“You’re right,” she conceded. “If Father’s knights find him, he’ll fight and he won’t surrender. But he wouldn’t feel threatened by us. If a conversation is all he wants…”
I held my breath, waiting for her to work it out.
“What if I’m wrong about Tobias? He did hurt you. I’m not forgetting that.”
I cast my eyes about, trying to come up with an answer. They fell to the archery equipment we had been using. “I’ll take a bow. I’ll try to find a place to watch where he won’t see me.”
She swallowed, her face a bit pale. “And what if you had to use it? Would you really be able to shoot someone?”
My voice shook as I answered. “If it was all I could do to protect you, to protect Rhys, then yes.” She was clearly reluctant and I had to ask. “Are you really willing to do this?”
She nodded slowly, resigned. “Tobias is in our lives because of me. And maybe I need to have this conversation as much as he does.”
We stared at each other, our decision made, but unable to move.
“Are we mad to think we can do this alone?” she asked.
It didn’t matter if we were or not. This was the simplest way, and I had to believe that if we approached without guards, Tobias would honor his word. “I don’t think we have a choice.”
Her eyes swept the trees, then focused on me. “We need horses.”
There were only a few guards left at the manor and each had taken up a defensive position. None of them had considered that they would need to prevent us leaving. I asked a young groomsmen to help us saddle two horses, and he did so without question or suspicion.
We walked the horses into the trees before mounting.
“Nathaniel is going to be livid,” I muttered as I pulled myself into the saddle.
“Everyone is going to be livid,” Lorraina corrected as we headed to the road leading north toward Sorel.
I knew that our guards would follow as soon as they found us missing, which they would as soon as someone noticed Joe. They would find the note that we had left tucked under his saddle and come after us. I was counting on it. For though I hoped to resolve the situation with the simple conversation Tobias wanted, I took heart in knowing that we wouldn’t be left to our own devices for long, and that the guard would be ready to take care of Tobias.
An hour later, we stopped as the fortress came into sight through the trees. It wasn’t just old; it was in ruins. Only a small portion of the roof remained, one wall was nothing but rubble, and another was half as tall as it once had been. The keep rose above the outer walls, more solid than the rest where it stood at the center of the fortress, the last and strongest defense. The forest had grown up around it, encroaching on the walls, even making its way inside. It was haunting, and beautiful.
“Now what?” Lorraina’s words drew my attention to where she sat atop her horse, back rigid, jaw tight.
I turned back toward the structure, trying to figure the best way to approach. The front gate was raised half way and looked as though it had rusted in place long ago. “Your approach needs to be direct. If he’s watching, then he needs to see you coming. Ride up to the gate, leave your horse outside, and walk in.”
She nodded.
“But only after I get inside.”
There was no guarantee that any move I made would go unnoticed, but I’d just have to try. “I’ll go in there,” I said, pointing at the missing wall. “And hopefully I’ll be able to find them without being seen.”
“Where do you think they are?”
“I have no idea. Hopefully they are somewhere in the yard, so that I can use the keep to watch from above.” I gazed up at the battlements surrounding the roof of the keep. Most were intact, though some had crumbled away.
“What if he’s in the keep? That is the most defendable position.”
I sighed. “I’m hoping that he wants to talk with you more than he wants to defend himself. But if he is in the keep, you need to get him to come down.”
She turned to me and her gaze was steady. “I’ll watch from here. When you get inside, I’ll ride up to the gate.”
I slid from my mount, grabbed my bow, and headed for the wall.
“Lylin.”
I turned to look at Lorraina.
“We really are insane, you know.”
I shrugged, trying not to over-think anything. “Sometimes insanity is necessary.”
She shook her head. “That doesn’t make me feel better.”
“Tobias won’t hurt you,” I reminded her, and I meant it.
“I’m not worried about me.”
I tried to give a reassuring smile. “He won’t hurt me either.”
I hurried through the trees, staying among the denser foliage and slowing as I neared the crumbling fortification. I crouched down when I reached the corner. Rubble littered the ground, broken chunks of stone from the fallen wall hiding among the grass. I peered inside the opening, looking into each corner, listening for any sign of Tobias or Rhys. There was none. I climbed carefully over the moss-covered stones, keeping to the shadows by the wall as I searched for the brothers.
I nocked an arrow, holding my bow ready, the tip pointed at the ground. Finding the entrance to the keep, I decided not to search the entire yard, but to seek the high ground. I climbed the stairs, my chest tight, my hand fisted around my bow. The sound of my breathing shattered the stillness around me, making me more nervous.
I tried to remind myself that Tobias cared for Lorraina, that even if I was discovered, he wouldn’t hurt me. I had to believe that, or I would lose my nerve. But my roiling fear continued with each stair. I reached the upper floor and peered around at the rudimentary living space before continuing up to the roof.
“Tobias.”
I froze, startled by Lorraina’s voice as she called out, trying to get his attention. If he was in the keep and decided to come down at the sound of her voice, then I was in the worst possible position. But instead of his footsteps pounding down the stairs toward me, I heard his voice somewhere down in the yard.
