Page 47 of The Time Of Queens

It was done.

“Brother, the horses are ready!” Vincent’s voice from below called for me, and I snarled as anger took place of my anguish. A far easier emotion to deal with, for it was one I recognised as being familiar.

Now if only I had someone to kill, then that might have helped eradicate this sorrow and affliction altogether.

But as I cast one last look at her door, I knew the truth…

Nothing would killthe pain of losing her.

18

A LORD TOO LATE

Vincent had taken one look at my face and wisely chose not to comment. No doubt stuck on the belief that as soon as I retrieved my Electus, all would be well. If I were being honest, I was not so sure it would. The way I was feeling made no sense, for anyone would have believed I had already found her.

The pain wouldn’t leave me and the more distance I put between myself and her, the harder it got to breathe. I kept seeing her face in my mind. The way her eyes held onto those tears for as long as she could. I knew, in that moment, that my brother had been right.

She had cared for me.

But was it love that she had felt?

A question I continued to torture myself with along the road we travelled, as I pushed Samson to continue with haste. Even the sight of my horse brought me back to thoughts of her. The way I held her hand in my own as we stroked my steed as one. My touch giving her the courage to do so. It had been intoxicating. Every look, every softly spoken word, her gentle teasing and her easy sense of humour. Every opportunity to feelher against my hand was as if I was being lit up from in the inside out. As if she were enveloping my soul in pure light.

How then could I feel like this for one and still be haunted by that kiss from another? It made no sense. Well, I was soon to discover if I still felt that way, as I was close enough to the farm now that I found my feet landing as I swung from Samson.

“My King, the mortal is still inside,” Ragnar told me. He was the first to approach. The size of him was considered by many to be a giant, as mortal men and women usually felt unease around him. Hence why he felt less suited to the constraints of sociality and preferred that of serving me within the company of our own people. The cover of darkness was something he also favoured, and he commanded his men on this dark and rainy night.

“And what proof do you have to think it is the girl?” I asked, ignoring the surprise on my brother’s face that I would even ask this. Or no doubt it was the tone of anger and suspicion that came with it. As if I was annoyed at being here now for fear of what it meant. That to welcome another, would force me to let my maid truly go. Something, I confess, the journey hadn’t inspired me to do, for if anything, it had only broken my reserve and caused my reasons to crumble further by the second. For I wanted nothing more than to ride back to my home and fix what I had broken between us.

“Brother…” I held up my hand to stop him, and demanded, “Well, commander?”

“The cloak, my Lord, it is the same one stolen from your room as it holds the embroiled seal of your family’s sigil.”

I gritted my teeth at this, despite knowing that I should be pleased. Because as for the strength of proof, then this was pretty definite. So, with a sigh, I told him,

“Good, keep your men back, for I don’t wish to frighten her when we emerge.”

The commander of my guard nodded, before signalling for his men to give me space. Then I walked towards the barn, making sure to keep my footsteps light so as she was not to hear me. I did the same when I opened the door, one she must have seen for I spotted the darkness of my cloak move within the shadows. Which meant I no longer had to mask my presence, now letting it be known and moving toward the lantern hanging on a hook. I lit it by supernatural means, blinking at it and forcing a flame to emerge on the wick.

“Don’t be afraid, for you are not in any trouble.”

I heard the whimpered sound in response, making me sigh and force my heart to calm.

“You can come out now, no harm will come to you, I swear it,” I told her, and thankfully I didn’t have to wait long. My eyes homed in on my sigil, knowing that this was indeed the cloak that had been stolen. But what of the girl beneath its hood?

“I… I am sorry, my Lord, but it is cold, and it has been a long time since I’ve had chance to sleep in a shelter such as this one,” she said, making me frown before demanding,

“Come into the light. Closer, girl,” I told her, knowing that if I grabbed her, it would only frighten her further. She did as she was told and when she was but a step away from me, I raised my hand. This was it, the moment I had waited so long for. Damn, but my hand even shook as I brought it to her hood. I paused ever so briefly before pushing it from her head, sucking back a breath when I finally saw her.

“You’re… you’re a child?” I asked, astonished, and rightly so, I felt not a single thing for this young girl before me.

“I am four and ten, my Lord,” she told me, as if this was enough to be classed as an adult.

“And what of your family?” I found myself asking.

“I ran away, my father is making me marry a man three times my age.”

I curled my lip, finding the thought a distasteful one.

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