by Jody Hedlund
Just as soon as I lifted the prayer heavenward, the queen nodded at the soldier with the whip. He braced his feet, lifted the leather strip, and brought it down against Mikkel, the whistle and ensuing slap echoing in the air.
I screamed at the same instant Mikkel arched in agony as the jagged edges of the whip tore into his flesh. “No!” I started toward him but only managed two steps before a knight restrained me.
“Release him!” Frantic, I twisted to face the queen again. This time I dropped to my knees, forcing the knight to release his grip on me. I bowed low, pressing my face into the overlong grass. “Please, Your Majesty. I beg of you. He is of no consequence to you. ’Tis me you need, not him.”
I didn’t care that I was groveling. My good intention of standing up to her fled as my need to protect Mikkel swelled.
“I had considered keeping the prince locked away the same as Ruby,” the queen said. “But I see he will be of use in ensuring your fullest cooperation.”
Not only was she torturing Mikkel to bend me to her wishes, but Ruby was still stuck in the queen’s grasp. All my efforts to free her had been for naught.
I kept my head bowed so the queen couldn’t see how much I despised her. The hatred that had been building for months boiled near the surface, and I fisted my hands with the need to jump up, surround the queen’s neck, and squeeze.
“Bitterness leads to bondage, but forgiveness sets us free.” Sister Clare’s wise words to Ruby echoed in my mind. I didn’t want to forgive my mother, but I couldn’t go to my death full of bitterness and hatred. I wanted to be free and at peace.
With my hair loose and shielding my face like a veil, I closed my eyes. God, aid me in forgiving the queen for not loving me the way a mother should. Aid me in forgiving her, not for her sake but for mine. I want to be free.
“’Tis a shame.” The queen’s tone was condescending. “To think that if you had remained content instead of aspiring to the throne, you might have become Prince Mikkel’s wife.”
“I did not aspire to the throne. We both know that. And I am already his wife.” The words came out before I could stop them. What did it matter if the queen knew of our marriage? Matters couldn’t get any worse.
The queen drew in a sharp breath. “What did you say?”
“I am married to Prince Mikkel.”
She grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head back, forcing me to look up at her. Strain creased her forehead and formed lines at the sides of her mouth, marring her beauty and showing her age. “You are lying.”
I winced at the tight grip against my scalp. “No, Your Majesty. We are man and wife and have been since a fortnight after Midsummer’s Eve.”
Her eyes widened, revealing a panic I didn’t understand. She stared at me as though she might slap me, then forced her features to relax. “’Tis of no consequence. Marriage is outlawed in Warwick until the age of twenty, thus your union is rendered void. I shall have the priests draw up annulment papers forthwith.”
What difference did it make to her whether I was married? Unless . . .
My pulse skipped forward at double the speed. In addition to the other qualifications for the alchemy, she needed the heart of an unmarried woman. That was why she’d made the regulation for the marriage age in Warwick. And that was why now she wouldn’t be able to use my heart for her alchemy process.
“Mikkel and I were not married in Warwick.” I chose my words with care. Everything depended upon the next few moments. “We were wed in Norland on the Isle of Outcasts by a priest in front of both God and man as our witnesses.”
“How dare you? You had no right to marry without my permission. All the more reason to execute you.” Though her tone and grip remained unyielding, something flickered in her eyes. Was it indecision? It couldn’t be.
From the corner of my eye, I could see the confusion on her advisors’ faces. They clearly had no notion of the queen’s evil alchemy process and her use of a maiden’s heart. I could expose her secret right now, but I sensed she would deny it and proceed to torture Mikkel until he died before my eyes.
But if I kept her secret and aided her efforts, I might be able to bargain for both Mikkel’s and Ruby’s lives. I had to try it now, before Gregor and my friends began their rescue attempt.
“I am of no use to you dead. But I would be of great value to you alive. I have the ability to find what you seek.”
Her lips curved into a sneer. “And what do I seek?”
“Queen Aurora. I shall bring you her heart.”
Her gaze locked with mine. She wanted to know if I understood the secrets of her alchemy.
I nodded.
“Kill her.” She shoved me toward the stone.
“No!” The knights bent to pull me away from the queen, but I struggled to resist. “You have sought Queen Aurora her whole life and her keys to an ancient treasure. I shall find her and the keys so you can have the kingdom and the treasure that is rightfully yours.”
Not only would she get Aurora’s heart, but she would be able to restore her father’s kingdom into a united Bryttania and also have a mythical treasure at her disposal.
The widening of the queen’s eyes told me she’d added up all the benefits and could see everything she had to gain. Without it she would have nothing.
As the guards began to drag me away, she held up a hand and stopped them. “How will you find her when no one else has succeeded?”
I looked pointedly at the men standing nearby and the need to speak more privately regarding the plans.
“Bring the prisoner to me,” the queen commanded.
The soldiers pushed me back before her. They didn’t relinquish me, and I knew this was as private an audience as I would have. “Aurora is my cousin, and she will trust me, especially if she believes I am running from you and trying to save my life.”
The queen didn’t respond except to study my face.
