Heartless

by Zizi Cole

  “I’ll clean them, Scarlet. You just relax and keep Malina company. Thank you for helping get us out of the castle.”

  Scarlet nodded and walked back over to Malina. She dropped on the ground and lay her head in Malina’s lap. Malina looked me in the eye and mouthed thanks to me. I nodded and then skinned the rabbits while she played with the girl’s hair.

  I cooked the rabbits over the fire. While the rabbits were cooking, I made my way to the little stream to get some water for us to drink. After the rabbits were finished, I divvied it up and handed the ladies their meals. We ate in silence. I kept my senses on alert for any intruders.

  After we ate, Scarlet laid down and fell right asleep. Malina continued to sit there, staring silently at the fire.

  “Is your jaw feeling any better?”

  She shrugged. “I guess. I’ll live. I’ve had worse.”

  The thought that she had anything worse than a bruised jaw made me sick to my stomach. I wanted to murder anyone that ever laid their hands on her. I forced the feeling of rage down and took a deep breath. I knew there was nothing I could do about it now, but I also knew that I had gotten revenge on him anyway. He was dead, and I had Malina.

  I pulled a flask of whiskey out of my bag and took a pull from it. Handing it to Malina, she took a drink also, without flinching. I remembered that she had always been good at holding her liquor.

  “What do we do now?” Malina asked quietly, looking at the flames.

  “You get some rest and I’ll keep watch.”

  “No, Tobias. That isn’t what I mean.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m a fugitive now. I’ve been accused of regicide. They are going to be looking for me. When the Cardinals find out, they will let my father know and he will have his guards looking for me. Plus, there is the other assassin that is after me.”

  “I knew what you meant, Malina. I’ve thought about all this already. We are going to deal with it one thing at a time. First things first, we make our way to safety. We are going back to my cell, I mean group. No one will hurt you there.”

  “How do you know?”

  I looked in her eyes across the fire and smiled at her. “Trust me.”

  “I do. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have confessed to murder.”

  The conversation fell silent as we both let our thoughts wander. I looked back over at her to find that she had cuddled up with the girl and fallen asleep. I leaned against the tree and waited for someone to come after us. I knew that they would, it was only a matter of time.

  I heard a branch snap as the sun began to rise. I pulled out a gun and put on a silencer. I held the gun out as the figure came into the clearing. It was one of the surviving guards from the kingdom. His eyes fell on the sleeping women and he smiled.

  I cleared my throat, causing him to turn to face me. His eyes grew wide as I squeezed the trigger. It made a pop as the bullet shot out of the barrel. It hit its mark and the guard hit the ground with a thud.

  Malina shot straight up and looked around. Her eyes landed on the guard, then looked at me. I gave her a slight nod and she woke up Scarlet. Without a word from any of us, we packed up and headed on our way.

  We stopped by the stream for lunch. Scarlet waded into the stream and caught a couple of fish by hand. She tossed them on the bank, so I killed and cleaned them. Malina put them over the fire she had made and cooked the fish. I was surprised to see that she knew how to cook.

  “You cook?”

  She smiled up at me. “Occasionally. Only when necessary, however. I learned a few skills from Rosa.”

  “Why did you learn cooking skills? Also, you seemed quite prepared to leave the castle.”

  “What are you implying, Tobias?”

  I leaned toward her. “I am not implying anything, Malina. Simply stating observations. I find it odd that a queen would learn how to cook. Also, you were very confident as we left the castle. Let me tell you what I think. Don’t feel pressured to confirm or deny anything. I’ve just been thinking on this for a bit.”

  “Go ahead. This should be quite entertaining.”

  “First, I believe that you had Rosa teaching you to cook, since you believed you wouldn’t stay in the position of queen. I also believe that you had an escape plan in place in case the need arose. Now, I just can’t figure out why you had the plan in place, if you felt secure in your position. I also have to wonder if you planned on killing the king or just running away. But the way out of the castle was too smooth.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe I did plan on leaving, however, I will never speak my original plans aloud. I have never spoken aloud about what I planned since . . . You are well aware of what happened the last time my plans were spoken.”

  The memories of the past hung heavily between us. We didn’t speak for the rest of the time we rested, and it was an uneventful break from our trek. After we ate, we started out again. The closer we got to our destination, I couldn’t help but wonder how she would react to where we were going and who we were staying with. I also knew that Declan may be uncomfortable with this, but he would never turn her away. I needed her safe while I figured out what was going on.

  I glanced at Malina. “Did you confess to Father Lopez about the death of the king?”

  “I told him that everything wasn’t what it seemed and that I did not kill my husband. I knew that I would be executed for the death of Luquin, if I didn’t try to fight it. The people in the kingdom are harsh and the judge is even harsher.”