“Lorraina, you have come.” His voice sounded flat. Not charming, or cajoling, or angry. It was almost emotionless and left me without any clue of his intentions. I forced myself to move and ran up the rest of the stairs. Coming out into the sunlight, I approached the crenelated wall with caution and found a crumbling battlement that allowed me to look out. Tobias stood alone in the middle of the yard, his hands behind his back. I had to lean out to see Lorraina where she stood, just inside the rusted gate.
“Where are the guards?” Tobias asked with disconcerting calm.
“You said you wanted to speak with me. Why would I need guards?” She stepped forward, and the only indication of fear was in her hands as they crushed the fabric of her skirts.
“You expect me to believe that you came entirely on your own?”
“I said there were no guards, not that I was alone. Lylin is waiting outside.”
“You brought her here?”
Lorraina nodded.
“She didn’t want to join us?” A hint of his usual sneer was back.
“I might not have any reason to fear you, but she certainly does.” Her hands stilled as anger seeped into her voice. “How could you do that?”
His back stiffened and I gripped my bow, preparing for his defensive anger. But then his shoulders slumped and he hung his head. It was a stance I had never expected to see on Tobias. He shook his head. “I don’t know. You were taken from me. I wanted to take her from him.”
“I wasn’t taken from you, Tobias. You drove me away.” It was a statement of fact.
He looked up, but remained uncharacteristically silent.
Lorraina bit her lower lip and looked away, giving the tiniest shake of her head. “Somehow, I really thought that it was some kind of accident—that you hadn’t meant to hurt her. I hoped, so desperately, that that was the case.” She looked back at him, pain written on her face. “What have you done? Where do you go f
rom here?”
A disconcerting calm fell over him. “What happens after this day is irrelevant. I appreciate you coming to speak with me.”
“Your note said that Rhys was with you. Where is he?”
He narrowed his eyes and some of the stiffness returned to his back. “You wish to discuss Rhys?”
“My sister cares for him, and I do not want to see her hurt again. Where is he, Tobias?”
“I’m here.” The sound of Rhys’s strained voice pulsed in my chest and I searched for the source, but he wasn’t in my sightline. Lorraina moved farther into the yard until she spotted him.
“You said he was unharmed!” she yelled as she ran toward the wall of the keep. I realized as she disappeared from view that Rhys must have been directly below me, but I didn’t dare bend out over the wall to see him, knowing that my movement would draw Tobias’s attention.
“He’s fine,” Tobias stated. “It’s only a bump to the head.”
“A bump? He’s bleeding!” Lorraina’s voice floated up to me and my stomach clenched.
“Leave him until we’ve finished talking.”
“I will not speak with you while he is bound. Where is the key?”
A cruel fire lit Tobias’s eyes, and I raised my bow, my arm trembling. His lip pulled back in a sneer. “You can’t stand to see your lover bound?”
“Stop it, Tobias!” She stepped toward Tobias just enough that I could see her. Her fists were clenched, her entire body shaking. “Rhys and I never had feelings for each other, and you know that. This is not about Rhys, this is about us.”
“Us?” His voice held menace. “There was never an us, Lorraina, because you would not allow it. Remember? I am an untitled nobody.”
“And what have you become now? A danger to your family?” She turned her back on him, returning to Rhys.
“I said leave him be!” Tobias snapped, and the aggression that I had been waiting for lashed out all at once. He drew his sword, pointing where Lorraina must have been. “I will say my piece first,” he spat.
Lorraina strode forward, stopping only when she stood directly in front of his sword. She spread her arms wide. “Speak,” was all she said, then dropped her arms as Tobias’s sword started to shake.
For a moment I forgot to breathe, waiting for the tension to break, waiting to see which way Tobias’s careening emotions would take him. Lorraina stood bold and unwavering, refusing to look away, until Tobias dropped his arm, the tip of his blade biting into the dirt at his feet.
I relaxed my arm, lowering my bow. My hand bumped the wall and a loose piece of stone fell from the battlement to the ground below.
Tobias looked up and I pulled back, pressing my back to the stone wall.
“Oh, Lylin,” Tobias sang.
My chest seized up and my breath quickened.
“You can come out now.”
I pounded my fist into the wall behind me, sucking a breath through my teeth.
Tobias’s voice floated up to me. “Do you really want to test me when I have your love bound and at my disposal?”
I wanted to believe he wouldn’t hurt them, to have faith that some bit of good in him would win out. But trusting him would be idiotic. So I stood tall and crossed to the stairway, ignoring my churning stomach. I pulled the quiver from my shoulder as I descended. Any weapon I carried would put him on the defensive. He could turn more volatile, more unpredictable.
So then what defense did I have? He had wanted Lorraina here. Instead of fleeing when his brother had caught up to him, he was using Rhys as leverage. I had to believe that his desire to make restitution with Raina would triumph over his petty need for revenge. Otherwise I had no hope.
I exited the keep, passing along its outer wall and pausing only long enough to drop my quiver and bow before approaching the yard. The arched doorway where two massive doors had once hung now held only one, askew and threatening to fall. Passing beneath the shadow of the archway, a shiver ran down my spine. I took in the scene before me. Lorraina stood ten paces to my right, her arms wrapped around herself. A movement in the corner caught my eye as Rhys climbed to his feet, stepping toward me, only to have his shackled wrists prevent him. He yanked on them, the chain connecting them rattling as it skidded back and forth through the brass ring bolted to the wall.
