by A L Wright
"I think our daughter knows me too well and is already kicking me for irrational thoughts."
"You are silly. And she sure has been moving around a lot lately." Placing her hands to her back she walked over to the bed and sat down.
Dartein rose and followed her. Sitting next to her he began to rub at the tense areas in her back. After a few moments, she turned and looked at him with her eyes half closed.
"Dartein, if you keep that up you won't get any more work done with your maps tonight." She said breathily.
Dartein just smiled and pulled her to him for a deep kiss. Pulling away for breath he whispers "I've finished with that map anyway." He caught her mouth again with his and gently lowered her to lie on the bed.
He ran his hands over her like he was exploring her body again for the first time. He could never get enough of her. And her growing belly only made her more irresistible to him, so alive and so warm. He lost himself in her and forgot all about the list he still needed to write.
----
Lying next to him, cuddled into his arm she felt more relaxed than she had in weeks. Dartein was close to sleep and was rubbing his fingers across her middle in a slow rhythm. She looked over at his face, relishing every one of his fine features. He was beyond handsome. He was gorgeous. And she knew that many of the lady Nobles were very jealous of her.
The sudden thought of him finding comfort in someone else after she was gone hurt her to her very core.
Of course she knew he loved her and only her. But then again she almost felt guilty that she would leave him and he may never move on to find another woman to comfort him. Feeling much too conflicted about the thoughts she was having, she kissed him lightly to see if he was still awake.
By the small smile that grew on his face after her kiss, she knew he was awake.
"Dartein, love, you said you were finished with your map? What did you figure out from it?"
His eyes popped open wide as if he was faced with a thought that he did not want to entertain. Sighing he closed his eyes again before he spoke.
"Well, yes. I did figure out where to find what I am looking for."
"Really? And just what is it that you are looking for?" Josaleene was a bit curious since she never knew he was searching for something. She had assumed he was studying more of the history of the Ancient War.
Dartein opened his eyes and looked at her intently. "Josee, there is another Chamber."
Gasping she sat up in the bed. She didn't know what to think. They had been told that the one Chamber in the Palace was the only one that survived the war.
"How is there another chamber?" She breathed.
"Two of the chambers were still intact after the war. My Father only retrieved one of them. The one he created, the one he was turned in. Out there buried under the last battlefield is the other one."
Icy fingers of dread crawled up her spine as she asked her next question.
"Where is it at, Dartein? Where do you have to go to look for it?"
"To the Northern Reaches, beyond the Lothnau Forest and to the foot of the mountains there."
Josaleene had barely heard the last part of the sentence. She felt so cold.
"Two will travel north. That is what she said. Dartein it is all true!"
He looked frightened as he took in her now-pale features. "Do tell me what you speak of, what has you so frightened?"
"Oh, Dartein. The night that Victor and I went out to the village I visited a Seer. Please do not look at me that way, I know our child will be powerful and I wanted to know more! What I found out from her though, was more about myself than our child. She told me that two will travel north to seek the answer to my condition. She told me that there was a war, and that there will be war again. She also told me that the only way for us to win the war is for you to survive after I am gone." Tears ran freely down her face. Hearing him confirm part of the Seer's story had her scared. She wasn't ready for everything that was told to her to unfold. It was too soon.
Dartein looked like he was in shock. "A seer? Aren't those people dangerous to deal with? Why were you at a Seer? How could Victor let you do that?"
"Did you not hear anything else I said? War, Dartein. The events that are unfolding are more important than me. I do not think you should bother seeking out useless ways to save me when war looms on our doorstep!"
"How can you say that? You are the most important thing in my life. I will fight wars for you, and I will find a way to save you. Please Josaleene, forgive me my anger. I am so scared for you. I was frightened that this seer could have hurt you." Grabbing her hands with his he covered them with kisses, then sat her hands in her lap and laid his hands to either side of her face. "I will save you, my love. I will travel to the darkest corners of the earth and back to make sure you stay by my side." He kissed her lightly on the forehead.
Josaleene knew she would not survive. It had been confirmed to her too many times in too many ways. She accepted it. She now had to find a way to keep Dartein from getting himself killed trying to save her. He was going to be important in the war that was coming. Maybe some distance from her would be a good way to clear his head, and get back to thinking reasonably about the events happening around them.
"When will you be leaving to find this chamber?" She asked in resignation.
"I will be leaving as soon as I can. In a couple of months the Northern Reaches will be covered in snow, and frozen earth will be difficult to dig into to find the Chamber."
She watched as he rose from the bed and walked over to the table where his maps and history book lay. He began to hastily write on the parchment in front of him. When he finished he opened the door and told the guard there to bring Victor to him.
Josaleene slipped into a dressing gown and walked over to Dartein. She wrapped her arms around him but said nothing.
A few short moments later Victor appeared in the doorway.
"I need you to gather up the things on this list and have them packed up and ready for me. I will be leaving tomorrow at dusk." Dartein instructed the guard.
