by Lisa Shea
“As you wish.”
She soaked in the warmth of his body next to hers. Almost of its own accord, her hand slid along the cool stone until her fingers were resting alongside his. Then, with the slightest of movements, she put just two fingers on top of his, the gentlest of connections. He went still beside her, not moving, not disturbing the moment. She resonated with the palpable power in their touch, in the contact which joined them. They sat that way for a half hour, maybe more, the cool night air drifting around them, the keep before them in its glowing beauty.
Finally Kay gave a yawn and drew herself to her feet. Reese stood as well, staring down at her.
“Until morning,” he offered, his eyes holding hers.
Kay found herself not wanting to leave, not wanting to turn … but she forced herself to, to move down the narrow stairs, across the courtyard, and up to her room. She tumbled into her empty bed, but she knew she faced a sleepless night where all that mattered was the sun coming up over that horizon again.
Chapter 10
The sun was not quite up yet when Kay made her way into the courtyard the next morning, but Reese stood there at the ready, both horses saddled and fresh. Kay found herself blushing and moved quickly to her horse to hide her emotions. In a moment she had mounted, Reese was at her side, and the horses walked slowly through the main gates.
They rode in an easy silence, the gentle calling of birds echoing around them as the faintest hints of golden light stretched across the dewy grass. The drops of water glistened like a sea of sparkles before them. They made their way up a small hill, and before long they were about halfway between the keep and the chapel.
“Here, stop please,” requested Kay, turning her horse to face back toward the keep.
Reese did not question her, but turned to remain at her side, and together they looked out over the landscape.
A rich hue saturated the fields, the mountains, the stone of the long wall, and the trees beyond. And then in an instant the sun slipped above the horizon and the world blazed into color. The rich greens of the earth, the deep blue of the sky, the pearlescent line of grey encircling the keep, it all bloomed into a rich beauty. Although Kay had seen it hundreds of times, it still brought tears to her eyes to look at it.
Her voice was hoarse. “Is that not the most beautiful thing you have ever seen in your life?”
She turned to look at Reese, and found he was staring at her, his eyes looking down her auburn tresses, to her lips, back to her eyes again.
He nodded in agreement, and Kay sighed in relief. Jack had been wrong. Reese did appreciate the keep; did see the beauty in her corner of the world. Everything was going to be all right.
“I need to leave you,” she commented finally, glancing up toward the chapel.
Reese’s face tensed. “Leave me?” he asked, his voice tight.
Kay gently smiled, tossing her head up toward the chapel. “I would miss out on my sanctuary time if we lingered here all morning.”
“Oh!” Reese looked back toward the small stone building, and he nodded. “Yes, of course. I will see you later, then, at our appointed time?”
“I would not miss it for the world,” agreed Kay. “Until then?”
“I will be waiting,” promised Reese, bowing his head. Kay found herself resisting any motion, but at last she gave her horse a prod, nudging him up the hill and heading toward her morning workout with Leland and Eli.
Eli’s young face was bright with excitement as she pulled to a stop, and he stabled her horse in record time. He caught back up with her just as Leland finished strapping her into her gear.
“There are only two left!” the lad called out in excitement. “Do you know which you will choose?”
Kay blushed crimson and focused on the short path which led to the clearing behind the chapel. “I am still deciding,” she mumbled half to herself. “Both men seem admirable in their own way.”
Leland drew his sword and saluted to her, his mouth quirking into a smile. “I hear Galeron is a mite enthusiastic about cataloguing the keep’s faults.” He rested his sword against his right shoulder.
Kay brought her own sword angled downward and to the left, its tip skimming the surface of the ground. She nodded at the comment. “I admit it irks me, but it needs to be done. We want the keep to be secure. Galeron is right – these issues need to be fixed if we are to hold off an attack.”
Leland swung his sword in a high arc toward her left shoulder. She shifted her weight to her back foot, drawing the tip of her blade up, catching Leland’s blade with hers and deflecting his blow off to her right. In a flash she shifted to her forward foot, bringing her sword down with a gentle rap against his head.
Leland nodded in satisfaction, stepped back, and reset his sword to his right shoulder again.
Eli’s young voice piped up with laughter. “You had better not tell Galeron about the ocean-side tunnels, then,” he advised. “That would fill reams of journals, to document those all!”
Kay smiled in agreement, watching Leland’s sword come down at her from her left, retreating back a half step, again deflecting the blow with a sure motion.
Leland reached over to twist her wrist. “Keep that cross guard at an angle, to make sure it catches the blade,” he advised. “Try that again.” He reset and swung a third time, and Kay focused on orienting the blade properly to counter.
“Better,” he agreed, stepping back to reset. “As for those tunnels,” he added, glancing at Eli, “those were checked and sealed up decades ago. Lord Weston’s grandfather had wild ideas about escape routes, but as you know tunnels can be used in both ways. Long before now, Lord Weston took care of those threats.”
Eli chuckled. “There certainly are a lot of them,” he commented. “I have spent every day crawling in and out of them, and I swear I could be at it all year and still not know them all.”
