by Jody Hedlund
The king stepped to the next chest, opened it, and laughed with delight. The gold was piled even higher, the coins as gleaming and bright as the previous chest. This time, he dug deeper into the treasure before tossing the coins into the air so that the clinking sounded even louder.
I wished I could be happy for him during this long-awaited and long-hoped-for moment. But though he was rich, I felt strangely impoverished.
“Your Majesty,” came an anxious voice from one of the soldiers at the hole at the top. “I believe the beast is returning.”
Chapter
22
Emmeline
“Go!” Rex propelled me toward the stone steps.
“We cannot leave without the treasure.” The king held handfuls of the gold coins, his fingers curled tightly around them.
“The beast will trap us down here if we linger,” Rex said.
“Send Emmeline up to deal with the creature.”
I paused in my scramble up the steps. I may have helped us avert danger once with the beast. But when it came back, I wouldn’t be able to use the same tactic to divert it. It would no longer find my courage fascinating or honor Maribel’s scent—if that’s what it had smelled.
No, when it returned, it likely wouldn’t be dissuaded until it killed every living thing in its periphery. “The creature won’t go away this time,” I said. “Rex is right. If we remain, it will trap us here in this room, and we’ll never get out.”
Still the king hesitated, his gaze unswerving from the gold coins heaped before him.
Rex approached his father. “Please, Your Majesty.”
“We’ve come all this way and endured so much to find it.” The king ran his fingers through the coins again. “I cannot leave it behind.”
“We know where it is now,” Rex said more firmly. “We shall be able to return, and when we do, we shall bring more men and greater weapons so we can defeat the guardian of the treasure.”
From above came the faint roar of the beast as well as the shouts of the remaining soldiers. I guessed we had a minute, maybe two at the most.
“Make haste,” I said to Rex.
His anxious gaze urged me to keep going, to take myself to safety. But he surely knew I wouldn’t leave him behind.
As though sensing my resolve, Rex closed one of the chests and hefted it, his arms and body straining under the weight. Two of his men picked up a second chest of gold and toted it between them. The king’s awed gaze swept over the treasure room again, before he finally followed Rex and the soldiers to the steps.
“You must vow you will come back and retrieve the rest of the treasure,” he called to Rex.
“I vow it.” Rex climbed behind me with surprising speed in spite of having the chest.
I didn’t know how we’d possibly outrun the creature with so heavy a load, or how we’d traverse the deadly tunnels that had been difficult enough without anything slowing us down. But without the two chests, I doubted Rex would have been able to persuade his father to leave.
I scrambled out of the gaping hole to the ferocious roar of the creature as it reappeared from the black depths of the dark tunnel it had gone into a short while ago. Crawling on its stout legs, it moved faster than I expected, slinging its deadly tail back and forth.
The guards who remained were already approaching the beast, raising their swords and maces. In one swipe of its tail, it took out two men, killing them instantly.
“Follow me!” I sprinted toward the tunnel we’d used previously.
Behind me, the clank of the gold in the chest told me Rex wasn’t far behind.
A tortured scream was followed by a crash and the jangle of a thousand coins hitting stone. I glanced over my shoulder to the sight of the second treasure chest overturned and the two men who’d been carrying it lying lifeless on the floor, their blood staining the coins crimson.
The beast’s tail rose and swept around again, this time aiming directly for Rex. My heart jumped into my throat, but I managed a warning. “Rex! Watch your left!”
He shoved the chest ahead of him, then dove, rolling out of reach. Meanwhile, two other soldiers took hold of the chest and continued with it. As they approached the mouth of the tunnel, I waved them ahead. “Remember, run as fast as you can! You have to sprint and can’t slow down for even a second.”
The king had stopped only feet from the arched entrance and was staring back at the gold coins scattered in every direction. He bent and scooped up several.
“Run!” Rex shouted, racing toward the tunnel.
Seeing the spiked tail sweeping our way, the king finally bolted forward too, stumbling into the entrance.
“Faster, Emmeline!” Rex called. “We shall follow!”
I began my sprint through the corridor. When I crossed to the other side, Rex was directly behind me with his arm around his father’s waist, having risked his own life to aid his father across.
Even now, the king paused and peered back the way we’d come. “We cannot leave the treasure behind. Not when we are so close to having it all.”
Heavy breathing filled the bend that separated us from the next deadly passageway. The glow of torches showed only eight men left in addition to Rex and the king. We’d lost so many already, and we couldn’t risk anyone else.
“You must go back for more,” the king insisted, turning the gold coins over in his hands and rubbing them.
“I shall return,” Rex said. “But only after I have additional men and weapons.”
“Now,” the king demanded. “Go back and get more of the treasure, now!”
“We have enough to aid the war efforts.” Rex nodded at the chest the soldiers still carried.
The king’s eyes were almost feverish in their intensity. “If we can get one chest out, we can get more.”
“It is too risky—”
The sharp edge of a blade pressed against my throat, pricking my skin so that I cried out from the shock and pain. It took me a moment to realize the king had unsheathed his sword and held it against my neck.
“Leave her be,” Rex said harshly, his expression turning fierce.