Josaleene would not have him travel by himself. "Victor, double whatever is on that list and inform Anton that he is traveling with the Prince tomorrow." She looked pointedly at Dartein and repeated "Two will travel North."
She heard Victor's sharp intake of breath, and knew he remembered every word the Seer had uttered during the telling.
"Princess, my Prince. Everything will be ready well before it is time to leave." With one last quick glance at Josaleene, Victor turned and hurried away.
She looked up at her handsome man, the love of her lifetime. The one man who had made her life worth living, even if she had to turn into something else to have that life.
"That seer said Two will Travel North to look for an answer. Did she say if they find the answer they seek?" Dartein asked quietly.
In answer, she just shook her head.
But the Seer had told her, told her that they would not find the answer for her. But they would find powerful knowledge. She wondered if that at least would make the trip worth it.
Chapter 12
Upon hearing of his son's plans to depart that evening, The Patriarch had Dartein summoned to the Library so he could speak with him. Maybe try to talk some sense into him. He doubted that he could talk him out of his plans, but hoped he could at least make him see some reason.
Mortul waited patiently for his son to arrive. While he waited he poured himself a drink from the table near his desk. It took a lot of the human made liquor to get him drunk, and he had only tested that once after Samana died. Now he would partake of it here and there in smaller doses. He liked the way it warmed his throat like hot blood did when taken straight from a creature’s body.
He was one of the only of his Court who had ever fed that way.
Early on after he and his partners were turned, they found that they needed a different type of sustenance to keep their energies up. And the way they killed, the many, many creat
ures they slaughtered, their cravings ended up being almost feral.
The craving for blood started when they found they could not tolerate cooked meat. They ended up eating the meat raw, dripping with blood. And while this sustained them and kept them in a normal level of energy, they needed to be fueled to kill.
The humans they were protecting almost became victims, until one human girl came to understand what they needed. She started to save all the blood from the meat that was to be cooked for the fighting men, and would set it out for them to have. Mortul found that the fresher the blood the better. It soon came to the point where He and his magically turned comrades would do the killing of the animals that were to be slaughtered and cooked and drank the blood fresh while the life force of the animal was still there.
The energy and strength it gave them was a force all of its own.
A knock on the door brought Mortul sharply back to the present. He watched as the door opened and his son swept through it. He could tell Dartein was in a hurry to leave by the look on his face.
"Father, I came right away. What is so urgent?"
"My son, I need to know why you must delude yourself. Why must you run off to unknown places to find things long buried? I am afraid that you are only setting yourself up for more pain."
"I will not rest until I find a way to save her. What would you have done for my mother? What ends would you have gone to, to save her life?"
"Dartein, I know all too well how much you want to save Josaleene. I just need you to be careful on this journey. I cannot bear to lose my son."
"Please Father, just look after Josee while I am gone. I think there are some here that mean her harm, but I cannot refuse the opportunity to go find that chamber. If I wait the ground will be too frozen to unearth anything." Dartein's eyes were full of worry.
"Son let me tell you a small secret that I have shared with no other Noble. Please only use this if you have no other choice as it is difficult to recover from. If you need the strength to take on that which is stronger than you, drink blood straight from the source. It will give you power beyond anything a Noble is capable of now. But it does not last more than a few hours, and it can be addictive if overdone."
Dartein looked a bit taken back, as if his father were speaking a different language that he just barely grasped.
"I do not understand. Why blood? What do you mean straight from the source?"
The Patriarch sighed internally. This information was volatile. He knew how it was to be addicted to fresh blood. The uncontrollable urges and the pain of withdrawals. He did not want his son to go through that, but he wanted to know his son would survive this journey.
"Blood taken straight from the main vein of any living creature will give to you that creature’s life source. Since you have your own Life Source, drinking of another's will add to yours temporarily and will make you strong. Very Strong. Use that information wisely, it can become addictive once done and can tear a Noble apart once the body becomes deprived of it."
Mortul eyed his son heavily.
"I wish now that I had taken the time to show you more about your magical abilities. I had not foreseen any circumstances where you would need it. Please hurry back from your journey and I can educate you more on those abilities. I have a feeling we will need them soon." He wished they would not need it, but he knew that soon the goblins would get close enough that they would have to fight. He wanted to be ready and he wanted the fight to be quick.
"I will take into consideration what you told me. I will return soon, Father. And at that time we will speak again."
Mortul's only Son left through the door, taking what was left of his heart with him.
----
"Please be careful my Love." Josaleene put on a brave face for Dartein. She did not want him to see her scared. "Please do not get yourself hurt for what may not be the answer we seek."
He glanced at her in curiosity. "Josee, I will save you. I told you this already."
Josaleene sighed. She knew he would never accept the inevitable. There was war coming and he was running off to dig up tombs.
"Hurry back to me. The Seer said you would bring back great knowledge. I would know what knowledge you bring back with you." Before I die, she added silently.
