Rhada did not give him a moment of warning for reaction. She stomped to where he stood at the fire, reached up with her arm and grabbed the front of his robe. She planted her elbow deep into his chest, knocking the air from him and threw him against the mantle, the flames of the fire licking at his legs. He dropped his goblet, the red wine splashing onto the floor in a puddle that resembled blood.
“Now you listen to me. I have served under the crown longer than you have been shitting in the privy without the aid of a wet nurse. I was loyal to your father and have thus far been loyal to you, even though I see you as nothing more than a spoiled brat who wails and moans when he does not get his way.” The King began to struggle against Rhada’s hold on him but she did not loosen her grip. Instead, she pushed against him even harder, nearly lifting him off the ground completely. He cried out in pain but she felt no sympathy for him. “But I no longer have the time or the patience to listen to your childish rantings. I have a war to fight; an army to command, and I will do those things as I see fit!” She let go of him and he fell to the ground on his knees, gasping desperately for air. She knew that his sternum would be bruised come tomorrow and the thought brought a smile to her lips.
“You are right about one thing, I am a servant, a servant of the realm, and I shall do my duty to protect the realm.
‘I made a promise to protect you, and to that I will hold. But if you ever touch me again, you will come to understand why everyone else fears me.” With that, Rhada turned and left the King’s dining room. King Firion remained crumpled on the floor, gasping for breath, wondering how a woman such as her had become so strong.
Chapter 15
“I will not tolerate this insubordination!” The King shouted as he threw his balled up fists into the wooden table. Everyone that had gathered round recoiled in their chairs- everyone except Rhada. She sat at the other end of the table with her arms folded tightly across her chest, staring at the King with harsh eyes just as an angry parent would stare at their child in the midst of a tantrum.
“There will be no pardons this time!” The King continued, turning his gaze towards Rhada. It had been she who talked him into granting pardons during the last rebellion. “I never should have permitted those traitors to walk free!” King Firion lifted his ale angrily off the table and took a long drink. His council sat in silence, patiently waiting for him to finish. Rhada knew that all twenty of them were afraid to speak up. She was the only person in the realm who did not seem to be afraid of the King’s wrath. Even Mayvard, who sat next to her, was so tense, Rhada could see the tightness of his muscles as he tried to lean back as far away as possible from the King.
When King Firion finished his ale, he slammed the glass back down but remained standing. Once again his eyes fell upon Rhada and though he was addressing all of them, it was her ears his words were meant for. “I want all of them cut down where they stand- every last one of them! Once we have successfully defended the castle, I want Lord Ivran to be captured. He is to be kept alive and brought here to me so that I may make certain he receives a proper punishment for his betrayal. Then every city who allowed their leaders to come to Axendra and try to tear her apart is to be put to the torch and those who fight against you shall burn in their homes!”
Finally, Rhada could take it no more. The King had demanded the same thing of her during the first rebellion and now the entire realm hated her for it. She would not make the same mistake twice. And it appeared to her that he had all but forgotten their little spat the previous day and was now demanding the same he had demanded then. Her threat had failed to calm his rage- it seemed to have made it worse. She narrowed her eyes at the King and unfolded her arms, grasping the hilt of Bloodbinder (which had become a habit of hers during times of stress) and leaning forward so that all may hear her loud and clear.
“Let us remember what happened the last time you ordered me to do such a thing. South Fort has never quite recovered from the devastation I brought down upon it and it is a large catalyst in the peoples’ decision to attack again.”
“Your decision to allow the traitors to live was the catalyst in the peoples’ decision to attack again.” The King spat back at her.
Rhada took in a deep breath, puffing out her chest in anger and pulling herself to her feet. She released her grip on Bloodbinder and rested the palms of her hands upon the table for support. In that moment, her eyes were fixed upon the King and the rest of the room melted away from her. The only other living person in that room was the King. Rhada’s anger at him was almost unbearable.
