by Bone, K. L.
“Mara!” Edward finally interjected, his voice crisp in its own anger. “You cannot begin to imagine… You cannot.”
“Yes, I did it for you! All this, every life I have taken, every vow broken, every horror, all for you. How dare you! You want to blame someone, then blame yourself. You did this. You did this to your men, to my men, to the dead men of the Muir Court. All of them dead—because of you!”
Mara raised her sword a single moment before Edward’s came crashing down upon it. The sound of their colliding metal sailed down the beach with the rush of the fierce wind. The two stood frozen, their swords pressed together by the weight of their bodies. Too startled to move, she stared into the dark eyes of the man she loved.
The look on Edward’s face was as surprised as hers. “Mara, I…” He took a step back, his sword sliding along the edge of Mara’s until the blades finally separated.
“That is an Arius blade, Edward. You…we…” She drew shallow breaths then her anger transformed to an uncontrollable rage. Her hand tightened on the hilt of her sword.
“Mara, I am…”
“You could have killed me! We could have killed each other! You, my Captain, my friend, my…” The word love refused to leave her lips.
“I didn’t mean—”
Mara raised her silver blade. Edward stepped forward just in time to block her movement, the sound of metal again twisting its way across an ocean of white sand. “Mara, don’t!”
“Why not?” she screamed, again bringing her sword down upon his. “You want a fight? Here I am!” Their blades began to dance, the two Captains circling each other in a tight, dangerous spiral.
She swung her sword in an upward arc, but Edward took a step to his left sidestepping the motion altogether. She had some difficulty regaining her stance, as her feet sank into the sand. She turned just in time to block Edward’s own motion, his blade sweeping towards her left side. The two swords again sang through the air. Edward again swung his blade down. Mara bent her knees, placing both hands tightly upon the hilt of her blade, twisting it sideways. The ancient swords collided with enough force to throw both off balance, turning in opposite directions to keep from completely falling into the sand.
They recovered quickly, turning back to face each other clutching their blades. Mara brought her blade up in a series of long strokes, moving towards Edward’s left side with tremendous speed. He turned, blocking her first two swings with ease. However, the third bit lightly into his left arm, causing him to hiss in pain. He took several steps back, and she paused to draw a deep breath from the cool breeze before moving to follow him.
She moved forward and Edward’s blade raced toward her right side. She moved her sword up and blocked, but the force knocked her sidewise. He turned his sword towards her, lower this time. He cut her leg before she had time to recover her balance. She threw herself to the left, holding onto her sword as tightly as she could. She struggled with the sand as she rose to a crouching position, holding her blade carefully in front of her. Edward advanced, but she swung her blade low, forcing him to step back to prevent her sword from slicing across his legs.
She used that moment to regain a standing position, thankful that Edward’s sword had cut only skin. She stepped forward, and Edward again brought his blade down upon her. She parried, sending a cloud of sand into the air as she did so. Her blade again struck his, and then she turned in a full, tight circle, bringing her blade down to his left. He blocked her sword mere inches from his skin. She pulled back readjusting her grip on her sword.
He swung left. She attempted to side-step the movement when the sand suddenly gave way under her left foot. She slid deeper into the unstable ground and attempted to twist away. She was too slow.
Edward’s silver sword entered her right side, stabbing through her ribcage. She cried out as the sword forced its way both in and out of her chest. Spots appeared in her vision, so severe was the pain. Yet she drew a wheezing breath and swung her blade towards Edward’s right. She knew that in a few moments, she would be unable to continue; this would be her only chance.
She swung her sword to Edward’s right side, smashing the two blades against each other. She then moved her blade up toward his left arm. He parried. She brought it up again, then jerked her arm down at the last moment and drove the sword into his leg. He roared in pain, stumbling several steps back. Mara followed him. She brought her blade down again, he blocked the motion from his knees, but only had one hand upon the blade. She allowed no respite, but again brought her blade down upon his with all her strength. Edward’s sword slipped from his hand and Mara’s blade was suddenly at his throat. Pain and anger raged as she stared down into Edward’s dark eyes for several long moments before Edward suddenly decided to speak.
