by Jody Hedlund
And I didn’t know how I’d be able to crawl down into the tight, dark confines of the labyrinth without panicking. Even now, thinking about the damp walls pressing in made my pulse speed erratically and my stomach roil. What if I got down into the labyrinth and froze with fear?
I held my reins tighter, wincing at the pain of the blisters on my palm. I couldn’t think about myself. I had to focus on Rex. Keeping him alive in the labyrinth took priority.
Although we’d had little chance to speak to each other privately over the past days of travel, my longing for him had been growing, especially every time I thought about his bold declaration to his father. She is my wife. And I love her.
Maybe at first his decision to love me had been prompted by his marriage vow and his determination to be a man of honor. He’d made an effort to love me with his actions, showing me kindness and consideration.
But somewhere along the way, his love had become more than mere actions. His declaration had contained a deep emotion that beckoned my heart to respond with the same. Could I love him back? Or would his loyalty and faithfulness to his father stand in the way?
The king’s true feelings about me had come out in our last conversation—he held no affection for me. I hadn’t expected affinity. Nor had I expected devotion. But I had hoped after he’d gone to such lengths to secure my future to Rex’s, that he’d accept me.
As it turned out, however, he’d never planned to keep me. Perhaps all along he’d intended to get rid of me when he no longer needed me so he could form a more profitable marriage alliance for Rex. He’d likely have me murdered so the people would never suspect his hand in it.
I shivered at the thought, even with the sun beating down relentlessly.
How far would Rex go to defy his father’s wishes? That last moment in my chamber, Rex had spoken out on behalf of my parents and had objected to bringing me on this trip. But he’d accomplished nothing except to anger the king. If Rex had pushed harder to keep me home, as I’d been afraid he’d do, I’d feared he’d only jeopardize his own safety with the king.
I’d pondered the dilemma the entire journey, but I’d been unable to see a way out of the predicament in which we found ourselves. Though he might care for me—even love me—he was helpless to protect my parents, or even me, without incurring the king’s wrath upon himself.
In some ways, he was at the mercy of the king too.
At the very least, I could take comfort that Rex had commanded the guards to keep my parents safe during our absence and had forbidden Magnus to start any torture. Even though Rex was doing what he could to compensate for his father’s decision, how long could he go on without having to choose between loving me and serving his father?
As my horse scrambled up the last incline, the reins dug into my tender flesh until the warmth of blood oozed between my fingers. At the top, I drew in a breath of relief to find the rest of the party dismounting.
Rex strode toward me, his face dark with stubble and the dust of the trail. His hair was lighter as if it had soaked in the sun’s rays. As his blue eyes met mine, my pulse hopped with the need to be with him.
“I didn’t expect another break so soon.” I flexed my sore back.
He reached up and lifted me down. “We have arrived. The entrance is within that cave.”
I followed his nod to a gaping black arch in the bedrock where several soldiers were unloading our packs of food. The interior of the cavern was dark and narrow. How could I go in there? I looked away from it and attempted to swallow my fear. “Are we eating before we enter?”
He peered past me over the miles of rocky terrain we’d traversed. “The queen’s party has dropped behind.”
I searched the crags and boulders for any signs of movement or dust and saw nothing. “What can that mean?”
“It likely means they have finally stopped for a break.”
I wasn’t so sure and couldn’t keep my disappointment at bay. In some ways, I supposed I’d been hoping they’d intercept us and take the key back so we wouldn’t have to go into the labyrinth after all. In fact, what if she’d purposefully given me the key so that I’d set into motion this treasure hunt and draw all three keys out of Delsworth where she could more easily recover them?
“Since we have a lead,” Rex continued, “I have decided we shall eat and rest momentarily before we begin the next part of our journey.”
“I won’t protest.” I brushed back a strand of hair, then winced.
He captured my hand before I could hide it and frowned at the sight of the blood there. “You are hurt.”
I tried to free my hand. “It’s nothing to worry about. Only a few blisters.”
With a grumble under his breath, he scooped me up and began to carry me.
I couldn’t contain a smile. “I’m perfectly capable of walking. My fingers hurt, not my feet.”
He didn’t smile. “You should have told me you had blisters.”
“And have you decide to leave me behind? No, I won’t let you get rid of me that easily.” I snuggled against him, relishing the closeness after the days of riding apart.
He called out orders for one of his men to bring him the medical supplies. As we neared the cave, I slipped my arm around his neck and stared at the opening. “Do we need to go inside? Can we not stay out here?”
“There is a smaller second cave next to the larger one. And we shall rest there with more privacy.”
If it was smaller, I’d like it even less.
Rex ducked into the opening of the side cavern. Though bright sunlight angled in to fill the room, I was reluctant to release my hold from Rex’s neck when he lowered me to a pallet that had already been unrolled.
“Emmeline,” he chastised softly as he unhooked my arms. “You have nothing to fear here.”
I had everything to fear—especially that I’d lose him when I’d just begun to care about him. I nodded and attempted to hide my quaking. If he suspected my aversion to tight, dark spaces, he’d probably insist I stay behind, and I couldn’t let that happen.
