The Dark Underworld would freeze over before he’d join this man’s Pack. He would have to dash Lord Ulwyn’s hopes against the rocks, and he would derive great pleasure out of doing so.
Chapter Nine
Neri paced the length of her bedchamber. She’d dashed back to it, hoping that she’d be able to persuade Lucan out of his folly. He’d moved fast and left the bedchamber devoid of his influence.
She couldn’t believe how empty the Tavern felt without his presence. He warmed it up, filling it with light in a way she’d never been able to imagine and now didn’t want to make do without.
She considered changing into her cat form and racing after him. If she did, would she make him feel like lesser of a man?
She knew some men didn’t like females helping them, and if they did, it made them feel unmanly.
No, she had to sit tight and let everything run its course. She could only hope that Lord Ulwyn didn’t try to kill him the first time they met.
The mirror she used to communicate with Ava and Grifon lit up. Moving to the dressing table, she picked it up and stared at Ava.
“Grifon thought it best for me to contact you. I know it’s not our scheduled time to talk but I was hoping you would be around to see me calling.”
“Lucan took this room as it was his when he was growing up. I was only in here by chance.”
“In that case, it seems I got lucky, indeed. Where is Lucan? This news concerns him as well.”
“He decided to go to Wythley Castle because Lord Ulwyn invited him there for a meeting.”
Ava’s green eyes flashed with worry. “That might not be a good thing. The King wanted Grifon to warn Lucan about the state of uneasiness there in Cambria County. Apparently, it was reported to the King that Ulwyn plans to assassinate Lucan, should he not comply with life the way that Lord Ulwyn wants it. He isn’t going to let Lucan walk in and piss on his territory so to speak.”
“I tried telling Lucan that. I didn’t get through his thick bloody skull.”
“Leave it be, then. Lucan should escape his first meeting with Lord Ulwyn unscathed. Then again, I hear that Ulwyn isn’t that bright so he might act out against Lucan prematurely. Especially when he realizes that King Marcus sent out emissaries to the other wolf shifters in the area telling them to support his man, Sir Lucan, not Lord Ulwyn.
Grifon and I are at this moment mobilizing a force to be sent your way but it looks like we’ve only got the other men of the Order to count on. Warrior wise, it is slim pickings down here.”
“Just worry about getting the other twenty-three men here, which should be enough. I have a few wolf shifters in the Resistance that will bring us some reinforcements. They’ve been getting ready for the day that I yell charge, and I am thinking that day will come faster than we all expected with Lucan heating things up. He sure can stir the pot!”
“The men from the Order of St. Alby aren’t exactly known for their patience, when it comes to righting wrongs. I am quite certain that all Lucan can think about right now is making that son of a bitch pay for the misery he’s put everyone through. Anyone that can do such a horrific act of violence against their own daughter needs to be punished.”
“He’s gone far too long without anyone slapping him down. Lucan is just the man to do it, but I fear for him. I worry that he’s bitten off more than he can chew.”
Ava’s visage turned deadly serious. “If you’re fretting that much over him, go and check on him. Watch over him, he needn’t know you were ever there. I know that Grifon doesn’t mind when I back him up on things. Sir Lucan, on the other hand, seems to have more old fashioned views when it comes to women fighting. He shouldn’t really, given that it was a female huntress who brought him to his knees, but I’m certain he just believes he can shelter you and keep you safe from the coming storm.”
“I’m not a stranger to storms. I’ve weathered much worse than Lord Ulwyn, and I’ll be damned if I let Lucan get caught in that bastards crosshairs. I think I’ll take a leisurely prowl out in the moonlight now that the rain has subsided.”
“Have you told him yet about what you are and where you came from?”
“He knows I’m a changeling, and that I come from Avonry, Ava.”
“I know that. Have you given him the specifics? You need to tell him everything. He has to understand your life story. You know everything there is to know about him, and he knows very little about you, Neri. Your life needs to be an open book, if you think you’re going to get close to him in a way you’ve never gotten close to another man.”