“Admit it,” he said, the emotions in his voice matching her own. “You blame me for Liza’s death!”
At these words, Mara took several steps back, sinking to her knees in the sand. She dropped her blade and moved her hands to her injured side attempting not to grimace as she did so. She shook her head and spoke through labored breaths. “No, Edward. I was responsible for Liza. I was her Captain and she died on my watch. I am responsi—” She fought down a surge of emotions before turning to the eyes of the man who still, even now, she loved more than life itself. “I was responsible, Edward.”
Her words settled over the land as the sun continued to dip lower into the sea. Blood seeped from her side, turning sticky against her hands. Edward’s anger vanished at her words. “It was not your fault, Mara.”
“Yes,” she murmured, tears falling from her eyes. “Yes, it was. But today, I have done my duty. I have avenged her death.” She attempted to draw a deep breath, but the pain in her side was too much and she ended up in a fit of coughing before she was able to continue. “I don’t blame you, Edward. That failure lies with me. But today, I have washed my sins with the blood of those who killed her.”
She rose slowly to her feet, forcing her blade back into the leather sheath at her side. Then she walked slowly through the sand to where Edward still knelt. She leaned down slowly and wrapped her fingers around Edward’s deadly blade. “I will take this,” she stated. “It bears the blood of roses.”
“Mara.” She stared down at him. “I…I almost…I am so sorry.”
More blood spilled from her side, hidden in her dark clothes. “I love you,” she said. “You are my soul.”
“Don’t leave me.”
She took a sharp intake of air, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. “I am sorry, mi amor. I have to go now. I have to go.”
He had remained kneeling as she walked slowly down the beach with the last rays of the setting sun. Almost completely from view, Edward saw her fall. However, before he could so much as rise from the sand, Garreth appeared and gathered her in his arms. It had been the last time Edward had laid his eyes upon her.
Chapter LV
It had been days later before Edward learned that Mara had watched Phillip die that night. They said she had walked towards the sea as though she were one of the dead. How much pain she must have endured, kneeling by the edge of the sea, realizing that the man who had protected and counseled her all her life would never again stand by her side.
Edward drew a deep breath, his mind trailing back from the recesses of memory to the room where he now lay. Mara still slept securely against him, her head upon his chest while his hand slowly soothed the bare skin of her back. “My Lady.”
She woke to the sounds of his voice, scared that it existed only in the realm of her dreams. His hand trailed down her back, sliding along her long dark hair. She opened her eyes slowly. “Edward.” He offered a smile. She lay still, listening to the beat of his heart and the gentle rise and fall of his chest. “You’re here.”
“Yes,” he said solemnly. “Mara. Gods, Mara, I am so…”
She lifted her head and to stare down at him. He reached his hand to the back of her neck and drew her forward for a kiss, her breasts
touching his chest as he did so. When she finally pulled back, it was to again collapse upon the bed beside him. They spent the day lying there, enjoying the simplicity of being together after all the centuries apart.
“I always knew that you would be the last thing I ever saw. I just never thought you would be real.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. I am here. That is all that matters.”
“I don’t want to move. I don’t want to breathe. I don’t want to wake.”
“This is not a dream, Mara. I promise you it is not.” Edward pulled her closer, moving her head against his shoulder. They held each other, celebrating the simple act of touch which they had denied themselves for far too long.
They did not rise until the next day when they entered the large whirlpool tub that had been installed a few years before. Though easily big enough to accommodate multiple people, this was the first time it had played host to more than the room’s single occupant. When they finally emerged from the steaming water, they dressed quickly. Mara pulled her familiar outfit from her large closet while Edward dressed in clothes that he borrowed from Brendan’s. She watched as Edward donned the uniform of the Black Rose.
