Halt,” she heard a strong familiar male voice call out. Then a horrid smell filled her nostrils, followed by a loud crackling noise.

  LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 76

  Dark magic. Bile rose in her mouth. She swallowed quickly. Pain continued to ricochet through her body. Never in her long life had she ever been hurt this much within such a short amount of time. She had become the dreaded proverbial damsel in distress.

  “Methinks Lady Gwynne has done the disappearing act,” she muttered. She lost her breath when they hit another large rut in the road. Her teeth banged together. Now she was in for it. No driver…and no Gwynne. Well, whoever had ridden to her rescue had made a severe miscalculation. Her life had taken a turn for the worse. The horses picked up speed as the cart careened out of control.

  LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 77

  Chapter Ten

  “This isn’t good, not good at all,” Molly muttered, thumping against the side of the cart.

  “Ouch. “ She grunted. Avalbane let out a pained growl, and then nudged her with the side of her head.

  “Avalbane,” she breathed, staring anxiously at the Irish Wolfhound. “Can you use your magic, Avalbane? Please try, dear friend. “ She fluttered her eyelids closed when another wave of pain coursed through her.

  The Wolfhound’s eyes glittered with sympathy and then the ropes tying her paws disappeared. “I love you, Avalbane. When we get out of this fix I’m going to make sure that you get the biggest steak imaginable. “ A coughing jag hit her and then she spit out a mouthful of blood. “Oh, that can’t be good. “ Avalbane barked. “I know, my friend, I’m so sorry. “

  Avalbane’s eyes lowered to her bonds. Within minutes, the same electrical spark entered the familiar’s eyes.

  Avalbane stared at her with her wide doleful brown eyes, and then Molly was freed from her bonds. “You’re simply the best. You will definitely win the familiar of the year award!” She reached for Avalbane and scratched her behind her ears. Avalbane let out a happy bark, and then her eyes glimmered with worry when Molly wheezed. “I’m fine, Avalbane. Though, I wouldn’t say no to a nice hot cup of Elvin Healing Potion right now. I literally hurt all over. “

  Molly surprised herself by letting out a sound resembling a whimper. The pain had finally gotten to her head. Avalbane followed her as she scrambled toward the driver’s bench.

  Two riders emerged from the surrounding forest, each approaching her at a mad gallop. One of them was most certainly Collin, but she couldn’t recognize the other man, though he radiated a bright light that made her want to close her eyes again.

  “Avalbane, save yourself; I have to get these horses detached before the cart goes plunging over the cliff. Move it, you mangy wolfhound,” she grunted, wincing against the harshness of her tone. Avalbane hesitated slightly. Her eyes began to spark. “Don’t even think about it, Avalbane. You know you don’t have the strength for such an intricate usage of magic.

  You go, while you still can. I can’t be a very good new witch if I don’t have my familiar, now can I?”

  Avalbane cocked her head to the side. Hesitation gleamed in her eyes. She felt Avalbane’s anxious thoughts touch her mind.

  “I’ll be fine, really. “ Avalbane barked, and then gave her an affectionate nudge. With one giant leap Avalbane was safely off the cart, and she was alone. She was trying desperately to detach the cart from the horses’ harness, but for some reason her fingers wouldn’t obey her mind.

  “Need some assistance?” a soft voice said from behind her. She knew that voice, even though the person speaking wasn’t supposed to meet her for another four hundred years.

  Rolling her eyes heavenward, she mouthed the words, “Not again. “ The timeline had taken yet another turn. However, this turn was definitely not for the worse.

  “Yes, I do, thank you,” she muttered, chancing a brief glance at him. He raised his hand and in a flash the horses were free, but they were still hurtling toward the cliff at an impossible LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 78

  speed. “Now what?” She fell against his chest and pain exploded behind her eyes. She was short of breath and she felt almost as if she were having an asthmatic attack.

  “Take my hand. “ He extended his hand to her, and she felt a thrill race through her body. She stared up into his deep blue eyes and sighed at the magic that twinkled within them.

  “Your mother sends her love, Molly. “ He winked, grasped her hand tightly, and in a streak of light they were gone.

  They reappeared in front of a very frustrated Collin.