"Then your Seer knows I will bring back a way to save you." He smiled crookedly.
They passed through the great Palace doors and out in to the courtyard. Anton was there already with the horses, packed and ready to travel.
Dartein stopped to look at her.
"I will come back to you, My Love. And quickly. I promised my Father we would have some in depth conversations very soon. And I would like to include you in them, since they are about using magic."
Josee smiled. She reached up and stroked his cheek. Planting a kiss softly on his lips before stepping away, she said "Go then, and be quick. Please know Dartein, that it is not just my life in your hands... but all of our lives. War is coming. I believe the Seer in this. And you are crucial to our survival. Whatever is coming, we cannot win without you. Go quick and come back to us." Her words seemed to shake Dartein, and he ran his hands through his hair nervously.
"I love you, Josee. I will be back soon." He kissed her forehead, rubbed his hand across her belly and then turned and mounted his horse. He looked at her intently before he turned and he and Anton thundered out of the gates.
Josaleene watched until they rode out the gate and disappeared around the wall. She heaved a large sigh and turned to walk back into the palace.
She turned and ran right into Juron's chest.
His hands closed around her upper arms.
"Good evening, Princess. It seems your Prince was packed for quite a long trip. I do hope you will be well taken care of while he is away." Juron's eyes took in Josaleene's body from head to toe, leaving her feel dirty.
Before she could form a word, Victor came up behind Juron and placed a large gloved hand on his shoulder.
"Is there a problem here?" Victor grumbled.
"Ah no, not at all. The Princess looked a bit peaked and I was afraid she was about to fall. I merely wanted to make sure she felt steady before letting her walk away alone." Juron removed his hands from her arms, giving her one last sweeping look. His eyes remained on her protruding belly much too long for her liking.
Turning he slid out from under the large guards loose grasp on his shoulder. Juron bowed to them both. "My mistress awaits my company. Good Evening, Princess."
Victor watched Juron walk away back to the palace, eying him like a snake that just slithered over his boot.
Placing her hand on his forearm, she got his attention.
"Princess, I do not like that man. Please I beg of you, do not go anywhere without me while The Prince is not here."
"I agree with you completely. Please Victor, walk with me back to my room. I am feeling rather unclean right now and need a hot bath."
She walked back to the Palace doors with Victor trailing close behind her.
---
In an attempt to shake off the emotions that were swirling through his mind, Dartein headed for the refreshments table. Before he even got there he was approached by a server with a platter full of glasses and a bottle of whiskey. Deftly liberating the server of his load, he carried his prize with him up the stairs and out onto the nearest balcony. It wasn't the best view of the host's grounds, looking out over the servants’ alley. But he didn't care at that moment. He just needed to relax and try to remember why he was at this party.
'Put the girl out of your mind, Dartein.' He told himself. But no matter how hard he tried it seemed as though she just dug her way in deeper. It was obvious she was low-born, he could smell the back streets on her. Looking at her you would not be able to tell, though. She was beautiful, petite and well endowed. Her eyes held a depth, like an old soul was peering out from them. But beyond all that, her entire being exuded a familiar sensuality that called to him. The call felt like a scream the further away
he was from her.
No, that was a real scream he had heard. Stifled as if the person's mouth was being covered. Standing quickly he fought a wave of dizziness from the amount of drink he had just consumed in such a short time. Gaining his bearings he stilled and listened.
There it was again, small shrieks and the sounds of struggle. It was coming from somewhere below his balcony. He closed his eyes and opened up his senses. Breathing deeply the night air he searched for smells.
His eyes popped open wide. It was her. She was right below him.
Leaning far over the railing he immediately spotted her being held on some crates against the wall. The disgusting Lord Roughby had one hand over her mouth and was pinning her against the crates with his body. When he realized he couldn't see the man’s other hand he became furious, knowing just what the man was trying to do.
Without thought, Dartein leapt over the railing and landed right behind the Lord.
Seeing him, Josaleene began to fight harder to shake her assaulter.
“Stop struggling you little whore. I knew you weren't a Lady the moment I met you. You should be flattered I paid you any attention!” Just as Lord Roughby began to press his self harder against Josaleene, Dartein grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him about.
“Oh my Prince, you startled me! I was just having a bit of fun with this street whore I picked up here.”
“She is no whore, you ass. The Lady is a virgin and you shall not be the monster that robs her of that.” Dartein growled at the man.
The Lord was visibly shaken and confused at being confronted by the Noble Prince. There was a dangerous shine in the Prince's eyes that was visible to both Lord Roughby and Josaleene. The Lord began to back away from both the Prince and Josaleene.
“My apologies My Prince. I had too much to drink and fear I was much too forward with the Lady. My Lady Josaleene, I beg to take your leave.” Before either Dartein or Josaleene could respond the vile Lord turned and fled. Instinct told Dartein to chase him down and kill him, but the sound of Josaleene's cries pulled him toward her instead.