He offered her his arm as they walked down the wide hallways toward the top of the spiral staircase. Moments before emerging behind the stone wall, Mara removed his arm from hers. Turning the last corner, she walked to the rail and gazed down upon the grand entrance. A loud clamor rose from the vaulted room, but the sound began to vanish at the sight of the Black Rose Captain standing with Edward only a few paces behind her. Two hundred men stood below, gathered in various clusters around the room. When was the last time that the entirety of the Rose had been called together? Mara was uncertain. Then she realized that, among the sea of black, there also stood several men of the Ciar Court as well.
Mara motioned to Edward who took a few steps forward to stand beside her at the railing which lined the path between the two spiral staircases. As the last of the chatter began to fade, Mara drew a breath to address those gathered. “My Lords,” she stated, attempting to project her voice through the vast hall. “Two days ago, members of the Arum Court invaded these sacred halls. They attacked your fellow members of the Black Rose, including myself, and threatened us with torture unto death.” She paused, allowing her words to settle over the large room. “They also threatened and tortured our fellow knight, Captain Edward of the Ciar Royal Guard. With this attack, the Arum Court has violated the peace that has been maintained between the courts—the peace that we of the Black Rose are sworn to protect.”
A murmur rose and fell among those gathered. “They have also taken by force a young woman, who walked as a guest inside these walls. Another insult to the Black Rose and all it stands for. And last…” It was here that she found herself fighting to steady her voice. Edward wanted nothing more than to offer comfort, but feared making her appear weak in the full view of her guard. “Members of Arum Guard have killed Brendan, your Sub-Captain and my second-in-command. He died bravely, a death of honor and valor. A death that makes me proud to have called him my fellow guardsman and Captain.”
She forced herself to draw another breath. “These threats and attacks upon our sacred grounds will not go unanswered. And the death of our Captain must be avenged.”
Here she paused, unsure how to continue, when a voice called from the crowd, “May the Black Rose protect you in life!”
Mara stared down and nodded. “And avenge you in death,” she finished the ancient vow.
Mara then walked down the long stairwell with Edward mirroring her steps from the opposite side. The crowd parted before them as they stepped forward. “Follow us.”
Mara and Edward led the crowd along an old dirt path and into the ancient rose garden. They approached to find that the violet associated with Sandra’s appearance had vanished and the roses were now a mixture of deep crimsons and the familiar black. Gasps were heard from among the crowd at the splash of color that had entered the garden, some pausing in their steps as though they could not believe it to be true.
Brendan’s body had been arranged upon a large funeral pyre, dressed in a clean uniform. His arms were folded upon his chest, his hands clasped around the hilt of his silver blade. His expression seemed peaceful, a harsh contrast to the agony of his final moments. Mara moved closer to the pyre while the men spread around in a circle that extended to the garden walls. She walked to the body and placed a single black rose upon his chest and watched it turn crimson before her eyes. She turned and gazed out over the faces of those sworn to serve her when Garreth suddenly appeared by her side holding a large torch. “My Lady.”
Mara lowered her head, and forced herself to breathe before giving a single nod. Garreth turned and lit the pyre. Covered in specially selected oils, the flames quickly cascaded over the wood upon which he lay to ignite the shell that was all that remained of the young man Mara had once laid down her blood and flesh to protect from harm. She turned, heat and smoke from the flames burning her eyes as she watched them rise. While behind her yet another yelled, “May the Black Rose protect you in life and avenge you in death!” The cry was repeated by another voice and then another until it became a deafening chant with the twisting flames. The chant did not die until the last of the flames were mere embers blown by the powerful mountain winds.
“Rosa Nigra te in vita tueatur teque in morte ulciscatur.” She spoke the ancient words. May the Black Rose protect you in life and avenge you in death. “Goodbye, my friend. May you walk with her upon the sacred ocean waves and know peace forevermore.”