  “The Cardinals denied your release. You were going to be executed. Either Father Lopez didn’t fight on your behalf or they didn’t care. He also didn’t mention anything about the meeting with the Cardinals and Judges. I wouldn’t think that would be something that he would dismiss so easily.”

  “It is hard telling with him.” Malina shrugged. “He has always been quite fickle.”

  “How long has he been at the church?”

  “Since before I was queen. He has been a pretty permanent fixture.”

  I wasn’t surprised, but something still didn’t feel right. I was going to have to figure out what was going on. We were within an hour of making it to the stronghold, when I stopped and turned to the two women.

  “I want you to stay as unobtrusive as possible. Do not take in your surroundings. Actually, I think I am going to blindfold you before we go the rest of the way, so you can honestly say you don’t know where we are. It is important that you are unaware of your location.”

  I pulled a handkerchief out of my pocket and a cloth out of my bag. I walked over and covered Scarlet’s eyes first. I could tell by the tensing of her shoulders that she was scared. Malina reached out and grabbed the girl’s hand and squeezed.

  “He isn’t going to hurt us, Scarlet. You have my word that we are safe with him. If you don’t trust him, you know you can trust me.”

  The girl nodded. Malina looked me in the eyes and gave me a slight nod.

  Coming up behind Malina, I took the handkerchief and covered her eyes. I heard her take in a sharp breath, and I pressed my lips to her ear.

  “You know you can trust me. I would never hurt you or steer you wrong. This is the best way to do this. I’ve got you.”

  She nodded and leaned her head back, onto my chest. I wanted to kiss her neck, but I stopped myself. I pressed a kiss to her temple and took her free hand.

  Leading them the rest of the way, we entered the walls of my home. We walked into the room where I was met by Raynor. He grasped my hand and pulled me into a quick hug.

  Then he looked over my shoulder at the two women. Scarlet was holding onto Malina’s arm like it was her lifeline. Malina stood proudly, shoulders back, head held high. Raynor looked back at me, eyes wide.

  “Come with me, we will take them into the sitting room and uncover their eyes, then we will talk.” Raynor said quietly.

  I heard Malina gasp as she recognized who was speaking. She didn’t say a word, however, so I reached back and grabbed her hand.
I followed Raynor to the sitting room. Once we were in the room and the door was closed, I untied their eyes. Both woman stared straight ahead and didn’t look around.

  “Make yourselves comfortable. I’ll be right back. I need to talk to my colleague for a moment. I will then figure out your sleeping arrangements.”

  We slipped out of the room and Raynor stared at me for several long heartbeats before he spoke.

  “What the hell were you thinking, Tobias? You brought them here. You left quite the mess in Tiven. Word has already made its way to King Cornelius and he has put out an all hands on deck call to find his daughter. He is claiming he fears for her life since she was taken by the assassin named the Reaper. They now know who you are.”

  “No, they don’t. They know the Reaper was there. I was just a little more, eh, drastic than usual.”

  “You blew up the guard quarters. You think that is a little dramatic?”

  I shrugged. “I needed a distraction, so I made one.”

  “Declan is going to flip. We trained you better than this, boy. I don’t get it. You need to get your head out of the clouds and realize what you have done.”

  “Then he flips, and I deal with it. There is nothing more I can do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find sleeping arrangements in a church full of assassins for two defenseless women.”

  I walked into the sitting room and found them huddled on the couch. Malina was making movements with her hands in deliberate motions and Scarlet was watching her hands then doing different movements. The movements were rapid and both women were frowning. It looked like some kind of communication was going on between them.

  I waited for them to notice me. I leaned against the wall and watched the interaction. I had wondered how Scarlet communicated, now I was seeing it first-hand. Malina shook her head. I wondered how long it would take them to realize that I was standing there, watching the interaction.

  Finally, Malina spoke. “Do you have something to say, or are you just standing there for your health?”

  “I was waiting for you two to stop gabbing. It’s rude to interrupt a conversation.”

  “What is it, Tobias?”

  “I am going to show you ladies to your rooms. Until I speak to my boss, I’m going to ask that you stay in your rooms. If you would like, you can stay in one of your rooms, together. I just think you will be safer until I have that conversation and make sure everyone knows that you are our guests and to be treated with respect.”

  She turned and looked at me, biting her lower lip. “Okay, we will stay together until you get done with what you need. I’d prefer Scarlet not be left alone.”

  “Very well. Follow me.”