“Go get the treasure.” The king’s reply was equally harsh.
Rex stared at him, his eyes sparking with fury. “Very well, Your Majesty,” he said after a moment, his voice calm.
“Now,” the king demanded, the blade wavering, causing more pain and the warmth of blood to trickle down my neck.
Rex’s gaze flickered to the blood, which only seemed to add fuel to the fire burning in his eyes. He took a step back toward the tunnel.
No. I couldn’t let Rex expose himself to danger yet again. Though the beast hadn’t yet followed us into the tunnel and was likely distracted by the dead we’d left behind, the creature wouldn’t hesitate to attack once more.
Deftly, my fingers found the hilt of my knife. I’d kill the king before I allowed him to send Rex back to the beast and his death. I’d kill him and be rid of him forever.
But even as I closed my hand around the handle, a terrible ache formed in my chest. Could I really take a life in order to save one?
I squeezed my eyes closed, already knowing the answer. Killing the king would be the easy way to save Rex. I’d need more courage to do the hard thing . . . the right thing.
I had to let Rex go. I had to trust God to keep him safe.
With a silent prayer for courage, I released my knife. In the same instant, the blade fell away from my throat and the king stumbled backward, hitting the wall before sliding down to his knees. His sword clattered to the ground, as did the coins he’d been holding.
I stared, unable to comprehend what had happened. No one had attacked the king that I could see. Why had he fallen?
Two of the king’s guards quickly knelt beside him. But without a glance at the king, Rex tore off a piece of his tunic beneath his chain mail and reached for me. As he lifted the linen to my throat his hand trembled for a second before he pressed the cloth against my cut to stave th
e bleeding.
On the ground, the king cursed and then attempted to rise, his guards each taking one arm and assisting him back to his feet. “What are you waiting for?” His voice rasped. “Go get the treasure.”
Rex didn’t take his eyes from my neck, continuing to put pressure against my wound.
The king uttered another oath and started to reach for his sword. But his hand was shaking too hard to make his fingers work.
His black fingers . . .
I blinked to make sure I was seeing correctly. The torchlight could often cast strange shadows. But another look revealed the same. His fingers were as black as if he’d dipped them in an inkpot, with stains running up his wrists and disappearing beneath his sleeves. In addition, his face was pale and his forehead wet with perspiration.
“Rex?” My thoughts returned to the young soldier Rex had sent out of the labyrinth. “Do you think the king is poisoned?”
The king jerked his arms free of his guards and slid down so that he was sitting against the wall, his breathing labored.
“Poisoned?” Rex released me and knelt beside the king. “Your Majesty, what ails you?”
“What ails me?” The king’s voice rose with a slightly hysterical note. “My worthless son is ailing me. We are here in the heart of the labyrinth. The treasure is ours for the taking. And you have no will to retrieve it.”
“I would see the princess safe first—”
“You will go get the treasure or forfeit your right to the throne.”
Rex stared into his father’s eyes. If the king had ever shown affection or kindness for his son, it was gone. Only loathing remained in its place.
Finally, Rex’s shoulders slumped, and he bowed his head. “I am doing what I should have done from the start. And I only regret I did not do it sooner.”
The king nodded. “Good—”
“I am protecting my wife.”
The king’s lips stalled before his expression contorted. “Then you have proven you are not worthy, and I revoke your right to be the next king. I give the throne to Magnus.”
The other soldiers watched the interaction between the king and Rex with wide eyes. My surprise matched theirs, leaving me speechless. Part of me wanted to assure Rex I could fend for myself through the labyrinth, that he had no need to defy his father on account of my safety. And yet another part of me couldn’t release him to die for the king. The king didn’t deserve such a sacrifice.
“Did you hear me?” the king shouted breathlessly. “I give the throne to Magnus.”
“So be it.” Rex remained with his head bent. The king rained down curses upon Rex, cajoling and belittling him until he choked on his words and began to wheeze. He clutched his throat with black fingers, his eyes widening. “You poisoned me.”
“I would never hurt you!” Rex slammed a hand against the floor. “I have remained loyal to you and attempted to gain your affection.”
I bent and stared at one of the gold coins that now littered the floor. Had there been a deadly invisible trap within the treasure chamber after all? Had it been within the chests themselves? Perhaps a deadly poison covering every coin?
The king had been the only one to touch the gold, had reveled in it, had been holding the coins.
“The gold,” I said. “What if the gold was coated in a layer of poison?”
Rex glanced from the coins on the floor to the king’s black fingers. With alarm tightening his features, he then peered up at the guards surrounding us, then at me. “We need to get the king above ground and find the medical bag as quickly as possible.”
I nodded. “I’ll lead the way.”
He started to shake his head, but I cut him off. “We’ll need to move fast if we have any hope of saving him.”
Rex didn’t argue and instead commanded one of the guards to help him carry the king. Two others took hold of the treasure chest, leaving the gold coins where they’d fallen. I led the way back through the maze, consulting the map, but moving rapidly the way we’d already come.
