Deck of Cards

by Johnson, ID

  The king raised his eyebrows. No, he wasn’t sure about it. But that was beside the point. “Look, she told me she couldn’t make a single solitary sound and then she did. And I don’t appreciate being lied to so. . . I just don’t trust her. I don’t think she has any more useful information for us anyway.”

  “I see,” Noel said. He still didn’t think he had all of the information. “So she indicated she was mute but then you heard her talking?”

  “No, not talking.” Caleb said. Glancing at Noel, he knew he would have to say more. “Screaming.”

  “Screaming?” Noel repeated. “In pleasure?” He was beginning to wonder exactly how Caleb knew she was a whore.

  “No! No, in pain.” Caleb clarified, quickly pushing aside the mental image of Rose screaming in pleasure Noel had just created. “She burned herself in the kitchen and she screamed. So I knew she was lying.”

  Noel’s expression became even more puzzled now. He sat down on the edge of the table, which held the maps. “Let me make sure I understand, Your Majesty, a young mute girl, the same one who helped your brother escape the clutches of an evil tyrant was unable to give you any more information about his whereabouts and you now think she is a lying whore because she was able to scream when she burned her finger? Doesn’t that sound a bit nonsensical to you, Your Highness?”

  The more Caleb listened to Noel relay the story, the more he agreed, it did. And he hadn’t even gotten to the worst part yet. “Yes, I supposed it does. But you don’t understand, Noel. She’s infuriating. Have you ever attempted to communicate with someone who refuses to answer your questions? I just thought, if she knew something, anything at all, that could help us. . . .” he trailed off. No matter how he tried to explain his actions, there was no way to justify them. He was wrong and he knew it.

  And then Noel asked the one question Caleb had been hoping to avoid. “And where is this young lady now?”

  Caleb didn’t answer. He had managed to avoid the reality of what he had done for most of the day. Now, he was forced to reckon with it. He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes, “God, what have I done?” he asked, speaking to himself now and not to Noel. As king he had often made difficult decisions, some without time to think, but he had always taken pride in his ability to be fair, to do the right thing. But not today. Today he had been brash, cruel and heartless. Today he had embodied everything about his own father that he so very much loathed.

  Noel was still staring at him, waiting for an explanation. Caleb did not offer him one. “I have to go back,” he said as he gathered the few items he had brought with him into the tent.

  Again, Noel was confused. “What?” he followed Caleb out of the tent and toward his horse. “You have to go back? Now? It’s nearly nightfall. Caleb? Caleb!” Noel caught up to him, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around. “What could you have possibly done that cannot wait until tomorrow?”

  “I put her in the dungeon,” he said quietly. He knew the judgment he received from his friend would be harsh, but it couldn’t possibly be as harsh as that he was currently inflicting upon himself.

  Noel gasped, taking a step backwards and withdrawing his hand. “You did what?” he was quite and calm, as always, but clearly disappointed in his commander. “A poor, mute, injured girl?”

  Caleb nodded and signaled for his horse. “Yes, I know. There’s nothing you can say that could possibly make me feel any worse than I already do.”

  As Caleb climbed upon Hendrix’s saddle, Noel said nothing. He realized it wasn’t necessary. He watched Caleb ride off east, into the darkness, his attendants and squires pressing their horses to keep up. Noel was not a praying man but under these circumstances, he said a quick request to St. Leonard.

  ***

  Rebecca’s roasted yams and wild game hen were delicious. Nothing compared to Cook’s but, considering all he’d eaten for the last several days was a handful of berries, he certainly could not complain.

  Her mother was blind and deaf, resulting from a high fever she had suffered a few years ago. Though Rebecca had had several suitors from nearby villages, she had declined their advances. She felt it was her duty to take care of her mother, particularly in her father’s absence. She was a sweet girl and Matthew felt extremely welcome in their home.

