by Cameo Renae
“Can it remove the bond with Roehl, while allowing another bond to remain?”
She shook her head. “I’m afraid not. The spell is not specific.”
That meant the bond with Trystan would be severed and he would never know the truth. But I had no choice. “It has to be done,” I said. “Remove it.”
Aurelia nodded and aimed her wand at my chest. As she closed her eyes and murmured a spell, a wave of power slammed into me, causing my body to jolt back, setting my veins on fire. But before my knees buckled, Markus caught me from behind and steadied me on my feet.
“It’s done,” Aurelia finally said. Her vivid green eyes, just like Spring’s, glimmered. “You’re free.”
“That fast?” I breathed.
She smiled and bowed her head. “That fast.”
“Calla,” the king spoke. “I wish I had more time with you, but I do believe our paths will cross again in the future.” He clutched both of my hands in his. “I pray the gods offer you safe passage to Incendia, and that you find whatever it is you are seeking. Remember, you will always have a home here. You are an heir to Morbeth’s throne.”
“Thank you.” I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate, but I threw my arms around the King’s waist and pressed him in a hug. “Please be safe,” I breathed. He hugged me back and kissed the top of my forehead.
“Don’t worry about me, dear child,” he countered, stepping backward. “Without the spell, I will steadily regain my strength.” He then gave me a look of adoration. “I’m deeply sorry for what you’ve suffered. Roehl will pay for what he has done.” He cupped my face in his large hands and gave a melancholy smile. “You have her eyes.”
I wanted to spend more time with him but knew those devoted to Roehl would soon come for us. And now that the bond was severed, Roehl would know something was amiss, and likely return.
“Go,” Aurelia urged. “The spell won’t keep the dark mages much longer.”
“Will you be safe?” I asked her.
“Yes. After you leave, I’ll put a protection spell around the king and his chamber. Summer has made the other witches aware of what has taken place. We won’t let the dark mages take control of the king or his castle anymore.”
“I will have the mages who served with Roehl executed,” the king declared. “I’ll also seek to locate your father and assure his safety.”
“Calla,” Markus urged.
I turned back to the King, thankful he was back in command, knowing he could keep my father alive. “Thank you. I’ll see you again.” I gave him one last bow, but he took my arms and drew me back into a strong embrace.
“Thank you for freeing me, Calla. I’m sorry it was under these circumstances to have finally met you, but I am grateful the gods allowed us this time. And I assure you, I won’t let you down.”
A tear trickled down my cheek. I could feel his words down to my core. They were true and sincere. I drew out of his embrace and turned to Aurelia.
“Please, take care of him.”
“I will, princess,” she said, bowing her head.
I didn’t have time to debate the title she’d flung at me, because Markus grabbed my wrist and hauled me out of the room.
“Stay silent,” he said, unsheathing his sword. Someone was coming.
A figure appeared from around a corner, and just before Markus swung, Sabine threw up her hands.
“No! Wait! I’m with you.”
“Sabine?” I choked.
She nodded, out of breath, then shuffled next to me with a large sack slung over her shoulder. “I had to grab a few things. Did you think I’d let you leave on an adventure without me?” A mischievous grin rose on her lips.
I snatched her arm and linked mine around it. “You’re really coming?”
“Do you think I would stay in Morbeth after what Roehl did to Spring? It would only be a matter of time before I was next. Besides, I have supplies. And extra clothes. I don’t think running around Morbeth in a torn, skimpy red dress will keep you hidden for long.”
I swear I heard Markus chuckle, but when I glanced at him, his face was expressionless.
“You’re right,” I exhaled, hugging her arm. “I’m glad you’re coming with us.”
She returned a radiant smile. “Let’s hope the gods and goddesses can bring us out of this in one piece.”
“You won’t need them today,” Markus noted, his voice low and serious.
“Why not?” Sabine grumbled.
He gave a sidelong glance. “Because the captain of the king’s guard is with you.”
