Triskelion

by Avril Borthiry

  Her body remained still while her eyes explored her surroundings. She lay on a thick pallet of furs, their delicate softness cradling her skin. They smelled of subtle spices, wood smoke and the sea. They smelled of Elric. Kate had no doubt that she lay on his bed.

  A flush of heat warmed her skin when she saw her clothing draped across a nearby chair. A wave of humiliation followed as she glanced down at her shift. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. Perhaps Elric had not violated her in the carnal sense, but she felt sickened by the intimacy that had, yet again, taken place. And all of it without her knowledge or permission. There had been something in her drink – something that had rendered her helpless. Elric, she acknowledged, all but commanded her entire existence. He told her what to wear, when to eat, and even what to think. Escape appeared impossible. Her only hope, then, was a rescue.

  “Papa,” she whispered, the previous day's image of the Kateryn looming in her mind. Her father had not been alone on the ship, but the person behind him had been a blur. Edgar, perhaps? Not Owen, surely. Although her beloved Welshman might have already returned to Wraysholme and discovered the horrible truth of her abduction. In that case, he would be searching for her too.

  She closed her eyes and tried to summon another vision of her father, but her distressed mind faltered. Besides, she knew Elric had manipulated her foresight with the spiked elixir and his strange, irresistible power.

  “I can steal your thoughts...”

  Aye, which meant she might end up betraying those she loved. Obviously, Elric had prior knowledge of this strange ability she possessed. Kate felt certain it had something to do with her mother. It also had something to do with the strange symbol Elric wore around his neck. The spirals tantalized her with a vague sense of recognition, like a forgotten memory from childhood. If only she could find a way to –

  “Resist him, Katherine. He cannot steal your thoughts if you do not wish it.”

  Kate bit back a cry of shock, her eyes scouring the shadows for the source of the strange voice – that of a man. It sounded so close, so clear. An odd tingle ran up her spine.

  “God help me, I'm going mad,” she murmured, rubbing her eyes.

  “Katherine.”

  She flinched. Elric stood at the side of the bed, his arrival as silent as a cat in the night. Kate blinked up at him, wondering if he had heard the voice. He showed no sign of it.

  “Dress,” he said, turning away, “and come to the table.”

  “Why am I in your bed?” She didn't dare ask whether he had slept at her side.

  He paused. “Because this chamber is never without some measure of light, and I know you fear the dark. I don't want you to be afraid.”

  Afraid? Kate fought with a bizarre urge to laugh. “But I'm afraid of you, Elric.”

  The muscle beneath his scar twitched. “You needn't be.”

  His words buoyed her courage, and she sat up. “In that case, there are things I must know. I have questions. Will you answer them?”

  He raised a brow. “Obey me, and I might consider it.”

  At least he granted her the privacy to dress, and she organized her thoughts as she did so, lining up her questions in readiness. All of them were forgotten, however, the moment she stepped out from behind the screen.

  Sunlight tumbled through the fissure above the ancient stone slab. Like the bright shard of a fallen star, it pierced the gloom, mocking the puny candle flames with its brilliance. To Kate, it formed a link to the world beyond, to that place where the wind blew unhindered and the sky was endless. With a strangled cry of delight and anguish, she ran to it, closed her eyes, and lifted her face toward freedom.

  The sun's rays washed over her like a balm, intoxicating her with their intensity, chasing some of the sadness from her spirit. Then, as if a door had slid across the little opening, the light vanished, no doubt smothered by an irreverent passing cloud. Kate opened her eyes and turned to Elric, who stood watching her with an odd expression on his face. For an instant, Kate thought, he looked almost entranced. A moment later his jaw stiffened, and he held out a goblet.

  “Here, Katherine.”

  She frowned. “What is it? I'll not drink that elixir anymore.”

  He set the goblet on the table next to a bowl of apples. “'Tis only water, little one. You must be thirsty.”

  She swallowed over the dryness in her throat. “Do you swear it?”

