Halcyon Rising

by Diana Bold

  “I know the secret of the door,” he explained. “I can lock myself inside until I regain some of my strength, then escape through the hidden passageway below.”

  “I have never heard of a hidden passageway,” she told him doubtfully, but she remained beside him, supporting him, as he moved painfully toward the door.

  “It’s there,” he assured her, his breath hitching with each step. He gritted his teeth and welcomed the pain, because each step took him further from Lord Simon’s grasp. “If I can just make it across the bailey undetected.”

  He’d spent most of his waking hours during the last few days staring out the narrow arrow slit above his pallet, imagining taking Rhoswen back from the bastard who’d stolen her. He knew the route and distance by heart.

  “It is full dark. If we stay near the curtain wall, we might manage it. All the knights who did not leave with Lord Simon are manning the gates to keep the villagers out. I had to bribe one of them with a love potion and sneak in the postern gate to see you tonight.”

  He let the sweetness of the fact that she cared enough about him to go to such trouble bolster him through the first few agonizing steps, but then the rest of her words sunk in.

  “What are you talking about? Why are they locking out the villagers?”

  “There is sickness in the village. Half a dozen have already died. I think Lord Simon fears the pestilence, but I have been with those who are sick all day, and I know it is not the plague. Otherwise, I would not have risked coming to see you. I believe it to be some sort of poisoning. Contamination of the well, perhaps? Would not be the first time.”

  Perhaps the Black Death will come again. I hope so. I hope something wipes them out completely.

  His own thoughtless words came back to haunt him. Had Rhoswen remembered them as well? Was that why she’d run? Did she think he’d done this?

  They reached the first landing, and he sagged against the wall, trying to catch his breath and control the swamping dizziness.

  God, how naïve he’d been just a few short days ago. His time at Hawkesmere had shown him the people were both better and worse than he’d ever imagined.

  He lifted his hand and tenderly brushed Miranda’s cheek with his fingertips, glad he’d met her. She’d shown him that there was goodness to be found on the Surface, though it was far harder to find than the rampant greed and brutality. He squinted down at her, wishing he could see better, wishing he could better commit her lovely face to memory.

  “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Miranda. But it’s time for us to part ways. I won’t let you risk yourself any further for my sake.”

  “All this time I have been wishing you would say something. And now that you have, I cannot get you to be quiet.” She gave a shaky laugh and caught his hand, pressing her lips against his palm. “I am not going to leave you here, Trevelan. Do not fret.”

  Though he had never felt so terrible in his life, he couldn’t contain a small quirk of his battered lips. With Miranda’s help, he just might make it out of Hawkesmere alive.

  * * *

  The next morning, Sebastian went about the business of breaking camp while Rhoswen perched on the tree stump, shivering. The healing effects of his hands had obviously worn off during the night. Her face was pale, and she moved slowly, as though she ached all over.

  He doused the fire and rolled the furs back up, securing them to his destrier’s saddle, then helped her mount before him. Once he had guided the horse back toward the coast, she relaxed, snuggling into the circle of his arms.

  “I may nap awhile,” she mumbled, tucking her head against his chest. “I didn’t sleep well last night. I heard too many things moving in the trees.”

  He tilted her face, gazing down at her with utter adoration. “Rest as long as you want. We have at least another day’s ride ahead.” Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers.

  Lost in her sweet taste, he did not hear their pursuit until ‘twas too late. The distinctive whine of an arrow whirring through the air reached his ears a split second before the shaft slammed into his shoulder. He jolted forward in the saddle, almost losing his seat.

  Rhoswen wrenched away, crying out in fright. He cursed below his breath, both in pain and anger at his own stupidity. He spurred his warhorse, gripping Rhoswen tightly as the beast surged forward.

  Behind them, he glimpsed a contingent of Hawkesmere’s knights. Simon rode hard in the lead, notching another arrow in his bow.

  Simon shot me.

