Had she done so for a reason?
Reena stood suddenly and looked to where Magnus slept soundly, still snoring lightly. She did not waste a moment; she rushed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her. She grabbed a torch from one of the many metal wall sconces and hurried up the spiral stairway to the tower room.
Her feet and legs grew chilled, and when she entered the room, the total darkness made her pause momentarily in fear. She shook it off, determined to read the message Magnus’s mother had left on the wall. She hurried into the darkness.
The torchlight chased the darkness to the corners, where it lurked in flickering shadows, waiting for her to leave. She entered the secret room without fear of being locked in, for the door had been removed.
Once at the wall she bent down and ran her fingers over the words etched into the stone. It had to have been difficult and painstakingly slow to write in the stone, but then all Magnus’s mother had had was time.
She ran her fingers over the writing, stopping here and there to make certain she understood what the woman had written. She shook her head and read again a passage near the bottom of the wall.
Could she be wrong in her translation?
She read it again and wept.
Chapter 28
Reena woke alone the next morning. She had felt Magnus stir earlier, his warm fingers gliding over her naked flesh ever so lightly, stirring her senses. He had pulled the blanket down to taste her hard nipple, and while her body had tingled with pleasure, she had just been too tired to respond with interest. She had not fallen asleep until just before dawn, and her body and mind had been exhausted and ready for slumber.
Magnus had whispered, “I love you” in her ear and kissed her cheek before leaving the bed, and she had fallen into a deep slumber, only waking now because of the heavy rain pounding the windows.
The information she had discovered late last night continued to disturb her. What should she do? Did Magnus know what his mother had written on the stone wall? And if he did, should she wait for him to tell her? And what if he did not know? Should she be the one to tell him? The information would prove painful to him, and she did not want to see him suffer any more than he already had. She would bide her time and see if he confided in her what she already knew. If not? She did not wish to think on it, for it would grieve her to deliver such startling news to him.
She hurried to dress, choosing a shift and tunic in shades of green and plaiting her long, dark hair so that it would stay out of her face—not that several silky strands did not fall lose and frame her visage.
Her cheeks held a faint blush, and her blue eyes shone bright as she entered the great hall. Magnus sat in discussion with Thomas at a table near the hearth, Horace at his feet, gnawing on a sizeable bone.
Her heart filled with joy at the sight of him, and she smiled as she hurried to him. He was dressed all in black but the darkness did not disturb her, for she knew that beneath lay a person filled with light and love.
He turned and saw her, and his joyful smile matched hers as he stood, stepped over Horace, and opened his arms to her.
She raced into his embrace, and he lifted her up off the floor and hugged her tightly to him.
“I missed having you beside me at the morning meal,” he whispered in her ear before nibbling the lobe.
Her arms circled his neck and she laughed softly, rubbing her cheek to his. “I was lazy this morning.”
“You had difficulty sleeping?”
She did not want him to worry or discover her little escapade last night. “Nothing of importance.”
“You should have woken me.” He lowered his voice to a mere whisper. “I would have made certain you grew tired enough to sleep.”
She laughed and kissed him. “I will remember that and make certain to wake you the next time I have trouble sleeping.”
He kissed her before lowering her to the floor.
She turned to Thomas. “Good morning . . .” He did not look happy, and she grew alarmed. “What is wrong?” She looked to Magnus. His smile had faded.
“A message from the king.”
Reena braced herself for the news.
“The king orders Brigid to produce the map that Kilkern has accused her of stealing, and if she does not, then the king’s men will journey here to question her and determine who speaks the truth.”
“They will torture her,” Reena said on a whisper.
“They will not touch her,” Thomas said, his large fist pounding the table.
Horace jumped, whimpered, and attempted to bury his head under Reena’s dress.
She soothed him with a pat on the head and a few soft words, but still he kept his snout under her dress.
“What can we do?” she asked. “And does Brigid know of this?”
“Nay,” Thomas said quickly, his voice low. “And she will not know. She is happy planning our wedding, and I will not see her robbed of her happiness. Magnus and I discuss now what can be done.”
“Then I join this discussion,” Reena said and walked around Magnus to take a seat on the bench next to where he had been sitting. Horace was quick to trail her, bone in mouth. He slipped beneath the table for added protection, lying beside her.
Magnus returned to his seat.
“You have the map to show the king’s men,” Thomas said. “Will that not satisfy them?”
Magnus shook his head. “Unfortunately not, since Kilkern claims another map exists that disputes my claim.”
“And by claiming that Brigid holds the map he puts pressure on us.”
“Aye,” Magnus agreed. “He knows I cannot prevent the king’s men from speaking with Brigid, for then I defy the king and make myself appear guilty. All will think that I had Brigid steal the map for me.”
“But you did not know Brigid, you only met her when you arrived at the village,” Reena said.
“It is for me to prove otherwise. Until then it is assumed she acted on my behalf.”
Thomas rubbed his chin, the look of concern heavy on his face. “Kilkern believes he has you in a chokehold.”