“I’ve gotten plenty close to men before, Ava. I’m not like you. I am no ingénue. I’ve seen the worst in men, and I’m not entirely sure I can let myself see the best in Lucan, even though you say he’s a man worthy of my trust.”
“Not all men are like that ones who ruined your life, Neri.”
“I know not all men will do what Glen and Ryn did to me, Ava. Put yourself in my shoes and understand that sometimes it’s simply too hard to let go of the past.”
“You need to finally let go of it, in order to embrace your future.”
“Thanks for contacting me,” she said brusquely. She couldn’t keep stirring up the past it made her sick inside. “I’d better go and check on Lucan to ensure he hasn’t gotten himself killed.”
Ava laughed. “I’ve seen Lucan in action, Neri. You don’t have to worry about him. Worry about the other guys. You go and put your mind at ease. I will let you know when we are on our way. Grifon is talking his father into allowing him the use of one of the Royal Flying Ships. If he doesn’t get anywhere with him, we’ll come on horseback. If only his father wasn’t so afraid of technological advances. We could use magic to get there but it would take a lot of magical energy to open a portal that could transcend that great distance. Hang in there, everything will be okay—Grifon and I will figure something out.”
“I had someone tell me that a long time ago. Right before he testified against me in Court and had me and the children I was carrying sentenced to death.”
“The Past isn’t going to come back to haunt you, Neri. You’re in Shardizar now. No one can hurt you here.”
“I’ve been in Shardizar for all of these years and though I know I can’t be hunted for my Hunter blood anymore since Grifon has returned, it doesn’t stop me from staying alert.”
“Stay safe, my friend.”
“And you, Princess. Watch out for that King of yours. He just might decide to make his son a widower!”
Ava stuck her tongue out at her and then cut the channel.
Neri was alone in an eerily quiet room. Her blood was restless. She needed to prowl. She needed to blow off pent up steam. She stripped out of the red gown she wore, so she was naked, save for her black chemise. She slipped down to the back exit of the Tavern, opened the door and felt the cool night air on her face. The sweet smell of rain still lingered in the air.
She changed into her cat form, looked toward Wythley Castle and let out a roar. The sound would no doubt carry to the castle, and she hoped that it would spook the residents inside of the castle enough so they wouldn’t attack Lucan.
She was a legend in these parts.
She was known as the Wild Cat of the Glynneath Moors. She would prance through the fields of wildflowers that lay between the village and the castle and she would let her inner vixen take flight.
She ran quickly through the village, and encountered only one wolf shifter out for a late night revelry, he was probably on his way to the Tavern. He’d find it locked up tight but after seeing her in her magnificent cat form, he wouldn’t be doing much of anything.
His eyes widened in fear. He dropped the bottle of liquid courage he held and it smashed against the cobblestone street, proving that no drink could give one courage. And then, he peed himself.
She scrunched her nose up and roared at him again. The thunderous noise caused his eyes to completely gorge out of his head. He passed out.
In her Pu
rple Panthera form she was a sight to behold. No ordinary wolf shifter could stand against her. Only the Alpha would even have a ghost of a chance against her, and Lord Ulwyn wasn’t that Alpha.
Changing into this form came with its own set of consequences. It expended a lot of her energy and there were certain days where she simply didn’t feel like changing into such a great hulking beast.
She wished she could trust Lucan with all of her secrets. She wished she could tell him she was the Legendary Wild Cat of the Glynneath Moors.
Many believed she had escaped Wythley Castle centuries ago after one of the earls returned from Avonry. It was believed that he had captured a Feline Changeling from his time spent there and had taken it as a trophy prisoner.
It was rumoured that particular changeling had escaped the earl’s dungeons and had roamed the countryside ever since.
The folktales were partially based in truth. She had escaped with the help of an Earl of Wythley. It was Lucan’s father who had seen her pitiful state of affairs and offered the sanctuary of his covered carriage when she had nowhere else to go and the whole of Avonry’s Royal Guards after her ass.