“Even better,” Sabine chimed, making Markus smile.
We traversed down a few corridors and down a lengthy flight of stairs, nearing the castle’s exit. Through the windows, I noticed the sun had set, and a crescent-moon hung in the dusky sky.
As we moved down the last set of stairs, at least a dozen guards were standing at the exit.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Remain silent, and stay close,” Markus said before marching us right up to them. Sabine and I remained close behind.
Two guards stepped forward in our path, barring the exit. Their hands clutching the shafts of their swords.
“Where are you taking the prisoner, captain?” The shorter of the two asked.
Markus quickly side-eyed me. “I am working under direct orders, none of which concern you.”
The most massive guard in the bunch stepped forward, withdrawing his sword. The sound sent a shiver up my spine. “Well, captain. Per our prince’s request, we are to make sure the girl doesn’t leave the castle, under any circumstance. What I’d like to know is how she managed to escape a heavily spelled cell?” We were suddenly surrounded by all twelve guards, swords drawn and pointed directly at us. “Give us the girl, and you’ll be spared until Prince Roehl returns.”
Heat tingled under my skin. I could take out a few of these guards and I was sure Markus could too, but we were still heavily outnumbered. Besides, unless we decapitated them, they’d keep coming.
I had to do something. Markus was obeying orders from the King. I wouldn’t let him die because of me. I called a flame to the palm of my hand, and they all halted. Their eyes widened, fixed on the flame.
“I’ll go quietly, and no one will get hurt if you let them both go,” I said, the flames growing larger.
“No, Calla,” Sabine said, gripping my arm.
“We don’t make bargains with prisoners,” another guard spoke.
Another dozen guards rushed toward us, completely circling us in. Archers appeared on the staircases with razor sharp arrows nocked and aimed at our heads. We were trapped. There was no way out of this. If we resisted, we would die.
I could hear Sabine’s heart hammering hard and fast. There was only one option. I had to keep her safe. To surrender and let them take me. I wouldn’t fight. I wouldn’t endanger her.
The guards moved toward us and bound our hands.
“Take the captain to the block,” the largest guard ordered. “Let the girl watch and see what takes place when a guard disobeys an order.”
“No!” I cried. “You said you’d wait until Roehl returns.”
“I’ve changed my mind,” he said with too much bite.
Oh, if my hands weren’t bound. There were more than a few who deserved a fireball to the face.
I thrashed as the guards took all three of us and dragged us outside. We were forced around the side of the castle, to a smaller cobbled courtyard hemmed in by a large rock wall. In the center of the yard was a large rectangular stone. It was about six feet long by three feet high and wide, and stained with the blood of its countless victims.
The block.
“Strap the captain down,” the largest guard hollered, and the men obeyed.
Who was this bastard? Probably Roehl’s second in command.
It took four guards to force Markus to his knees. His arms and legs were bound, his head pulled tight against the stone with a large strap.
Behind them, a black-hooded executioner exited a worn, brick cottage, clutching a massive, two-handed ax. He was a nightmarish giant. Nearly ten feet tall.
The eyes beneath the hood appeared hollow and lifeless. I wondered if this death dealer was haunted by the lives he’d taken. His was no doubt a cursed life.
On the side of the cottage, near the door, was a table and whetstone.
What sort of life did this monster have? Dealing death and whetting his blade over and over again.
Markus struggled against the binds, his cheek pressed tight against the rough stone. His eyes were on me and Sabine. “I was given direct orders from King Romulus himself.”
“The King?” The head guard sneered. “We all know the king is incapacitated and hasn’t been able to speak for months.”
“He was under a spell,” Markus growled, still straining to free himself.
“The prince told us to be on the lookout for traitors. We never expected it to be you, Captain,” another guard exclaimed. The rest of the guards yelled out in agreement.
“You can’t do this!” I screamed, wishing I had the power to stop them. But I was powerless, my hands bound behind my back.