“Nay, not me—Reena.”
“I don’t understand,” Thomas said.
“Kilkern believes that I will come to him and willingly agree to map the land in exchange for Brigid’s safety,” Reena explained, then turned to Magnus. “He wishes to use me against you, and when he discovers we are in love and will wed he will be doubly pleased. Who knows of our intention to wed?”
“Thomas,” Magnus said with a nod toward his friend. “I thought that you would prefer to tell Brigid, so I have said nothing, and now I see that it would be better if it remained a secret.”
“Aye, our wedding must wait.”
“Nay,” Magnus said adamantly. “It will not wait. We wed in a few weeks’ time. Brigid can be trusted to keep the plans a secret, and I expect this matter to be settled by then.”
“I agree she can keep a secret, but what of the present problem? What happens when the king’s men arrive?” Her voice was filled with concern. She would not have her friend suffer; she would do whatever was necessary to prevent it, even if it meant mapping for Kilkern.
“I know your thoughts, Reena, and do not even think it,” Magnus warned. “No map, no proof that this land is his, and he discredits himself in front of the king when he cannot produce the map. He is shamed before all and stripped of any possessions, even the small piece of land granted the Kilkern name in the wedding agreement.”
“Then your revenge is complete?” she asked.
“Aye, for he will have nothing and can do nothing but beg for even a morsel of food.”
“As you did?”
“I want him to have a taste of the life he and his father forced on my mother and me. Perhaps in the end I will be merciful and let him die with a full belly.”
There was not an ounce of compassion in his words, and Reena realized he must know what she had discovered last night. She shivered at the thought.
“For now our concern is Brigid. Kilkern will more than likely attempt to abduct her in hopes that Reena will barter for her safety. He had also made mention to the king that he would be lenient with Brigid if she returned the map to him, having her serve her punishment as service in his keep.”
Thomas snorted. “Service him is what he means.”
“True enough,” Magnus agreed, “but his leniency makes him appear a better man to the king. After all, she was a mere tenant on his land. Her punishment could be death for stealing from him.”
“But she is your tenant now and under your protection,” Reena said.
“But she is accused of stealing from one lord for the sake of another. That makes it another matter—the king’s matter, which Kilkern knew it would come down to in the end. I would present my map and wedding agreement to the king and my land would be returned to me. He approaches the king first with false accusations that allow him time to formulate a plan and produce a map that will dispute mine and in the end have Brigid for himself.”
“Where is Brigid now?” Reena asked.
“In the kitchen with Maura happily discussing food for our wedding,” Thomas said. “Two guards watch over her, though she does not know it. And all guards are on full alert to strangers or strange happenings.”
“Kilkern seems self-assured of victory,” Reena said with a brief shake of her head. “Almost as if he knows something we don’t.”
“He will prove himself a fool,” Magnus said with assurance.
“What of the king’s men?” Reena asked, worried.
“Kilkern will not allow it to go that far, for then Brigid would be useless to him after torture, and she will not be able to confess the location of the map, proving that no map ever existed. He wants us to snap at his bait so that he may hook his catch and feast off the victory.” Magnus grew silent a moment. “That will never happen. He will pay, pay as dearly as his father paid.”
“For now we wait?” Thomas asked.
“Why?” Reena said before Magnus could answer. “Waiting places Brigid in danger. Why not—”
Magnus turned angry eyes on her. “Do not say what I think you intend to say.”
“But I can end this simply by producing a map that in the end will be his downfall.”
“How is that?” Thomas asked.
“Do not encourage her,” Magnus said, his anger mounting.
Reena ignored him and explained. “Magnus remarked that his father’s map was crude, as it should be, since it was done many years ago. I would map as I map today, detailing the land that has changed since Magnus’s father possessed it. Once the two maps were shown to the king, he would realize the difference.”
Thomas turned to Magnus. “She makes sense.”
Magnus tempered his anger. “She would need to spend time alone with Kilkern.”
Reena was quick to interrupt. “Kilkern is not interested in me.”
“So say you,” Magnus said, “but I am not willing to take that chance.”
“I agree,” Thomas said. “Kilkern cannot be trusted.”
“Then we wait for what?” Reena asked, throwing her hands up in frustration.
“We wait for Kilkern to grow as impatient as you,” Magnus said with a playful tug of her hair. “Then he will make a mistake and I will be there to correct him.”
“You are certain?” she asked, his confidence truly that of a strong warrior.
“Aye, are you that certain?” Thomas asked. “I will not see her suffer in any way.”
“Nothing will happen to Brigid,” Magnus said adamantly.
“She needs to know,” Reena said. “This concerns her, and she has a right to know and be prepared for whatever may happen.”
Magnus turned to Thomas. “I will leave the decision to you. She is your woman, and the choice should be yours.”
“I will think on it.”
It was over an hour later that Reena finally returned to her room to map. Brigid had been busy with Maura, talking of her wedding celebration, and she had flung herself at Reena when she’d entered the kitchen. Reena had not seen Brigid that happy in a long time, and she thought about what Thomas had said. She realized he was right: Brigid should not be deprived of her happiness.