As a Knight Mage himself, he had followed the code of honour and chivalry that all Knight Mages of Shardizar adhered to. His magic had been a force to be reckoned with, and she figured that Lucan had inherited his father’s talent and then some.
Lord Brandyn Whittier, the 3rd Earl of Wythley, had been a truly misguided man and despite all of his shortcomings, he had possessed a good heart.
Lucan needed to know that not all of his good characteristics came from his mother. While she could honestly admit that she saw a lot of Elaine in him, he also had a bit of his father in him as well. Not only did he closely resemble the man, he shared the same code of honour.
Lord Wythley as she’d called him, couldn’t bear to see someone like her hunted. He had shielded her and smuggled her out of the Kingdom of Avonry taking her all the way back to his home county of Cambria and then to Glynneath Village, where he’d told her to find safe haven with Lucan’s mother.
She knew he had deeply regretted forsaking Elaine for his lady wife. She’d seen it in his eyes every time he looked at the woman that ruled his heart. She believed he had died thinking only of Elaine, not of his shrew of a wife, and she knew for a fact that he had loved Lucan.
The irony of his last words to her would always haunt her. He had told her that as long as his line ruled the County of Cambria she would be safe. If only she had been able to save his grandson.
So, not only did she need to keep Lucan safe for Elaine’s sake, she had to watch over him for the man who had brought her to the safe haven deep within the kingdom of Shardizar that she now called home and loved with a deep passion.
*****
Lucan looked toward the village. Even though he could not see it from within the castle walls, the spine tingling noise he’d heard continued to echo in his head. Never before had he heard such a resounding roar. Haunted pain lanced its sound like a woman wailing for her dead kinfolk.
The eerie sound unsettled the rest of the gathered wolf shifters. They looked furtively amongst themselves and shifted uneasily in their seats. They now all sat at the large table in the Great Hall and those that were loyal to Lord Ulwyn were just as fat and had the same greedy glint in their eyes. They’d grown slothful in their years as the rulers over this rich expanse of land, and he would use that folly against them.
“The Great Wild Cat is unhappy. Perhaps, it will finally decide to attack one of us,” the wolf shifter who had spoken blanched with fear.
Lord Ulwyn sat at the head of the table with his short ham hock hands resting on his round belly.
Lucan recognized the jeweled ring Ulwyn wore as one that his father used to wear. The pigeon blood red ruby in it sparkled with an arcane hue. He had heard that the ring contained magic and when wielded by the hereditary heir could do unspeakable things against those who had raised the earl’s ire.
He felt quite sure that it was just a showmanship piece for Ulwyn and that it actually didn’t work for the man, seeing as he had no Mage powers to speak of, nor was he a part of the Whittier clan.
Ulwyn’s eyes dropped to where Lucan’s gaze rested. His face went pink, as he must have considered what Lucan was undoubtedly thinking.
“Your father was a great man, Sir Lucan. He brought prosperity to this region, the likes of which Cambria had ever known.”
Normally, the fact that he had failed to refer to him in the proper manner as Your Grace wouldn’t have bothered Lucan. After all, he couldn’t quite adjust to the fact that he was now a Duke, and usually preferred being addressed as Sir Lucan over Your Grace. It just seemed so damn pompous. He’d earned his Knight Mage title, he hadn’t really earned his Dukedom. Aside from remaining loyal to Grifon during the dark days of the curse, he’d done nothing.
When it came to Ulwyn he wanted him to show him the proper amount of respect. He wanted him to utter those two magic words. Lucan wanted to watch the man squirm as he said those two magic words.
“And I suspect that his heirs continued to uphold that legacy while you seem quite intent on driving it into the ground. And while I know that you probably don’t read the latest news coming out of the Crown City, you should be calling me Your Grace, as I am the Duke of Cambria. Of course, close friends of mine can still call me Sir Lucan, seeing as I will always hold onto that part of my past but for you, Lord Ulwyn, a man who felt the need to give yourself a title—well, I do believe I’ll be the Duke of Cambria in your presence. I also would like to give you notice. This castle is mine. I want you out by the end of this week. If you’re not out, I will come and take it by force.”
