The Baron's Gargoyle

by Cassandra Pierce

  “Are you sure you did not bring someone with you into these walls?”

  Delphas’s expression grew troubled. “Beg pardon. I know not of what my lord speaks.”

  Convinced he had been mistaken after all, Jothan sighed. “Never mind. Yet not everything you told me has been true. For example, you are no servant.”

  “I never said so. Your lordship assumed that…though I am willing to serve you in any way you find pleasurable.”

  “Are you a knight?”

  “I was…at one time.” Delphas’s silvery eyes clouded until their color looked more like smoke. “No longer.”

  So he had been disgraced and exiled as well. It made sense. Perhaps he had been caught loving men, just as Jothan himself had. He would ask Delphas more about that later. For now, other matters seemed more pressing.

  “Lie across the pillows,” Jothan said. “And you shall call me Jothan from now on. I suspect you are my equal in rank, though I cannot prove it yet.”

  “In some ways that is true, my—er, Jothan. Yet tonight I wish nothing more than to be your servant. You may take me right now if you wish.”

  “I plan to, in fact.”

  Jothan placed his hands on Delphas’s firm buttocks and parted them. A small jar of ointment sat on the nightstand, which Jothan had planned to use in the pursuit of more solitary pleasures. Slowly he smeared some into the appropriate areas of Delphas’ body. He eased his cock inside him until it fit snugly. Then he rocked back and forth, satisfying the urges that had tormented him for so long, but especially since he had met Delphas. In no time, both were crying out as passion gripped their bodies.

  They slept curled together, but when dawn came, Jothan found himself alone. He assumed Delphas had slipped out and picked up his clothes from some hiding place in the corridor or staircase. Where he would spend the rest of the day, Jothan was less certain.

  However, he intended to find out that day.

  Chapter 4

  Jothan stood before the line of servants assembled before him. “It is my wish that the young man named Delphas be located and brought before me. Twice now I have seen him roaming the castle at night. Though I have no reason to believe him dangerous, we must determine where he spends his days and what his motives for hiding are. If any among you has information about him, step forward now and speak.”

  In unison, they lowered their eyes.

  “You will not be punished or held accountable for anything he might have done,” Jothan added.

  Muriel spoke first, hesitantly.

  “The castle has many secret passageways and unsealed openings, my lord. ’Twould be a simple matter for a man to slip in and out again unnoticed.”

  “But where did he come from? I was told there were no villages or other fiefdoms nearby. This man did not look as though he came from the woods. Is it possible he has been hiding here for some time, and none of you has noticed?”

  They shook their heads, murmuring in confusion.

  Realizing that his impatience would only make them more reticent, Jothan softened his approach. “I realize many strange things have transpired. If we are to move forward and make a life for ourselves here, we must try to make sense of all that has happened. Is there no one who can help me to understand? Have you heard of no survivor who could relate the circumstances that drove this castle’s first lord away?” A sudden thought struck him. “Did the former steward keep a record? A chronicle of the events of the household?”

  Walter and Rulf exchanged glances. “There are some books stored in a trunk in the wine cellar, m’lord, but we know not what might be in them,” Walter said. “None of us can read, of course. No doubt your lordship can decipher them.”

  “Can you take me there?” Jothan asked. Walter nodded. “I would like the rest of you to spread out and search every corner of this dwelling. Even if you cannot locate Delphas, you may be able to determine where he has been gaining access or storing his possessions.”

  Jothan paused at the mention of possessions, recalling how Delphas had appeared to him the night before without the most basic necessity of clothing. He turned to go so Walter would not see his blush.

  In the wine cellar, Walter pointed out the trunk in question and bent to unfasten its lid. Jothan lifted out a pair of large leather-bound volumes, lay them on a nearby table, and opened each in turn. The stiff leather covers, dry and brittle from years of neglect, made cracking noises as he spread the pages.

  “Have these always been stored here?” Jothan asked.