Reena made no mention of Magnus and her intention to wed; she did not feel it an appropriate time. She had much too much on her mind to spare talk on flowers, wedding finery and such, and she longed for the solitude of her bedchamber and the peace of mind she received from her mapping.
Unfortunately, her mind would not allow her peace. Her thoughts continued to drift to the secret room and the writing on the stone wall. Had she seen it clearly? Had she translated it correctly? But then with Magnus’s obvious hatred of the Kilkerns, he must know the truth.
Tormented by uncertainty, Reena decided the only way to settle it was to read the passage again. With torch in hand she climbed the stairs to the tower room and entered. Surprisingly, a fire was burning in the hearth, chasing the chill from the room. Reena shivered anyway, perhaps from the shadow of memories that haunted the place or from her own misgivings about what she had read.
She walked into the cell-sized room and kneeled on the wooden floor, positioning the torch so that the light was sufficient for her to read the troublesome passage. She brushed at the stone to make certain the lettering was clear, and she read the words etched there.
Time and again she read it, and time and again it read the same. She was not wrong; what she had read was correct.
“I like you as you are, but not here in this room.”
Magnus so startled her that she fell on her backside as she scrambled to stand. He went quickly to her side, helping her up and taking the torch from her hand to place it in the lone metal sconce in the room.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his arms circling her small waist.
“I did not expect you.” She sighed as if in relief.
“And I did not expect to find you here. I thought you to be in your bedchamber, mapping.”
“My intentions,” she admitted, “but I wished to read more of what your mother wrote.”
“I do not speak Latin. Someday you will tell me some of what she wrote, but not now.” He leaned down and captured her lips in a heartwarming kiss. “Now I want to make love to you. I have wanted to make love to you since this morning, when I woke to feel you warm and soft beside me, but you had little interest in loving.”
“Not true.” She moved her body against his, her need for him turning to a pleasurable ache. “You stirred my passion, but my body and mind wanted nothing more than to sleep.”
Magnus enjoyed the feel of her against him, his thoughts on the lovemaking they would soon share. “I promise you will have no trouble sleeping tonight.”
Lost in desire, she gave no thought to her response. “Good, then tonight I remain in bed.”
He was about to kiss her senseless when he stopped and asked, “Remain in bed? You left our bed last night?”
Her passion cooled instantly when she realized her mistake, and she silently chastised herself for being so foolish.
When she did not answer, Magnus asked, “Where did you go?”
“A brief walk in the keep to clear my mind,” she said, not looking directly at him.
He raised her chin with the tip of his finger. “That is no answer, and I do not intend to repeat the question. I want no secrets between us, Reena. I want us to trust enough to share all—after all, you did trust me enough to fall from a tree into my arms.”
She did trust him, and she knew that she would not be sharing something with him that he did not already know.
“I came up here to this room to read more of your mother’s writings. It must have torn at your heart when you learned that it was Robert Kilkern who shot the arrow that pierced your father’s heart.”
Chapter 29
“What did you say?” Magnus asked, his dark eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared. His deep voice was much too calm and in control.
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Reena held her breath for a moment, her mistake all too obvious: he had not known. “I am sorry,” was all she could think to say, feeling the pain that twisted at his heart.
He grabbed her arm and shoved her toward the wall. “Read me the passage.”
“Magnus—”
“Read it to me now,” he demanded through gritted teeth.
“I must kneel to read it,” she said, attempting to free herself.
He would not let her go: he kept a firm grip on her and lowered her to the floor so that she may read it to him, and Reena for a moment felt the fear of being shackled and imprisoned. She shook the disturbing thought off, reminding herself it was Magnus, the man who loved her, who had hold of her. He would never hurt her.
“Read it,” he demanded once more.
She knew that what she read would only bring him more pain, but she had no choice. “Your mother writes sparsely, since it was extremely difficult to etch in stone.”
He nodded. “Read it as she wrote it.”
She read with a tremble on her lips. “My heart hurts. Discovered Robert killed my beloved Brian. Land. Wants land.”
Dead silence followed, Magnus’s breathing grew heavy. He bared his teeth, and then he released a cry of torment that tore at the soul. When he finished, he reached down to yank Reena up against him.
His emotions warred like a raging storm in his dark eyes and across his handsome face. He looked torn as to what to do, for his emotions were at the extreme. He either loved or hated, and right now Reena was in his arms.
He captured her mouth with a kiss that left no room for her to respond, and his hands held her firm.
She understood his pain and his need, but he left no room for her to comfort him; he took and took like a man who ached to lose himself in someone he trusted and knew loved him and could take him to a place where pain and hurt did not exist.
He rushed her up against the stone wall, her feet unable to touch the floor, and he kissed her with a frightening need. His kiss turned more demanding than she thought possible, and after a few moments she found herself unable to breathe.
She tried to tell him, but he would not free her lips. It was as if he needed her breath to survive, the very essence of her soul to help ease his anguish.
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