  He inclined his head. “Taste it for yourself.”

  She sat, dipped a fingertip in the liquid, and sucked it. Satisfied, she drained the goblet. Elric pushed the bowl of apples toward her, but Kate shook her head.

  “I'm not hungry.”

  “But you must eat.”

  “When I'm hungry, I will.” She met his disapproving expression with a defiant one of her own. “You needn't worry, Elric. I have no intention of starving myself. I want to live, because despite what you say, I know my father will find me. I promise you, when I'm hungry, I'll eat.”

  The muscle twitched again. “Ask your questions of me, then.”

  His unexpected command caught her off guard, and her mind fumbled with a response.

  “I want to know why...why you're keeping me here.”

  He shrugged. “I have already answered that. You're here to learn.”

  “Learn what?”

  “I believe I have already answered that as well. You have a special gift, but you must learn how to control it, and I can teach you.”

  “But to what end? Why must you teach me?”

  His answer came without hesitation. “So that I, in turn, can learn from you.”

  Kate pondered for a moment. “And when you've learned all you can from me, what then?”

  “That will never happen while there is a future ahead of us.”

  She sat back and glanced at the silver medallion resting against Elric's chest. “This has something to do with that symbol, doesn't it? And my mother. It has something to do with my mother.”

  He sucked in a slow breath. “I have no wish to speak of Adela.”

  Kate saw a glimmer of vulnerability in his eyes and pursued it. “Why? I know you're angry because she left you for my father, but that's not the only reason you kidnapped me, is it? There's more to this, I know there is. Tell me.”

  “That's enough, Katherine.”

  “No, Elric.” Encouraged by strange male voices urging her to resist, and a taste of intoxicating sunlight, Kate rose to her feet. She took a breath, determined to curb the nervous tremble that threatened her voice. “I want to know the real reason why you have taken me from the people I love and brought me here to this...this hell on earth. Oh, and how dare you undress me? 'Tis a violation. What gives you the right to do that?”

  “Your body holds no interest for me,” he said. “You're here because of your mind. 'Tis your mind I covet.”

  “Aye, and you take pleasure in violating that,” she cried.

  His eyes took on a cool glint. “Judging by your response to my violation last night, I'd say the pleasure was as much yours as mine.”

  Kate choked on a knot of indignation, her skin warming at the truth in his words. “You're vile.”

  “And you're irritating me. Sit down. I have more pleasures in store for you.”

  Katherine lifted her chin and folded her arms, ignoring the traitorous flutter in her belly. “No. I will not do this.”

  He stood and took a step toward her. “Don't disobey me, Katherine.”

  She stepped back and spat on the ground at his feet. “Go to Hell. You will surely be made welcome there.”

  Like the strike of a serpent, Elric's hand snatched her arm. He tugged her body hard against his and Kate yelped, more in surprise than pain.

  “Calm yourself, my little witch,” he murmured, the solid planes of his form pressing against her. “When will you realize it is both foolish and futile to resist me? Sit down.”

  Her body obeyed without question, but her mind still tried to rebel.

  “I
... I hate you. You…you're no better than those godless demons who took me from my home.”

  “You're incapable of hate.” His thumb brushed tears from her cheek, and the cursed flutter in her belly grew stronger. “And unlike those godless demons, I have no desire to harm you.”

  Time passed without measure. Kate managed to function in Elric's strange world without losing sight of her own. She continued with occasional outbursts of rebellion that served to anger him, finding some bizarre satisfaction in provoking his ire. It compensated, at least in part, for the occasional guilt-ridden pleasure he gave her. When her head ached with fatigue, or her concentration stumbled, his hypnotic whispers and gentle touch aroused her to an exquisite level of awareness. She both resented and craved such moments.

  Elric's demands on her mind were relentless, but Kate had to acknowledge the benefits of his teaching. Her ability to focus and meditate had improved, although she still struggled to control the content of her dreams and visions. As yet, she had seen few future events beyond her known world.