“I shall bring those who are responsible for this rebellion to you but I will not destroy the realm any more than needs be. If you must punish those who have set this battle into motion, then so be it. I shall deliver them to you personally, but the innocent people of Kaena will not suffer any more by my hand!”
The King narrowed his eyes at Rhada and placed the palms of his hands atop the table, much in the same way Rhada had. The two of them stood trapped in a mutual gaze of hatred. The spectators around them sat in utter silence, afraid to even breathe into the thick air between the King and his Protector.
“You will do as you are commanded!” The King hissed through his teeth.
“And if I do not?” Rhada challenged.
“I shall flay you and post your skin upon my war banner and carry it to every corner of this realm!” The King was shouting again.
Rhada stood tall and grasped Bloodbinder once more. He has gone mad! Though her heart was racing with anxiety at his words, for he was the type of man to carry out his promise, her voice remained calm as she replied to his threat.
“If you fight this battle without me, you will lose. And should the castle fall, so shall you fall with it!”
“I am your King!” Firion shouted slamming his hand down so hard it hit his ale glass, causing it to shatter it into hundreds of pieces. Blood spurted from an open wound upon his palm but in his anger, he did not seem to notice.
“And I am the High Protector!” Rhada shouted back. She was no longer able to keep her voice calm. “And I will do my duty and protect this city, this castle, I shall even protect your slimy skin as I have sworn to do, but I will not be sent out into the realm again as a beacon of fear and death! If that is what you want in a commander then I shall be glad to pass the duty on to someone else!” Rhada spun on her heel and stormed out of the council chamber before anyone could say another word to her. She felt herself fuming with anger and wondered if any of the guards in the hall could feel the heat of it rising from her as she passed.
When she turned a corner, she nearly ran into Myranda who was standing against the corridor wall, staring out a window into the training grounds below. She turned her head when Rhada stopped in front of her and pushed herself away from her perch.
“Is the council over?” She asked, looking over Rhada’s shoulder for Mayvard.
“It is for me!” Rhada said with disgust and she pushed her way past Myranda, wanting nothing more than the solitude of her bedchamber. She knew that Myranda’s eyes followed her all the way down the corridor and did not fall away until Rhada pushed herself into her chamber and slammed the door behind her.
The room was bright; filled with the morning sun. Rhada stepped up to the window and wondered how it was that her curtains had been drawn open. She could not remember doing it herself. Valindra must still be attending my room. She looked over to her bed which had been stripped of its dirty sheets and fitted with new, clean ones. The blanket atop was stretched over the mattress perfectly, with not a single wrinkle that Rhada could see. Her four large feather-stuffed pillows had all been fluffed. She smiled at the sight of a clean, attended room, despite her anger, and turned back to the window, slipping into her winged chair and pulling her pipe free of its strap on her belt. She filled it with tobacco and lit it, breathing deeply. She needed the comfort of her pipe now more than ever.
Bloodbinder was vibrating lightly at her side. She grasped the pommel gen
tly, feeling the pulsing waves rush through her fingertips and up her arm. She was reluctant as of late to let the sword go, even for a moment, and decided that she would keep it with her always, especially now that it was very likely the King would send an assassin after her to retrieve it.
Rhada spent much of the day taking small, restless naps, pacing her room angrily, smoking her pipe at the window, and finally, she delved into her silver spirit, a bottle she kept for emergency situations such as these; the emergency being her fury with the King. As she sat in her winged chair sipping the harsh, clear liquid languidly, her thoughts turned to Firion and his desire to punish the realm. She could understand his anger, at least. But she could not understand how he could not see that his anger was the very reason the realm hated him.
A thought had occurred to her earlier that day as she lie within the warm sheets of her bed that she could leave. She daydreamed of riding back to Lord Ivran’s camp and submitting herself to his mercy. She would bend the knee, offer him her sword, and hope that he would grant her the chance to fight for the people.