For a short while, a young soldier tended my bloody hands while Rex conversed outside the cave with his men. Once the soldier left, Rex returned with a pouch of food and his leather water bag. He spread out cheese, figs, and dried meat then sat down next to me on the pallet.
“This cavern probably served as home to a guardian of the labyrinth,” I mused as we ate.
“To keep away intruders?” Rex asked, leaning back on one elbow, his legs stretched out in front of him.
“No. More likely to warn people not to go inside.”
Rex paused in his chewing.
“Must we go into it?” I asked, unable to stop my desperation from rising. “Your father will never be the wiser.”
Rex resumed eating, studying my face, almost as if he was memorizing every detail.
“Please, Rex.”
“The king will expect me to return with the treasure or return not at all.”
Aside from my aversion to cramped dark places, the dangers below were innumerable and the mission nearly impossible. Even with my knowledge of the labyrinth, there was the very real chance of never coming out alive. I couldn’t bear the thought that we might be throwing away our lives for a man like King Ethelwulf. “Why must you bend to his every whim?”
“He is my king and my father and as such deserves my honor and service.”
“But why should you care so much about pleasing him when he cares so little for you in return?”
“He does care. Maybe not in a way you can see.”
“I see nothing but a selfish man who only values how the people in his life benefit him and not how he might sacrifice for them.”
Rex stiffened and began to stand.
I grabbed his arm, regardless of the pain to my blistered hands. “Rex, wait.”
He halted, halfway up, his back towards me.
“I’m sorry.” I tugged him, wanting him to stay, needing just a little more time alone with h
im.
He didn’t bend. “You should rest.”
I didn’t want our private moment to end like this, with him aloof and upset. “Please don’t go,” I whispered. “Rest with me.”
Slowly he pivoted, his eyes questioning.
I pushed aside the remaining food. Then I pulled him down with me, my eyes beckoning him. This time he didn’t resist. He came willingly, stretching out next to me and holding me close.
Within the confines of his solid chest and thick arms, I barely had time to release a contented breath before his lips covered mine, moving desperately and deeply as if he too recognized the danger of what we were about to do.
The kiss was consuming and yet contained a sadness that made my insides ache. I didn’t realize my tears had escaped until his lips broke from mine and he gently began to kiss them away.
“I meant what I said,” he whispered, letting his lips linger against my forehead. “I love you.”
More tears squeezed out. “I love you, too.” I’d denied my growing feelings long enough. Why deny them any longer when we were leaving for so dangerous a journey?
At my confession, he pressed another kiss hard against my forehead before pulling back and cradling me gently against his chest.
“Rest now,” he whispered.
With his steady breath upon my temple, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to fall asleep, praying I’d have many more days to sleep in his arms and resisting the prospect that this might be my last.
Chapter
18
Emmeline
I awoke to silence and thoughts of Rex—of his body next to mine, of his warm breath against my brow, of his strong arms enfolding me. Yet as I stirred, the space around me felt strangely empty.
“Rex.” I reached for him but found a deserted pallet, lacking not only his warmth, but him.
My eyes flew open, and I pushed myself up. A sweeping glance around the cave told me he was gone, and the coldness of the pallet confirmed he’d been away for a while.
I listened for his voice outside barking orders to his men and for the general sounds of camp, but only the lonely whistle of wind greeted me.
My heart sped, and I scrambled to my feet. From the waning sunlight, I guessed I’d slept for an hour or more. As I stepped out of the cave, I berated myself for being so careless. At the emptiness of the camp, I stopped abruptly.
The horses were tied and resting in the shadows of the caves, and only a lone sentinel on watch stood a distance away. There were no campfires, and nothing had been unpacked, almost as if Rex had never had any intention of allowing his men to rest before going down into the labyrinth. He’d only expected me to rest . . .
So he could leave me behind.
I released a huff of frustration.
Perhaps he’d been planning all along to keep me out of the labyrinth and had only brought me to appease his father.
With a burst of determination, I started toward the mouth of the larger cave. Even if he had a lead, I could easily find his trail and track him. Maybe if I hurried, I’d yet have time to intercept him before he and his men left the outer rim and headed into the deadly marked tunnels.
Upon entering, I halted at the sight of two knights standing in front of a gravel pit. I should have known he’d leave guards behind to stop me from following him.
They straightened to their fullest attention.
“How long has the prince been gone?” I asked.
One of the soldiers gave a slight bow. “Your Highness, the prince instructed us not to give you any information.”
It didn’t really matter. Whether he’d left sooner or later, I’d have to hurry to catch up.
The flat ceiling, the chiseled walls, the loose debris—even if I hadn’t known this was one of the labyrinth entrances, I could have guessed it in no time. I swallowed my trepidation and crossed to the pit.
At my approach, both men raised their swords to form a barrier. “The prince instructed us to keep you out of the labyrinth by any means necessary.”
While he had my best interest at heart and was noble to the last, he was being foolhardy. Hadn’t I warned him he’d need more than his brawn and elite guard skills to make it to the treasure? Even with my carefully drawn map, he wouldn’t know how to navigate through all the traps.
