As though she was reading his mind once again, Sorceress Omylia’s smile faded. She reached out a hand and gestured to the man sitting next to her.
“I do not believe I introduced you to Hanley Gallien, Lord Guyon. He is the former bodyguard to Lady Ashryn and I have appointed him the new Protector of Bhrys.” She narrowed her eyes but quickly softened them as though she was trying to hide her anger at Lord Guyon’s thoughts. “I think you will find him more than suitable for the title.”
Lord Guyon turned his eyes to Hanley and saw that he was a burly man, tall and strong. His armor had recently been shined and seemed to burn in the firelight of the hearth. His hair was dark and long and had been pulled back into a braid that traveled down the length of his spine. His shoulders were broad, much broader than Lord Guyon’s own protector and bodyguard, Josef, and were the two men to get into a brawl; Lord Guyon was ashamed to admit even to himself that Hanley would certainly be the victor.
Sorceress Omylia smiled contently at Lord Guyon then picked up her own wine glass and sipped very slowly. She pulled the glass away and swished the liquid around, coating all sides of the glass with it. “A fine vintage such as this should be enjoyed, not swallowed up in two gulps.” Suddenly, Lord Guyon got the feeling he had offended the Sorceress in some way and looked down to his palms in shame.
“We thank you, my Lady, for giving us shelter for the night.” Protector Josef said, breaking the silence he had sat in the entire evening.
Lady Omylia smiled warmly at Josef. “You are quite welcome. I was informed that your army was headed this way, so I took the liberty of having rooms made up for your men.” She turned back to Lord Guyon as she said this. “And the majority of your army is welcome to set up camp around the castle grounds.”
“That is very kind of you.” He replied.
“May I ask where you are headed?” She said in her softest, sweetest voice. Lord Guyon had taken the road directly south of Elipol, knowing that it would lead them into Bhrys, but with Lord Ivran waiting for their arrival, he had to choose the fastest course. He had decided, along with his council, not to inform Sorceress Omylia of their true destination until they knew for certain whose side of the war she was on. The more Lord Guyon sat in the hall of the Bhrys castle, the more he thought to himself that she must be loyal to the King. If she were on our side, she would have sent her men to meet up with Lord Ivran by now. We must be careful in what we say around her.
“We heard of a disturbance near Axendra and I have decided to come and aid in any way I can.” Lord Guyon tried his best to be vague on the details.
Sorceress Omylia cocked her head in a questioning manner and asked; “you speak of the rebellion, yes?” Lord Guyon did not know how to reply.
“I know all about it.” Lady Omylia said in a calm tone, trying to ease Lord Guyon’s stress. “Lord Ivran and his allies have stationed themselves just outside of Axendra, ready to attack at the right moment.”
“How do you know this?” Lord Guyon asked is amazement. There seemed to be no point in trying to hide his true intent from the Sorceress; she knew he was Lord Ivran’s man.
“I have the gift of foresight.” She replied. “I knew he would be arriving there before he even knew he’d be arriving there.” She smiled proudly as she said this.
“And, have you chosen a side?” Lord Guyon asked, afraid of knowing the answer. If she was loyal to the King, her army could destroy his before dessert was served.
“I have chosen no side.” She replied with disinterest. “My Lady was loyal to the King, always. She signed a treaty with him but now that she has been murdered by the King himself, it is up to me to stay loyal to that treaty or not.”
Lord Guyon shook his head, knowing that Lady Omylia had gotten her facts wrong. “Lady Ashryn was loyal to Lord Ivran. She swore her army to him.”
“She lied to Lord Ivran. She was secretly meeting with the King, telling him all of Lord Ivran’s secrets.” Omylia lifted her wine glass once more and took another slow sip, savoring the flavor.
Lord Guyon sat for a moment trying to take in this new knowledge of Lady Ashryn’s betrayal. It meant that the King knew of their planned attack and was probably making preparations of his own. Lord Ivran would not be happy with this news. After a moment, he asked; “and why have you not chosen a side yet?”
