by Elle Clouse
“It’s nice to see you are so calm about this.” Ayden leveled a glare at his brother and waited for Ian’s chuckling to subside before he continued. “We will have need of some of your friends.” Ian’s brow rose in question. “In low places.”
KIERA SAT WITH HER elbows propped up on the table, studying the arrangement of pieces on the chessboard before her. Across from her, Odran did the same, but with the addition of a sly grin on his face.
“You aren’t supposed to give away if you have an advantage.” She moved her rook to the position she had been planning. His smile broadened, and she frowned. She looked at all of the board again but couldn’t see what was so amusing.
His turn. He moved his knight to a seemingly random position. If he had a strategy, she couldn’t discern it. Or if he was putting on airs to keep her guessing. Regardless, she had more pieces but also the sneaking suspicion she was losing. Her game with Ayden had been her first in over ten years, and she suspected her skills were rusty.
She moved her queen to put him in check. Only a few more moves and she would have him. She scanned the board again, calculating all his possible moves. After she checked and rechecked, she saw what he had been planning.
It was brilliant.
She sighed.
“So you caught it.” He sat up, his gaze sweeping over the board. She wanted to slap the grin off his face.
“Oh, so clever.” She tipped over her king and crossed her arms in a huff, pushing out her bottom lip.
He laughed at her and started to pick up the pieces, preparing the board for their inevitable rematch. “I haven’t been able to play for a very long time.” His smile looked pained.
Kiera thought of all the events he’d missed while trapped in the dungeon. She reached across the table and placed her hand on his. When she squeezed, he came out of his reverie and placed his other hand over hers. His hands were large and warm. He looked up and held her gaze for a long moment. Her stomach fluttered.
He tilted his head and turned toward the door.
“What is it?” Kiera followed his gaze. She didn’t hear a thing.
He put a hand out to motion for her silence. “Someone else is down here,” he growled. He jumped to his feet and pulled her in the direction of the bedroom.
“What do you mean? Another prisoner?” she asked. “Odran?”
He didn’t answer but dragged her toward the door in the far wall and placed her in the bathroom.
“Stay here. Let the shadows hide you.” He met her eyes, kissed her forehead, and closed the door behind him. The light that seeped in from the bottom of the door faded, leaving her in darkness.
Kiera hugged herself and shivered. If another prisoner was there, they would be tied down and the creature would threaten them straightaway. There would be no need for her and Odran to hide. Surely another prisoner could be saved from the beast? Perhaps even welcome company in the solitude of the dungeon.
She stepped back, sat on the edge of the bathtub, and listened.
Minutes passed. Then she heard the beast howling in the cavern somewhere. She hugged herself tighter and wished Odran hadn’t left her alone. Silver-lined walls and wooden doors were not enough protection from a creature such as that.
It felt as though an hour had passed before she heard someone rummaging through the common room. Plates and goblets clattered to the floor, and furniture crashed against the wall. A door creaked, and footsteps clomped into the bedroom. Ignoring Odran’s advice to stay hidden, she stood and peered through the crack between the door and the wall.
It wasn’t Odran, and it wasn’t the beast.
The man had a shaved head, and a scar marred the line of his right eye. He wore ragged furs and filthy britches. In one hand, he gripped a metal club with a single spike on the end. Clearly not another prisoner.
Kiera hushed her breath. She hadn’t been able to find the door to the bathroom when she’d arrived; hopefully this man could not see it, either. Where was Odran?
The stranger searched through the small dresser and the side table, then ripped all the blankets off the bed. He cut open the mattress, and the fibers burst out in a heap at his feet. When the room was completely ransacked, he ran his hands over the stone walls. To her alarm, he slowly drew closer to her hiding place. She had only a moment to step up onto the lavatory lid before the bathroom door opened.