  For a moment the shock of it, the betrayal, overwhelmed him. What the hell was the bastard thinking?

  “What was that? What’s going on?” Rhoswen twisted in front of him, trying to look up into his face.

  “Simon and his men are after us,” he muttered, fighting the pain that raced like wildfire within his shoulder, still stunned by what had happened. “Hang on. The next few moments are going to be rough.”

  Her eyes widened as she saw the protruding arrow. “Sebastian, you’ve been hit!”

  He gave her a wry smile, trying to reassure her. “I am aware of that. It hurts like bloody hell.”

  “Are you all right?” Her concern nearly undid him. Never before had someone cared so much whether he lived or died.

  “I have had worse. I will be fine. We just need to get away from here. You can help me remove it later.” Then he spurred the horse to an even faster pace, hoping his brother would grow tired of the pursuit.

  * * *

  Throughout the day, Simon and his men tracked Sebastian and Rhoswen relentlessly through the forest. Sebastian kept a breakneck pace, pushing the horse so hard Rhoswen feared it would drop dead beneath them.

  She didn't know how Simon had managed to find them. She despaired of ever getting away. There were too many of them, and Sebastian was hurt.

  He'd told her his wound wasn't that bad, and they hadn't had time to stop and let her check it. But his chest was slick with blood, and she could feel his strength fading.

  It terrified her.

  If he faltered, if he became so weak he couldn't go on, they'd be caught for sure. And she couldn't stand the thought of losing him.

  When morning had dawned, she’d still been wracked by indecision, uncertain whether to take Sebastian with her to Halcyon, incurring the wrath of her people, or leave both him and her heart behind on the beach. Simon’s unprovoked attack had made her choice for her.

  Sebastian was injured, and the only place he could get the help he needed was in Halcyon's sick bay. She’d deal with the consequences of her actions after he’d been healed.

  "We must get to the sea, to the place where your men found me," she’d told him tersely, right after he'd been wounded.

  He'd given her a grim nod and set his path, and hardly a word had passed between them in the long hours since. She wanted words of reassurance, but knew he had none to give. He was at the very knife's edge of endurance, and she didn't want to destroy his intense concentration.

  In fact, she feared the only thing keeping him going was the knowledge that if he were to fall, she would be at his brother's mercy.

  They were making good time, more than twice the pace his kin had set on their way to the castle, but she figured they still had at least a day to go before they reached the sea. She could only hope Sebastian remained conscious and alert for that long. She had no idea how to find her way back alone and didn't think she could control the frothing beast they rode without Sebastian's sure hand.

  Thankfully, Simon and his men fell back during the afternoon. At least she no longer heard them crashing through the forest. After more than an hour of welcome silence, she chanced conversation.

  "Do you think it's safe to stop and rest a bit?"

  She badly wanted a chance to examine Sebastian’s wound and see the extent of the damage. If he didn’t rest soon, he was going to collapse.

  Sebastian shook his head, staring at her with bleary, pain-filled eyes. "We will reach the beach by nightfall. I dare not stop
now, or I might not find the strength to keep going."

  He sounded so tired, so drained and unlike himself, she bit her lip and willed the exhausted horse to go faster. He had lost far too much blood.

  "I will get you to the beach.” He pressed his lips to her temple, obviously trying to comfort her, though he was the one in need. “I will see you safely home. I promised you, did I not?"

  "Yes," she whispered, her eyes welling with tears. His chivalry and courage were unlike anything she’d ever known. Her people could learn so much from this incredible man. "You did promise me that."

  "Simon's fallen behind." He squeezed her waist with his good arm and tried to smile. "I think we will be fine.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Though Sebastian tried to put a brave face on the situation, inside he was pessimistic at best. Fever raged through his body, a sure sign his wound was already infected. He had seen what happened when wounds putrefied too many times to believe he would survive his brother's aim.

