Cara's Twelve

by Chantel Seabrook

  Cara allowed Tahdaon to help her down. He took her hand, not letting go until they reached a dark room littered with books and scrolls. Tahdaon went to the windows and pushed back the thick curtains to allow the sunlight in.

  Cara pushed her hood back and watched as he paced the room, shooting restless glances towards the open door.

  “Little brother.”

  Both Cara and Tahdaon turned at the sound of the woman's voice.

  “Tia,” Tahdaon said, his face lighting up as he strode towards the heavily pregnant woman and wrapped his arms around her.

  When Tahdaon pulled away, Cara noticed that there were tears in his sister's eyes.

  “When we heard what happened in Ashwater, we assumed you would come north, but we thought you would have arrived weeks ago. I was beginning to lose hope——”

  “We had to make a stop in Northlew,” Tahdaon informed.

  “We?” Tia said, her brows turning downwards.

  Tahdaon turned to Cara and with formality introduced her to his sister. A shadow of apprehension crossed Tia's features.

  “Dalgliesh is the safest place for her. Edmund will assume she went south with the others.”

  Tia continued to frown, as she turned back to Tahdaon and hissed, “Ballack will send his army here once he realizes that she is with you. Why would you bring her here?”

  Tahdaon breathed out heavily and his voice turned hard as he answered. “He will head north no matter if she is here or not. It's why I stopped in Drumna before heading to Muir. For your safety, you and mother need to come north with us.”

  Tia shook her head and rubbed her protruding belly. “As you can see little brother, I am in no condition to travel.”

  “Mama.”

  Cara watched as a dark haired toddler scurried into the room and tugged at Tia's dress.

  “Up, up.”

  Tia scooped him up and rested him awkwardly on her hip.

  “Tahdaon,” a large burly man with thick black hair said as he entered the room trailing his son. Taking Tahdaon's arm he patted him hard on the back. “It's good to see you.” Turning to his wife he gave her a reprimanding look and grabbed the squirming boy from her arms. “Put that child down, before you pull your back out.”

  The child squirmed in his arms until Tahdaon pulled out a small bag and handed it to the boy. “I made these for you Duffy,” he said, opening the bag to reveal a set of finely carved horses. “If you sit quietly and let me speak to your mama and dad, I'll let you keep them.”

  The child's eyes lit up as he squirmed from his father's arms and took the bag.

  Once the child sat content on the floor, all eyes turned to Cara.

  “Princess Cara,” the robust man said, bowing formally to her, his eyes kinder and more accepting than his wife's had been. He was composed and watchful, bearing no sign of unease at her unexpected presence. “I am Osker, the Viceroy of Dalgliesh. I welcome you to our home. You can stay here under our protection for as long as you need.”

  “Thank you,” Cara nodded in respect. “But I'm afraid your wife is right. The longer I stay in Drumna, the more I put you and your family at risk. We will head north as soon as possible.”

  “You will stay for the summer solstice,” a woman's voice, low and rich, commanded from the doorway.

  Everyone turned as a middle aged woman strode into the room. With the grace of a queen, she walked to Tahdaon and placed her hand on his cheek. When she smiled, Cara caught her breath. Despite the woman's years, and the grey that streaked in her dark hair, the woman was stunning.

  “Mother,” Tahdaon said in reverence, and Cara saw a measure of tension leave him as he embraced her.

  “I knew the goddess would look over you,” the older woman said softly, her eyes crinkling in happiness as she looked into her son's eyes. Turning her attention to Cara, she took a step towards her, tilted her head, and looked curiously at her. Finally she spoke, “And you, Cara of Crowthorne, Annul's chosen, I can see that the rumors were true. You are touched by the goddess herself. I am Baldwynne, but you may call me Wynne. It is an honor to finally meet you.”

  Cara was tongue-tied by the woman's bold presumption, but she took the woman's outstretched hand.