Kay nodded, deflecting a fourth blow, then a fifth. “I have been in those tunnels for many years myself,” she returned, “and I think they get more confusing each time I go down into them. Perhaps they multiply when they are not being watched?”
“That is it exactly!” cried out Eli, his eyes alight with glee. “They are faery tunnels!”
Kay laughed with mirth, and then Leland began his attacks in earnest. She lost herself in the thrill of deflection, attack, and counter-attack under the darkening sky, as billowing grey clouds slid in from the east.
Chapter 11
Em shook her head. “If you keep that up you will wear a path in the carpet,” she chuckled, watching her sister. “I know it is raining out, but surely there is something you can find to do to distract yourself from whatever is eating at you.”
“A sparring practice is what I need,” ground out Kay in frustration. “Unfortunately, my partner seems a bit rounder than usual right now.”
Em patted her abdomen in satisfaction. “I am, and I am very happy to be so,” she agreed. “I can always spar in a few years, once I have begun the family properly.”
Kay turned and headed back down the length of the room again. “If only this cursed rain would let up. It was fine this morning … but look at it now!”
Em smiled fondly at her sister. “If only there were a practice sword in the keep somewhere, so you could work out your frustrations without leaving the building.”
Kay frowned. “The moment I headed into the guard area, one or both of the men would be after me to see what I was up to, and where would that leave me?”
Em shook her head. “I was thinking of a pair of wooden swords, in the basement.”
Kay looked up, her eyes brightening. “Do you think they are still down there?”
Her sister shrugged her shoulders. “There is only one way to find out …”
Kay did not wait for her to finish the thought. She made her way quickly to the door, almost skipping down the stairs, down to the pantry level. Reese was standing in the guard room, talking with Jevan, but she barely saw them as she passed throug
h. She turned left before the workroom, moving to the sturdy wooden door.
With an effort she pushed the massive door open, reaching to the ledge on the right to pull the torch off its hook. She lit it on the storeroom’s main fire, and then returned to the cellar door and made her way down the musty stairs into the large room below. She went from torch to torch, creating a ring of light around the cluttered room.
The basement stretched perhaps the whole length and width of the main hall two floors above it; the walls were lined with shelves and boxes of supplies. The central area was kept open and well swept. She and her sister had spent many wonderful hours down here playing together, sparring with each other, practicing while their parents held dinners and social gatherings above. It was their secret retreat; their hideaway from the world. And their swords were normally tucked …
Kay dug into the lowest shelf on the back wall, and her heart leapt in delight. The brown sack was still there, the familiar two shapes nestled within. She pulled them out and laid them on a nearby crate. The wooden swords were proportioned for their height, but were in all other ways identical to the practice swords used by the men upstairs. She traced her hands down the blades with a smile. One had a “K” carved into it, the other an “M.” The workmanship was exquisite, and she still remembered clearly when Leland had presented the swords to the sisters several years ago.
She picked up her sword, whirled it around her head for a moment, and a blanket of calm eased over her. This is what she needed. She moved from one guard to another, relishing the security of the sword in her hand, relaxing with the sure sequence of movements. A deflection for a high attack. A counter-cut when both swords were high. The turning thrust. She was safe, she was secure, she was in control. She went through her practice moves and she could feel the tension melting from her shoulders. A twisting leap …
Her foot landed on a loose ball of twine and she stumbled slightly, landing with her sword hard against the outer wall. The noise rang out in a strange, hollow fashion.
She drew to a stop, confused.
She walked forward toward the wall, putting a hand out to it. The stone was the same cool, grey stone which made up most of the keep structure. It felt just as solid and real as any other stone making up the bones of this building.
She struck it again, and again there was a hollow ring to it. An almost echo.
She moved along the wall, striking as she went, and in most places the wall was sturdy, the noise dying out almost instantly. But not here. Not for about five feet on the side which faced the ocean.
She put the sword down on the crate, and took the stairs two at a time. Maybe Leland would know about this. He had spent many years out at the keep with her father, and undoubtedly the two had talked about the work done on the keep. Could these be the tunnels he had mentioned earlier?
She flung open the cellar door - and ran headlong into Reese’s chest. The tankard of ale he was carrying splashed full across her dress, soaking her thoroughly.
“Kay!” he cried out in surprise. “What in the world -”
She grabbed his hand and pulled him back down the stairs. “Never mind that,” she responded, drawing him to the bottom and across the room. “What do you make of that?”
He glanced down at the two wooden swords, picking up the one closest to him, engraved with the letter “K.” “These are very fine quality,” he commented with curiosity. “Quite well made.” He glanced at the other one. “K? M? Do these belong to the two sisters?”
Kay flushed crimson and turned her face, hoping the torchlight hid her reaction. “Yes,” she agreed. “Keren-happuch sent me down to fetch them. She wanted to put them safely in her room, to keep them out of harm’s way.”
She grabbed the sword out of his hand, forestalling further investigation, and then swung it hard at the wall. That odd echoing noise sounded throughout the room again. Reese’s head swiveled immediately, distracted from the swords, staring at the grey stone.
“Do that again,” he asked, focusing intensely.
Kay complied, striking harder, and again the sound echoed through the room with a hollow reverberation.
