Chapter 15
My heart sat in my throat as we approached the first red drawbridge that spanned the water between the mainland and the first tiny island. Happy shouts rang out as we came into sight of the guards that manned the entry to the bridge.
“SIR NIKOLAS! HE HAS RETURNED WITH THE PRINCESS!” The shout repeated as a burly man ran forward, his stick straight golden hair swinging around his shoulders as he loped toward us. His cream cloak flowed behind him and his matching tunic was stitched with a golden sun. I did not recall his face, but that wasn’t saying much. There had to be a large number of knights I had yet to see.
Nikolas called for the horse to stop and jumped from the saddle, casting a quick grin over his shoulder for me as he trotted out to meet the man who was so happy to see us.
They clasped hands when they met and pulled each other in for one of those strange man hugs.
The burly man’s booming laugh echoed off the water and stone. He was a beast of a man, standing even taller than Nikolas, who had a good foot on me. “It’s so good to see you well, Nik.” He said, slapping Nikolas across the back.
The embrace broke and Nikolas looked up to the man, his tone severe and low, though I was close enough to hear. “The King, is he safe?”
I held my breath.
A toothy grin broke across the knight’s face. “All that fightin’ and he has but a scratch on the arm to show for it! At least that is what the rumor is, I was on a ride when they returned. He is indeed well, Nik. They returned this morning, just before noon.”
I released the breath, welcoming the relief that coursed through me.
I could see Nikolas relax by a fraction before he continued. “The others? The rest of the guard?”
The burly man’s face fell, as did my heart. “Two of the scouts, Sir, and two more of the guard. Ambly and Reece, Kurtsworth and Shelling.” He patted Nikolas gently on the back this time.
Nikolas nodded solemnly and hung his head as he ran a hand through his hair. My heart went out to him as I felt his sadness permeate the air around me. After a few heartbeats, he raised his head and stared out over the water silently. “Good men all.” He paused and his eyes found mine. “Forgive me, I have not introduced you to the Princess of Avenlore.” He spoke quietly.
The burly man dropped to one knee where he stood. “Princess.” He said with his head bowed.
Walking back to his horse, Nikolas reached up to help me down and I held his gaze, trying to offer some sort of silent comfort. He looked troubled and worry worn now, the color of his eyes dulling, their depths filled with sadness.
The burly man broke the painful silence and looked up to me. “Well, ain’t she as pretty as the dawn.”
Nikolas offered a half smile at that. “Princess, this is Sir Luther Landon, brave Knight of Castle Lux.”
I offered a small smile to Sir Luther and realized I would’ve definitely remembered his face. His features were fair and kind, with bright amber eyes just beginning to crinkle from age and that golden mane, but his face was marred by matching thin scars that ran the length of his face on either side. I tried to not to stare. “I’m so happy to meet you. Could…Could you please get up?”
The deep laugh sounded again. “As you wish, Princess.” Sir Landon said, still laughing. “Come, I will escort you to the castle. It would do me well to see a happy reunion.”
My stomach twisted into knots at his words, I hoped he was right. I hoped it would be a happy reunion, but I barely knew what waited for me inside the walls of the castle and that was quite unsettling.
Sir Luther trotted back across the bridge to get his horse and give orders to the men manning the bridge in his absence.
Nikolas and I followed on foot at a leisurely pace, Drift being led along behind us.
I thought about the scars that lined Sir Luther’s face, wondering who put them there. I didn’t imagine they were received in battle, they were too perfect, too deliberate.
As if reading my mind, Nikolas spoke. “The scars are courtesy of Lord Raythen. Sir Luther was captured and tortured for information on your whereabouts four years ago. He is the only prisoner to every escape the castle alive, though that is barely what he was when we found him.”
I couldn’t understand why Lord Raythen was allowed to remain free, so I asked the obvious question. “Why doesn’t someone kill him? You know where he lives, right?”
Nikolas sighed heavily. “If it were that easy, we would have done, long ago. Alec has used his black magic to ensure that Lord Raythen is not easily killed, we have yet to understand how to overcome it.
“Castle Knox was stormed after they took the young Connolly girl, mistaking her for you. It was a massacre. The Knights of Castle Lux were completely unprepared for what they encountered. No less than eight men drove their swords into Lord Raythen…he laughed as the blood poured from his body, one of them was your father. And even if we did kill him, he has two sons that would most likely take up the cause, they breed anger and greed the way a farmer breeds pigs.”
“He has children?” I asked, horrified that someone like that was allowed to reproduce.
Nikolas glanced at me, then his gaze shifted back to study the tower. “Not children now, but yes, he has two sons, Callen and William. Even if we were able to terminate them, we’d still have Alec and the Black Knights to contend with. One problem is as uneasily solved as the other.” He sounded tired and looked it as he brushed the curls from his forehead.
Nikolas stopped on the bridge and turned to face me. I wanted to reach out to him, to wrap my arms around him. I wanted to be his sanctuary, the way he had been mine. He was so sad and disappointed and defeated and…guilty in this moment. But I was afraid. Afraid of the eyes I could feel on us and afraid he would reject me and what I wanted to offer.