  “You will stay in Drumna for the celebration of the summer solstice. If it is Annul's will that you travel to Muir, then you will leave afterwards,” Wynne insisted. “Let us leave the men and get you settled.”

  Cara didn't have the energy to argue, nor did she want to. Instead, she smiled in gratitude and inclined her head in submission. “It has been a long journey, and I would very much appreciate a bath before dinner.”

  “I will have the servants draw one for you,” Tia sniffed, still frowning at her.

  “She will be staying in my room,” Tahdaon stated impassively, but Cara caught the hint of possessiveness in his voice.

  Osker cleared his throat to hide a laugh and Tia arched an eyebrow at her brother.

  Tahdaon's jaw clenched, and the tips of his ears went red, but he made no further comment.

  “Come,” Wynne said, patting Cara's hand. “I will show you to his room.”

  Cara followed, grateful for the woman's kindness.

  Cara heard Tahdaon curse and Osker howl in laughter as she left the room, and for the first time in months felt her own cheeks burn with embarrassment.

  “Tahdaon seems quite taken with you,” Wynne surmised once they were out of earshot of the men. “It is no small thing to be sure. He has always been reserved. Protective of his family to a fault, but even more vigilant in safeguarding his heart.”

  The thought made her heart quicken, but she tried not to show it. While she wasn't convinced that what Wynne said was true, she had seen a change in Tahdaon during the past few weeks. He wasn't nearly as sullen and secretive as he once was. Quicker to smile, and less likely to raise a cynical brow at her. If they had more time together she thought that perhaps he could come to care for her as she did him.

  “He's a good man,” Cara said softly. “I have come to care for him deeply.”

  Wynne's eye's brightened at Cara's confession, and then her eyes glassed over, her mouth drawing downwards in a frown.

  “Are you all okay?” Cara asked when Wynne stumbled.

  Wynne pressed her fingers to her temple and shook her head.

  “So much unnecessary bloodshed,” Wynne murmured under her breath. She straightened and her eyes once again focused on Cara's face. “Forgive me child.”

  “You're sure you're all right?”

  Wynne nodded, but this time her smile didn't reach her eyes.

  “There are some things that an old woman should not see,” she said cryptically.

  Cara didn't press her further as they walked through the corridors towards Tahdaon's chambers.

  “I will leave you to bathe and rest,” Wynne said once the servants had finished filling the large tub that had been placed in front of the hearth. Before she departed she asserted, “I realize that your tour has been disrupted, but that doesn't mean we can't still honor Annul with a private moon ceremony on the eve of the summer solstice. I will make the arrangements.”

  Wynne didn't give Cara the chance to voice her opinion.

  Cara let out a long breath once she was finally alone. Undressing, she soaked in the large tub and allowed her thoughts to drift to Finn and the other men. She wondered where they were now and prayed that they had made it to their destinations safely.

  Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back and let the warm water relax her aching muscles. She must have dozed, because she didn't hear the bedroom door open, or Tahdaon undress. She only realized he was there when he slid into the bath with her. In a sleepy haze, she didn't startle as he lifted her and positioned himself so that her back was pressed against his chest.

  “It isn't safe to fall asleep in a tub,” he murmured against her ear.

  “I was just resting my eyes,” she fibbed, entwining her fingers in his. “What did Osker say? Is he willing
to fight alongside the southern provinces?”

  “He knows he has no other choice. If Ballack defeats the south he will turn his attentions north. Osker understands that. He's sending a runner to Muir to inform my older brothers to bring their men to Drumna.”

  “Should we not stay here then?”

  “Muir is still more protected and it's further away from Edmund's grasp. We will remain here for a few weeks and then head north. There are rumors that Ballack has sent troops to the border city of Knowl. If the rumors are true, then he could be planning on attacking Dalgliesh sooner than we anticipate. I don't want you anywhere near here if that happens.”

  Consumed by their thoughts of impending war, they sat in silence for a long time until the water had cooled.

  Cara shivered and she didn't protest as Tahdaon lifted her out of the bath and placed her in his bed.