Reese picked up the other sword and, as she had done previously, began moving along the wall. He struck the stone in various locations, narrowing down the area of interest. Finally he stepped back, staring at the wall.
“About five feet wide,” he mused, “and clearly different from the surrounding structure.”
“Maybe it is the tunnels Leland spoke of!” enthused Kay.
Reese turned to look at her in confusion. “What tunnels?”
Kay smiled. “Old smuggling tunnels,” she confided. “Leland said that … Lord Weston … had them filled in long ago – at least the ones he could find. They were a legacy from Lord Weston’s grandfather and his fear of being trapped in the keep without a way to get out.”
Reese gave another hard rap to the wall. “It sounds like this one, at least, was not fully filled in.” His eyes roamed the wall, and suddenly he dropped to one knee, brushing at the stone. “What is this? Maybe a note about the tunnel?”
“What, let me see,” insisted Kay, and she dropped to her knees besides him.
He pointed at a carving in the grey stone.
Kay looked at the stone, and then rocked back, flushing even more deeply. She had forgotten about that.
There, carved into the stone over ten years ago, was a crudely shaped heart. She had done that over the course of several years, making the lines deeper and deeper, leaving her mark on her sanctuary. Within the heart was “Kay”, and then a plus sign, and below it … nothing.
“That … that was me,” she admitted quietly.
Reese brushed away more of the dirt, and suddenly he was silent. The moment stretched on. Finally, he quietly commented, “I suppose you were interrupted before you could write in the name of your true love.”
Kay shook her head, staring again at the carven heart. She could feel the angst and hope and dreams of those years, of coming down to stare at the heart, to wish against all odds …
“No,” she responded in a whisper.
“I do not understand …”
Kay reached out a hand and ran her finger along the edge of the heart. “There was never anyone,” she admitted, and she echoed with the pain as she put it into words. “There was no man who loved this place as much as I did, who I could trust to stand by my side, to stay with me, to defend its walls with the passion I felt.” Her shoulders hunched. “There was never anyone.”
She drew her hand back, staring at the heart. “I always hoped that someday, somehow, I would find a man who was content with this rocky corner of the world, who was content with -”
Her throat closed up, and she could not continue.
“Content with you,” finished Reese quietly.
Kay found she could only nod in agreement.
Reese was silent for a long moment. He glanced up at the wall before them, then gave himself a small shake. “Maybe we should let Galeron know of this, for his notes to shore up the keep -”
“No!” cried out Kay, grabbing at his arm.
He stilled instantly, turning to look at her.
“Not this,” insisted Kay, knowing her feeling was irrational, but she could not stop herself. “I do not want Galeron to see this.”
Reese nodded slowly. “As you wish,” he agreed. He stood, and offered his hand down to her.
She took it, drew herself up to be by his side, but she could not bring herself to release his fingers from hers, to release the warm touch of his hand in hers.
It was Reese who finally broke the spell. “Do not forget the swords Keren-happuch sent you for,” he reminded her. “Undoubtedly she hopes to give her sister, Mary Magdalene, hers back as well.” He reached over and picked up the pair of wooden weapons. “K and M,” he read, handed them to her.
Kay nodded, then moved through the room, putting out the torches, before heading back up the stairs toward the light.
Kay looked over Galeron with a careful eye, her feet tucked beneath her, watching as he went over his detailed notes yet again with her sister. She listened as the words rolled out of his mouth, as he detailed the pounds of lard, the quantity of wood beams, the man-hours of effort that would go into making the Serenor Keep come up to his standards.
He was certainly a handsome man, she determined, taking a sip of her ale. His jet-black curls hung almost in ringlets around his face, and his dark eyes were sharp, engaged in their task. His red cloak cascaded over his wide shoulders, catching on one side where his sword hung. His hands were steady and sure as they flipped through the pages in his codex.
Galeron would certainly be good with the details, with tracking the harvest and ensuring every last grain of wheat was accounted for. Logically, this should make her content.
“Kay? I am leaving now …” Galeron was standing, smiling down at her, and she blushed. Apparently she had lost track of time, become unaware of the goodbyes which had been going on before her.
“Yes, of course,” she replied with a smile. “Enjoy your morning ride.”
He swept down a bow toward her, then one toward the black curtain, and in a moment he had strolled out the door. To Kay’s surprise, Reese did not come sauntering in at the same time, and her heart tightened. She forced herself to laugh, to shrug off the sensation. He would be here soon. With the contest coming down to only the two men, it was natural that the schedule would be off a little.
Em’s voice floated through the curtain wall. “So, we have a pair of final contenders,” she commented quietly, her usual levity tempered by a note of seriousness. “Things become far more difficult.”
Kay leant back on the couch, tension settling into her shoulders. “The two men both have admirable traits; both seem perfectly suited in some ways.” She glanced up toward the curtain. “I know you, with your logical mind. You would argue in favor of Galeron.”
There was a long pause. “I admit, there is a lot to be said for someone who pays attention to the details, who can ensure that nothing is overlooked,” admitted Em thoughtfully. “We are talking about the safety of almost a hundred people, after all. It is an awesome responsibility.”
