Of Lords and Commoners: Book 1 (Lords and Commoners Series)

by Lynne Hill-Clark

  Josiah turned and stared at me for a moment. “I can’t believe it!”

  “That was a wonderful oration,” I said. “Father would be proud.”

  “How did you … but you were not in church?” Josiah asked.

  I gave him a quick hug; hopefully, he would not notice my cool temperature even though it was a warm day. “It gives me much joy to see you.”

  “Where did you come from?” He looked around for the answer to this question.

  “It does not matter. I had to tell you how proud I am of you and how happy I am for you.”

  “You must come meet your niece!” The excitement brightened his eyes.

  “I would love to. Please know that I can’t stay. I only wanted you to see that I am well.”

  “Where have you been?”

  “That does not matter either.”

  “You are rather cryptic. What happened to you? I have so many questions. Do you know where Mari is?”

  Cryptic. That was the perfect word for my life. “Mari is well — very well indeed. Please tell her mother I said so.”

  I stopped my brother as we approached home. I put my hands on his shoulders gently, being extra careful not to hurt him and looked him in the eyes. “It is not safe for anyone from here to try to find us. Please trust me. We stay away to protect the ones we love.”

  Josiah returned my intense stare with a nod of understanding.

  I simply could not resist. “Has there been any word of Teller this past year?”

  “No. Most assume he must be with you as well,” Josiah answered.

  I put my head down and shook it no, trying hard to swallow the knot that had formed in my throat.

  Josiah put his hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

  We entered my old home, which was no longer mine and never would be again. Sarah looked up in surprise as we entered. She held a tiny sleeping baby in her arms. She smiled and nodded a greeting.

  “Hello, Sarah. Motherhood is treating you well. You look wonderful.”

  “Thank you,” she said with a shy smile and gazed down at her baby. She stood and brought the baby to me. She placed the tiny bundle gently into my arms, supporting her fragile head. “Meet little Vallachia.”

  I did not even try to hold back the tears that formed in my eyes. This was as close as I would get to having my own children. “She is lovely.” I held her as lightly as possible to my chest.

  “We hope she will be as beautiful as you,” Sarah said.

  “Oh no, I’m sure she will be much prettier.”

  It was difficult to leave but I had to before anyone else from the village spotted me. There would be so many questions that I could not answer. My brother walked me out at dusk.

  “So you have been ordained as a deacon?”

  “Aye, I spent the majority of the past year studying at the great cathedral in Targoviste. It takes most young men roughly two years to complete the training. Some of them could barely read. Since I was already well educated and had read the Bible many times over, I quickly became a star pupil. I devoured any religious text I could get my hands on. Bishop Justinian did not want me to leave. He tried hard to convince me to stay and become a bishop. But under no circumstances would I leave Sarah. So they finally ordained me as a deacon and I returned as soon as possible. It was difficult to miss the birth of little Vallachia but I am here now and able to provide for them.”

  The wonderful story made me smile. I could not have been happier for my brother. “Don’t worry; you will have many more children to see born.” I paused for a moment. “I’m delighted for you. I needed to return to see if you were faring well and now that I know you are, I can leave with peace in my heart.”

  “I wish I could say the same for you, big sister.” He frowned. “Don’t get me wrong, you look lovely as always but not … happy.”

  “This is not the life I wanted. I wish to be with the people I love. Please, know that I am very sorry for that. Yet I will visit when I can.” I gave him a hug until he shivered.

  “You’re freezing.”

  “I’m warm enough, little brother.”

  Ivan exited his home and spotted us. “Hey!” Ivan marched toward us.

  Oh no. I turned to leave — headed for the forest.

  “Wait!” he demanded. He caught up to us and seized my arm.

  “You are going to want to let go of me.” I turned to face Ivan.

  Josiah came to my defense. “She does not know where Teller is.”

  “Then she’s lying.” Ivan tightened his grip on my arm. “She is a liar! Where is my son?”