  “Muriel and I found them just where you see them, my lord,” Walter replied. “We did not touch them, since they had no meaning for us.”

  Jothan nodded. To peasants without benefit of learning, books probably did seem awe-inspiring, even frightening. Fortunately, although his parents had died before he had reached adulthood, they and his subsequent guardians had secured excellent tutors for him. He had seen and deciphered books in many languages during the course of his life. “I shall take these to my chambers and study them,” he said. “You may join the others in searching for this mysterious Delphas.”

  Giving a slight bow, Walter left him alone. Jothan took a moment to inspect the cellar, curious to know if he could spot any secret passageways or hidden chambers behind the walls. Finding nothing, he gathered up the two volumes and bore them away to his chamber.

  After removing his sword and lighting a candle, Jothan seated himself at the table in his room. There he perused the contents of each book. One contained household accounts and inventories of the larder, buttery, and armory. Clearly, at least one high-ranking lady had shared the castle, since the book listed fabrics purchased for gowns and cloaks that had been delivered by horsemen.

  The previous steward, whoever he was, had been a most thorough man. Yet the entries stopped suddenly in the middle of the book and did not resume. This, presumably, was where the trouble had begun. Household budgets had seemed far less important to him afterward.

  The second volume was in the same hand, though it contained far more than mere lists. This one chronicled events that concerned the entire community. Jothan flipped through descriptions of feasts, tournaments, and hunting parties, none of which conveyed any unusual information or anything especially useful. Nothing caught his eye until he noticed a description of the previous lord’s wedding. The grand affair was attended by a number of knights as well as the lord’s nephew, a young squire, who caused some unspecified trouble at the event. The frank description explained why the steward had hidden his writing in the wine cellar, where the staff was presumably illiterate like Jothan’s own.

  “The lady Ursell was not pleased with him, nor he with her, and they made no secret of such,” the steward had written. His normally immaculate penmanship deteriorated over the next few words, as though he had written them in a state of agitation. “Lord Peredur took both into the bower with the intent to make peace between them, though neither seemed especially willing to go. Let us hope for the sake of all who dwell here that he will be successful this time. My lady’s displeasure is a most frightening force. My lord dreads seeing her wrath flare as sincerely as he dreads a brigand attack.”

  Jothan paused to look up from the book and frowned. Was it possible that the ruin of the entire castle had stemmed from the anger of one formidable woman?

  The next few months continued without incident, at least as far as the entries revealed. The usual ceremonies, feasts, and entertainments took place as before. Yet Jothan sensed a certain undercurrent of tension, especially given the lack of detailed references to either the lady or Lord Peredur’s nephew.

  His suspicions proved accurate a few pages later. “The rift between my Lady Ursell and my lord’s nephew has deepened. This morning a most alarming confrontation took place between them. My lady went so far as to demand that my lord exile his squire for certain transgressions, a suggestion Lord Peredur refused in the strongest possible terms. My lady was most displeased with her husband and did not hesitate to mak
e this known to him. I fear we shall not know peace in this household for some time to come.”

  The next series of entries continued in a normal, if somewhat brief, fashion. Gone were the artful descriptions of lavish banquets, costumes fashioned by the castle seamstresses and tailors, and the performances of mummers and minstrels. In their place were simple, joyless reports of meals prepared and taken, religious rites observed, and evening gatherings in the Great Hall. Lady Ursell, when mentioned at all, appeared as a distant and critical figure. When the nephew took part in activities, she disappeared from the narrative altogether. Jothan assumed they could no longer bear to be in the same room with one another.

  At last he came to the final written page. This time, the handwriting was jagged and hasty. Ink spattered the parchment where the quill had slashed at the page.

  “What evil has entered this dwelling?” the words asked plaintively. “What jeopardy has my lord’s most grievous error visited upon all our souls? With Lord Peredur’s blessing, I and the rest of the household staff have determined to flee. We may perish in our efforts, but it seems an almost pleasant alternative compared to what waits to claim our lives here. Unfortunately, my lord’s loyal soldiers have refused to accompany us. They have decided to remain and defend him and what remains of his fiefdom. My lord’s nephew has vowed to lead his men against these forces of hell that assail us.”

