Halcyon Rising

by Diana Bold

  She sank down on one of the stones that rimmed the pool and buried her face in her hands. “I’m sorry,” she whispered miserably. “I really thought it was here. It should be here.”

  Frowning, he sat his pack down on the tunnel floor and surveyed the pool with sudden interest. She was right. This did not make sense. They had headed in the right direction, the history books claimed a tunnel existed, and he could not imagine the people of Old Halcyon had dug for miles just to end in a hot spring. Especially when there was one inside the tower.

  “The entrance is here,” he assured her. “We just have to find it.” Slipping out of his tunic, he waded into the pool and crossed to the far side where he examined the stones. They must make up the backside of one of the walls of the tower’s hot springs.

  He was certain there was some sort of hidden mechanism here, like those he had found other places in the tower. But after ten long minutes of running his hands over every inch of the wall, he still couldn’t find it.

  “Maybe it’s beneath the waterline,” Rhoswen offered helpfully.

  He gave her a quick grin, impressed by her suggestion. That would explain why he had never found it. “Will the lightstick work under water?”

  She nodded and tossed him one. He gave her a reassuring smile and dove beneath the surface of the pool, shining the light across the stone until he found what he was looking for. About three feet down there was a passageway chiseled out of the rock, an underwater tunnel. Did it lead all the way through to the tower?

  He came back up for air, taking several deep, cleansing breaths.

  “Did you find anything?” Rhoswen leaned forward, excitement shining in her bright eyes.

  “I think so. There is a tunnel down here. I am going to try to swim through to the other side.”

  “All right,” she answered, a sudden note of worry lacing her voice. “But be careful.”

  He smiled and took another deep breath, then dove swiftly through the water, using one hand to hold the light and the other to guide himself forward. It cannot be much farther, he assured himself, as his lungs began to burn. Just a few more feet and he would break through to the other side.

  But five feet stretched to ten, and then twenty. The tunnel seemed endless, and he had come too far to turn back. If he did not reach the other side soon, he was not going to make it.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Five minutes ticked slowly by as Rhoswen watched the pool for any sign of Sebastian. Her heart thundered in her chest, and her anxiety grew with each passing second.

  Where was he?

  At first she calmed herself with the thought that he had taken a few minutes to catch his breath on the other side. But as the minutes passed interminably by, she became convinced something had happened to him.

  The tunnel had been abandoned for ages. It could have collapsed or become blocked by debris. What if he had become trapped and been unable to turn around? Panic skittered through her veins as the surface of the pool remained placid.

  Without conscious thought, she pushed to her feet and stripped down to her undergarments, keeping her gaze locked upon the water. When he didn’t appear by the time she was done, she grasped the other lightstick and dove into the pool.

  If something had happened to him, she had to know. She couldn’t just sit passively in the tunnel and wait.

  She found the passageway right away and pushed herself through it, shining the light ahead of her in a desperate attempt to see either the end of the tunnel or some sign of Sebastian. After she’d gone at least thirty feet, her panic intensified.

  Too far. Her lungs were already straining, and in the next few seconds she knew she’d gone too far to turn back.

  Not that turning back would be easy. The stone pressed in on her from all sides, giving her just enough room to continue forward.

  She became terrified that at any moment she’d find Sebastian’s lifeless, drowned body.

  At last, the tunnel seemed to widen. Bright light exploded behind her eyes as she pushed forward with all her might. Her lungs were going to burst.

  Just when it seemed that she would drown here, trapped in the dark bowels of the earth, she broke free of the tunnel and strove upward. Her feet hit what seemed to be the bottom of a pool, and she pushed with the last of her strength, breaking the surface of the water.

  She took several gasping, wheezing breaths, unsure if she’d really made it.

  “What the hell do you think you are doing?” Sebastian’s furious voice sounded behind her just as he bent and grasped her around the arms, pulling her free of the water. He set her on her feet in front of him, shaking her a bit, his handsome face twisted with angry concern. “I told you to wait for me!”

  “No,” she mumbled, still shaken and confused. “You didn’t. You were gone so long. I got worried.”

  He released her suddenly, but his anger seemed to intensify. “Maybe I did not tell you in so many words to wait, but I expected you to do so. You promised me!”

  “What do you mean?” she cried. “I was afraid you had drowned. I wanted to help you.”

  He raked a hand through his hair in agitation. “You promised me you would stay behind while I did what I have to do,” he said, a little calmer now. “You promised me I would not have to worry about you.”

  “But you haven’t left yet,” she replied, hurt and a little angry herself by his unreasonable behavior. “I didn’t think there was any danger here.”

  He pointed to a pallet of blankets a few steps away. “Someone’s been here. Not only in the tower, but here in the pool. I took so long because I was checking to make sure the tower was clear.”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, suddenly understanding his fear. “I’m sorry, Sebastian. But I couldn’t just wait down there and do nothing. I was terrified something had happened to you.”