  “Are you all right, Molly?” Collin asked, his voice ripe with emotion. His maddened visage melted, and in its place was an expression filled with tenderness and worry. Since she was so weakened, she could barely do anything to keep Collin from gathering her into his arms.

  He pulled her against his chest and for one miraculous mom
ent, she felt as if the world had gone away. They were alone in each other’s arms without a care in the world. She’d thought before that she was falling in love with him, but now she knew that she’d been in love with him from the first moment that they’d met.

  Collin released her after a few minutes and rounded on the man that had saved Molly.

  “You could have told me that you were going to pop onto the cart and save Molly,”

  Collin fumed, wrinkling his forehead. If she didn’t know better she could have sworn that steam had furled out of his ears, like a steam engine. She swayed. Why did she see dancing rainbows in front of her eyes?

  “Have the two of you been introduced yet?” she interrupted, hoping to keep Collin from saying anything he’d later regret. She knew that when he finally found out who the man was, he’d want to kick himself in his own butt. Collin stared at her with concerned eyes and then handed her a flask of water. She took it with trembling hands and slurped it down in one long drag. Collin rested a steadying hand on her shoulder. She sagged against him. Her heart still skipped in her chest. It had to be the after effects from the drug. Avalbane rubbed up against her leg.

  “Prince Collin is known to us,” Prince Branden of the Elvin Realm of Ardara said, smiling brilliantly. Branden had his hand clasped over his heart, expecting Collin to do the same.

  “Of course I am,” Collin scoffed, looking at Prince Branden as if he was addle-brained.

  “We met as I was riding away from Tintagel. He told me that he was an old friend of yours, and since the other Knights and Lady Knights were away from the castle, I decided to allow him to accompany me. “

  Molly was still leaning against Collin. She wasn’t sure if she could stand on her own two feet. She still felt dizzy, and she had one of those headaches where she just wanted to be alone.

  She really suspected that she needed a healer. Coughing up blood couldn’t be a good sign for anyone. Collin slung one arm around her waist; she let out a sharp gasp, and pulled away from him. He stared down at her with suspicion glittering in his green eyes.

  “So you’ve been introduced to Prince Branden. He’s Princess Beatrice’s brother. He’s an Elf, Collin. “ She darted an annoyed gaze his way. “And he also happens to be your grandfather,” she muttered beneath her breath. Branden’s eyes darted toward her, and he stared at her with a strange dreamy expression. For one brief moment, Molly felt as if he had read her thoughts. Her shields couldn’t be ironclad at the moment. Plus, Branden wasn’t an evil entity.

  He might be able to read her thoughts simply because she wasn’t consciously keeping him out of her head. A small moan escaped her. She looked to the ground hoping that no one had heard her mutter of pain. But whom was she kidding? She couldn’t play the part of Super Woman any LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 79

  longer. Even though she was used to taking care of herself, she knew there came a time when you had to rely on others for help. Dragging in a deep breath, she looked between Branden and Collin.

  “I don’t want to get in the way or anything but I think I just might require a healer. You wouldn’t happen to have any healing potions or some such on you, would you, Branden?” She moaned with pain again, and sagged to her knees. Collin was there behind her, and he let her fall into his lap. “You know, this isn’t really how a warrior witch should conduct herself…but if I don’t get help soon I just might pass out. “

  “Might? Oh, God, Molly, I should have noticed that you were hurt as soon as I laid eyes on you. “ Collin brushed her sweaty hair away from her forehead. “You definitely need a doctor.

  You look absolutely shattered. “

  “It’s nothing. Don’t worry your little head about it. No harm done. It’s not your fault that I’m hurt, you did, after all, come after me. “ She reached for his hand and held it tightly. He inhaled sharply, and she relaxed her grip. Another wave of pain washed over her. She felt as if something was sucking the life right out of her. If she didn’t know better, she’d have thought she was covered in leeches.

  Branden leveled his mesmerizing gaze on her. She shivered. “You have no need to feel guilty, Collin. If anyone should take the blame on his shoulders, it will be me. I am the one that should have sensed Molly’s pain. Molly, do you trust me to heal your wound?”

  “Wait a minute…I thought Molly asked you for some sort of super potent healing potion?” She could feel Collin’s worry rolling off of him in pulsating waves that nearly seared her skin.