  He had mentioned his journey was a long one and she had insisted that he spend the night. The little cottage had a loft overhead, the perfect place for him to rest in private. He had declined at first, eager to resume his journey but she was insistent and he finally accepted.

  He followed her up the narrow ladder to the small space. There were a few items that needed to be moved aside, an old bucket, a two-legged stool, but there was certainly enough space to spread a blanket, which she did. “I’m sorry I can’t offer you more comfortable accommodations,” she said apologetically. There was only one bed in the house and Rebecca shared that with her mother.

  “No,” Matthew replied, “Please, don’t apologize. I’m so very grateful for your hospitality.” Even if the floor was hard and the covers were scratchy, it was much better than the hollowed log he had slept in the night before or the tunnel he had called his bed the night before that. In fact, this might just be his most comfortable night since his kidnapping.

  Rebecca finished spreading the woolen blanket on the floor, leaving another for him to cover up with. She had no pillow to offer him so she folded up one of her old dresses and put that at the head of the makeshift bed instead. “There,” she said. “That should do.”

  The ceiling was low and Matthew couldn’t stand all the way up. He had one hand on the ceiling, leaning to his right side and making him much closer to her height. As she turned to approach the ladder, she bumped in to him and he placed his free hand on her arm to steady her. “I’m sorry,” she said quietly, glancing up into his face. The firelight from the room below illuminated his soft brown eyes and she found herself caught in his gaze.

  Rebecca was an attractive woman and it had been so long since Matthew had felt the soft flesh of a woman’s body. As she stood looking at him, he began to slowly rub her back, his fingers gently pulling the long tresses of her hair. Thoughts of his wife entered his mind, and then of Angel. He wanted to honor Maggie’s memory and to be faithful to the woman who had sacrificed so much to help him escape. But, Rebecca was here and he could tell by her expression that she was willing, eager, to satisfy his cravings. Slowly, she leaned into him, her body pressing against his. She closed her eyes and turned her lips towards his.

  He kissed her softly and gently at first but then, as she became more and more aroused by his the touch of his lips, he became more vigorous, his kisses more assertive.

  As he took Rebecca to the floor, fumbling with her dress and breaches, his only thoughts were of finally releasing the carnal desire he had repudiated for so long.

  ***

  The carriage jostled about violently, more so than any time Katey could remember. She was huddled on the floorboards, wrapped in her brother’s arms. Nichole and her mother were hunched down in the seats, attempting to brace themselves against the jarring motion of the quickly moving coach but it was most difficult and they might have felt the pain from various bumps and bruises if they hadn’t been so completely terrified.

  The alarm had come in the middle of the night. Katey, the baby of the family, had been fast asleep, completely unaware of the impending doom surrounding the castle, her home. Her mother, Queen Deloris, had scooped her sleeping angel up in he arms, wrapped her in a blanket and rushed her off to the waiting carriage. Nichole and James had followed closely behind. Even as they entered the escape vehicle, they could see the first wave of soldiers from the Great Heathen Army swooping down upon the town’s people. It wasn’t until the carriage began to move that Katey awoke from her pleasant slumber. She was confused at first unsure where they were or what was happening. As the horses took off, she began to see flashes of lights around her. She pointed them out to her big brother, smiling
an enchanted smile as the sparks lit up the sky in hues of yellow, blue and red.

  James had held her tightly and it wasn’t until she began to hear strange noises outside of the carriage that she began to grow afraid. A group of guards rode along each side of the coach and Katey could hear the snarls and snorts of the horses as they ran, blazing away from the castle in a furry.

  Katey glanced up at her mother’s face. She was crying, clutching a handkerchief. Nichole was also sobbing, clearly terrified of what might happen. James was doing his best to be strong. He continuously whispered in his baby sister’s ear, “It’s okay, Baby Katey. We will be okay.”

  But they were not okay.