This story will continue in:
Blood Rose
Blood Rose – Preview
900 AD
Mara entered the room without bothering to knock. Edward lay upon the large bed draped in layers of dark furs. Bared to the waist, his shoulder length black hair unkempt, he turned towards her. “Mara?” he asked as he struggled to disentangle himself from the furs surrounding him.
She did not speak, but instead walked towards the bed, falling to her knees before it. “Take me with you.” The words escaped her lips before she could stop them. “I know we decided I would stay away, but…please, Edward. I cannot bear it. Please, take me with you.”
He slid to the edge of the bed and stared down at the young woman kneeling before him. “Mara.” She was staring intensely at the stone floor, her body trembling in the cold night air. He moved his hand and traced a finger down her cheek before gently raising her gaze to stare into his dark eyes. He leaned down slowly, the pain in her expression making his heart ache deep inside his chest. “Mara,” he again spoke her name before his lips claimed her in a deep, passionate kiss. Her eyes closed at his touch, and she fought back a flurry of emotions which threatened to overwhelm her. Then he pulled back and pressed his palm gently against her cheek. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I am so sorry.”
Her eyes opened at his words and she drew several sharp breaths. “I know,” she said. “It’s just…it’s…”
“Come here.” He pulled her from her knees and gently guided her to a seated position on the edge of the bed.
“I’m sorry,” she said again. “I am so sorry. I know we decided to stay away. I just…I couldn’t.”
“I know, Mara. It is okay. I am glad you are here.”
“I didn’t mean to. I was trying to be strong. I…” She felt like she was being strangled by her words. “I do not want to make this any harder. I could not stay away. It’s your last night. I could not stand it. Please…”
“Mara,” Edward cut her off, raising his hand to brush a long strand of her dark hair from her eyes. “I want you here. I wanted you here so badly.”
“Let me stay. Please, please don’t send me away.”
“I won’t,” he soothed her. “I don’t want to be alone tonight.” He moved to the center of the bed and laid down upon the blankets, his pale skin standing in contrast to the dark furs beneath him. He held out his arms and Mara moved in
to their offered embrace, laying her head against his chest as his arms engulfed her. He ran his fingers down her back, holding her closely against him. “My love, you are the strongest, most beautiful woman I know. I wish to the Gods that I did not have to leave you this way.” She buried her face against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. “ignosce mihi, mea rosa, mi amor. ignosce mihi. mea rosa immortalis. mi amor. te amo, rosa, mea rosa immortalis.” He murmured softly to her until well after her breathing had begun to steady.
“You’ll come back,” she whispered.
“promitto. I promise, Mara. I am so sorry.” He continued to hold her securely in his arms until exhaustion overcame her. A pain resided inside him that he feared would never heal and with each breath she drew, his fear deepened. His mind wandered back to that night many years ago when he found Mara kneeling over her mother’s grave.
He left her alone and the isolation was unbearable, she had spoken of her mother’s suicide. She knew she would never love again. She was alone. Everyone leaves.
I won’t, he had promised. You will never be alone.
Yet, here he was preparing to break the only promise she had ever asked of him. The gravity threatened to overwhelm him. It took all of his strength not to break down and take her with him. To throw all duty, all honor, all sanity to the wind and take her away from the guard, the courts, the rules and threats of an increasingly dangerous Queen. “Forgive me,” he whispered again to the woman in his arms. He held her until the first rays of sunlight began to fully seep into the room. He woke her with a heavy heart.
“My Lady,” he said gently as she slowly opened her violet eyes to reveal their silver center. “I need you to listen to me now, my love.” She blinked several times, clearing her vision. “Mara, I need you to swear to me, to promise me, that no matter what happens or how hard this becomes, that you will be strong for me. I will come back. I swear I will. But I need to know that without a shadow of a doubt that you will make it through my absence. Please.” He reached forward and ran his fingers through her long dark hair. Everyone leaves, her words haunted him. They always leave.
