“Wow,” Sarah said, taking it all in.
“I know, right?” Liz waved her hand, showing off her ring. “Anyway, this is another reason why I had to stay in the castle. Princess Gloria wasn’t married. Everyone knew that.”
“Technically, if King Victor would’ve caught you, he couldn’t have married you because you were already married.”
“That’s true, but he could’ve thrown me in an ivory tower and held me prisoner. Or worse, he could’ve learned my secret and threatened to expose me to the Immortal Council. I know he would’ve demanded to know who I was married to since it’s common knowledge that Gloria isn’t married. I couldn’t tell him I was married to my brother.”
“So how do two human sisters come through the portal ten years apart and end up Immortal?”
“Freaky, huh?” Liz looked at her ring and shook her head. “It’s all my fault you had to marry him. He was totally fooled by you. It’s amazing how much we look alike.”
Sarah laughed. “Yeah. We could be twins.”
“You even fooled his soldiers, and they got a good look at me when I was captured that morning. When I escaped, they easily mistook you for me.”
Sarah went on to explain the whole wedding fiasco, how she obtained the ring, and even admitted to the attraction she was feeling for Victor. She held up her ring finger. “Yep. I got caught and tagged like a wild animal. Is there a way to get this ring off or deactivate it?”
Liz met her gaze. “I’m sorry, but none that I know of.”
“Will Victor come for me?”
“Yes. The question is, does he love you? If he doesn’t, he might let you go if we promise you sanctuary, so his life isn’t at stake. You are now connected, Sarah, bonded as one beating heart.”
“But Liz, I—”
Liz winced at Sarah’s voice ringing sharply from the walls. “Don’t call me that.” She inched closer, whispering in Sarah’s ear, “Like King William told you already, Elizabeth Larker’s dead. If you slip up one time, my life’s at stake.”
A horse whinnied from a nearby stall.
“I forgot. I’m sorry,” Sarah said.
“I know you were traveling with companions. Sarah, you can never tell them the truth.”
“I won’t. You have my word.” Sarah blew out a breath. “You have a brilliant cover to escape the Immortals, but what about me?”
“Don’t worry. My father-in-law will come up with a plan to save your life.”
“That’s funny. As I recall, he just tried to cut off my head with an axe.”
“What he did was awful. I know that. I’m not trying to make excuses for him, Sarah, but really, he’s in the middle of trying to win a war. He’s been nothing but wonderful to me, and I think of him as my very own father. And remember, in public, Charles and I aren’t married. To everyone else, he’s just my brother.”
“I bet it’s rough telling everyone that, hiding your relationship.”
“Rougher than you’ll ever know. But we love each other, so we’ll make it work.”
Sarah smiled. “Sounds like true love.”
“Are you ready to get out of this barn? Let’s get you a bath and something to wear. Servant clothes aren’t very flattering, especially when they smell like horse manure!” Liz said. “You need to dress like royalty.”
* * *
Sarah had stayed the night and Liz insisted she enjoy castle accommodations…like a hot meal, bath, and a real bed fit for a king. It was hard for her to enjoy such luxuries when she knew her friends were cold and starving, and probably sleeping on the cold ground. She’d talked to Liz for hours and they caught up on old times. Finding her sister was a dream come true. Liz had put out a group of knights to look for Frank and the others. But so far nobody could find them. Sarah could only hope they were safe. She was sure Victor had made it back to his camp and was plotting his next move.
After breakfast, they made their way to Liz’s room to get dressed and ready for the day.
Sarah stroked her hand across one of the many colored gowns. “Wow. I wish I had a wardrobe this big.” She pointed to an elegant purple dress. “Ooh…I love this one.”
“Geesh, Sarah. You’re not changing your mind again. Stick with what you have on.”
“Are you sure? It’s not a little…well, is it too much?”
“You look hot,” Liz said. “And from what I can gather, you’re hot for King Victor, aren’t you?”
Sarah smiled. “Well, the guy’s one awesome kisser. I can tell you that.”