  The best he could hope for was that he would live long enough to see Rhoswen safely home. As the hours ticked relentlessly by, it was all he could do to keep himself upright. Dizziness swamped him, and he feared he had lost all sense of direction.

  Near dusk, he finally heard the sound of crashing waves. "Do you hear that?” he asked. “Not much further now.”

  She nodded and squeezed his hand where he clenched the reins. “I knew you could do it, Sebastian. I never had any doubt.”

  Her words gave him the strength he needed to hang on for the last stretch, and then, finally, he saw an endless palette of blue.

  Relieved, he pulled his horse up at the top of the cliff. The waves crashed on the rocks below, and he swayed dizzily, feeling as though they were pulling him toward the edge. "What do we do now?"

  She slid awkwardly from his lap to the ground, and then peered up at him. "Can you make it down the path?"

  He nodded, though he was not sure. The steep, rocky trail down to the beach looked endless. "I think so."

  She gave him a doubtful look, but then squared her shoulders. "I'm going to go on ahead. I need to swim out to the island. I have a… boat of sorts docked out there. If I can reach it and get back to you before Simon arrives, he'll never find us."

  "I should be the one to swim out to the island." He slid from the saddle, but the moment his feet touched the ground, his head swam, and he had to brace himself against the horse's heaving back to keep from losing consciousness. "I can get the boat and come back for you."

  She gave him a look that spoke volumes about what she thought of his bravado, then rooted through his saddle bags until she found the strange, tattered suit she had been wearing when he first saw her. "Don't be ridiculous. You'll need all your strength to get down to the beach. Besides, you wouldn't know how to work it, anyway."

  He wanted to tell her he was an excellent sailor, but the truth was that he had only been on a boat a few times in his life, and each time he had been violently seasick. "Hurry, Rhoswen. Simon may have fallen behind, but I am sure he hasn’t given up. By now he has probably figured out where we are headed. I would say we have half an hour, at best."

  She gave the edge of the forest a worried glance, and then leaned forward to kiss him. "Be safe, Sebastian. I'll see you on the beach."

  He watched her scramble down the rocky path, realizing he knew no more about where she came from than when they had left Hawkesmere. She had promised him answers, but after he had been hit by his brother’s arrow he had known better than to press her. He feared he would become lost in the delirium of fever and betray her trust, spouting all her secrets because he could not help himself.

  She said she had a boat, and although she seemed to want to take him with her, he thought it best if he stayed behind. He did not want her last memories of their time together to be of his gruesome death. Best if he just saw her off bravely, then sat down on the beach to die.

  Lost in his maudlin thoughts, he led the horse toward the path, slipping a bit as they started down. Rhoswen had already reached the beach, and now she was changing back into her tattered black suit, the long tears revealing lovely flashes of her pale skin. As soon as she was done, she shoved the clothes she had been wearing back into her pack and dove cleanly into the sea, swimming toward a rocky little islet a hundred yards or so out.

  He paused to catch his breath, watching anxiously as she swam, fearing the powerful undertow would suck her in. But she was an excellent swimmer, cutting through the surf with dogged persistence until her blonde head was a mere speck in the distance.

  He continued his own progress down the face of the cliff, only to freeze at the sound of voices on the ledge above.

  “This is where we found her, my lord.” The voice belonged to Ewan, one of Simon’s most trusted men. “Down there upon the beach.”

  Fear spiked through Sebastian, and he urged his horse faster, wincing when the animal’s hooves kicked a bunch of rocks over the edge of the trail. The sound echoed, overly loud to his sensitive ears.

  “Who goes there?” Simon’s shout echoed against the cliff, and Sebastian knew all was lost. He would be spotted in moments. All he could hope for was that Rhoswen had the good sense not to come back for him. Would she see Simon and his men before they saw her?

  “Sebastian! Hold, damn you!”

  Sebastian dragged the horse the last few paces onto the beach, ignoring his brother’s command. Sheer instinct had taken control. He stumbled forward, doggedly, determined to stay on his feet.