When we finally reached the entrance, the faint light filtering from the opening told me we’d spent the entire night in the labyrinth and that dawn was breaking. As Rex and his men labored to heft the king up the steep slope, I wiped a weary hand across my eyes.
Though the king was still breathing, he’d lapsed into unconsciousness. His hands had turned completely black like charred wood, stiff and brittle. It wouldn’t be long before the poison streaked through the rest of his body.
The remnant of soldiers left behind to guard the camp hefted us above ground. Once we were in the cave, Rex laid the king out and began issuing orders for his care.
Although I wasn’t skilled in the healing arts, I knew enough to assist the blood-letting in an attempt to drain the poison from the king’s body. Another soldier mixed a concoction for the king to drink, something that would purge the poison.
Even so, the king’s breathing became shallow.
Rex kneeled next to me on the cave floor, watching his father’s face. His expression was grave, especially because the other poisoned soldier lay only a dozen feet away and was barely alive, his neck and face already streaked with black.
As we worked to save the king, a guard rushed into the cave. “Your Highness,” he said without waiting for permission to speak. “We’ve caught sight of the usurper’s war party, and our guess is that they’ll be upon us within an hour.”
Chapter
23
Rex
“Prepare to leave immediately.” I rose from my spot beside the king.
“But your father.” Emmeline tipped the king’s arm, allowing his blood to dribble out to the cave floor. “He won’t be able to travel.”
“I shall ride with him.” I strode toward the mouth of the cave. “Bandage him and get him ready for the journey as best you can.”
After consulting further with the lookout who’d spotted the incoming war party, I knew we’d have to leave in a circuitous route to avoid any conflict. I couldn’t afford to lose any time with a skirmish, not with the king’s life at stake. If we rode hard and evaded confrontations, we might reach the Iron City of Middleton in less than two days. There I’d be able to locate a skilled physician who could lend his expertise to saving the king.
“The treasure chest, Your Highness” One of the soldiers who’d helped carry it out of the labyrinth approached me and bowed. “What should we do with it?”
I glanced to the cursed box just inside the cave. We’d been fortunate the chests themselves hadn’t been covered in poison. I shuddered to think of Emmeline lying next to the king in the same condition.
If the king were coherent, he’d demand we take the gold along. But I wouldn’t risk any other lives by having the men touch the gold to put it into sacks that we could more easily transport. The poison was especially potent, and even though they were wearing their gauntlet gloves, I didn’t want to expose anyone else.
“We must leave it,” I said.
The soldier bowed again, but not before I caught sight of the relief upon his countenance. I guessed all the other men would feel the same way, and likely now considered the gold cursed for what it had done to the king. Perhaps it was. Perhaps the whole quest to find the treasure was cursed.
As I readied our horses in the dawn light, my mind spun in a dozen different directions. Without the gold to pay for mercenaries, we’d have to endure a prolonged siege. The people would suffer even more than they already had under the king’s harsh rule.
Yes, he’d ruled harshly. As much as I wanted to continue to ignore or make excuses for his methods and philosophies, I no longer could. He’d been a selfish man, using the people around him—including me—to advance himself and his plans to find the treasure.
Maybe a part of him had held some affection for me as his son. But ultimately, his love of power and gold had been greater than anything else. He’d been willing to make any sacrifice to get the ancient treasure and retain his throne.
&nb
sp; For many years, I’d given him my deepest allegiance and had worked to earn his approval. I’d even put my loyalty to him above Emmeline’s needs. But it had been for nothing. In the end, he’d rejected all I’d offered him, renounced my inheritance of the throne, and, most of all, revoked any love he may have harbored.
I let my focus drift to the arched entrance, to the silhouette of Emmeline kneeling beside the king, rolling a bandage around an arm while one of my men wrapped linen around the cuts in the other arm.
For the briefest of moments, my mind flashed to the memory of her inviting me to lie down with her in the smaller side cavern after our arrival yesterday. Her eyes had been a luscious warm brown filled with such welcoming trust. Although I’d kidnapped, manipulated, and used her since the day I’d met her, she’d opened her heart to me anyway.
I didn’t deserve her. Not after the way I’d treated her—with the same selfish tactics the king employed. Although the king believed we were different, I was like him in more ways than I wanted to admit.
I’d rejected her need to free her parents. I’d subjected her to stealing from her sister and betraying her conscience. I’d given in to the king’s whim to bring her to the labyrinth. And even when we’d been deep inside the tunnels, I’d gone along with him time after time, putting her in harm’s way.
Turning away from the sight of her, I leaned my head against my steed, nausea roiling in my gut. I wasn’t worthy to be her husband. Not in the least. Especially now that I wouldn’t be king.
I mentally tallied the number of soldiers who’d heard the king’s declaration. Several of them were among his most loyal bodyguards and would carry out his wishes to make Magnus king. I could kill them all now and keep only those who swore loyalty to me. But by using murder and cruelty, I’d only continue down the path to becoming more like the king, and that was a path I wanted to change.
If I abdicated to Magnus without a fight, he’d relegate me to a position far away from Delsworth and the court—if he didn’t kill me first. And then what would become of Emmeline? I suspected he’d show her no mercy.