  The royal family was being moved to what should have been a safer location, a palace cut into the side of a mountain in the northern territory, known as Palace Olympia. To get there, the carriage had to travel through a thick forest. The road was narrow and bumpy, not meant to be traversed so quickly. They should have been relocated days ago, in the sunlight, before the invaders broke through the barricade at Waynes but Deloris had insisted on waiting for her husband, King Jordan to return. He had not made it in time and his whereabouts was unknown. Her attendants had pleaded with her, begging her to take the children and go. Finally, she could wait no longer and they made their hurried exit.

  By the time they reached the edge of the forest, arrows were flying by the carriage. They knew a legion of the Royal Army was stationed within the woods. If only they could reach them in time, perhaps they could provide enough protection to Deloris and her family so that they could make it to the safety of Olympia.

  But the Heathen’s were gaining on them and there were not enough guards to fight back. One by one, the riders began to fall, Katey seeing them topple off of their horses all around her. She hid her tiny face in James’s neck, praying that this was all just a horrible nightmare.

  Suddenly, the carriage hit a rut, shuddering violently and then tumbling over onto its side. The horses were dragged down with it, the drivers thrown into the trees. Deloris knew she was on her own. Gathering up her children, she pushed her way out of the door, now facing upwards, into the night. The Heathens were just behind them, slowed only by the carnage of her fallen guards. “Quickly,” she whispered. “We haven’t much time.”

  Katey could feel a trickle of blood running down her face as James handed her out of the carriage into her mother’s protective arms. Nichole was out next and then James behind her. Deloris jumped to the ground grabbing her tiny daughter off of the carriage, and reaching for Nichole’s hand. The four of them took off into the woods on foot.

  Deloris knew that her husband’s army must be nearby. She hoped that she would be able to hide her children in the trees and then attempt to locate help. However, the Heathens must have seen which way the queen went upon entering the forest. She could feel them close behind here.

  The foliage was thick and full of brambles, which caught the children’s skin and clothing. It was a small advantage, however, because it prevented the Heathens from pursuing the royal family on horseback. Deloris could hear footsteps approaching. She quickly looked for a thicket to hide her children.

  The barbarians were growing ever closer. She could hear their grunts and groans, practically feeling their stale breath on the back of her neck. Just then, she saw an undergrowth that just might lend itself to her purposes. She directed her children beneath the branches, and they hurriedly did as instructed, despite the sharp thorns that poked their tender skin.

  Katey had never imagined anything so terrifying. Even in her worse nightmares, she had never felt like this. Her mother had her arms around all three of them, attempting to shelter them from the unimaginable evil that lay just on the other side of those thin branches. They collectively held their breaths, waiting, praying for the Heathens to pass them by. They heard heavy footsteps draw closer, then fade, repeating as more and more of the enemy approached their location and then disappeared into the night.

  A cloud passed over the crescent moon, leaving them in pitch black. Katey began to shake. She could barely see the face of her brother just an inch from her own. She watched as he silently brought a finger to his mouth, indicating that she must be quiet. She nodded her head, fully intending not to make a sound. As her eyes shifted back to the blackness before her, she suddenly saw one bone-white hand pull back the thin veil of brambles before her. Her hands flew to her mouth, attempting to hold back the scream that was forming in her throat but just then, she glimpsed the most hideous face imaginable, pure evil in human form.

  And she screamed.

  The noise caused the Heathen to turn his head instantly in their direction. He had his crossbow ready and he instantaneously fired at the source of the noise. Despite the darkness Katey saw the arrow flying at her face, causing her to scream even louder. He had missed however, or so she thought. She turned to hide her face in her mother’s gown only to realize the soft satin white fabric was now soaked in warm, sticky blood. She looked up to see that the arrow had landed squarely in her mother’s chest. As Deloris fell forward, gasping for breath and gargling blood, Katey’s screaming stopped.

  She had the same dream nearly every night. Sometimes the circumstances changed; sometimes she felt the arrow enter her own chest. Katey had accepted that, inevitably, each time she closed her eyes for the rest of her life, she would find herself in this nightmare.