So I just listened silently as he continued. “We have slaughtered countless Black Knights over the years. Alec simply produces new ones to replace them. Willing participants or not. It doesn’t really matter once the spell is cast.”
“But I thought the first knights were put to death because they wouldn’t comply, why kill them if they could’ve had their way regardless?” I asked.
“I could not say for certain, but our speculation is that they simply did not know the magic was so strong. We believe they eventually came to the realization that anyone without protection could be turned.” He said, sounding more weary with each word.
A shiver ran down my spine. “So much carnage…over me.” I said under my breath, but he still heard.
Nikolas looked at me, eyes widened, a fire burning inside them now that hadn’t been a moment before. I looked away, ashamed that I’d made this about me, sickened that I’d upset him further. He snatched my chin between his fingers and turned my head, holding me there until I looked at him. “Do not do this to yourself. You cannot take responsibility for the evil of other men’s hearts.”
I regarded him for a few heartbeats, then I reached up to curl my fingers around his hand. “Neither can you.”
He let his hand fall from my face, but I held to it. He gaped at me for a few seconds, then glanced down at my hand in his, a look I couldn’t make sense of passing over his face. When he spoke, I had to strain to hear him. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
The sound of Sir Luther’s booming laugh interrupted our moment, announcing his return. We both looked to the sound, but Sir Luther was hidden by a wall, still joking with another of the knights. I let go of Nikolas’ hand and wrapped my arms around myself to have something to do with my hands.
Nikolas looked out across the water and then back to me. “We can ride in, if you like.” His tone was subdued, his usual charm and confidence in short supply.
I didn’t mind walking, we’d been riding for so long I was actually sore, but I wanted to be as near him as I could because I was running out of time. Who knew what his duties requ
ired of him or how much I would see of him once we got inside the walls. I smiled at him. “I would…like that.”
It could’ve been my imagination, but I thought he looked a little relieved at my words. This time, Nikolas climbed on first and reached down a hand to pull me up behind him in the saddle. Sir Luther came into sight and beckoned us with a wave before whirling back toward the castle.
Nikolas snapped the reigns and my arms tightened around his chest, fingers grasping at the material of his shirt. Even with my hands balled into fists, I could feel the hard chords of muscle beneath his shirt and I tried hard not to dwell on that.
I looked up to see the stone wall surround the castle getting closer as we crossed the second bridge. It was several stories high, even larger than I’d thought before. I could see the knights spaced evenly around the perimeter, some scanning the horizons, some smiling gladly down upon us as we entered beneath the steel gate that stopped about a fourth of the way down to allow us to pass. Thick, black metal bars ran perpendicular to the ground, ending in sharp spikes several feet overhead. Around the bars, intricate vines twisted, adorned with roses in the same black metal, it was a strangely beautiful thing to behold.
Nikolas waved and called out to the men shouting down at him and a bit of his confidence peaked through again. I felt oddly proud of him, of the way people reacted to him. I could understand why my father looked at him the way he did. He was respected and liked, loved even by his men. I thought it a great testament to his character to evoke such a response.
The castle ahead rose up from the ground in all its majesty. Windows dotted the walls everywhere, some peaked and some rectangular, many large in size. Their glass had a yellowed hue and I could see the bubbles contained within. They were imperfect and exquisite, bending the light beautifully.
Ropes of green vines climbed the face of the castle, dripping in large deep pink roses. Flowering trees in full bloom lined the pathways through the castle yards, sporting gauzy flowers of white and pale pink and blue branches bowing beneath the weight of the blooms.
The pathways were covered with small, round pebbles in every shade of brown, causing the hoof beats to echo off the surrounding walls.
Ivory stairs climbed to ornate double doors in the same black steel of the gate. I let out a shaky breath as I sat with my arms still wrapped around Nikolas. He picked up on my apprehension and laid his hand over mine, squeezing and stroking his thumb back and forth gently over my fingers.
He looked over his shoulder at me, eyebrows cocked, silently asking if I was ready. I blinked a few times, drew in a slow breath and let it out, then nodded.
Sir Luther stood off in the shadows talking animatedly with another of the knights, occasionally breaking the quiet with his laugh.
Jumping down, Nikolas called to a young boy making his way over to us. He bent a little at the waist and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder as he gave him instructions on where to take Drift and how he wanted her cared for. I helped myself down while he was occupied. Once on the ground, I stood staring at the double doors, breathing in and out slowly in an attempt to calm my nerves.
I felt a hand on the small of my back and I didn’t have to look to know it was Nikolas. When I did look at him, I could see the exhaustion on his face as he offered me a tentative smile.
I swallowed and threaded my arm through his and grasped his sleeve with the opposite hand. His smile became brighter, lighting his face. “Okay, I’m ready.” I announced.
Nikolas nodded at me and placed his free hand on top of mine. As we stepped forward, the doors burst open and a pair of pale-green eyes stared down at me.