“If you free Mikkel and Ruby and allow them to come with me, then Aurora will believe we are refugees hiding from you, just as she is.”
“You will win her trust and then betray her?” The queen released a mocking laugh. She knew me too well. Such betrayal wouldn’t come naturally to me—would in fact go against everything I stood for.
And yet, how could I toss away this opportunity to save Mikkel and Ruby? It was my only chance at freedom. Surely once we were away from the castle and Kensington, we could escape from the country without needing to chase after Aurora.
“You are too weak to betray her.”
“I shall do whatever I must in order to keep the ones I love safe.” I glanced toward Mikkel where he hung, his back bleeding from his wounds.
“Then I shall keep Mikkel and Ruby until you return with Aurora.”
“No.” The word came out a weak plea, and the moment it did, I realized I had to remain strong to fight this strong woman. “No.” This time I spoke with confidence and force. “Even now, my friends are waiting to attack. You shall tell your soldiers to hold back, to give just enough effort to the fight and chase so it appears real. Then when we reach Aurora, she will take pity on my husband and me for having to flee from you. If she suspects otherwise, she will never allow me to get near her.”
The clucking and squawking of the chickens on the bailey green filled the silence. After a moment, the queen shook her head and waved her hand in dismissal.
“She will be twenty this autumn, will she not?” I hastened to solidify the argument. “You have a little over two months in which to capture her before she will no longer be of use to you.”
She narrowed her eyes upon me. And again, I held her gaze, making sure she knew I was well aware of why she needed Aurora.
“I have searched the Great Isle from top to bottom for Aurora. What makes you think you can succeed where my best soldiers have failed?”
“I believe she is somewhere in Inglewood Forest—”
“My men have searched there many times to no avail.”
“O
n one occasion when Father and I hunted in the forest, we heard a rumor that Aurora had been spotted at Huntwell Fortress. I shall return there with the pretense of seeking their aid. And in so doing, I shall play upon their sympathies and discover the truth.”
The queen regarded me again, and I prayed she was seriously considering my bargain.
I lifted my chin. “Two months. Now that you no longer have me, you cannot afford to waste another day.”
She hesitated a moment longer. “Very well. I shall give you Mikkel. But I will not release Ruby until you bring Aurora directly to me.”
My heart stuttered in protest, but her refusal wasn’t unexpected. “Then we shall meet in the Boarshead Hunting Grounds by All Saints’ Day. There we shall make an even exchange.” The royal hunting lodge was located in northern Warwick within the section of Inglewood Forest I’d hunted in often with my father. Though it had been several years since I’d gone, I still knew the area well.
The queen didn’t reply. Even if she gave me her word, she’d proven she wasn’t trustworthy. I had the feeling she’d find an excuse for keeping Ruby no matter what I did. And no doubt, now that I’d alerted the queen to my suspicion of Aurora being in Inglewood Forest, she’d send more guards there to find Aurora before we did.
Even if she increased her efforts, she couldn’t afford to spurn my offer, just in case I could locate Aurora where all others had failed. At least, that’s what I was counting on.
“Have your soldiers position me at the stone table.” I guessed once that happened, Gregor and the outcasts would finally strike. “When the onslaught begins, have everyone take cover so that no one dies today.”
Before I could move away, she gripped my arm, digging her fingers in to my flesh. “You might be of use to me as a daughter after all. Do not let me down.”
I wanted to tell her I wasn’t doing this for her. That I was no longer her daughter. And that I didn’t care if I let her down. But I bit back the bitterness. It would do no good to spew it. Instead, I looked her full in the face and forced the words I knew I must say. “You have never loved me and likely never will. But I forgive you nevertheless.”
With that, I turned away, allowing the guards to lead me toward the stone table and praying that when my friends attacked, she wouldn’t change her mind and kill me after all.
Chapter
24
Mikkel
My back burned as though it had been set on fire. However, the pain in my heart was worse than in my body. I couldn’t bear seeing Pearl and knowing that within moments she’d lay her head down on the stone and the executioner would end her life.
As I’d languished in the barren tower room, I’d done little else but plot and pray. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been able to find a way out of the trap the queen had laid for us.
When the guards had brought me down to the castle green and stripped me of my shirt, I guessed then that the queen intended to use me to subdue Pearl. I wanted to implore Pearl to remain strong and not give in to any demands, but the queen had apparently anticipated that and gagged me.
Now as I hung from the whipping post, misery mingled with the pain and I bent my head. If I happened to survive, I didn’t want to become the next king of Scania. I didn’t deserve it, not after I’d failed to save the woman I loved. Vilmar was the better man after all.
No, I had to stop comparing myself to Vilmar. Hadn’t I learned that already in my Testing? To stop judging others, even myself? I might not be able to easily win people over the way Vilmar could. But perhaps a king was stronger if he didn’t worry about pleasing people and instead lived by a higher code of honor.
As the guards led Pearl toward the executioner’s stone, she struggled against them. I expected the queen to motion toward me and demand additional lashing for Pearl’s lack of cooperation. But she didn’t bother to glance my direction, almost as if she’d forgotten I was there.