  He shook his head in obvious dismay. “I knew this would happen. I knew I could not count on you to keep your word. Ever since we met you have been taking unacceptable risks. You promised if I took you with me you would stop. That you would stay behind and return to Halcyon if something happened to me.”

  “Sebastian, it’s all right.” She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing her cold, wet body against his. To her shock, she found that he was trembling. “It’s all right, my darling. Everything is all right.”

  At first he stiffened in her embrace, but then he moaned and enfolded her in his arms, holding her so tight she couldn’t breathe.

  “It is not fine,” he told her harshly, pressing his lips to her temple, to her cheekbone, to her lips, in hard, bruising kisses. “How can I do what I must when I know you are probably trailing right behind me?”

  “I’ll stay here,” she promised. “I said I would, and I meant it. I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t think there would be any danger here in the tower.”

  “I did not think there would be, either.” Some of his wildness abated, and his arms loosened fractionally. “I do not know who was here. I did not think anyone could figure out the door, let alone find the hot springs.”

  “Did you have a chance to search the tower? Is it empty?” she asked softly.

  He nodded. “I was on my way back to tell you what I had found, to tell you that the tower was not safe and that you must return to Old Halcyon and wait for me there, when I saw you in the pool. I panicked, thinking of what could have happened if there had been someone here waiting for us.” He slowly released her and held her at arm’s length, scanning her from head to toe. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No, of course not.” She caught his hand and squeezed it tightly. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking of anything but my concern for you. But I can’t believe you wouldn’t have done the same if our situations were released.”

  He managed a wry smile. “You are the most amazing woman I have ever met, my love. I suppose I should stop expecting you to react to any situation the way the women of my people do.”

  She brought his
hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles tenderly. “I think you might be surprised how much a woman, any woman, would do for the man she loves.”

  He pulled her back into his arms, but this time his embrace was gentle. “Say it again,” he whispered, his breath hot against her temple. “I never tire of hearing that you love me.”

  “I love you,” she replied, glad to be able to do this for him at least, though it didn’t seem nearly enough compared to everything he was about to do for her. “I love you so much, Sebastian.”

  “I love you, too.” He held her for a long time, rocking her slightly, and she knew he was trying to figure out how to say good-bye, how to order her to return back to Old Halcyon and wait while he took all the risk.

  She didn’t want to let him go, but it would be so much easier for him if she could at least calm his fears. No matter how much it killed it her to wait in the tunnels, she must make him believe he could trust her.

  She must make him believe she’d keep her promise and allow him to complete this dangerous mission by himself.

  Reluctantly, she pulled away from him. “Now that I know I can make it to the other side, the swim won’t be so bad. Is it all right if I wait on the other side of the tunnel, or would you prefer I went back to Old Halcyon?”

  He stared at her in silence for a moment, then gave a sigh of resignation. “You can wait in the tunnel. But you must promise me, you must swear, that if I do not return in a couple of hours, you will return to Halcyon.”

  “I will look at my timepiece when I get back to my pack, and then I will wait twelve hours.” There was no way in hell she was leaving him any sooner. “Twelve hours here and another twelve when I get safely back to The Whale. I promise I’ll dive at the first hint of trouble.”

  Looking as though he’d like to argue, he gave a stiff nod. “Very well. We have an agreement.”

  “Be careful,” she whispered, blinking away a sudden wash of tears. “Please be careful, Sebastian.”

  “I will be,” he replied. “I want to come back to you, Rhoswen. I will do everything in my power to succeed.”

  She wanted more physical contact, wanted to kiss him and hug him and hold on so tight she’d crush the breath from him, but she was only delaying the inevitable and making it harder for both of them. “I love you,” she whispered once more, then took a deep breath and plunged back into the pool.

  * * *

  Sebastian stood frozen at the edge of the pool, staring at the spot where Rhoswen had disappeared beneath the water. He cursed himself for the intensity of his reaction to finding out she’d come after him.

  God, what an idiot he’d been. She’d risked her life to save him, and then he’d railed at her like the worst sort of ass. He’d ruined what might have been the last few moments he would ever spend with her.

  He considered going after her, making sure she’d reached the other side, making love to her one last time, but he couldn’t repay her bravery of a moment ago with such cowardice.

  A lifetime wouldn’t be enough time to tell her everything he had to say, and each second at her side made it that much harder to let her go. Far better to make the break clean, as she had done, and pray his mission succeeded.

  With a pensive frown, he kicked the blankets that had been left beside the pool. Who the hell had been down here? He’d been so sure the tower was secure, but someone had managed to gain entrance.

  Was it Simon?

  Had he known the secret of the magic door all along and only given Sebastian the illusion of safety? And how had he known of the springs? Perhaps the secret was passed down from lord to lord, as so many other secrets of the castle had been.

  He frowned even harder, wondering what other secrets Simon had kept from him.

  When no answers revealed themselves, he turned and mounted the stairs, his sense of urgency growing with each step.

  He hurried up to the top floor of his tower and stripped off his damp Halcyon trousers, pulling on a dry set of his own scratchy, misshapen tunic, chausses and hose. As he searched through his trunk, he found several garments that didn’t belong to him—women’s garments.

