“That is evil,” Annelise whispered in horror. “The storm must have been the forces of the Fae, mustered to defend one of their own.”
“Again, good triumphed, for the boy was uncommonly strong.”
“Because his mother was Fae,” Annelise interjected. “Are the Fae not said to be stronger than mortals?”
Garrett did not answer that, though he smiled. “When the boy gave his first cry, despite her efforts to ensure he never did as much, the healer knew she had to act quickly. The boy was as golden as sunlight, golden as his mother was silver, and the knight was much enamored of his new son. The healer feared that once the boy began to grow, he would eclipse all others in the knight’s affection and her daughter would be overlooked forever. She did not doubt that the knight would lavish attention upon both son and lady wife, and she burned to ensure that never occurred.”
“She planned to see the boy dismissed or discredited before he could defend himself,” she guessed, her view of that most clear. “She feared he could hear her thoughts and had to be rid of him before he was old enough to act upon them and defend himself.”
Garrett was delighted with Annelise’s conclusions, but dared not confirm that particular guess.
She nodded, untroubled by his silence. “And the best way to do that was to condemn his mother.”
“It seems most logical,” Garrett allowed.
“I hope this tale ends with her destruction,” Annelise muttered.
“And so, the healer noticed that the lady went to the forest alone on the nights of the full moon. No one knew what she did and the knight forbade any to follow her. His trust in his lady wife was complete. The healer vowed to change this. She followed the lady one moonlit night, but soon lost sight of her. In a clearing, she was confronted by a white wolf, a wolf with blue eyes.”
Before him, Annelise caught her breath, although Garrett could not guess why. He continued with his tale. “She thought she had lost the lady and her infant son, but then she saw that the wolf suckled an infant with golden hair. The healer could not get close to the wolf, for it snarled at her, but she had seen enough to guess what had happened to the lady.” Garrett bit his tongue, fearing he had said too much, but Annelise remained decidedly flesh and blood.
Indeed, she smiled at him, confident in her interpretation of the tale. “The lady had changed shape, as the Fae are wont to do.”
Garrett continued, endeavoring to take more care. “The knight did not believe any of the tales associated with the forest of Broceliande. The healer concocted a tale of more practical concern. She told of a marauding white wolf, falsely attributing crimes to it, and creating fear throughout the holding. She bade the knight not speak of this threat to his wife, lest she become frightened, and the knight agreed. She reminded him repeatedly that all knew that the lady went to the forest each month by herself and confessed a fear for her safety. By the end of a month, the healer had convinced him that the wolf must be hunted and killed to ensure the safety of his people. The healer suggested he go on the night of the full moon, the better to see his prey, and the knight agreed. He instructed his wife to remain in her chambers on that night and placed a lock upon the portal. He thought he would deny her once and guarantee her safety forever.”
“He cannot have killed his wife,” whispered Annelise. “Not in ignorance of what he did.”
“On the night of the next full moon, the knight armed himself and went into the forest alone to hunt the wolf. Unbeknownst to him, his lady went also to the forest with their son. It was not within her to remain at the knight’s abode when the full moon shone and she managed to escape her locked chamber. The healer followed the lady, but this time, when she lost sight of her, she sought the lady’s clothes. When she found the garments piled with care, she burned them to cinders, for she knew that the Fae had need of the clothes to change back to a lady. Then the healer returned to the knight’s holding to wait.”
Annelise gripped his arm, her fear for the lady most clear.
“For three days and three nights, the knight was absent. The wind was high all that time, slamming the shutters and whistling in the chinks. Those in the hall thought they would go mad with the constant sound, but suddenly the wind ceased. The knight returned home that very morning, weary and covered in blood. He carried the heart of a wolf, and he gave it to the cook to be prepared. He went to his lady’s chamber, full of anticipation, only to discover that she was gone, along with his son. The window was open and the wind blew into the room, which was devoid of life.
“Nay!” Annelise whispered.
“The knight sought his lady far and wide. He appealed to all who traveled through his holding, desperately seeking news of his wife and son. But she was gone, as surely as if she had never been. He became convinced that she had abandoned him because he had broken his vow, by confining her on that one moonlit night. From that day, no one ever saw a white wolf in Broceliande or the knight’s holding again. The healer drew close to the knight, comforting him in his grief, and after a year and a day, he took her to be his own wife. He adopted the daughter as his own. She bore him a son, and the knight made the boy his heir.”
“That is not just!” protested Annelise. “This tale is no better than the first.”
“It is said that the knight still goes into the forest alone on the night of the full moon, seeking his lady wife. It is said that a wolf can be heard to howl the night before the death of any soul at the knight’s estate. And it is said that one day, the knight’s first son will return to claim his rightful due, that his father will welcome him, and that justice will be served.”
Garrett fell silent, letting Annelise consider his tale. The rain had slowed to a silvery mist, and the road rose steadily before them. He wished they were miles farther, but knew Yseult had need of a rest. He could fairly hear Annelise thinking but remained silent, certain he had told her much.