“I know he’d love this outfit on you.”
“It’s, uh, a little bright.”
“Elaborate colors are reserved strictly for nobility.”
“I’m fake nobility.” Sarah smoothed out the flowing sleeves on her red, lace-up velvet dress. “I feel like we’re going to a Halloween party or something.” She adjusted the simple tiara on her head.
“Wait…” Liz smiled.
“What?”
“One last finishing touch.” She placed a medieval heart necklace with faceted ruby-red crystals around her neck. “Perfect!”
Sarah grinned. “Quite the little medieval fashionista, aren’t you Li…er, uh, Gloria? Did the royal designers equip this castle with mirrors, by chance?”
Sarah jumped when someone began to pound on the door. She walked to the doorway in the closet and peeked out. An army of Immortals burst in, storming the room. Sarah’s heart pounded so hard that she was afraid they’d hear it, like the guy’s beneath the floorboards in that Edgar Allan Poe story. The blond knight she’d seen earlier, back at the cliffs, met her gaze. It was Ethano, and he was unforgettable in every conceivable way. Victor had only wounded him. Of course. He wouldn’t kill his own kind.
“Get out!” Liz yelled. “You’ve no right to come into my room.”
Sarah gulped at the blond Immortal staring at her.
He walked over to Sarah, gripping her chin. “You’re coming with us, Queen Gloria Fesque. It’s time to face the consequences for the things you’ve done. Becoming an Immortal without permission from the Kardashian Court will surely deem a death sentence for your pretty little head!”
Sarah’s heart pounded even harder, if that were possible. They were going to drag her back to the Immortal Court, where she’d most likely be found guilty and beheaded. Wait! She bit her lip. Won’t that mean the death of my husband as well? “If you kill me, you’ll kill your precious Victor.”
“Yes, but he, too, must pay the price for knowingly breaking our ancient laws. You’ll both pay dearly, and we won’t bother bloodying two separate swords when we remove your heads, one after the other!”
Chapter 4
Gulping, Sarah glanced at the towering soldiers around her. Three stood with their backs turned to the street behind, facing her with deep frowns perched between their brows. No doubt they meant business. The Immortals wanted to behead her. What kind of monsters do that? Her heart pounded as she peered around her for an escape route from Liz’s bedroom. The only door was blocked. Morning sunlight flooded in through a ragged stone window. She took a deep breath as she measured its width, and then an idea struck her: I could jump out.
With all her strength and speed, she bolted toward the light—toward her freedom. Victor’s voice echoed at the back of her mind, telling her to duck. Instinctively, she ducked just as blue lightning balls flew above her head and slammed against the walls, bursting into a million sparks. In a blur, she dove headfirst, wondering all the while if it wasn’t the worst idea of all time. Her heart pounded as she glanced down 300 feet below at the murky moat; dark, ominous-looking shapes swam lazily about. Crocs? Heck, if I could survive an arrow right through the heart, surely a high dive is nothing, right? With her new super speed, she could easily outswim a few hungry crocodiles.
Sarah winced as a jolting electric shock surged throughout her entire body. A crackling sound echoed all around her, like that of high-voltage power. Abruptly, she stopped in midair. Little sparks, shocks, a
nd flashes of light hit the air just inches from her, forcing a gasp from her lips. Somehow she was trapped inside a blue ball of crackling electricity. Her stomach lurched at the thought. What the…what the heck’s going on? She was sure she’d been hit with one of the blue bolts. It slowly rose as Sarah pounded the walls with all her might. There was no way she was going to go quietly back to those Immortals. She seemed powerless, though, as she drifted back through the window, straight back to the blond Immortal who seemed to be running the show.
He smirked, and an evil glint shone in his eyes.
“Get me out of this thing!” she demanded, beating against the walls of her floating prison.
Ethano touched Liz’s shoulder gently. “Gloria, we have no problems with you or your Royal Court. We only want the queen, King Victor’s wife.”