Roehl’s head guard glared at me with contempt before lifting his arm to the executioner.
“No! He’s innocent,” I wailed.
The hooded giant raised his huge steel ax in the air, directly over Markus’s neck.
“Please,” I pleaded. “He’s telling you the truth!”
But they wouldn’t hear it from me. I was an outsider. A prisoner whose grandfather killed their prince.
The executioner’s dark eyes locked onto the guard, his fingers tightening around the shaft of his ax, awaiting the signal.
The guard’s arm dropped, and I screamed as the executioner swung his ax down.
But the ax never reached Markus.
It was torn from the executioner’s hands and flung clear across the courtyard, beheading a guard instead.
What the hell happened?
The executioner roared. His mouth opened unnaturally wide, like some nightmarish monster.
“Stop!” A powerful voice thundered from above. Three stories up, looking over the execution courtyard, stood the true King of Morbeth. King Romulus’s face was pale, but he stood firmly on his feet.
Gasps and murmurs echoed through the gathering crowd, faces in astonishment as if they’d seen a ghost. Every guard dropped to their knees, their heads bowing in reverence.
Behind the crowd, Aurelia, along with a group of witches dressed in white, entered with wands of pale wood gripped securely in their hands.
“Release them,” The king demanded, his finger aimed at me. “The captain of my guard has spoken the truth. I ordered him to take my great-granddaughter around the grounds.”
Dozens of wide eyes shifted to me. It was out now. They all knew who I was.
The guards immediately untied our bonds. Then King Romulus pointed to the head guard who ordered Markus’s execution. “You.” Fear swam in the guard’s eyes, his limbs quivering.
“Yes, your majesty,” the guard said, bowing so low his head scraped the ground.
“Gather every guard in the palace and bring them to the throne room. Immediately!” The king’s voice was becoming stronger with each moment, more powerful, filled with regal authority.
“Yes, your majesty.” The guard stood, ordering the others to follow him.
The king’s eyes found mine, and he winked. Leora was right. I could sense he was a good man, and I hoped I’d have the chance to experience it in the future.
“Thank you,” I said, bowing my head.
“Leave now,” Aurelia urged. “We’ll take care of this.”
The king spoke to the still gathering crowd. “I am your king. The ruler of Morbeth. Anyone who thinks otherwise can line up behind the block.”
I took hold of Aurelia’s hand. “One day I will repay you.”
She squeezed mine and shook her head. “You kept my granddaughter alive. There is no debt to repay.” She wrapped her arms around me in an embrace. “Now go.”
As the king continued to address his people, Markus, Sabine, and I left the grounds.
I smiled at the girl who had become my friend and ally. “Sabine, you’re still coming?”
She flung her pack back over her shoulder. “Does it look like I’m staying?”
I laughed as the three of us rushed through the courtyard.
“How will we get past the wall?” I panted.
“We aren’t going past the wall,” Markus said, pointing toward the coast.
We were heading to Crimson Cove. A place named after a battle during Talbrinth’s Great War, where hundreds of bodies had washed up on the shores, staining the rocks and water with blood.
Now it was where notorious pirates and crooked merchants of the north were known to dock and commingle. It was a place no common citizen would want to find themselves. Especially a young woman, scantily clad in a torn, revealing red dress.
We followed Markus into the woods, where the oak trees were towering and dense, and the ground was damp and spongy from the countless fallen leaves. The air was brisk and smelled of wet moss and earth. I watched puffs of mist exit from Sabine’s lips.
When dusk became night and it was too dark to see, I called a flame into my hand to light the path.
Sabine grinned. “Well, that’s helpful.”
“I had a lot of free time down in the cell,” I quipped.
Pulling the flame between the palms of my hands, it grew, making the area brighter.
Sabine’s eyes grew wider and I even caught Markus gawking, but he quickly turned away.