  As he reached the last line on the page, Jothan felt his stomach drop. He blinked and read it again to be sure he hadn’t imagined what he saw.

  “May all that is good and pure protect him and keep Squire Delphas from harm.”

  “This place truly is cursed,” Jothan said, standing from the table and finding that his legs shook. The castle’s former steward had indeed asked the right question—what manner of wickedness or sorcery had wrapped itself around his new home? Had the hideous creature he had seen atop the tower led the attack on Lord Peredur’s fiefdom and presumably his men?

  Delphas had been one of those men. Why had he not made the connection when Delphas had commented on his former high-ranking status?

  Most troubling of all was the question of what sort of being had visited his bed? A demon? A spirit? Or simply a clever squire who had found a way to conceal himself as death and destruction raged around him?

  After hiding the books in his chamber, Jothan went to join his servants in their search for Delphas. He had less hope than ever that any of them would find him. Yet for reasons he could not quite fathom, he expected to see him again once night fell.

  ****

  That night, after a search as fruitless as he had expected it to be, Jothan ordered the servants to their pellets. He lay on his bed clad in only a linen shift, his sword at his right hand, hidden beneath the bedclothes. Soon after the first grey of evening stole over his chamber, he heard the familiar scraping sound outside his door. It creaked open without anyone knocking. How bold Delphas had become after only two nights, Jothan marveled.

  A moment later, Delphas stood beside Jothan as he lay on the bed. This time, he was wrapped in one of the drying cloths from the wardrobe.

  “I have been waiting for you,” Jothan said, keeping his voice cool and his manner casual. “The day seems long without the pleasure of your company.”

  “I feel the same, my lord.”

  “I see you are feeling more modest tonight.” Reaching out, Jothan brushed his fingertips along the cloth that hung from Delphas’s hips.

  Delphas laughed. “Last night you came upon me before I could slip into a clean tunic. I pretended ’twas my intention to greet you that way all along. I expected you would enjoy my ruse.”

  “So I did. And this time?” Jothan let his fingers slide lower, tracing the curve between Delphas’s thighs.

  “And this time I thought you might prefer to remove my garment yourself. I decided to make it easy for you.”

  “Hmm.” In a single motion, Jothan tightened his fist and stripped away the cloth. His gaze traveled over Delphas, who once again stood naked. How could any man so beautiful be a thing of evil? Surely there were aspects of this situation that he did not understand. By night’s end, he hoped that would change.

  “Why is it no one sees you in the light of day?” Jothan asked.

  “Perhaps I am more appealing by candlelight, and I wish to take what advantage I can,” Delphas replied, sliding atop Jothan’s outstretched body. Deftly his hands removed the shift so that they lay naked together. As before, Delphas moved his lips between Jothan’s legs and brought him swiftly to a peak of bodily pleasure that left him gasping for breath.

  “I think I would find you equally appealing in any sort of light,” Jothan said when he had recovered his senses. He motioned to the pillow on the other side of him. “Will you allow me to demonstrate?”

  “I would be honored, as always, my lord.” Delphas lay on his stomach, extending his pale and perfectly formed legs in a spread position. Jothan knelt over him, running his fingers along Delphas’s soft back. Delphas murmured with pleasure at the softness of his touch. Jothan’s cock throbbed with need, but he could not let himself be distracted.

  Swiftly he reached under the bedclothes, drew out the sword, and leveled it beside Delphas’s neck.

  “You will answer my questions this time,” Jothan growled.

  Chapter 5

  “You have a most uncommon way of showing your affection, my lord.” Delphas turned his head just enough for his eyes to meet Jothan’s. The sharp edge of Jothan’s broadsword pressed against the tender flesh of his neck.