  The mysterious male voice continued to speak to her. She garnered strength from it, which bolstered her spirit and eased some of her anguish.

  “You are more powerful than he, Katherine,” it had told her. “He underestimates you.”

  Aye, and maybe he did, for Kate had managed to close a door in her mind. Behind it was a vision she did not wish to share. It had come to her one time as she loitered in the waning shadows of sleep. So far, thank God, Elric had not detected its startling contents.

  So far.

  Kate continued to share images of her father's fruitless search. She wept at the sight of him combing the countryside, his noble features pale and weary, his shoulders weighed down by an invisible burden of grief. Elric had shown neither concern nor remorse, instead reiterating his belief that her father's search was a futile exercise, certain to fail.

  “Eventually he'll accept defeat,” he said, with indifference. “You belong to me now.”

  But he didn't know that Owen rode at her father's side. He wasn't aware that a great silver wolf sniffed the breezes and searched the trails for a familiar scent. Such had been the substance of Kate's bright and welcome vision, although how it ended, she had not yet seen. For now, it didn't matter. The knowledge had lifted her heart and renewed her dwindling hope. But by all things sacred, she had to be careful, for if Elric were to discover she'd found a way to deceive him...

  Yet, despite his apparent fascination with her mind, Kate couldn't shift the feeling that her visions were of secondary importance. Elric wanted something else from her, and she knew it was somehow linked to the three spirals.

  The Triskelion.

  Sated, Kate pushed her dinner plate aside and wandered over to the stone table. She traced a fingertip around the ancient lines that had been carved countless centuries earlier.

  “What do they signify?” she asked, looking over at Elric. He sat at the table scratching an inked quill across a scroll, his profile softened by candlelight. When he wasn't stealing Kate's thoughts, he spent much of his time putting words to paper. Curious, she had peeked at them once, but the Welsh script was incomprehensible to her.

  He answered without raising his head. “They are traditional legends. Ancient tales that should never be forgotten. I am simply transcribing–”

  “No,” she said, frowning. “Not your writings. I’m talking about these spirals carved into the stone, and those on your medallion. What do they mean?”

  He paused in his work and turned to her. “The Triskelion represents a pagan trinity, one worshipped long before the word of your Christian god came to these isles.”

  The ghost of some bygone knowledge loomed on the threshold of Kate's consciousness. Unsettled by its presence, she blinked it away.

  “So, you worship it, then? This ancient trinity?”

  “I worship no one and nothing,” he replied, “but I respect the pagan gods. They are more forgiving than your Christian deity. The ancients did not feel threatened by things they didn't understand. Rather, they embraced and nurtured what they deemed to be magic, and revered those who were born with...unearthly gifts.”

  “Those like us,” she murmured.

  “Yes, Katherine.” He turned back to his scroll. “Those like us.”

  A drop of water splattered on the back of Kate's hand, followed by another. Above her, the wind whistled as a shower of droplets tumbled through the fissure. She stretched out her arm, groaning at the sweet sensation of rain against her skin. It sparked a sudden and terrible need, a longing that all but took her breath away.

  “Elric,” she said, and the scratch of his quill paused again. “I should really love to have a bath.”

  Perhaps she imagined the flicker of surprise that crossed his face. A moment later, his quill continued its work.

  ~ ~

  Restless after a sleep filled with fragmented dreams, Kate squirmed beneath her bedclothes. She had no idea of the time. Her windowless chamber offered no clues. It might have been noon or midnight.

  Since that one time, she had refused to sleep in Elric's bed. She had insisted on privacy and pleaded with him for extra candles to keep her fears at bay. To her relief, he had acquiesced with little argument. Three of her precious candles burned now, their steady light beating back the darkness, while three more lay untouched on the table.

  Elric would come for her soon, no doubt. He always seemed to know when she had awoken. Usually, she rose and dressed before he arrived. But now, weary of the routine, she closed her eyes and allowed misery to steer her mood.