  “I don’t know, Ivan. I’m very sorry he is gone. I would find him if I could.” I tried to soothe him.

  “You know what happened to him! Where is he?” He tried to yank me back toward the village but I held my ground. As strong as he was, he could not move me.

  “Let go of her. She knows nothing,” Josiah demanded.

  “Ivan, for your sake, please listen to my brother. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Ivan chuckled. He was used to bullying people. There were not many men in the village who could best him.

  I grabbed his hand that held my arm and put pressure between his thumb and fingers, the weakest part of the hand. The pain cut his chuckle short and he had to release me. I threw his hand back at him and turned to leave.

  Ivan grasped my shoulders from behind. “You won’t get away that easily.”

  My training took over. I raised my arms and grabbed his head and neck. I threw my upper body forward pulling him over the top of me. He landed hard on his back with a moan. I tried to be as gentle as possible. When training with vampires, I could be more forceful but I did not want to kill or even hurt Ivan.

  I looked at my brother. “I’m sorry you had to see that. I have to go.”

  With wide eyes Josiah nodded. “Goodbye, big sister.”

  In a flash I was gone, taking flight as soon as I was alone. Josiah was like our father. He was loving, supportive and understanding. He did not demand anything of me and he trusted me to make my own decisions. I was lucky to have him in my life at all, even if it was only briefly.

  Chapter 59 London 1262 A.D

  I arrived in London late into the night, I circled Lord Alexandru’s small castle once and landed on a balcony. I found Mary and Elizabeth in the Great Hall. Elizabeth was glad to see me. She jumped to her feet and hugged me. Holding her off the ground, I returned the gesture. “It is good to see you.” I whispered.

  I started toward Mary. She crossed her arms and glared at me. This stopped my approach. “It is good to see you too, Mary.”

  “So you did come back?” Mary posed this as a question.

  “I promised you I would.”

  “And you are alone. Where is your prince?”

  “What is wrong with you? What did I ever do to you?”

  “Nothing,” she snapped and walked away.

  I looked to Elizabeth for help.

  She frowned and followed Mary out of the hall.

  I was about to follow when Lord Alexandru approached.

  “I was beginning to worry,” he said. “We arrived back from the wedding yesterday. Where did you go?” He kissed my cheeks in greeting.

  “I had to make a quick stop,” I said.

  “Well, I am glad you are back safely.”

  “Thank you, My Lord. It is good to be back.” Or was it? I thought as I wondered about Mary’s strange behavior. What had come over her? I would try to get to the bottom of this but first I needed to feed. It had been a bit too long and I did not want to lose control. I headed out instead.

  As I laid my barely breathing victim down on the street, I caught a glimpse of two figures. They moved quickly in the shadows. I took a deep breath; their odor confirmed that they were vampires. I did not entirely recognize their scent. They slowly approached.

  “Is it she?” one of them asked his companion.

  Something told me they were not friendly. I quickly slid th
e knife from its sheath under my gown.

  “Yes, that is she. Tall, long blond hair, remarkably beautiful.”

  “Finally. We have been following the scent of blood for far too long in this wretched city,” the other man said.

  As they moved closer Orrick’s face came into view. I did not recognize the other man. A new recruit of Ramdasha’s, I guessed.

  I backed away. “What do you want?”

  “We’ve been looking for you,” Orrick said.

  I continued to back away with every step they advanced. “Why?”

  “To take you back to Ramdasha. As you may recall, he has some unfinished business with you. He does not care if you return dead or alive,” Orrick said.

  “And you just now found me? It took you long enough,” I taunted.

  “She is a feisty one,” the unfamiliar man said to Orrick. “It is too bad she has to die. Such a pretty face is hard to find.”

  I attacked first, charging the closest one. He blocked my knife blow with his sword. I spun around, throwing my elbow into his face, knocking him back. This time, I did not restrain my full strength. I spun again, throwing my knife into Orrick’s chest. He dropped to the ground. I lunged for Orrick’s sword as it fell from his hand.