“You can hear the thoughts of others because you are half-Fae,” she said, no real question in her tone. She twisted to consider him, her gaze searching his. “Are you this golden son, Garrett? Do we ride to see justice served?”
Garrett could not help but smile, though still he did not answer her directly. “I must have the right to ask for your hand. I must have a holding to my name.”
Annelise smiled and cast her arms around his neck, her jubilation so complete that his heart thundered in his chest. “But why did you not do this sooner? Why did you not seek your inheritance the very moment you knew the tale?”
Garrett would have confessed that tale to her—for the Fae had no role in it—but he was suddenly aware of Yseult’s fear.
The horse was terrified.
Garrett tightened his grip on Annelise but had no time to assess the reason for the mare’s mood. She shied but an instant later, casting them both easily from the saddle, then galloped back the way they had come.
“Yseult!” Annelise cried.
Garrett took the brunt of the fall, landing on his back with Annelise sprawled atop him. He grimaced as the mud splashed over them, though it did not make the road appreciably softer.
Then he heard the mare’s panicked thought and he looked past his lady’s shoulder.
Wolf.
“Fool horse,” Annelise muttered, making to rise, but Garrett lifted a finger in warning.
Annelise followed his gaze to the road ahead, then froze. A white wolf paced back and forth in the middle of the road, its teeth bared in a snarl and its eyes flashing like sapphires. He had a moment to believe that crisis could be averted, then the wolf leapt toward them to attack.
*
Annelise cried out in dismay when the wolf lunged toward them, teeth bared. She had no time to respond, for Garrett responded for both of them. She was flung to one side with dizzying speed as he bounded to his feet. He had his dagger in his hand in the blink of an eye, his movements fluid.
But the wolf leapt past him, racing after Yseult. The mare whinnied in terror, then turned and galloped
back down the road. Garrett swore and ran after her. He threw his knife after the wolf, then reached back for his crossbow.
“Nay!” Annelise cried, but the wolf seemed to anticipate Garrett’s move. She had only a heartbeat to fear for the creature before it ducked into the woods and disappeared.
Garrett’s knife landed point down in the muddy road. He had not even had time to load his crossbow, though he did so now.
He swore. “If only I had grabbed my crossbow first,” he muttered with an anger rare in him. “I would not have missed.”
Annelise was glad he had.
Yseult halted in the distance, stamping her feet nervously as she watched Garrett approach. The reins hung loose over her neck, dangling on the ground, and her ears were folded back. She clearly was torn between approaching them and fleeing. The wilderness held no charms for Yseult and she was clever enough to know that food and protection came from Annelise and her kin. Still, she was spooked. The wolf had been where they stood, which challenged her desire to come to them, yet the road behind might be filled with greater danger were she to flee alone. Annelise remained still, letting the mare consider her choices as she calmed down. Garrett retrieved his knife and wiped it clean with a decisive gesture before jamming it back in the sheath.
“Why would you wish it to live?” he demanded of her, his frustration clear. “Have you forgotten what a wolf can do?”
“Then why did it not kill any of us?” Annelise demanded, when she reached his side. “It could have at least injured Yseult, but it did not.”
Garrett sobered and looked into the forest where the creature had fled. There was no sign of it, but the mist would have helped it to disappear, given the color of its coat. “It could have changed its mind.”
“It could have been warning us.”
“Of what?” Garrett was impatient with this notion.
Then Annelise had a thought. “Do you not know what it was thinking?”
Garrett shrugged with some irritation. “The wolf might have been surprised that we were three. Perhaps it is not sufficiently hungry to take such a risk.”
Annelise turned to look at him. “You do not know,” she guessed and Garrett shook his head. “That is why it surprised you. But that means you could not hear its thoughts.”
His expression turned grim.
Annelise looked into the forest where the wolf had fled, wondering at its choice. In the tales, the Fae could hear the thoughts of mortals, man and beast. If Garrett could not hear the white wolf’s thoughts, was it Fae? Could it truly be a Fae woman snared in wolf form? If there was truth in the tales she had heard, this wolf might be Garrett’s mother.
But nay. The wolf in Garrett’s story had died, and Garrett had been told the story by his mother.
Had the wolf meant to aid them or injure them? Given her past experience, she had to believe that the wolf could readily have killed at least one of them, if it had desired to do so. Once Yseult had thrown them and run, it could have pursued the mare and attacked her. But it had merely chased away Yseult, then fled.
“If it was protective, then it did not want us to follow this road,” Annelise mused. “Why?”
“It is a wolf,” Garrett said with impatience. “Such creatures do not think with such subtlety.” He gave her a hard look. “It must have changed its mind.”
“Why could you not anticipate it?”
“I will not discuss it.”
“Could you hear its thoughts? Aye or nay?”
He pivoted and marched away.