  He cast a wild glance out to sea and was pleased to see Rhoswen had vanished. If she escaped, then it had been worth it. All his life he had been looking for something worth dying for, and he had finally found it. Love was far nobler than country or religion.

  “Hold, Sebastian! Lest you wish me to put another arrow in your back.”

  This time Sebastian stopped and slowly turned to face his brother—the man he had loved and idolized all his life. The man who intended to kill him. Simon was halfway down the path, trailed by a dozen of his most able knights.

  Sebastian met his brother’s gaze, stunned by the sheer fury reflected back at him. “I would ask if you really had the heart to kill me, but I suppose I already have the answer to that.” He gestured wanly to his blood-drenched chest. “I imagine I will not live to see tomorrow.”

  “Why did you do it?” Simon closed the distance between them, gesturing for his men to stay back. “How could you betray me this way?”

  “Rhoswen has gotten into my blood,” Sebastian answered tiredly. “I could not deny her. I told you there was nothing I could do for those poor souls in the village, save die beside them. I just wanted to see her safe, Simon. Is that so hard to understand?”

  “Sebastian! What’s happening? Are those Simon’s men?”

  Rhoswen’s voice echoed inside his head, and for a moment he thought he had imagined it. But then he remembered she had the ability to enter his mind, and he struggled to form a mental answer.

  “It is too late for me, Rhoswen. You must leave. Go back to whatever enchanted place you came from. Think of me fondly, and know I cared for you more than I have ever cared for anything.”

  “You are my brother,” Simon thundered. “I expected your first loyalty to be to me!”

  “I am sorry, Simon,” Sebastian answered, distracted by the mental conversation taking place with Rhoswen. “But in this instance I followed my heart, to true honor”

  “Oh, Sebastian. I care for you, too. More than I ever thought possible. I’m coming back for you. I cannot bear to leave you behind.”

  “No!” He put as much emphasis on the command as he could, praying she obeyed. “I want you to be safe. If you risk yourself now, then my death will be in vain.”

  “You will not die! Not if I can get you back to my home. We have doctors there who can save you.”

  “I would have gone with you, if there had been time. But I am afraid our time is over, Rhoswen. Go now. Do not speak to
me again. I cannot bear it.”

  Her anguish streaked through him. The force of her pain, added to his own, nearly brought him to his knees. But then, at last, her presence left his mind.

  He was alone again, as he had been his whole life.

  Simon was only half a dozen feet away now, and Sebastian sensed his brother’s guilt and regret as he saw firsthand how badly he had wounded him. “I did not want to hurt you, Sebastian. But you know I cannot let such disobedience pass without consequence.”

  “I know,” Sebastian answered, weary beyond measure. “The girl is gone, Simon. I know not where. If you ever cared for me at all, let me rest here. Let me die on this beach with the sound of the sea in my ears and Rhoswen’s memory fresh in my mind.”

  Simon stepped forward and clasped Sebastian’s uninjured shoulder, a wealth of emotions in his eyes. “Go with God, Sebastian. I hope to see you again in Paradise.”

  Sebastian laughed harshly, blinking away the bitter sting of tears. “I doubt that. But may God keep you, as well.”

  Simon turned abruptly away, ignoring the angry muttering of his men, who obviously thought he should have finished what he had started. Sebastian watched them go, then sank to his knees, shifting his gaze out to sea. There was no sign of Rhoswen.

  “Fair travels, my love. God keep you, as well.”

  * * *

  Rhoswen sat down in the captain’s chair of The Dolphin, her breath hitching dangerously in her chest as she struggled to maintain control of her emotions. The mental conversation she’d had with Sebastian had shattered her.

  She knew she should listen to him, put her craft into a swift dive and make for Halcyon immediately. Thousands, if not millions, of lives hung in the balance.

  But at the moment, the only life she cared about was slipping away. She couldn’t make herself leave Sebastian when he was suffering — dying — just a few hundred yards away.