“If you do anything to her, I swear I’ll come after you and personally relieve you of your head!” In spite of her confident demeanor, her voice betrayed an edge.
“No deal,” the Immortal hissed. “You know the rules. You break them, and you will pay with your life.”
Liz glared at him. “I’ve heard the rumors about you, Ethano. You’re power hungry, climbing up the ladders of the Kardashian Court at all costs. It makes me wonder why somebody so high up is wasting so much time chasing a human who broke the rules.” She tapped her head as realization hit. “Oh, wait! I know why! Could it be that you have some personal vendetta against Victor’s wife, that you want to see her executed for your own reasons? That way, Victor will die as well, and that would eliminate the competition and put you next in line to rule the Kardashian Court.”
Ethano shot her a sly smile.
“Get me down now!” Sarah hovered above her heads, still pounding the walls even though she knew she had no chance of escape. Whatever the thing was made of, it sure wasn’t human.
The Immortal waved his hand and she dropped to the ground with a thud, the blue electricity dissipating into thin air. Her skin tingled, but her mind was focused on how she could take down her attackers. If she managed to push the ones standing at the door aside, she might just have a chance.
Strong fingers gripped Sarah’s hands behind her back before she could make her move. Her skin burned as one of the Immortals wrapped ropes around her wrists. Ethano shoved her forward. “May the court have mercy on you…but I doubt it. Let’s go.”
“Ethano!” one of the Immortals called.
He abruptly turned. “Yes?”
“Why does Gloria wear the ruby ring? I noticed she was trying to hide it, but I caught the sparkle from the gem for a brief second. She’s not married, is she?”
Ethano shoved Sarah toward another Immortal and walked over to Liz. He jerked her hand roughly up so he could examine the ring. “When did you get married, Princess Gloria?”
Liz raised her chin defiantly, her eyes sparkling. “Yesterday. The news was likely on its way to you already, before you burst in here like a maniac.”
He tapped a finger against his lips, regarding her intently. “Who is the lucky man, Your Highness?”
“Mano Fenithemos.”
The guy smiled. “And you said you were wed yesterday? To Mano?” He began to laugh in a most evil manner.
“Yes. What business is that of yours, and why so you find it so humorous?”
“Well, it’s only funny because Mano Fenithemos has been out of the country for over a week. Even on the fastest of steeds, I doubt he could have traveled here to marry you that quickly, milady.”
Liz and Sarah exchanged nervous glances. Obviously, their little scheme was failing, and it was time to change tactics, but she didn’t know how to communicate to Liz what they should do.
“Something doesn’t quite add up here, Highness?” the blond one asked, staring straight at Liz.
“I haven’t the slightest clue what you’re talking about,” Liz said coldly.
“Oh, I think you do.” He smiled. “Did we make a mistake and kill the real Gloria instead of Elizabeth Larker? We know she wore a ruby wedding ring.”
“Elizabeth Larker is dead!” Liz yelled.
He smirked as his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Is she?”
“Yes!” Sarah yelled.
“Seize this imposter,” Ethano said. “It’s not my place to impose judgment. The Royal Court will decide if she’s telling the truth.”
An Immortal threw Liz against the wall and bound her wrists.
Guilt washed over Sarah. She had lured the army of Immortals to the castle; they were after Sarah, not Liz. Again, her sister was in danger, and again, it was all her fault. I shouldn’t have come here. Liz was happy in this world. All I managed to do was show up and interrupt her perfect life, possibly sending her to her death.
A man led Sarah outside, where she was roughly thrown on a spotted horse as if she were a piece of luggage. She landed on her stomach, the impact knocking the air out of her lungs. For a moment, she was blinded by pain, making her forget everything else, and then realization kicked in again and her fear returned.
Ethano gripped her tightly with one hand and held the reins with the other. He whistled to his horse, and the army followed behind.