Tobias waited in the center of the yard, his sword tip stuck into the ground in front of him, his hands resting on top of it like a cane. He bowed. “Welcome.”
“Tobias, don’t,” Lorraina begged.
“Don’t what, Raina?” He held a hand out to me. “I only wanted your sister to join us. I thought she was outside, not skulking in the keep.”
I fixed my eyes on Rhys once more, and though my insides tied in knots, I couldn’t keep myself from going to him.
“Going somewhere, Princess?”
Tobias’s snide question made me pause. I lifted my chin, but my voice still shook. “I’m going to check on your brother.” I forced myself to continue, but kept an eye on Tobias. He sneered, but didn’t move to stop me. When I was a few paces from Rhys, I ran to him.
His chains clanked as he circled me in his arms. Then he turned my back to the wall, placing his body between me and Tobias. “You shouldn’t have come,” he murmured in my ear. “What were you thinking? You shouldn’t have come.”
“I was afraid of what he would do to you if he were cornered by my father’s knights.”
“So you came alone?” He pulled back, taking my face in his hands and searching my eyes.
“I had to.” His face was worse than I had thought. “How are you like this? What did he do?”
“I was a fool.” Devastation emanated from him. “I gave him too much credit. I had convinced myself he would be reasonable if I came alone, if I didn’t attack first. I was wrong. He didn’t even give me a chance. The moment I stepped through the doorway, he clubbed me with the hilt of his sword.”
I pushed his hair back, examining the cut and the swelling around it.
“That’s what I get for believing his goodness might win out.”
“It still can.” My assertion was feeble.
“How do you know?”
“I don’t. I only hope.” And that hope was dimming, but I had to try. So I closed my eyes and hung on to Rhys’s arms, shoring up my courage. Then I stepped away from him.
“Lylin, don’t.” He reached for me, but I moved closer to Tobias. He was observing us, looking disgusted and amused at the same time.
“We are here, Tobias. Your brother is here. Lorraina is here. What is it that you want from us?” My words were more bold than I felt.
His upper lip twitched. “I told you, I only want to talk.”
“Then talk!” My demand reverberated off the walls. “Stop threatening, stop arguing with Lorraina. Stop being a child and tell her whatever it is that was so important you had to threaten the life of your own brother.”
“You arrogant little—”
I moved closer, determined to maintain a position of power. “Time is short, Mr. Fallon.” My voice carried, unwavering, though my body trembled. “Do you really think the absence of two members of the royal family will go unnoticed for long? I’m surprised this fortress isn’t already overrun with my father’s knights. So perhaps—”
“I said to come ALONE!” Tobias howled as he dropped his sword and ran at me, his face lined with fury.
I stumbled back and heard Rhys screaming, “Lylin! NO!” He lunged toward us, but couldn’t reach.
Tobias grabbed my arms and slammed me into the wall. The back of my head hit the stone, and black spots dotted my vision.
“Stop!” Lorraina’s voice pounded through my throbbing head.
I tried to focus my eyes, but Tobias’s fierce expression wavered in my vision.
Lorraina threw herself at him from behind, trying to pull him away, but this only incensed him more. I wasn’t even sure if he realized it was her as he turned his wrath on the woman he claimed to love, flinging her
to the ground with a force born of madness and rage.
Tobias paused, his chest heaving before all the air rushed out of his lungs. “Raina,” he breathed.
She pushed herself up on her hands, her head lifting to show the disbelief and hurt clouding her face. “Tobias?” It was barely a whisper, but that one word made my heart break for her.
I stumbled forward, holding my head in one hand. I passed Tobias, whose arms hung limp, his breathing growing more unsteady. “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry. I don't know how…”
I took hold of Lorraina and pulled her to her feet. She still gaped at Tobias, clearly waiting for him to continue, but he kept silent.
“Say it,” I ordered, though my voice shook. “Say what you wanted to say.”
“What’s the use?” His voice broke.
“Don’t leave her like this.” I could only imagine what an end like this would do to my sister. He had to give her something, and so I demanded, “Give her the words you wanted her to have.”
He sank further into himself. “There is nothing that I can say that would change anything.” His eyes jumped from Raina to me and back again. “I am a dead man.” He stumbled back a step, then looked to Rhys before pulling a key from around his neck and throwing it at Lorraina’s feet. “I am a dead man.” He turned to leave, picking up his sword where he had dropped it.
Lorraina picked up the key and stared at it for a moment before shoving it into my hands and stepping forward. “That’s all?” she shrieked, her arms flailing. “That’s all you have to say to me? After everything you’ve done, you really have nothing else to say?”
I looked to Rhys, longing to take the key now in my grasp and go to him. He strained against the chain, clearly frustrated by his useless position, but gave me a nod, knowing I needed to stay.
Tobias turned back, his body limp. “It’s not going to make any difference. I am lucid enough to know that.”
Missing Lily Page 26