“It is my understanding that whichever side I choose to send my army shall be the victor, correct?” Lord Guyon nodded his head. “Well then, it seems that since I am highly sought over, I should not waste an opportunity to reap the benefits of war.” She smiled slyly and leaned back in her chair.
Lord Guyon looked to Lady Omylia in bewilderment. “Are you telling me that you have no preference over who wins this war? That all you care for is who can offer you the most?”
“Should I be ashamed of that? My people, the people of Bhrys, come first in my eyes. I will not send them off to fight a war when winning will not make their lives at home any better.”
“Fighting for Lord Ivran will make their lives better!” Lord Guyon said in anger.
“How can you be certain of that?” She asked calmly.
“You are the one with foresight. Can you not see it in your future?”
“My foresight, though strong, is limited.” She admitted with a small hint of shame. “I cannot see everything I desire to see. But I do know one thing; conscripts are being sent to me from both sides at this moment. I shall speak with them then make my decision.” Lady Omylia stood, signifying the end of supper. All the men at the table stood as well including Lord Guyon, though the meal had left a sour taste in his mouth.
“If you wish to reach Lord Ivran’s camp alive, I suggest you avoid the roads. You should head directly south of Bhrys, cutting through the Forest of the Dead. You will arrive just west of Mordrid where Lord Ivran and his men are camped.”
Lord Guyon was about to ask what purpose it would serve to avoid the road but before he could say a single word, Lady Omylia turned on her heel and practically ran from the dining hall with Protector Hanley following closely behind.
“I do not like this.” Protector Josef said once they were alone in Lord Guyon’s quarters. “Lady Omylia could turn on us at any moment. We should leave now.” Josef stood next to the window, peering out into the grand city of Bhrys below. He puffed on his pipe and blew the smoke out in small ringlets. When he turned to Lord Guyon, his eyes were fierce and wide. “What if Axendra’s conscripts arrive in the morning, or tonight even, and offer her something she cannot refuse? We would all be captured and beheaded.”
Lord Guyon stood motionless in the center of the room. His chin was resting in the palm of his hand, as though his jaw would drop should he let go, and with his other hand, he held onto his elbow. His eyes were turned down to the ground below his feet as he pondered Josef’s words.
“We shall leave in the morning.” He finally said. He looked up to Protector Josef and noticed disappointment on the man’s face.
“My Lord…” he began to argue but Lord Guyon held up a hand to silence him.
“I shall go speak with Lady Omylia privately.” With that, he turned on his heel and left the room.
He traveled down a tight corridor and when he turned a corner, he practically ran into one of the castle guards.
“Could you point me in the direction of Lady Omylia’s quarters?” He asked and the guard raised a hand and pointed straight ahead.
“Continue down this hallway until you reach the stairs and travel all the way to the top. Lady Omylia has stationed herself in the keep.”
“The keep?” Lord Guyon asked confused. It seemed such an odd place for one to stay.
“Are you hard of hearing? The keep! That’s what I said, isn’t it?” The guard asked angrily. Lord Guyon shot him a look of disdain before continuing on.
The stairs proved to be longer than Lord Guyon had anticipated and once he reached the top, he found himself quite out of breath. He placed a hand against the wall to support hi
mself as he regained his composure. Once he felt confident that he could speak without sounding short-winded, he knocked on the only door that stood before him.
“Who is it?” To Lord Guyon’s surprise, it was a man’s voice that answered.
“I… It’s Lord Guyon. I have come to have a private word with Sorceress Omylia.” He shouted back.
“You may enter, Lord Guyon.” Omylia’s familiar voice answered. He pushed the heavy wooden door open and stepped inside, only to stop in his tracks and turn hastily.
Lady Omylia was seated on the bed. Her gown had been pulled down around her waist, exposing her breasts which she had made no attempt to cover when Lord Guyon entered. Protector Hanley stood by her side. His shirt and tunic had been pulled off as well and lay in a pile on the floor. Both stared at Lord Guyon, waiting for him to turn back around.