“We don’t want to draw any unwanted attention,” he grumbled.
Sabine and I gave each other exasperated looks, and I toned down the flame.
We snaked through the woods, the Red Wall becoming a monstrous boundary before us. My legs were scratched and red from being flogged by the surrounding brush. But I pressed on, not stopping until I could hear gulls and water. The sea was near.
“Wait!” I halted, breathing heavily. “Before we go any further, I have to change.”
Sabine was already digging through her pack. “You’re right. A noble cannot be seen in,” she waved her hand at me, “that.”
Markus sighed and turned his back to us. “Make it quick. We still have to find Captain Salloway.”
I didn’t notice how weak I was until I stopped. My limbs were visibly shaking. I just had to hold myself together a little longer until we reached the docks and secured our ride.
“Here,” Sabine said, handing me a set of clothes. They were the same ones I’d arrived in—the black pants and tunic left in my cottage by Trystan. I quickly slipped them on and instantly felt better. Warmer. She then handed me some wool socks and my black boots. “Give me your dress and shoes. Who knows when these will come in handy again?”
“Hopefully, never,” I groaned. “How did you get my things? I thought they were long gone.”
“Roehl told me to burn them, but I couldn’t. They are well made, so I had them washed and pressed. And . . . I managed to find these.” She held out a cloth and carefully unwrapped it. Inside of it was the necklace Brynna gave me for my birthday—the silver amulet with the azure stone—Trystan’s flask, and his dagger still in its sheathe.
“Heavens above.” I gaped at her. “Where? How?”
She gave a broad, toothy smile. “I was cleaning Roehl’s chamber this afternoon and just happened to find them. In a sealed wooden box. Under his bed.”
“Sabine!” I gasped.
She shrugged her shoulders. “What? He’d already left for Northfall. I wasn’t in any danger.”
I took the necklace and fastened it around my neck, then strapped Trystan’s dagger to my side.
Sabine pulled out my old pack and put the flask, dress, and shoes into it. “I’ll hold on to these until we get to the ship.”
“Thank you, Sabine.” I wrapped my a
rms around her neck, and she hugged me back.
“I also had this made for you,” she added. She held up a hooded black cloak and handed it to me. The material was thick and warm. The interior of the cloak was lined with a dark red fabric. And onto that fabric, large flames were stitched in a golden thread.
I ran my fingers over the stitching and glanced up at her. “Flames?”
Sabine grinned. “The day Summer and I found out about your power, I had a friend who happens to be the royal seamstress, make it. It was going to be a gift, but she just finished it night before last. I guess it was fate.”
“I guess it was.” I threw the cloak over my shoulders, attaching it at the chest. It was a warm and thoughtful gift. A perfect gift, especially for the approaching winter weather. And, a perfect fit, falling mid-calf.
“Thank you, Sabine.” I spun in a circle. “So, what do you think, Markus?”
He raised a brow. “I think you’ll blend in just fine with the cove’s riffraff.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I huffed, walking past him.
A low growl rumbled in his chest. “Just keep your head down, hood up, and leave the speaking to me.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, shifting to salute him.
He gave me a firm look. “Don’t ever do that again.”
Sabine and I laughed, but he didn’t seem to find it amusing.
“Then how shall we address you, sir?” I asked.
“By my name.”
I nodded. “Then, let’s move, Markus. Time waits for no man . . . or woman.”
Markus sighed loudly and plodded ahead. I glanced at Sabine and gave her a wink. She covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.
We’d made it to Crimson Cove. We were free. We were finally free.
Now, we just had to leave Morbeth. And put some major distance between us and Roehl.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I tried to hold my breath as we wandered through the cobbled walkways saturated with the stench of urine. Places like this scared the hell out of me. It reminded me of a town in Sartha everyone called the Bogs, an area where the drunk and troubled seemed to congregate. I passed through the area once with my parents, but my father had hired men to escort us through, so we were protected.