Kiera lashed out with one clenched fist and struck the man in the throat, just as Brogan had instructed her ages ago. The blow caught him unprepared, and he reeled backward, gasping for air. She jumped down and pushed past him, using her other fist to punch his gut to further delay his pursuit. She just needed enough time to find Odran.
She ran headlong down the hall, and only when the darkness greeted her did she realize she had forgotten to grab a lantern. She could hear the man coming after her, cursing in some strange language. A glance back revealed his silhouette against the light of the common room. She couldn’t get her legs to move fast enough. Her heart pounded in her ears.
“Odran!” His name burst from her lips. As if in response, a light appeared down the corridor. With a shout of relief, she sped up.
A man holding a sword stood at the end of the tunnel. Her heart sank.
“Odran?” Even as she shouted his name, she knew it wasn’t him. The man was too short, and his stance too hunched.
“There you are, pretty,” he said with a strange accent. “Made our job easier.”
Kiera came to a complete stop. She had only made it halfway down the corridor.
“Your job?” There was no sign of Odran.
“Aye, our job. ’Tis a surprise that beast hadn’t gotten you.”
The creature was still loose and on the prowl. Her gaze flashed to the wall and fear seized her. The seams of silver had thinned to tiny threads.
“Who sent you?” She looked back to see the other man only yards behind her, his face set in a leer.
“The princes.” The man in front of her waved his sword. “We’ve got orders.”
“He didn’t say we couldn’t have our fun first.” The man who had invaded the apartment approached. Her stomach churned.
In the distance, the beast howled. The man in front of her tightened his grip on his weapon and spun around.
This was her chance. She dashed forward.
She’d barely made it two steps before a hand clamped on her shoulder and yanked her back. She screamed, and the sound echoed through the tunnel and back from the main cavern.
Kiera continued to scream as the man whirled her around and her legs were knocked out from under her. Her ankle crunched against the cavern wall, and the breath rushed from her lungs. Her head hit the ground, and the world spun. With a heavy chuckle, the bald man kneeled over her. He set his club down and began pulling at the waistline of her bodice.
The creature howled again.
“Is it getting closer?” The man with the sword gazed back at the mouth of the cave. The bald man paused and looked to his companion.
Kiera screamed again.
Again, the creature roared. It sounded near. She only hoped Odran arrived first.
“Shut her up.” The second man paced to the cavern mouth and back. “She’s attracting the beast.”
The first man clamped a calloused hand over her mouth, but her muffled cries still carried down the corridors. The bald man cursed and began to yank at her skirt. Desperate, she scrambled to grab hold of the club, but it was out of reach.
“Shit on me. What is that thing?”
The alarm in the other man’s voice made both of them look up. There, framed in the mouth of the cave, was the enormous creature. He was crouched on his hind legs, eerily manlike, his front claws stretched forward in vicious hooks. As they stared, his lips peeled back from his fangs in a snarl.
Kiera whimpered. The beast had spared her once, but he wouldn’t do it a second time. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
The beast dropped to all fours and sprinted toward them. The man c
losest cursed and swung his sword up, but the beast didn’t pause. He launched himself at the man, knocked the sword aside, and hit him full in the chest with one hairy foreleg. The force of the blow flung the man down the dark corridor. He sprawled to the ground and was still.
The bald man let go of Kiera and reached for the club. The creature whirled toward them, bared his fangs, and lunged forward. Kiera didn’t have a chance to scream before the beast closed his teeth around the man’s leg and dragged him off her. The man howled and scrabbled to grab her leg, but she kicked his hands away. Then she lost sight of him as the creature pulled him out of the tunnel and into the main cavern. Snarls and anguished screams echoed off the walls.
She pulled her skirts down and rolled on to her side. She didn’t want to be prone when the creature finished with the man and came for her. She staggered to her feet and tried to put weight on her left foot, but the ankle gave out and she fell to the ground. A yelp escaped her lips before she could squelch it.
The screaming stopped, leaving only silence. She looked back and saw a pair of bright yellow eyes fixed on her, then the creature darted out of the tunnel and out of view.