Shocked gasps reverberated around him. Most of the men seemed horrified while a few of them attempted to hide their smirks. They covertly looked at him with admiration in their eyes.
“That is your opinion, Sir Lucan. You will forgive me for not giving you the courtesy of Your Grace, as in my humble opinion, no baseborn bastard should be given such a lofty title.” At this proclamation, Ulwyn sneered at Lucan. “It is unfortunate that the last earl died without issue. He struggled with the knowledge that he was sterile for most of his life. Many of us questioned following an Alpha who was lacking in so many ways but when you’re used to just going along with whatever Whittier rules, well, you tend to get resigned to your lot in life—you should take heart and know that you can live a full life, if you, too, are afflicted with the same condition.”
Lucan swallowed hard against the insult that Lord Ulwyn had purposefully thrown his way. The fact that he seemed unable to show him the respect that Lucan’s position afforded him made him see red.
The last insult he’d thrown his way was the topping on the cake. Those who were predisposed to sympathize with Lucan had fury dancing in their eyes, and many had instinctively placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.
If Lord Ulwyn sought to bait him, he’d have to pick another target to engage. The curse had taught him the fine art of keeping his anger checked when needed.
“There are many village idiots throughout the land who have managed to breed. Take heart, you are not the only one, Lord Ulwyn.”
Snickers followed his well-placed insult. Lord Ulwyn’s face went so red he looked as if he was going to explode red jelly all over the place.
Ulwyn seemed to know he was at a disadvantage. He stood up regally, and flounced out of the room. His lackeys following on his tail like they wanted to sniff his ass.
The spokesman for the few that remained, looked at Lucan.
“Some of us knew you were coming, Your Grace. We’ve been told to support you in the grab for power that will be waged here shortly. The King fully supports you and as members of the Shifter Alliance, we support the King. We will not go against him by siding with Lord Ulwyn. Had we known he disapproved of Lord Ulwyn before this, we never should have allowed him to have our support. Unfortunately, many of us do not have what it takes to
be an Alpha. For this reason, we’ve called in Alphas from other Counties to help us in the bid for power.”
“I thank you for your efforts on my behalf. Based on those who support Ulwyn, I do not think I will need the reinforcements. They can be afforded a front row seat as Lord Ulwyn can be extremely entertaining. I think he missed his calling—he should have been a Court Jester!”
“Begging your pardon, Your Grace, but you don’t understand the severity of the situation. Lord Ulwyn is more powerful than what you think. They say he used a twisted dark magic to get his way, and he summons a force more powerful than what any of us can possibly hope to fight. Only truly powerful light magic can combat what he uses to empower himself. He is a dark soul, consumed by his greed and lust for power. You will find that beating him is not as easy you think.”
As Lord Ulwyn approached, a hush fell over the Great Hall. The men who had given Lucan the warning, clamped their mouths shut and looked down at the table, as if suddenly the ancient pyxawood had become entrancing.
Lucan mulled over their warnings. He’d have to confront Neri and ask if what the weak wolf shifters said was true. If he was dealing with a dabbler of the dark arts, he could combat that user.
The fact that Lord Ulwyn was summoning something from the dark forces troubled him deeply. Anything with undead powers was an enemy not to be trifled with.
He knew from his experience with Ava’s Granny that Celestial Beings of the Light did exist for those beings had come to take Avalona Cecil to her final resting place. Conversely, he also knew that Celestial Beings of the Dark also existed, and they were mischief makers of the absolute worst sort.
“Claim the castle as your own. Say you are the Master, and it will be done.”
The disembodied male voice whispered in his ear. He looked around trying to see from whence the voice had originated. He looked up at the second floor where Ulwyn had stood when he’d first come into the Great Hall. He saw a sheen of white light, and a wispy figure of a spirit started to coalesce before his eyes.
The Forgotten Page 8