  Frowning as he wondered who had invaded his tower, he slipped on another of his cowled robes, deciding that the it would help him blend into the shadows better, and provide the anonymity he craved. Besides, if he were caught, his armor would be little protection from the onslaught of dozens of his brother’s men.

  Warmly garbed, he slipped out the front door of the tower, skirting the curtain wall toward the tower that housed the dungeons, careful to stay out of the shallow pools of light cast by the intermittent torches.

  The night was cold and dark, and as he trudged through the deep snow, he saw no one about. He had counted on the fact that the guards would be peering outward, not expecting any attack to come from within.

  He made the tower without incident and was pleased to see the door was unguarded. Since the cells were nigh inescapable, he had not really expected anyone to bar the way, though there might be a guard on duty below.

  Once inside, he debated for a long moment, trying to decide whether to go up or down. If Trevelan were resting peacefully in the tower room where Sebastian had moved him, he risked the chance of running into a dungeon guard for nothing.

  But knowing Simon as he did, Sebastian could well imagine the fury that had gripped his brother when he had returned from the coast. No doubt he had turned that anger upon the hapless Trevelan. If the man had survived the inevitable beating, he would have certainly been moved back to the dungeon to prevent any further loss of control.

  Taking a deep breath, Sebastian headed toward the dungeon. As always, the rank smell of old pain and suffering disturbed him, but he pushed on, stealing silently down the stairs.

  He was relieved to see that no torches had been lit, which seemed to indicate no guards were on duty. When he reached the bottom, nothing met him but the silent darkness.

  He switched on the lightstick, making a quick circuit of the half dozen cells, only to find them empty. Frowning, he took the stairs back up two at time, then continued on to the tower room where he and Rhoswen had abandoned Trevelan to his fate.

  Unchallenged, he found the room as empty as the dungeons. His heart sank, because he feared the worst. Trevelan had undoubtedly been beaten to death upon Simon’s return, his broken body cast aside like so much rubbish.

  His heart ached at the thought of telling Rhoswen that Trevelan was gone. She would probably never forgive herself for her friend’s death. She would have a hard time trusting her own judgment from now on, always remembering that if she had not leapt to conclusions, Trevelan might have stood a chance.

  Trevelan was most certainly dead. But there was only one way to be certain.

  Sebastian had to talk to Simon.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Rhoswen pulled herself out of the steaming water, collapsing upon the rocky floor of the tunnel. Harsh sobs wracked her body as she fought for breath. The swim back through the passageway had been slightly less terrifying, but still not something she’d want to do on a regular basis. And she’d been even more exhausted this time, tired and heartsick about leaving Sebastian behind.

  She should have been the one who went to Trevelan’s rescue. That indisputable fact drove her mad, though she knew she’d never have been able to accomplish what Sebastian could. She didn’t know the layout of the castle well enough and was no warrior. Even if she’d managed to find Trevelan, she wouldn’t have been able to carry him to safety if he lacked the strength to walk.

  Still, it killed her to know Sebastian risked his life and Trevelan suffered untold agony or was dead already, because of her own stupid mistakes. She wondered if she’d ever be able to trust her instincts again.

  Despite what she’d promised Sebastian, she knew she’d never be able to get up and walk away from here if he hadn’t returned in twelve hours. If he didn’t return, she couldn’t bear the uncertainty. She’d forever wonder if he’d been kill
ed or imprisoned, or if there was something she could have done to help him if she went back.

  Though far more enlightened than most of his people, he still held the sexist belief that a woman could never rescue a man. Perhaps he was right, but there was no way she was leaving this place until he either returned or she’d done everything in her ability to find out why not and rectify the situation if she could.

  He could be angry with her if he wanted. She didn’t care, as long as he was alive.

  After she’d worn herself out with tears, she slowly pulled herself off the ground and forced herself to change into some dry clothes and eat something. All this crying served no purpose. She had to remain optimistic until given a reason to lose hope.

  Sebastian was strong and resourceful. She had to believe he’d succeed. And when he returned, she intended to meet him with a happy smile and open arms.

  * * *

  Hidden passageways riddled Hawkesmere’s walls, though as far as Sebastian knew, only he and Simon were privy to that fact. As children they had played wild games of hide and seek within the cobweb-laced corridors, which were seldom used. They existed only to provide safe passage if the castle were under attack and as an easy way for the lord of the manor to spy upon his subjects if he chose.

  He entered the passageway in the dungeon tower and made his way toward Simon’s private chambers in the southeast corner of the castle. Never had he been so grateful for the lightstick, though the walls still pressed in on him with dark menace. He had spent far too much time in dark, closed-in spaces during the last few days.

  The path was time consuming, given the many twists and turns, stairs and slopes, but at last he found himself behind the hidden door in his brother’s rooms. He peered through the small peephole, trying to determine if Simon slept alone tonight. He would hate to have to deal with a hysterical kitchen maid on top of everything else.