She waited, hardly daring to believe she’d escaped death a second time. When the creature didn’t reappear, she pushed herself upright once more. This time, she was prepared for the pain. Ankle throbbing, she hobbled toward the end of the tunnel. Shouting might attract the creature to her again, but she had to know Odran was still alive. “Odran! Where are you?”
She soon reached the main cavern. Several torches hung from sconces she hadn’t noticed before, illuminating the entire scene. After the darkness of the corridor, it took her eyes several moments to adjust. When the image before her cleared, she gasped. Several corpses, newly dead, lay strewed across the cavern floor.
Her stomach lurched, but she fought back the bile that rose to her mouth. The creature had done this. Killed these men. The men who were all down here to kill her and Odran. She still recalled the bald man pulling at her clothes before the creature dragged him away.
Kiera looked about wildly and saw him. The creature had withdrawn from the tunnel but lurked only a yard away from her, watching. In the torchlight, his eyes looked luminous. She turned and hobbled in the opposite direction.
She stepped too hard with her turned ankle, and pain shot up her leg. She yelped and fell.
The cavern fell silent after her scream. The creature was gone.
“Kiera!” The cry echoed through the expanse. Kiera almost wept in relief at the sound of Odran’s voice.
“I’m here. Near the tunnel to the apartment,” she called.
He rounded a corner, wild-eyed and ragged and hurried to her. His clothes were ratted and torn. “Where are you hurt?” He helped her stand. “Can you walk?”
Her ankle was the color of a plum and felt ten pounds heavier. “I don’t think so.”
He felt the swollenness and removed his hand when she winced. “May I carry you?” She nodded and he scooped her up in his arms.
He carried her back to the apartment and cursed when he saw its state of disarray. He righted a stool with his foot and set her down on it.
“Elevate your leg.” He brought the other stool to her side. With some difficulty, she rested her ankle as bidden as he gathered bread and cheese, clothes, and their most-read books.
“What are you doing?” Kiera asked.
“I think that it’s time we leave.” He righted the overturned table and laid everything on it, then added spare candles and their silverware. “We’ve been down here too long. Time to get out.”
“You found the exit?” She hardly dared to believe it. She might be able to see sunlight again.
“I didn’t need to,” Odran said. “The mercenaries lit the way.”
ODRAN HADN’T BEEN MAKING a philosophical statement. The torches the mercenaries had lit throughout the cavern literally showed which path he needed to take. As he carried Kiera through the main cavern, a burlap sack full of supplies in her lap, he saw the tunnel. It had the most pronounced veins of silver, and by the torchlight, it shone like a beacon in the darkness.
The beast would have avoided going near so much silver on instinct. As his rage had calmed, he’d had to travel the tunnels, but there were hundreds of branches, and clearing one took hours.
When he’d searched, he’d never brought a light; it was a waste of candles when he could see in the dark. Now as he followed the torch-lit, silver path, Odran realized the path wasn’t visible without light. If he had brought a lantern with him, they could have left sooner. He felt quite the fool.
Kiera held the lantern, lighting the way as he carried her. Her warmth spread into his arms and chest as he held her close. He took pains not to let her leg make contact with the stone walls, a feat that grew difficult as the tunnel narrowed.
At last, he stopped. “It is getting too narrow to carry you any farther.”
“I can walk for a bit.”
He set her down, and she winced as she put weight on her leg. She pressed her mouth shut, then tried to smile. She kept a handful of his shirt in her fist to balance herself as they moved along.
The castle had been built over the cavern to utilize the natural dungeon. The silver-lined, narrow tunnels kept the beast caged in, but a man could pass. Since he’d spent the last fifteen years in his rage-induced form, approaching the exit would have been impossible.
He’d dreamed about reaching the end of the tunnel but had given up hope as the years rolled by. As the tunnel finally gave way to a small cave and he saw its end, he couldn’t believe he was finally walking out a free man.