  But this morning, the nightmare did not end when her eyes flew open. The first thing she noticed was the agonizing throbbing in her left hand. Even before she was fully awake, she could feel the ache from where her flesh had been scorched from her first two fingers. Her right arm, which had been resting on her head most of the night, was asleep and moving it even a degree caused pins and needles to shoot threw her entire limb. She knew she had deep bruises on both of her arms where she had been dragged. The area around her right wrist and both of her ankles was rubbed raw from the shackles. Even though she had jerked awake, startled by her dream as always, her mind would not let her come fully conscious, trying to protect from the excruciating pain.

  She was only partially aware of the rats that had begun to nibble on her toes. Through narrowed and swollen eyes, she saw a puddle of blood on the floor and wondered absently if she were still dreaming. She drifted in and out of reality, her grogginess her only barrier from the state of shock threatening to overcome her at any moment. She had gone from the pampered life of a princess to the deepest throws of a dank, dingy dungeon in only a few days and nothing could have prepared her for the stressful toll it put on her body and her mind.

  Only a sliver of light illuminated the room, that coming from under the door at the entryway at the top of the long staircase leading to the gate. She had no way of knowing whether it was night or morning. She wasn’t even sure how long she had been down here, though she thought it had only been a matter of hours, not days, since Caleb had dragged her down the stairs and chained her here. Thinking of him brought her back to reality momentarily. She wasn’t sure if the warm splashes against her hands were drips from the ceiling or teardrops and she wove her way back into the land of slumber where neither the physical or emotional pain of her ordeal was quite as sharp.

  ***

  The sun was not yet on the horizon when Caleb finally reached the castle. Hendrix had given it everything he had, pressing on at the urgency of his master when any other horse would have given up. As a squire took the reigns, Caleb jumped down, hoping his horse would recover.

  He hurried into the fortress, not stopping to acknowledge the few individuals who were about, even though many of them called out greetings. He pressed on, flying down the hallway, down the back stairwell, finding the guard asleep at his post.

  “Open the gate!” he demanded.

  Startled, and not yet fully awake, the older man, groped for the key. Caleb was out of patience. He snatched it from the man’s hand and flung the door open, carrying the key chain with him so that he could use it to open the shackle
s.

  He approached her slowly, afraid of what he might find. She seemed to be sleeping and, even in the dim light he could see the soft rise and fall of her chest, confirming that at least he had not killed her. As he got closer, rats scurried off into the darkness, causing him to gasp in disgust. Despite the dank and dirty state of the floor, he dropped to his knees next to her. She had been asleep but, sensing his presence, her eyes fluttered open momentarily, before her head slumped against her chest again.

  Seeing her this way, knowing he had done this to her, brought tears to his eyes. He swallowed the lump in his throat, doing all that he could to keep his emotions in check. “Rose,” he said softly, waiting to see if she acknowledged him. She did not but he thought she could hear him. “I’m so very sorry,” he continued. “I never should have let my anger at the situation manifest itself against you. I hope that you can find it in your heart, someday, to forgive me.” Again, her eyes fluttered open and though there were tears in them, she looked as though she understood what he had said.

  He quickly unlocked the shackles, seeing her body tighten in pain as he touched her wrist and ankles. Her right arm was twisted from being held at an odd angle all night so he was especially gentle as he tucked it around her and across her chest so that he could scoop her up into his arms. Her left hand was cradled beneath her chin and he new it had to be agonizing at this point.

  She rested her head against his chest and, for a moment, he reflected on how different carrying her was this time, as opposed to yesterday. Regardless of her station or her occupation, Rose was an incredibly special woman, one he vowed to protect from this day forward. She had done so much to provide comfort and assistance to his brother and he had let his rage almost destroy her. He would do whatever was necessary to make sure she was never mistreated again.

  When he reached the top of the stairs, he found Cook and Gordon waiting for him. The expression on his face said it all and she did not bother to berate him. “Let’s get her to her bed,” Cook said softly.