But Rhada knew what the likely outcome of such an act would be. She would be executed. She was aware that her enemies desired her blood perhaps even more so than the King’s. And if she defected, and was, by some gracious mercy, allowed to fight for the rebels, they would still be outnumbered, fighting against Axendra and Bhrys. To fail with the enemy was not an outcome Rhada was willing to accept.
Hastily she stood and walked to the window. She looked out towards the city in the distance and saw that it was aglow with the brightness of afternoon light. The glass windows of all the buildings in Axendra seemed to be aflame and somehow, it looked so peaceful.
Rhada had always loved the city of Axendra, though it had not been particularly kind to her over the years. It was where she was born and where she grew up. She had vowed to spend the rest of her days protecting this city and that is what she intended to do. Despite having to fight for a King that everyone, including Rhada, hated. She would do anything to keep Axendra and its people safe. She decided that amends had to be made with the King if she was going to be allowed to do her job properly.
Slowly she took in a breath and made certain that Bloodbinder was at her side. She stepped away from the window and left her bedchamber with her head held high. I am not so prideful that I cannot apologize to the man. She told herself as she walked down the darkened corridor. I must work with him to protect the castle against Lord Ivran’s forces and then I shall pass Bloodbinder on to someone worthy and live out the rest of my days hidden in peace. The thought was comforting, but somehow she knew it would never happen. Even if she was successful in pushing back Lord Ivran’s forces, the realm would still hate her; there was no changing that. She would have to sail across the sea to a land where her name was unknown in order to find peace.
She found the corridor that would take her to the King’s study and stopped suddenly, reassuring herself that she needed to do this. No doubt he will force me to kneel and beg his forgiveness. I will have to tell him it was wrong of me to oppose him. Though she did not feel this way, she was prepared to do it all the same. For Axendra. She continued slowly, finding no reason to hurry.
As Rhada walked in contemplation, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a familiar giggle. She stopped suddenly and turned her head towards a second corridor that intersected with the one she was traveling and heard from which door the girlish laughter was coming from. Curiosity got the better of her and she abandoned her pursuit of the King to stand in front of the door and listen.
The voice she recognized was Valindra’s and she was laughing and speaking softly to someone. Then a man’s voice replied, a man’s voice Rhada did not know. She smiled to herself, guessing Valindra had a secret lover and she was about to walk away to give them privacy when suddenly, the man let out a small shout of pain. Rhada stopped and listened once more. “I’m sorry!” She could hear Valindra apologizing. “Your wrists are chafed.” Rhada narrowed her eyes, wondering how the man had suffered such wounds. He must be tied up in there. She was about to walk away once more, not wanting to know of Valindra’s private fetishes, when the man gave out another shout of agony. Instinctively, Rhada pushed the door open and forced her way into the room.
Valindra sat on the edge of the bed; hands wrapped around the man’s wrist, apparently trying to loosen his bondage. Both his arms were outstretched above his head, tied to the bedposts and a thin sheet had been wrapped around his body to conceal his nakedness.
Both Valindra and the strange man sat in utter bewilderment as they stared at Rhada. She knew the look of fear and she could see it in both their eyes.
“What is going on in here?” Rhada asked in anger. She looked to Valindra for answers and waited while the young girl gathered the courage to respond.
Tears began to streak down her cheeks and she stood from the bed and bowed low. “Please!” She begged as though she were begging for her own life. “Please don’t be angry with me! I wasn’t going to release him. I only wanted to feed him!” She began to sob uncontrollably and her entire body shook with fright. Rhada knew then the man on the bed was some sort of prisoner and Valindra’s presence in this room was not permitted.
She stepped forward to get a closer look at the man tied to the bed. His eyes were green and though they were filled with fright, they also glowed with courage as he stared back at her. Though his facial hair had begun to grow uncontrollably around his mouth and chin, Rhada knew this man’s eyes. She had met him several times before and she never forgot a face, no matter how much it had changed. She looked him up and down and saw how scrawny he had become. Where once there were tight, strong muscles there were now only remnants of his strength. His form had faded into starvation and his skin was pale and hung loosely from his frame. His arms shook from being stretched and Rhada could see red marks the ropes had made upon his wrists from being tied for so long.