  It occurred to Jothan that drawing blood might provide an additional clue to Delphas’s identity, since he doubted that a malevolent spirit or demon would bleed the rich red blood of a lord’s nephew. Yet actually harming Delphas, even by so little, filled him with such guilt that he abandoned the idea. He was still painfully aware of his naked flesh nestled against Delphas’s, his desire throbbing in spite of everything he now knew and suspected.

  “I should think you, above all men, would appreciate my methods,” he finally said, keeping his tone gruff. He knew better than to show weakness, whatever or whoever Delphas turned out to be. Yet the deception made his heart squeeze in a way it never had when he had vanquished countless other enemies. “After all, you are a noble warrior, the nephew of a great lord, and a brave squire. Courting a lover by the sword should not seem so unusual to you.”

  Delphas sighed, averting his eyes. His body seemed to sag into the mattress. Jothan tensed, aware that this display might be a trick to get him to relax his guard. He had no intention of becoming the one under the sword.

  “How did you find out?” Delphas asked.

  “I uncovered a ledger. Written by your uncle’s steward.”

  “Ah, yes. I remember Cuthbert. A rather meticulous sort. My uncle preferred that in a steward, but I found him a bit overbearing.” He sighed again. “I had no idea his book had survived the carnage. How like him to make sure it was preserved. He took great pride in his writing. He would have thrived in a monastery, copying manuscripts.”

  “What became of him? The book mentioned only that he planned to flee with the others. Did he survive his escape?”

  “I admit I know not. I hope so, for much as I did not like the man at times, I would not wish the sort of death on him that my lady aunt doubtless planned. Perhaps he did find his way to a monastery.”

  “What were they fleeing from?” Jothan’s hand tensed on his sword hilt. Now that he was finally in a position—so to speak—to receive answers, he was determined not to let go until he had asked every question that had tormented his mind for the last three days. “Assassins? Invaders? Demons?” he choked a bit on the last word, feeling a fresh pang of regret to think that Delphas might be any of these.

  Again Delphas paused. His body tensed as his mood darkened. “Demons would be the closest cousins to the foul creatures she set upon this castle. I had no idea she hated my uncle so much. Still less had I any thought that her sorcery coul
d be so powerful.”

  “What sort of creatures?” Could he be referring to beings like the one Jothan had seen on the tower? Was that specimen the last of an attacking horde? Perhaps its wariness of him had also been a ruse.

  “Vile creatures.” Delphas shuddered. “Vicious clawed monsters with jaws forged in the devil’s smithy and eyes that burned like hellfire. The more we slashed at them with our swords, the stronger they became. We could not fight them off.” Delphas’s voice caught as he recalled terrors that, Jothan realized, would have haunted the mind of any sane man. “They were like nothing that ever has, or ever should, exist in this world.”

  “They devoured your men?” Jothan asked, astonished.

  “No. That was, perhaps, the worst horror. The creatures themselves inflicted no bodily harm on any of us. My aunt’s black heart devised a far more insidious manner of killing us. Her intention was to use her minions to drive us all mad—to the point that we would kill each other.”

  Jothan exhaled heavily. Instinctively, his grip on his sword loosened a bit. If Delphas was telling the truth, he represented no threat to Jothan or his servants after all. Yet he had no real idea how to separate facts from lies when the story itself seemed so fantastic and improbable.

  “Clearly, her spell did not work on you,” he observed in a softer tone than he had used before. “Nor are you mad—at least, not that I can tell.”

  “You could perhaps tell better if you would allow me to look in your eyes,” Delphas said. “May I sit up?”

  Jothan considered for a moment. In truth, he longed to switch positions. His naked flesh pressing against Delphas’s made it difficult to concentrate on anything else.

  “Very well,” he said, sliding off Delphas’s buttocks. He tightened his grip on his sword, though, and kept it leveled at Delphas as they resettled themselves until they faced one another. “You may continue now.”