  God help me. Will I ever be found?

  That particular foresight continued to elude her, perhaps because part of her feared what her future might hold.

  “Stay strong, Katherine.”

  “I will,” she whispered, wondering if the owner of the mysterious voice could hear her, “and I thank God for you, whoever you are.”

  She felt a small wisp of air against her cheek and opened her eyes to see Elric's cloaked form standing in her doorway, a flickering candle grasped in one hand.

  “Come with me,” he said.

  Puzzled by his command, she sat up and frowned at him. “But I'm not yet dressed.”

  “'Tis of no consequence.” He beckoned with his free hand. “Come.”

  A flush of indignation warmed her cheeks. “No. I need to dress. Besides, I really don't feel like working today. I'd rather –”

  “Katherine,” he growled. “Don’t provoke me.”

  She muttered a curse, threw back the bed covers, and slid her feet into her slippers.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked, wondering at the urgency in Elric's stride as he led her through the tunnel.

  “No. Did you sleep well, little one?”

  She shivered in the damp air, her thin shift offering little protection. “Not really.”

  He stopped with such abruptness, she stumbled into him.

  “You're chilled,” he said. “Forgive me. I should have been more heedful. Here. Take the candle.”

  Bewildered by his words and his actions, Kate held the taper as Elric removed his cloak. In one swift movement, he folded it around her shoulders like a great black wing and scooped her into his arms.

  She gasped, every muscle in her body stiffening with shock. “Elric, what are you –?”

  “Hold the candle flame away from yourself.” His voice softened. “And relax. You have nothing to fear. I mean only to warm you.”

  Her heart, which had slammed against her ribs a moment earlier, settled back into place. As warmth crept into her limbs, Kate snuggled into Elric's cloak and studied the pale, handsome face a mere hand span from her own. His chin wore a faint shadow of stubble, something she had not noticed on him before. It occurred to her that she had never seen him shave – an unbidden and intimate reflection, which raised a blush in her cheeks.

  Even now, his body against hers made her feel things that she should not. Oh, this was no gentle attracti
on, no romantic appeal. It was feral – something wild and forbidden that stirred on a basic, instinctual level. Elric could never steal her heart, but her soul – ah, yes. Her soul might well be threatened by his dangerous allure.

  Unable to resist, she touched her fingertips to his jaw. She heard a swift inhalation of air into his lungs and felt his chest rise.

  “Katherine.” Her name on his lips sounded like a warning and she snatched her hand away. A moment later Elric halted his stride, and Kate squinted over the candle flame at an unfamiliar wooden door. This was not the dragon's belly. Where then, in this hellish labyrinth, were they? A prickle ran across her scalp.

  “What...what is this, Elric?”

  He set her down and pushed the door open. “See for yourself.”

  Soft light, like that of a sunrise, poured across the threshold, enticing Kate to enter its warm radiance. She took one hesitant step, her eyes widening in disbelief at the sight before her.

  The whitewashed walls of the small room reflected the glow of a dozen flickering candles, which graced several niches carved into the rock. Fresh rushes had been strewn across the floor, along with sprigs of meadowsweet and thyme. Their soft aromas mingled with those of lavender and rose, suffusing the air in a humid swirl.

  The source of the humidity – a large wooden bathtub – stood in the centre of the floor, its steaming contents promising a blissful interlude.

  “My God.” Kate pressed a hand to her throat, feeling her pulse's rapid patter. She turned to Elric. “How on earth did you do this?”

  He raised a brow. “It pleases you?”

  “Oh, yes.” She stepped over to the tub and dipped her fingers in the warm water, watching the ripples spread out across the mirrored surface. Her distorted reflection smiled back at her. “I just can't imagine how you –”

  “Then enjoy your pleasure,” he said, inclining his head. “I shall return in a while.”

  The door closed behind him with a gentle click.