  “The potions will not act quickly enough. The purplish tinge to her lips indicates that she has been stricken with the poison known as Night’s Heart. It will eat away at her magical abilities, until she quite simply …. “ Branden’s voice trailed off. Molly struggled to take another cleansing breath. She hadn’t known that she’d been injected with Night’s Heart. It almost seemed surreal to hear Branden say it. Death loomed at her doorstep, yet again.

  “You know this nearly dying thing is beginning to get old. Collin, you have to let Branden heal me. The poison I’ve been injected with can kill our kind. There aren’t many things that can kill me…but Night’s Heart will do it. “ Collin pressed a cool hand to her forehead.

  “She’s raging with fever. Do something, Branden!” Collin’s voice had risen to a high pitch. Avalbane barked.

  “Yes, I know, Avalbane,” Branden said, trying to edge closer to Molly. Collin swatted him away.

  “Don’t you even think about touching Molly! You just bloody well talked to a dog!

  Molly, I don’t care what you say…Branden isn’t touching you…he might kill you instead of bringing you back to the land of the living. I mean come on…in our time, talking to a dog isn’t exactly a sign of competence. “ Molly moaned. Her time had begun to wear thin.

  “Not just my dog,” she coughed. Blood trickled out of her mouth. “Oh, shit!”

  “Oh, dear God, Molly. “ Collin pulled her closer to him. His body heat gave her some comfort, but she knew what she really needed. She needed Branden.

  “You have to understand, Collin. Avalbane isn’t just my pet…she’s my familiar. She knows that I’m dying. We’re linked through an age-old magical bond…because I am a relatively new witch she is my protector until I come into my full power. Branden isn’t nuts…he’s simply talking to a magical spirit…sane, really, come to think of it. “

  LADY PENDRAGON MARLEY MATHEWS 80

  “New witch? But you’re fifteen hundred years old,” Collin stated. Branden snorted.

  “Not in this time, Collin. When we time-traveled back, I merged with my eighteen-year-old self. I am a new witch. I am a young witch. “

  “Does this also mean that you’re more vulnerable to physical harm?” Collin’s voice had fear edging through it.

  “Yes. Come to think of it…because I am not as seasoned or as matured…my physicality is more vulnerable to harm. “ She sighed. If only she’d been able to keep her older body when she’d gone back into the past. As it was, merging with her younger self had become a supreme inconvenience to her. Many mortals yearned for youth…whereas her kind yearned for age…and with it the wisdom it brought.

  “Do it. Branden, I beg of you to heal Molly. “ She relaxed at the sound of Collin’s tone changing. Finally, she’d gotten through to him.

  “You do not need to beg anything of me. I have been sent to help Molly. I would not leave her now in her darkest hour. “ Branden knelt close to her, and gently settled his fingers on her ribcage. He locked gazes with her. “Lose yourself in my eyes, Molly. They will take you to another place, far from the pain that bonds you to your physical body. “

  She followed what he asked, and soon, she was in a field filled with heather and other heavenly scented flowers. Delicious aromas filled her nostrils. A heavenly sound echoed across the landscape. Rainbows streaked across the sky…stars twinkled in the midday glow of the sun.

  She fell down onto the grass and crossed her legs beneath her. Soon, all would be well.

  “Come bac
k to us now, Molly. You must return to the land of waking dreams. “

  Branden’s voice lulled her back to the land of the living. She looked up toward the nearest star.

  She didn’t want to go back…but she knew that she had to. A musical laugh trickled across the landscape to her. She looked up. Standing directly in front of her was a woman that looked remarkably like Adria.

  “Give Adria my love, Molly. “ Molly shook her head. Cobwebs seemed to have buried their way into her psyche. She felt almost as if she were floating.

  “I don’t understand…” Her voice trailed off. Now, come to think of it…upon closer inspection the woman shared one thing in common with Adria. They had the same eyes.

  Collin’s eyes.

  The beautiful woman smiled. “Oh, but you must. We are in the land of the dreaming. I can contact you in this realm. I’ve tried to reach Adria several times…but to no avail. We never got to say our goodbye…and I wanted her to know that I’m watching over her. I wanted her to know…that it is not her fault that I died. I know this is a burden that she has carried on her shoulders these last few years. I need you to put her worries at rest. “