I eyed the soldiers and slid my hand to the small of my back, looking for my knife, the one Rex had given to me the day I’d gone to visit my sisters. Since that time, he hadn’t demanded its return. I hadn’t been able to figure out why, other than that he trusted me not to run away. Or maybe he’d felt I’d need it for protection from the king? Or Magnus?
Feeling the emptiness there now, I silently railed against Rex. He’d likely anticipated my tactics and had divested me of any way to threaten these guards. Without a weapon, I’d be no match for them. They’d easily overpower me.
“Please,” I said. “You have to understand the danger the prince and his men are heading into. I’m the only one who can lead them safely to the center. If you don’t allow me inside, they’ll all surely die.”
“I’m sorry, Your Highness.” The guard’s expression remained unreadable. “But the prince said not to listen to any of the arguments you might offer.”
I bit back my frustration at Rex, unwilling to take it out on these two poor souls who were only obeying him, as they should.
Just then distant echoes of shouts rose from the pit, followed by tortured screaming that made my blood run cold.
I wished I could gauge how far away the men were, but the hollowness of the tunnels made the estimation difficult. From the fear flaring to life in the eyes of the two soldiers, I guessed this wasn’t the first time since standing guard that they’d had to listen to their comrades dying.
One thing was clear, if I didn’t get down there soon, I’d lose Rex . . . if I hadn’t already.
An hour later, I was no closer to entering the labyrinth. All my pleading and attacking hadn’t moved the guards. Nor had the intermittent screams that rose from the pit.
With darkness descending, my only hope was to wait until sunset, steal a horse, and attempt to find one of the other labyrinth entrances—the eastern entrance that Maribel had spoken of in her tale of the time she’d spent in the labyrinth with Edmund. Though traversing the Highlands and locating another entrance would be difficult and dangerous in the dark, I’d have to rely on my father’s training and pray for a cloudless night so I could use the stars to navigate.
I lowered myself down to a rock outside the cave when the whinny of a horse and the clatter of hooves brought me back to my feet. Had Adelaide’s men finally caught up to us?
As several knights in black chain mail ascended the trail into the rocky clearing, I rose from my resting spot. The emblem upon their horses and cloaks matched those of Rex’s men and not Adelaide’s.
Had more of the king’s soldiers been sent out? And if so, why?
As the incoming knights climbed the rise, one stood out among the others. With his dark hair, pointed beard, and penetrating eyes, he was none other than the king himself. At the sight of me near the cave, the king urged his horse faster toward me, even though the beast was clearly weary.
At his approach, I bowed my head to hide not only my surprise at his appearance but also my anticipation. Rex might not have wanted me to go inside the labyrinth, but his father would have no such qualms.
“Just as I suspected.” The king halted his mare alongside me. “My son is too weak to accomplish the task.”
Rex? Weak? If he believed his son was weak, then he didn’t know him the way I did. “After the journey, I was exhausted, Your Majesty. And in the prince’s haste to do your bidding, he chose not to wait for me to awaken from my slumber.”
“Do my bidding?” The king’s lips curled into a sneer as he dismounted. “I was quite clear what my bidding was, and he had not the heart nor the will to do it.”
“I am to blame, Your Majesty.” I wasn’t sure why I felt such a deep
need to protect Rex, but from the contempt lining the king’s face, my defense was making no difference.
He cast a cursory glance around the camp before homing in on the arched entrance of the main cave. Then, without further stalling, he stalked inside. I followed behind, praying he would send me down immediately and put an end to my miserable waiting.
At the sight of the king, the guards Rex had left on duty bowed. The king eyed them with disgust before motioning to his bodyguard. “Take them out and kill them both. And tell the rest of the men this is what happens to those who obey the prince rather than me.”
Revulsion swelled swiftly, and I feared I would be sick. I covered my mouth and turned away, but not before the king saw my reaction.
“I am still the king,” he said in a low voice, “and will not have you or anyone else forget it.”
I nodded, too nauseous to speak.
More soldiers congregated inside the cave until the king glared at me. “You will lead me down to the treasure.”
“You, Your Majesty? The labyrinth is no place for a king.”
“Do you really think I shall allow my son to get the glory for finding the ancient treasure?” In the darkness of the cavern, his eyes glowed with excitement. “I have been waiting my whole life for this moment and plan to be the one to discover it.”
“Then why send Rex—”
“Besides testing his loyalty, I also gave him a head start so that he and his men could secure the correct way there and eliminate the dangers.”
Suddenly I understood. Adelaide hadn’t been following closely behind as Rex had supposed. Rather, the king had trailed us, and he’d planned to come all this time. In spite of the enemy camped outside Delsworth, he was more interested in the treasure than anything else, including his son. In fact, he regarded his son’s life so little, that he’d sent him into the labyrinth to face all the dangers on his behalf.
Within minutes, I found myself descending a steep slope with the king and his men behind me. The farther down I went, the more my limbs shook until finally I slid the last dozen feet.