As much as she could turn her head to the side, she looked for Liz and spotted her to the right on another horse, behind a dark-haired Immortal who yanked her hair back and whispered something in her ear. Suddenly, Sarah was whipped forward again, blocking her view. Her heart hammered faster in her chest, and sweat started trickling down her back. Time was running out. If she didn’t come up with a way to escape soon, she and her sister might both be headless before sundown. The galloping of the horse did little to help her maintain her focus.
As they bolted through the clearing, Sarah heard neighs and screams behind her. Knights, swinging swords, attacked in full force: King William’s men. For the first time, they were actually helping her and not trying to kill her, which was nice, for a change.
From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed another rider approaching, brandishing a sword in his left hand. His face was obscured by the hood hanging low over his eyes, but the way he swung his arm left her no doubt that he meant business. Sarah covered her eyes but the blow never came. Instead, the rider jammed his blade into her horse’s side. The animal neighed loudly, then stumbled and fell into the grass, throwing her off. She rolled and quickly jumped to her feet, her wrists still bound. The same knight on a brown horse drew his sword high and roared, charging Ethano.
Sarah backed up a few steps and hid behind a towering tree. Her heart pounded hard against her ribcage as she peeked out. The scene before her eyes looked like something out of an epic film. Shrieks filled the air. Swords clanged, and horses neighed. An arrow whistled past her head as more shouts echoed in her ears. People were everywhere, running around, shouting and challenging each other, but she couldn’t see Liz. From the right, King William’s knights came full force at the Immortals. Sarah imagined this would stir a whole lot of trouble with the Royal Council. Not only was King William disobeying a direct order, but he was fighting against them. She had managed to put his life at risk as well, not to mention his kingdom. Sarah realized, if she hadn’t before, that it was a huge mistake to come to the castle. How could I possibly cause this much trouble? I must be jinxed, she thought.
A sword landed off to her left. She raced over and held it securely with her feet, then knelt down and rubbed her bindings back and forth on it. The rope cut into her skin, making her flinch from the pain. Eventually, her hands were released, and she picked up the sword, ready to join in the battle if she had to. Nobody was going to take her head or her life without one heck of a fight.
“Surrender to me now!” With long strides, Ethano moved in her direction, sword raised. Sweat bathed his forehead, giving him a concentrated, yet menacing expression.
She gulped hard, fighting the various emotions engulfing her. There was no way she was going to let him drag her off to court. Copying his movements, she lifted her sword, prepared to stri
ke with as much force as she could muster. Everything moved in slow motion. She focused on the sword gripped tightly in his hands. A burst of heat flooded her head, and moved down through her body. Her world was now in black and white, everything except for the silver, gleaming sword. She imagined it flinging out of his hand. After another burst of heat, the scene came back to life in full color and at normal speed.
At the exact same time, Ethano’s sword flew out of his hands and soared hundreds of feet. He smiled. “Who needs a weapon? Human knights are no match for me, and neither are newly turned Immortals.”
Sarah held her sword high when he lifted his hand and waved it. Invisible hands wrapped around her throat. Somehow, he was choking her. Her vision blurred, and her lungs screamed for oxygen. She tried to draw in her breath, but only a gurgling sound came out of her mouth. Struggling to remain conscious, she dropped her weapon as her muscles weakened. The guy was tough, and Sarah knew he was right: There was no way she was going to win a fight against him. She turned to run, but instead, she dropped to the ground. Gripping her throat, she tried to unwrap the invisible fingers. Her lungs burned in agony, and her head ached.
She took a deep breath. Air? He’d released her. Looking up, she watched him grimace as he dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. William pulled out the sword from his back and wiped the blood off his blade in the grass.
Sarah sucked in gulps of air. “Thanks.”
“I didn’t kill him,” William said, re-sheathing his sword. “I don’t believe in killing our own kind.”
Sarah shot him a glance. “Except for me?”
Liz approached. “He thought it was the only way to end the war. You were the exception to the rule. But he changed his mind, remember. You didn’t meet on good terms, but my father is an honorable man.”
Eternal Destiny - Book 2 (Second book in The Ruby Ring Series) Page 4