“What have you come here to speak of?” Lady Omylia asked as she pulled her gown back up to cover herself.
Lord Guyon turned around slowly and sighed with relief when he saw that she was covered once more. “You said earlier you would join the side that had more to offer you?”
“Yes.” She replied. She stood from the bed and walked closer to Lord Guyon. “I can see that you are still angry with my decision so allow me to explain it to you, please.” She said as she gestured to the chairs that were positioned in front of the hearth. Both of them sat and Hanley stood behind his mistress, ready to defend her if the need arose.
“This war will change the course of history. The outcome will forever shape the future of Kaena and so choosing a side must not come so lightly.” She said.
“I understand that you are afraid for your people, but what about doing what you know is right?”
“And how am I to know what is right? I have never met Lord Ivran. I do not know of the man’s intentions or of his morality. If this rebellion succeeds, I can only assume he will be crowned as the new King?”
“You assume correctly.” Lord Guyon replied with pride.
“How can I support a man I know nothing about?”
“Because the rest of the realm supports him.” Lord Guyon argued. “And you know of the current King’s corruption. You have witnessed for yourself the evil he has brought down upon this land. Do you not wish to see him cast down from the throne, especially since, as you said before, he murdered Lady Ashryn?”
Omylia chuckled lightly to herself. “The death of Lady Ashryn brings no tears to my eyes. In truth, she was planning to betray the King. I told her that her plan was ridiculous; that all she would accomplish was getting herself killed. So she had me locked away and was prepared to hang me as a traitor upon her return. Of course, I knew she would not be returning.” Lady Omylia smiled as she said this.
“What I am trying to say is that I hold no hard feelings towards the King for his decision to execute Lady Ashryn and Protector Zane.”
“Alright, but what about all the innocent lives he has destroyed in the past? What about the cities he had burned and the people he had his witch hunt down and murder in cold blood? What of them? Do they not deserve to be avenged?”
“Perhaps they do.” Lady Omylia admitted. “But I have no cause to avenge them. I was saddened for the realm during the first rebellion, I truly was. But you are forgetting that Bhrys was loyal to the King then. We have never gone against him.”
Lord Guyon sighed in frustration. He suddenly realized that he would not be able to persuade Lady Omylia to join their cause through guilt, so he decided to offer her the one thing he hoped he would not have to offer.
“I have a proposal for you then.” He said as he leaned back in his chair.
“A proposal?” She asked with curiosity. “You have captured my interest, Lord Guyon.”
“If you swear your army to Lord Ivran’s cause, I shall offer you my hand in marriage.”
Lady Omylia laughed aloud and turned her gaze up towards Protector Hanley. “You see? I knew I would be getting a marriage proposal on this night. You should have taken my word seriously and asked first.” Hanley shifted uncomfortably where he stood and looked down at Lord Guyon with cold eyes.
“Tell me,” Lady Omylia said, looking back to Lord Guyon, “what would a marriage between the two of us accomplish? How would it benefit the both of us?”
“If Lord Ivran is victorious, which he will be with your aid, you and I shall practically rule the north together. With our armies and trade combined, we shall become the richest rulers in Kaena, next to the King, that is. If there are ever any future skirmishes, it will be our aid that determines the outcome.” Lord Guyon leaned forward. “Can you image the power it would bring us to unite the north? We would be more powerful than the King himself!”
Lady Omylia considered this for a moment and when she looked back to Lord Guyon, she smiled. “I must warn you, I am a headstrong woman. I will not succumb to the will of any husband. I will forever and always do as I please.”
“I would not have it any other way.” Lord Guyon replied, not really caring for his future wife’s loyalty, only her word and her army. “So long as you promise me one thing.”
Lady Omylia nodded. “And what is that?”
“I need sons to carry on without me when I am gone.”