  He positioned himself on top of her, and Cara groaned at how good he tasted as he lowered his mouth to hers. He made love to her slowly and passionately, and when they were both spent, he gathered her into his arms and held her tightly against his chest until they both fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  * * *

  They celebrated the summer solstice in the privacy of the castle walls. Wynne, who was considered among the people of Dalgliesh to be anointed by the goddess herself, oversaw the ceremony.

  Cara was overwhelmed by the aura of power that surrounded Wynne as she called upon Annul. The woman's voice was rich alto that resonated throughout the room.

  “Goddess of light, Giver of life,

  Hear your daughter's cry.

  May your hand rest upon the good,

  And smite the wicked.”

  When Wynne placed her hands on Cara's bowed head, a liquid energy surged through her body and coursed through her veins. The woman continued to chant over her. A flash of light blinded Cara momentarily, and she gasped in alarm as a searing heat burned through her womb.

  “A daughter for the north, a child for the south.

  Through one will the land become two,

  A new era has begun,

  Annul has spoken, Let it be so.”

  The words sounded prophetic and Cara's knees grew weak as she realized that the woman spoke of a child. Cara had been careful to follow Maeve's precautionary advice, but since leaving Ashwater she hadn't thought of protecting herself from conceiving. It hadn't been necessary. Not when Tahdaon had kept his distance. No, it wasn't possible.

  Cara's shook violently as Wynne guided her to Tahdaon and joined their hands, binding them with a scarlet rope.

  Wynne blew on their fused hands, and Cara felt the floor shift under her feet. In her mind she saw the child that Wynne had prophesized. In the ruble of a war-torn country, the girl grew and stood on the cliffs of Drumna. Tall, with jet black hair and eyes the color of sapphires, she stood alone, crowned as the Queen of the North. Another woman arose from the ashes of a fallen Elbia, her eyes the color of amber, her hair a golden hue, the color of a wheat field at harvest was crowned as the Queen of the South. The women stood facing each other, united and yet separate.

  The image was there and then gone, and Cara blinked several times before her eyes readjusted to her surroundings.

  Cara glanced up at Tahdaon who looked as shaken as she felt. His blue eyes searched her face, and Cara knew that he had shared the vision.

  It wasn't until they were alone in the sanctuary of his room that Cara began to relax.

  “Did you see that?” Cara asked, taking the cup of wine that Tahdaon offered and drinking deeply.

  Tahdaon frowned as he nodded. “My mother has always had a strong connection with the goddess. She has been sought out for her visions, but I have never experienced it myself, as I did tonight.”

  Cara bit her lip and hesitated before she admitted, “I never believed in any of this. Not really. But…”

  “There are some things that we can't know,” Tahdaon offered. “I don't believe we are judged by our lack of faith in what is unseen. There are those who live their lives seeking to know the unknowable, wanting to know the future, but I wonder what good it does to have such insight.”

  Cara nodded in agreement. They hadn't asked for the visions they received, and Cara wondered if there was any truth to what they had seen. If there was, she didn't understand the images anyways. What good did it do them?

  “Do you think she is right? Cara asked, finishing her wine and setting the cup on the table. “Will Elbia be divided? Is it possible that Ballack will win?”

  Tahdaon shook his head. “Who are we to decipher what will be before it happens? All we have is now.”

  Cara went to him when he opened his arms to her. In his arms she could almost believe him.

  Tahdaon sighed as he held her.

  Rising up on her tiptoes, Cara placed a light kiss on his lips. Every day that they spent together the more her feelings grew for him. She still missed Finn, and she hadn't lied when she told him she loved him, but her time alone with Tahdaon had changed her. She had grown stronger in his presence. Tahdaon trusted her opinion more than Finn had ever done, and that alone gave her the confidence to face each new day, and the challenges that lay ahead of them.

  She didn't know what would happen once the other men returned, but she knew she didn't want to lose what she had with Tahdaon.