  The other vampire charged and I blocked his swing with my new weapon, Orrick’s sword. While we exchanged blows, Orrick slowly pulled the knife from his chest as he moaned in pain. I took my opportunity — the man attacking me swung low. I let his sword hit my hip because this left his head unguarded. I swung hard for his neck as the pain from his blow exploded across my thigh. I fell to my knees as his head rolled away from his body. I quickly turned as Orrick came at me with my knife that had been in his chest. Blood spilled down the front of his tunic.

  With one swing I easily knocked the knife from his hand. He continued to charge. I rolled backward, kicking him off me. This sent another shock of pain through my injured hip. He flew over me. I jumped to my feet, pointing his own sword at his chest. He put his hands up in surrender.

  “Turn around,” I demanded.

  This he did.

  “Any quick movement will cost you your head as well,” I threatened.

  He must have believed me because he marched to the castle without so much as a protest.

  We burst into the Great Hall. Lord Alexandru stood at once and gestured for his guards. In a flash, we were surrounded. I let Orrick’s sword drop, as they took control of the prisoner. I put my hand on my thigh and ventured to look at my wound for the first time. It was the deepest cut I had ever had. The bleeding had stopped and it tingled, which meant it was healing.

  Hector appeared at my side. “Are you harmed?”

  “A little.” I was surprised my voice came out steady. I trembled inside.

  “What is going on?” Alexandru demanded.

  “This man and his accomplice attacked me.”

  “And where is the accomplice?”

  “He is dead,” I answered.

  Hector’s mouth fell open. “You managed to kill a vampire?”

  I nodded and bent down to seize a piece of fabric that had been sewn to Orrick’s overcoat. I ripped the armband off.

  “They are Ramdasha’s men.” I held up the dark-green fabric with the black tarantula embroidered on it.

  Alexandru gracefully unsheathed his sword and placed it at Orrick’s neck.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Orrick said nothing.

  So I answered. “They said they were here for me. Apparently, Ramdasha is still seething because I escaped from him. He sent these two men to find me. He wants me dead.”

  Alexandru pressed his sword into Orrick’s neck until blood appeared. “Is this true?”

  Orrick nodded.

  “Take him to the dungeon. Send word to Lord Chastellain. The Court will have to decide what to do with him,” Alexandru said.

  Two guards dragged Orrick away while a third led them out.

  “Well done,” Alexandru said.

  I bowed. “If you will excuse me, My Lord, I must get cleaned up.” I headed for my room. Mary and Elizabeth were there. This time, when Mary saw me, she did not look angry, only worried.

  “My God, are you injured?” Mary jumped to her feet.

  I was a bloody ruin, although most of the blood was not mine. I nodded and took off my soiled dress. I washed as much of the blood off my face and hands as I could in the washbasin and put on a short tunic. I lay on my bed. The pain in my hip was almost gone but I felt tired.

  “What happened?”

  I told them the story as Mary gently inspected my thigh.

  “It is healing well,” she said.

  It was nice to see her smile. I closed my eyes.

  “Let her rest,” Elizabeth said. “You can tell her when she wakes.”

  Tell me what? I pondered as I drifted off.

  Chapter 60 London 1262 A.D

  I woke to a man staring down at me. Startled, I sat straight up in bed. He placed his hands on my shoulders. “Be easy. It is only I,” Elijah said.

  I threw my arms around his neck. “How did you get here so quickly?” I whispered. It felt good to have him hold me; he was becoming the definition of comfort. He rested his head on my shoulder. I could feel how worried he was about me.

  “You have been asleep for a while. I presume it took an hour to get the message from Alexandru that you had been attacked and I left at once.”

  That meant I had been asleep for almost two hours — more than I had slept at one time since I was human. I must have needed the sleep to heal, I thought.