“Of course.” She replied as though this was an agreement that did not need to be spoken aloud. “I shall give you sons; that much I promise. I have seen in my future many children, all of which are boys.” She smiled and stood, then walked to the wine decanter on her bedside table and poured three glasses. She handed one to Hanley, who took it with spite and another to Lord Guyon who took it as he stood from his chair. The other she held up into the air for a toast.
“This calls for celebration.” She said with cheer. “To the union of our great cities and the security of our future.” Lord Guyon raised his glass as well and both drank together. Hanley stood in the shadows, holding his glass down as though he had forgotten it was there.
“We shall be wed in the morning.” Lady Omylia said when she finished her wine.
“So soon?” Lord Guyon asked in surprise. He tried not to let the shock of it offend her.
“Of course. These are desperate times, my Lord, and we must do what we can to ensure the safety of our people. We will wed in the morning but first we must consummate the marriage, for tomorrow we shall not have the opportunity.”
Lord Guyon nearly dropped his glass at her words. “You wish to lie with me now, before we are wed?”
“Certainly. Only the three of us will know that we made love before the ceremony and not after. If you want sons, we had better start now.” Lady Omylia turned and walked towards the bed. She pulled the straps of her gown from her shoulders and allowed the entire thing to fall to the floor, revealing her nakedness from underneath. Lord Guyon watched in amazement as she stepped out of the dress with confidence and sat on the edge of the bed. She smiled at him and patted the mattress next to her.
Lord Guyon had heard stories of newlywed men and their experiences. They always told of how their wives shook in fright or cried or tried to cover themselves in embarrassment their first night together. But as Lord Guyon looked over Lady Omylia, he got the feeling that this was not the first time she had shared her bed with a man. He had always thought he would marry a virgin but decided that it did not matter and began walking towards her, undressing himself as he did so. When he approached, Lady Omylia lie on her back and reached her arms up to pull him down.
Though Lord Guyon did not find her to be an attractive woman, he could not argue with her skill in bed. The two of them stayed locked together in pure blissful pleasure for hours. Neither of them seemed to notice or care that Protector Hanley stood in the corner, shrouded in shadows, silently watching them as he held tightly to his still full wine glass.
Chapter 17
Lord Doran Caster was normally a patient man; always dealing with the unhappy and unsavory people of his city with as much kindness and courtesy as was possible. He never grew angry or sh
ort tempered with them. He always tried his best to make the people of Laydon believe that he was the most generous and caring Lord in the entire realm, but as he sat across from Protector Raibyr, staring out over the tops of the hedges from which they were hiding, he could feel his patience growing short and knew that he could not always control his anger.
They were crouched as low as they could be without blocking their view from the gates of Bhrys. They watched in silence and in dread as the army of Axendra flowed through the open gates into the city. The many streets of Bhrys began to fill with the black silhouettes of the army as it poured inside like blood through veins, corrupting the city with its very presence.
Both men sat in silence for a while, staring at the back end of the gates with aggravation. Not until the last of the army entered the city and the gates began to close did Protector Raibyr interrupt the silence.
“What do we do now?” He asked, falling back on his haunches and angrily thrusting his fingers into the dirt. He dug and clawed as though he were digging and clawing an enemy’s face. Lord Doran could do nothing but shrug his shoulders at Protector Raibyr, not knowing any proper answer to give.
“We cannot enter the city when it is full up of our enemies!” Protector Raibyr protested, as though the fault lie solely with Lord Doran. “And why would the King send his entire army to Bhrys anyway? What is he hoping to accomplish by doing such a thing?”
This was the question Lord Doran had been asking himself ever since they first saw the army of Axendra on the road. He had come to the conclusion that the King had sent his army to secure Bhrys’s cooperation.
“Can you not think of the answer to that question yourself?” He asked in reply, not wanting to say the awful truth aloud. If the King’s intentions had been to scare Lady Omylia into aiding Axendra, he was sure to succeed.
Rise of Darkness (The Watchers Book 2) Page 17