In the corner, Valindra continued to sob and Rhada found the sound irritating; crawling underneath her skin and making her cringe.
“Go wait outside, Valindra.” She commanded and the girl obeyed without speaking a word. Once the door was tightly closed, Rhada stepped closer to the bed and peered down at the prisoner with questioning eyes.
“Why are you here, Emeric?” She asked, wondering how he had come to be a prisoner in the castle.
Emeric sighed in defeat, knowing that he had no choice but to tell the truth to the High Protector.
“I came to Axendra under Lord Ivran’s orders.” He replied through parched lips.
“And what was your purpose here?”
“To rescue Terryn. He was a prisoner in the dungeons.”
Rhada’s eyes widened at this news. “And what is Terryn’s crime?” She asked with concern. Terryn was a coward but a good man, nonetheless. The dungeons were not a place he could survive for long.
“He was aiding the rebellion; acting as a spy on behalf of Lord Ivran.” This news surprised Rhada. Perhaps he is not as much a coward as I thought. “The King discovered him and brought him here. I came here to rescue him but in my own stupidity, I allowed the Queen to seduce me and now I am a prisoner as well.” Rhada could not help but notice the tears forming in Protector Emeric’s eyes. Something terrible had been done to this man and Rhada could not bear the sight of him. He had been strong once, but during his imprisonment, he had been tormented to the point of near death.
“Terryn is dead.” He whispered as he turned his head away in shame. “I failed.” It seemed to Rhada that Emeric was no longer speaking to her but coming to grips with the reality of his failure.
“And what has happened to you?” She asked with sympathy. Her face softened as she looked down at the poor soul who had been tortured and humiliated. Rhada could easily guess what Emeric’s fate had been but she needed to hear the words from his own mouth.
“The Queen keeps me here. She forces me to drink some potion that makes me forget who I am. She
has her way with me… every night.” He whispered the last part as though saying it was too much for him to bear. More tears fell down his cheeks and he began to sob just as Valindra had.
Rhada could stand the sight of him no longer. She grasped Bloodbinder by the hilt and unsheathed it. The cold steel of the blade burned with the reflection of the sun seeping in through the window but Emeric did not seem to notice or care. She knew he would prefer death to this fate and she was the only one who could give him the relief he desired.
Myranda sat in her chamber alone, wondering why it seemed that Mayvard had been avoiding her all that day, when there was a sudden, frantic pounding at her door. Myranda stood, startled by the urgency of whoever was on the other side, and hastily ran to open it. She found it was Valindra who had knocked. She stood shaking and crying and seemed to be having difficulty speaking, so she pointed down the corridor, then began wiping at her tears.
“What has happened?” Myranda asked with worry.
“The High Protector found Emeric. She is in there right now! She caught me trying to loosen his ties.” Valindra pulled her hands away from her tear streaked face and looked to Myranda pleadingly. “She’s going to kill him, I know it! You have to stop her!”
Myranda did not hesitate another moment. She ran from her room and down the corridor as quickly as her feet could carry her. She pushed herself through Emeric’s prison door without worry of running into danger.
“Rhada, stop!” She shouted as she rushed inside. Valindra followed directly behind her.
Rhada stood over Emeric’s bed with her sword in hand. She had cut through his ties and was re-sheathing the blade. She looked to Myranda with a small smile then reached down and grasped Emeric by the shoulders. Valindra rushed to his other side and helped Rhada push him to a sitting position.
Protector Emeric sat motionless for a moment as the blood rushed to his head. He closed his eyes and took in a few deep breaths. Never before had he realized how much easier it was to breathe when not lying flat on his back.
Rise of Darkness (The Watchers Book 2) Page 15