I twisted my hands, working to loosen the binding. From the moment the guard had looped my hands to the hook, I’d realized his knot wasn’t secure. He’d probably assumed I’d be in too much pain to attempt to free myself. And though just the one lash had torn the flesh from my back, I forced myself to concentrate on the knot.
Fortunately, the guard was distracted by Pearl’s angst, and I worked faster, slipping my hands up and jostling the binding, loosening it even more. When the guard glanced at me, I ceased, then resumed my efforts as his attention shifted away.
The knights shoved Pearl to her knees and forced her to lower her head. Desperate now, I tugged one hand free, my pulse spurting forward with the need to do something. My sights narrowed upon the belt of my guard, the sword and knife sheathed within reach along with his whip. Could I divest him of at least one or maybe two of the weapons?
I jerked my other hand loose, jumped to my feet, and grabbed his knife before he realized I was no longer bound. I threw the knife at the executioner and then lunged for the guard’s sword. He was swifter than me and lashed out with the whip, forcing me to dive out of reach.
Shouts rose up within the bailey. My time was running out. I had to act now if I had any hope of saving Pearl. I rushed at another nearby guard, tackling him and unsheathing his knife in the same moment. Though he wrestled with me, my distress gave me an advantage. I sliced him, wounding him and pushing him to the ground.
A clamor erupted around me—arrows raining down from the inner walls and the guards moving to surround and protect the queen. I didn’t waste time trying to figure out what was happening. Instead, I grabbed up a sword discarded on the ground and bolted toward the executioner’s block and Pearl. She was already on her feet and stumbling away, her countenance distraught, until she located me.
“Mikkel!” She veered in my direction. “We need to go! Now!”
I sprinted toward her, intending to pick her up and carry her out of the castle if need be. But she secured my hand and began to run toward the gatehouse, dragging me in her wake. I didn’t know what was going on, but I suspected Gregor had helped orchestrate a rescue effort of some kind. Who had he rallied to join him?
As we passed through the inner gate into the outer bailey, I picked up my pace and took the lead, forcing Pearl to keep up. The gatehouse loomed ahead, and I was relieved to see that the gates were still open. The guards would close them at any moment to trap us inside. And yet, as we dodged chickens and dogs along with tradesmen and their carts, no one tried to stop us.
When we ran into the shadowed interior of the gateway, a hooded man jumped from one of the guard tower ladders and dropped into our path. I raised my sword to thrust him away. But as he turned to reveal silver hair and iron-studded teeth, I halted the momentum of the sword.
Irontooth was here? “How—?”
“We must be on our way.” Pearl started up again. “There will be time for questions later.”
Irontooth’s knife was unsheathed and coated in blood, informing me why the gatehouse guards hadn’t yet tried to impede our exit. He may have stopped the two in charge of the gatehouse, but the other queen’s men would be on our trail erelong. Pearl was right. We had to make haste.
I glanced back toward the outer bailey and the inner green still in chaos. Were Gregor and the other outcasts positioned inside wreaking havoc? If so, how had they managed to get so close? And what would happen once the battle was over? Did they have an escape plan, or would they be trapped and suffer on our account? “The others? We can’t leave them.”
“They’ll soon be on their way”—Irontooth shoved me through the gatehouse—“and lose themselves in the crowds.”
“We shall be fine.” Pearl spoke with more assurance than the situation warranted.
Though I didn’t know how we would manage to outmaneuver our enemy, we started forward at a run. I took the lead and Irontooth the rear, and once again we dodged people and animals alike. I expected shouts to trail us and arrows to slice the air, but as we careened down the winding path, weaving through the other travelers, no o
ne stopped us.
When we reached the bottom, Irontooth led us to a nearby alley that was deserted except for a mule cart loaded with hay. He headed directly for the cart and jumped onto it with a nod at the back. “Climb on and hide in the hay.”
I plunged into the hay first, then pulled Pearl in. The cart was narrow, and Pearl had to sit in front of me. She spread the hay over the top of us with Irontooth piling on even more until it covered us completely.
As the cart moved forward, the bumping and rocking was so jarring, I was afraid the hay would fall away and expose us. But it remained thick and heavy above us, sweltering and itchy, especially against my bloody back.
Pearl jostled against me, her breathing still heavy. The escape from the inner bailey had been too easy. And so had the run from the castle. Something wasn’t right. Though I had a thousand questions, we had to speak sparingly. We were still in too much peril of being discovered and needed to use extra caution until we were well away from the city limits.
I slid my arms around Pearl’s waist and tugged her against me. For a moment, she kept herself rigid.
“Your back is hurt,” she whispered.
“It will be fine.” Though fire still burned over my flesh from my wounds, I ignored the pain and instead focused on the woman in my arms. I pressed my face into her hair and breathed her in.
She crossed her arms over mine and squeezed me as though she never planned to let go. I hoped she wouldn’t.
Chapter
25
Pearl
We traveled for over an hour without stopping. As uncomfortable and hot as the hay was, I relished resting in Mikkel’s arms, knowing how close I’d come to losing him forever. The bumpiness of the route and the noise from the wheels made whispering impossible. And even though we both had a great deal to say to one another, we rested quietly.