Page 6 of Lord of the Castle
Come to the house.
To bring us more.”
* * *
I must have drifted off to sleep in the tub, for my dreams were filled with swirling roses, a lord in a dark castle, flashing blades and blood. So much blood.
When I woke, the water was lukewarm, and candlelight cast eerie shadows across the room. A cold shudder went through me, as though there were something else in the room, a spirit of sorts, creating a coldness which chilled me to the bone. I hopped out of the tub and dried off with a fluffy white towel. A blue gown lay over the back of a chair along with slippers. I pulled the warmth over my head, appreciating the loose but cozy garment. It was more comfortable than my armor, which I noticed was gone. Someone had been in the room while I slept, and that thought was disconcerting. Immediately, I went to the door to see if it had a lock. It did. I turned it and leaned against the door, feeling secure for a moment before I studied my chambers.
On the table was a covered tray, and a delightful aroma rose from it. My stomach growled. But I stepped back. The food could be drugged just like the tea. Although sleep would be nice, I wasn’t keen on being poisoned again. Instead, I pulled on the slippers, tucked my wet hair behind my ears and went to my weapons. My sword was too long to carry through the castle and awkward to use in close quarters. Nay, my knife would do. It was easy to slip in between ribs or slit a throat. I needed to kill the lord of the castle. After meeting him, I’d decided it was likely he’d killed the guards that came before me. He was too flippant with their whereabouts, and given my uncanny attraction to him, I had to act quickly before my emotions overruled my duty.
Swallowing hard, I unlocked the door and slipped out.
The castle was silent. I took a candle with me as I moved down the hall, recalling the route the maid had led me. I returned to the staircase shaped like an arrow. I stood on the east wing of the castle and looked to the west. I had a vague sensation, a feeling that I should enter and I would find what I was looking for.
When I saw the light, I almost hid, until I realized they were lanterns purposefully left to illuminate the castle. I walked among them, silently, watching the shadows dance as though they were watching me. I hurried past the stairs and entered the west wing. The faint scent of roses hung in the air as I moved up the staircase. There were vines along the balustrade and with each step I took, the more my heart called me to turn around and go back. I should not be here, treading in an unknown sanctuary.
The halls were darker, and I couldn’t help but feel there were a sinister presence resting there. Forcing myself to go on, I crept through the passageways, with only a vague knowledge that the shapes were pictures on the wall and tapestries that moved when I passed. The further I went, the more I realized this was a fool’s errand. Once I killed the lord of the castle, I’d have to make my way back to my room, and I was already lost. Then there was the matter of my missing armor and boots… It had been an ill-conceived plan, but I was too far gone to stop now.
Then a light glowed from under a door. I held my breath as I pressed my ear against the wood and listened. I heard the faint flicker of what might be a fire, but with the thickness of the door, it was hard to tell. My hands closed, one around the hilt of my knife and the other around the latch on the door.
It swung open gently and revealed a carpeted room with chests, blankets and books piled on shelves and chairs. There was a large bed in the middle of the room and a fire burning low, spreading little warmth but just enough to let the firelight flicker under the door. I almost held my breath as I tip-toed toward the bed.
Lord Cedric lay on his side, his back to me, his long hair trailing down his back. The bed was rumpled as though he was not sleeping well. If I could reach his side I could drive my knife into his back.
I moved slowly at first and then dashed up to the bed. I stood above his body with the knife raised.
My hand shook while the blade winked in the dying firelight. Fighting in the heat of battle differed greatly from sneaking into someone’s room and slaughtering them. A memory rose, sharp and clear as I recalled my mother, the attack and the blades that ripped through skin. Bright red blood and screaming, so many screams. I’d wanted a blade, desired it, knowing that if I held a weapon, someone I loved would never have to die again. That’s why I’d become a warrior; that’s why I trained hard with the blade. But instead of protecting, I’d sat in the barracks, bored out of my mind. There were no heroics, no one to protect—only politics, leaving me a hollow shell with no meaning.
Even though it’s what I thought I’d wanted, I knew now I did not want to be back into their good graces. I wanted freedom. I wanted a purpose. I wanted to belong. Killing a lord in cold blood was wrong. I would not, could not, follow through.
A tear snaked out of my eye and trickled down my cheek. My hand shook harder and then the shape on the bed moved. In whirl, Lord Cedric spun, hair flying. A powerful hand curled around my hand, and my fingers loosened, dropping the knife. He hurled me onto the bed. I landed on my back in a whomp that knocked the breath out of me. My head bounced against the gentle give of the bed. Involuntarily, I squirmed in a half-hearted attempt to rise, but Lord Cedric landed on top of me. His broad hands curled around my wrists, pulling my hands above my head and pressing them against the bed while he straddled me.
He wore a white shirt, unbuttoned at the top, and I was suddenly aware of his chest hair curling out and the warmth of his body as he pressed against me. A desire awoke somewhere deep within, a longing for more of his warmth and weight. I shivered and lifted my chin, hoping defiance would obscure my lust. If Cedric noticed, he did not mention it. Instead his intense purple gaze traveled to where the knife lay, somewhere beyond my sight on the floor.
The pad of his thumb came up and wiped the wetness off the corner of my face. My nipples went hard at his touch, and my breath came short and fast as though we had been wrestling minutes before and he’d finally trapped me.
“You had the opportunity,” his deep voice rumbled as he studied me.
I liked the sound of his voice, even though I didn’t want to.
His eyes held mine, daring me to look away. “You could have killed me, yet you hesitated. Why?”
My stomach balled tight, and shame washed over me. I turned my head away from his penetrating gaze. “It’s not who I am.” The words came pouring out, words I needed to say out loud. “I am not a killer. Being a shield-maiden isn’t what I thought it would be. We are supposed to protect, but there is no one to protect, only the endless training, standing around and following orders. Orders that make no sense.”
I couldn’t stop the tears from choking my voice even though no more trickled down my face. “This is my punishment for doing what I thought was right. For disobeying orders, for following my heart and saving a village. My commander forced me to come here and told me to kill you. But I’m not an assassin, a killer. Still I failed in my assignment. I have nowhere to go.”
His hard face gentled, and the scar under his eye seemed less fierce. “It was brave of you to save others, you should follow your heart in that regard.” He glanced at the fire, and a thoughtful look came over his face. “What do you want?”
“I don’t know,” I mumbled, studying the lines and angles of his face. Just looking at him made my heart ache, and it was easier to do so when he wasn’t staring at me.
He shifted his weight. “Then you should stay, as my protector.” A wry smile crossed his lips. “Until you decide what to do. I could use a bit of protection here, but understand, until we learn to trust each other, you will not have your weapons or your armor.”
I stared at him and protested. “But I am not wanted here.”
His lips thinned. “You are here, and there is no point in returning. It is too dangerous.” He closed his eyes briefly and sighed. “If you want to know what happened to the others, you will stay.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I thought…”