  “How are you feeling?” He pushed me away gently and looked into my eyes.

  “Very well.” I spoke the truth: my hip no longer hurt. I became conscious of my bare legs. I seized a blanket and covered them.

  He put his hand on my thigh. “I saw the scar. Is it better?”

  I took his hand and held it — to remove it from my hip. I did not like the sensation when he touched me there. Not because it hurt but because it made me feel … odd. I did not have a name for it in my innocence. I was also embarrassed that he had seen my bare legs and thigh. My body was always well covered.

  That was how Mary found us, sitting close on my bed, hand in hand. Her face turned to a scowl when she saw Elijah. “I should have known.” She slammed the door as she left.

  “Who was that?” Elijah asked.

  “My roommate, Mary.” I threw myself back down on the bed in frustration. “I don’t know what is wrong with her. Ever since I left for Denmark, she has been behaving strangely. I don’t understand. I did nothing to upset her — at least nothing I can think of. She apparently does not like you for some reason, yet she does not even know you.”

  Elijah smiled down at me with his wonderful crooked smile. “I forget sometimes how young you are. You have been on this earth, what, nineteen, maybe twenty years at the most? You are still very innocent.”

  I pushed myself away from him, sitting against the wall. “What are you talking about? I’m not ignorant.”

  “You are very intelligent, yes but still … young. You see, Mary is in love with you.”

  “What? Is … that possible?”

  He laughed at my opened-mouthed expression.

  I had no immediate frame of reference for this; I had to scan my memory. I remembered the Bible verse stating that a man lying with another man was a sin. I shook my head. This couldn’t be true. I jumped to my feet and instantly became conscious of my long bare legs again. I grabbed a pair of breeches.

  “Don’t worry.” Elijah gave a devious smile. “It is nothing I have not seen before.”

  I still did not like the longing look in his eyes. I glared at him.

  “Why do you have men’s clothes?” he asked.

  “They are more comfortable,” I said.

  “I hope you will not be cutting your hair short as well, like Mary’s.”

  “I just might because you said that.”

  “Well, ev
en that would not work to keep me away from you.”

  “I should talk with Mary,” I changed the subject.

  “Tell her to get in line. I found you first.” He smiled.

  I shook my head and left. I found Mary in Elizabeth’s room. When I entered, Elizabeth stood.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “All better.” I smiled.

  “That is wonderful news …” Elizabeth fidgeted with discomfort. “Well, then, I will let you two talk.” She hurried out.

  When Mary looked at me, her face was stained with tears. Oh, no! I thought, Elijah was right. It was wondrously annoying how he was always right. I suppose if I lived to be hundreds of years old, I too, would be right more often.

  I sat beside Mary. “What is the matter?”

  “If you have not guessed by now, then forget it!”

  “I did not have any idea. Elijah” — she cringed away from me at the mention of his name — “told me that he thinks you are in love with me. But I did not think that was possible. Is it true?”

  A tear ran down her cheek. I had never seen her cry. In fact, there was a time when I had thought she was not capable. She’d seemed too strong for that. I had no idea what to do. I placed my arm over her shoulder.

  With that she put her hands on my waist and pulled me closer. She pressed her lips to mine.

  Startled, I pushed her away.

  She stared at me. Waiting for a response … an answer.

  “I’m sorry, Mary. You are a good friend, I care about you but … ”

  “But not like that,” she finished my sentence. Her voice was flat

  I shook my head no. “The truth is that I gave my heart away a long time ago. I hope that he will find me one day.”

  “You mean you’re not in love with the prince?” Mary looked hopeful.

  “Not exactly. If I could let go of this boy from my childhood, then … it does not matter because I have not let him go. It is complicated.” I hated this situation. It was forcing me to think about my feelings. I did not want to admit this to myself, let alone anyone else.

  Mary lay down on Elizabeth’s bed. “I should have known that you would never want to be with me.”