  Cara didn't like thinking about what was to come, but she knew she had to look forward, to think about what she would do once they defeated Ballack and Edmund. Once the fighting was over, if they were able to crush the rebellion, she would be crowned Queen, and would be required to marry one of the Twelve. A country torn apart by war, they would never accept a Dalglieshan king. No, she knew she could never be able to choose Tahdaon, not even if she wanted to. She was not a fool to agonize over what could not be. Still, there was a part of her that wished things could be different.

  “I know you said you could never love me,” Cara said softly, placing her hands on either side of his face. “And I've accepted that. But I want you to know that no matter what happens between us, I love you Tahdaon.”

  He stiffened momentarily and something crossed his expression that Cara couldn't discern. He let out an elongated breath as he looked at her. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself. Instead, he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her.

  When he pulled back, the emotions written on his face were too many and too complex to decipher. He met her eyes with reluctance. “Cara, I——”

  She placed her finger over his lips to stop him. “Don't say anything.”

  Taking his hands, she led him to the bed and smiled up at him as she seductively removed the pins from her ceremonial garment and let the fabric fall to the floor. He was right, all they had was now, and she would enjoy the precious moments she had with him.

  “It's our moon ceremony,” she said huskily as she began removing his clothes, her heart beating faster as unrelenting desire surged through her blood. “I think it's obvious that I have accepted you. So the question remains…” she bit her lip as her hand toyed with his long hard shaft. “Do you accept me?”

  Tahdaon groaned his answer. “Always.”

  Chapter 28

  Cara and Tahdaon remained in Drumna an additional three weeks, but the time that passed brought no word save the rumor that Crantock had moved its cavalry northeast towards the City of Annul where Ballack was reported to have taken up residence.

  “We should have heard something from them by now,” Cara said as she paced the large room she shared with Tahdaon.

  “Any runners sent would have to pass through Hellstrom to get here. It's not unusual that we haven't heard from them.” Tahdaon stood and walked towards her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

  “I'm worried. What if they didn't make it?”

  “I'll go down to the barracks. Talk with Osker. If there have been any new reports he will know about it.”

  When Tahdaon had gone, Cara sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her hands over
her eyes. The waiting and not knowing was the worst part. They should have heard from Finn by now. If he had made it safely to Crantock, he would have sent a messenger weeks ago. They should have heard something by now, even if it was bad news.

  “I have a letter for you, my lady,” a servant girl said from the open door of her Tahdaon's chambers.

  Cara frowned as the girl handed her the sealed envelope. “Where did you get this?”

  “A man. In the marketplace. He asked me to give it to you.”

  “You told him I was here?” Cara demanded.

  The girl took an uneasy step backwards and looked down at the floor. “I assumed he knew, my lady. Why else would he ask me to give you the letter? I'm sorry if I did something wrong.”

  Cara dismissed her. “Never mind, the damage is already done. Leave me.”

  The girl curtsied and quickly left the room.

  Cara's stomach turned as she stared at the unopened letter. Whoever had delivered it now knew for certain that she was in Drumna. It was possible that the note was from Finn or one of the other men, but they wouldn't have been so foolish as to deliver it in her name.

  With shaky hands she broke the seal and read the brief letter.

  She let out a relieved breath as she noted the signature on the bottom of the page. It was from Wesley. He had escaped Ashwater unharmed.

  She had believed that he had been captured or worse during their escape, but he had made it out safely, finding refuge in Northlew before heading to Drumna to find her.

  For the first time in months, Cara was optimistic. If Wesley had survived, then it was possible that the others had fled unharmed as well.

  In his letter, Wesley asked her to meet him alone in the stables, uncertain if Tahdaon would see him as an enemy, and not wanting to incite his anger if he did.

  Wesley had always been fearful of Tahdaon, and Cara wasn't surprised that he was concerned about Tahdaon's reaction. He had never fully trusted Wesley, and she knew he wouldn't take well to his abrupt arrival.