The door was made of cold iron with silver inlaid on the handle and filigreed over the entire front. It looked out of place, but he knew this was exactly where he needed to be.
“This is it.” He wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to be standing in front of his salvation. Kiera stood beside him, her hand still knotted in his shirt. She rubbed his arm and smiled but said nothing. He was thankful for her strength.
He reached for the door handle.
The metal felt cool in his palm, and when he turned the knob, it gave way to a rush of cold air. The autumn breeze made Kiera shiver, and she pressed herself against him. He pulled the door completely open to see the forest beyond. Evening frost clung to the foliage. Autumn was almost gone, and winter was about to set in.
Kiera followed him out the door. Leaves crunched beneath their feet.
“Where are we?” Kiera looked at the high canopy of oak and elm trees. A faint red hue flushed her cheeks.
He recognized it from his youth. “The royal forest.”
She smiled and hugged him, pinning his arms to his side. She jumped back a moment later, as if remembering herself. He took the chance to brush a lock of autumn-red hair from her face. His fingers grazed her forehead.
“You are burning up.” He rested his palm on her cheek. She was much warmer than was healthy. “Are you well?”
Instead of answering, her attention shifted to the right. “Who are they?”
He followed her gaze. Four of the king’s guard sat around a campfire, a pot of coffee percolating over the flames. At the sound of Kiera’s voice, they turned.
He should have known that someone was going to be waiting for him. He had ignored the proffered games and luxuries from the dumbwaiter for years until Kiera was cast down into the dungeons. Someone was bound to take notice.
The king’s guard looked at the two escaped prisoners in surprise and stood. One man came forward. Odran waited for the guard to reach for his sword but instead he bowed deeply.
“Your Majesty, we are here to escort you back to the castle. Upon your orders we shall depart. Your father wishes to speak with you as soon as possible. Princess Fedelma is welcome to return as well.”
“Your Majesty?” Kiera looked at him, wide-eyed.
He waved the guard back and did not speak until he was certain he could not be overheard.
“My
name isn’t Odran. At least, not my first name. Why did he just call you Princess Fedelma?” He watched the color run from her face, save for her rosy cheeks.
“I told you I was pretending to be someone I was not,” she said. “What is your first name, then?”
“Lachlan.”
She looked at him then as if seeing him for the first time. Several emotions crossed her face: surprise, confusion, anger, and pain.
“I don’t feel so well...” Perspiration glistened on her brow. Then her face went blank, her eyes rolled, and he had to catch her before she crumpled to the forest floor.
Chapter 9
“Kiera.”
She teetered on the precipice of sleep. The summer sun warmed her skin as she lay on the manicured grass of the castle gardens. She had a few more hours until she needed to be home for supper. Her mother would be angry if she was late again.
“Kiera, come on.”
She remembered that voice but she couldn’t place it.
“Come on, sleepyhead.” Someone shoved her shoulder, and she opened her eyes. Lachlan sat next to her with a ball in his lap, waiting for her to wake up. He greeted her with a beguiling smile. The hint of stubble on his face was growing more prominent every day as he grew into adulthood.
“You promised a rematch.” His blue eyes were brilliant against his dark features. She couldn’t help but smile. Even though he was years older than she, they were the best of friends. Some had even gone so far as to say that they were fated. That they were blessed to have found each other so young.
But no one believed in fated love anymore, did they?
SHE TRIED TO ROLL OVER, but cotton sheets confined her body. She opened her eyes and saw the underside of a canopy bed and the dark wood bedposts holding it up.
A sound made her turn her head. There were those same brilliant blue eyes she remembered from childhood.
“Lachlan?”
He didn’t reply but inclined his head. He sat beside the bed, his elbows resting on the bedspread. He’d shaved his beard, revealing a strong chin and high cheekbones. The natural light from the windows highlighted the copper in his dark hair. He was dressed as a prince should be, in a red tunic of fine silk and trousers.