“You could not!” Annelise cried but he did not reply.
She had to be right. Where were they? She spun in place. The forest surrounded them, the trees lush and dark. There was a bit of mist at this high point on the road, and she could not see into the distance. She looked in the direction they had been riding and took a deep breath. They had crested a rise, although she had not been certain it was the summit. Now she noted that the air had a crisp edge that reminded her of Kinfairlie.
The sea was ahead.
“This is the road to that holding,” she guessed. “The one that featured in Andrew’s tale, on the point that perched above the sea.”
“Killairig,” Garrett supplied.
“Your mother’s tale was a tale of Killairig, albeit disguised as Broceliande,” Annelise guessed, though there was no doubt in her tone. “Which means you are the golden son and rightful heir, and we go to claim your legacy. But the wolf wanted to stop us. Why?”
Garrett ignored her words, but she had expected as much. He was fingering the hilt of his knife, his attention fixed on the very skittish Yseult. Annelise was certain he was listening to the mare’s thoughts, deciding when best to give chase. Yseult tossed her head and strode back and forth, her step high and her eye fixed upon them. Garrett stood and watched the mare, content to grant her time. Annelise admired his patience.
“But if you know the name of the holding, why have you not gone there before?”
“I did,” he murmured softly. “But I could not argue mine own case.”
Annelise remembered how he had been afflicted at Seton Manor and nodded understanding.
“It will not happen again,” Garrett said with a resolve that reminded Annelise how his state had become worse when she left to fetch Isabella.
“Because I will be with you.”
Garrett took her hand, lifting her fingers to his lips. “I have greater incentive this time, and the power of my lady’s kiss to strengthen me.”
She saw the doubt in his gaze and had to ask. “Is it sufficient?”
“We shall find out soon enough,” he vowed, just before he bent and captured her lips beneath his own. Annelise could not resist his kiss and stretched to her toes to taste him more fully. How wondrous it was that the pleasure only increased each time he kissed her, as if each time was the first.
And what a fine promise that gave for their future together.
Was that why the wolf had barred their path? Did it know that her affection was not sufficient to see Garrett healed? Annelise could not lose him. She would not lose him.
It was then she realized that she could not leave the future to chance.
She would seal their fates together, and she would do it this very day.
Chapter Ten
Once again, when he kissed Annelise, a healing power surged into Garrett. Annelise’s touch was all he desired and more. He drank deeply of that which she willingly gave, then reluctantly lifted his head to regard her. Her eyes were shining and her lips swollen, a faint flush staining her cheeks. She was so lovely a maiden that her next words astonished him.
“We should be intimate,” she said with nary a pause to take a breath.
Garrett stared at her. “I believed that we would meet abed after we were wed. You know that I cannot ask for your hand honorably until I reclaim my birthright.”
Annelise’s lips set. “I know that Orson would have compelled me to wed him, by forcing himself upon me last night.”
She was right, and that did little to please Garrett. “Orson is far behind us…”
“Are you certain? We might well be pursued.”
“I would know of it. He took the other way, the road to Kinfairlie. He believed our ruse.”
Annelise nibbled her lip as she regarded him, the movement of her teeth making him think of claiming another kiss. “I am not convinced that we have time,” she protested. “And I do not see the cause for delay. We could make love and guarantee the matter!”
“And your brother would think me no better than Orson,” Garrett replied, his annoyance rising. “I would have your family think me a man of honor.”
“I would ensure that my choice carries the day.”
“Annelise, I ask only for patience.”
“Everyone asks only for patience,” she said with disgust. “Once I had an abundance of it, but I find myself lacking in it now.” She fixed him with an indignant look. “Perhaps you do not truly wish to wed me.”
Annelise propped her hands on her hips, her eyes flashing in a most beguiling way. “I would not!” she argued. “I would live with you and be happy, even if you had naught to your name. You would care for me and treat me well, and that has more value to me than the seal for a holding in your hand.”
“You might change your mind when you have a babe in your arms, my lady.” Garrett leaned close to her, letting her see his determination. “You will not be my lady wife until I am certain you will have comfort in my home. I will ask for your hand honorably and I will commit no deed that will compel you to wed me either way.”
“Honorably,” Annelise echoed, her dissatisfaction clear. “You care more for honor than for love.”
“I know love can fade without honor to defend it. I know that love will not feed a family or build a roof over our heads.”
“Did you not have love as a child? Was it not sufficient?”
“I knew little then, and I lived with no noblewoman.”
“So, it is my birth that is at issue! Were I a goatherd like Bess, would you think your love sufficient?”
“It does not matter, for you are no goatherd. My lady, you must trust my way.”
“And you must cede to mine.” Her resolve was clear. “Orson could pursue us, surprise us, and rape me, even before your eyes to see his will triumphant.” Garrett was appalled by the thought. Annelise glared at him. “The only way to ensure he cannot do that is to anticipate him. You must take my maidenhead.”
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