  The women got up and followed closely behind me, into the rectory. I knew they were aware of the type of building we were in. They weren’t aware of the changes that had been made to it though. I led them down to the lower level, where the rooms were more secure. I opened a door to the room that shared a wall with mine. I led them into the room and turned on the light.

  “Here. It isn’t much, but it will work for now. I will bring you everything you need. This will be Malina’s room, once everything is done. Scarlet, your room will be right next door, on the other side.”

  Scarlet’s eyes widened, and she looked at Malina with what I could only call panic flitting across her face.

  “Do you think until we get adjusted, Scarlet could stay here with me? We can drag her bed in here or she can sleep in the bed with me.” Malina held the girl’s hand.

  I nodded. “That will be fine. I’ll be back. Malina, lock the door behind me. Do not open it for anyone, other than me. There is a bathroom through that door, so you don’t need to leave the room for anything. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Chapter 11

  I walked into the office, where Declan spent most of his time. He was sitting there, staring at the door when I opened it. I knew he would be expecting me, yet I found it eerie how he always seemed to know.

  “Well?” He asked calmly.

  I sat in the chair, facing him. “I may have made a mess.”

  He nodded. “You think?”

  “I stand by my decisions, but I could have handled it a little better.”

  “Yes, you could have. I know you didn’t come in here for me to tell you how much you handled this job like a rookie. You want to tell me what else you did?”

  I sighed and rolled my head around on my shoulders, popping my neck. “I brought Malina here. She and her maid are both in the room next to mine. Before you freak out though, they are safe, Raynor is the only one who knows they are here, besides you and me. I want them to stay here with us until I know she is safe. I am going to make sure nothing happens to her.”

  Declan leaned forward. “How are you going to do that?”

  “I’ll find out who is after her and I will take care of them. Pretty simple plan, but I’ll do it.”

  “You still have feelings for her, don’t you?”

  I shrugged. I felt something, but I really didn’t know what.

  “Okay, Tobias. Go ahead and set the room up for them. They can stay here. I will let the others know they are under my protection, for now. We will deal with it later, if we have to.”

  “There is something strange with the priests in Tiven. I am starting to think that maybe Luquin wasn’t the one involved in whatever it is that the person who put the hit out wants stopped.”

  “Tell me.”

  I spent the next hour filling him in on what I had observed and the comings and goings of the priests.

  I tapped on the door. Then I spoke softly. “Malina, it’s me. Opened the door.”

  I could hear the door click as it unlocked. I re-entered the room to find Malina sitting on the edge of the bed and Scarlet lying in the middle, asleep. That girl seemed to enjoy sleeping. I shut the door behind me and walked up to Malina.

  Her eyes met mine. I could see shadows in the depths of her blue eyes. There was worry and something else that I couldn’t put my finger on. I also thought that I saw sadness in her eyes as well.

  “What did your boss say?” She asked quietly.

  I knelt in front of her and took her shaking hands. “He said that you and Scarlet are under his protection for the time being. No harm will come to you as long as you are inside these walls.”

  She nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

  I put my hand on her cheek. “You’re welcome. I will fix this.”

  She nodded. I could see the tears building in her eyes and I pulled her into an embrace. She wrapped her arms around me and I held her as she began to cry. I knew she had been holding in a lot of emotion. I lifted her and sat on the edge of the bed, with her on my lap. She clung to me as she let the past few days fall from her eyes.

  When she pulled herself together, she let go and leaned back, scrubbing at her face to wipe the tears away. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize, Malina. You’ve been through a lot and you deserve a good cry. Now, I’m going to bring that other bed in here so you two can share the room, for the time being. I’ll be right back, okay?”

  I left the room and came back in a few minutes later with another bed. I set it against the wall opposite of the first bed, then went back out. I grabbed sheets and blankets and brought them back into the room for her.

  She thanked me and began making her bed. I turned to leave and Malina stopped me. “Tobias.”

  I looked over my shoulder at her. “Yeah?”

  “Stay with me for a while? Please?”

  I locked the door and turned back to her. I didn’t think I could actually deny her anything. I walked over and sat on the vacant bed. She sat beside me, then pulled on my arm until we were both lying down. I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her.

  She didn’t say a word, but words weren’t necessary. She needed to be comforted and she trusted me to give her that comfort. I felt her relax as her breathing deepened. I held her while she fell asleep. I knew she had to be ex
hausted, since she hadn’t been sleeping much.

  I went to get up, but I realized that she was crying in her sleep. I felt defeated; I knew there was no getting up with her crying. I couldn’t leave her like that. She started to mumble and I realized what she was dreaming about. She was saying something about her baby. We had left the baby’s remains behind and she had nothing to remind herself of him.

  With a deep sigh, I got up and walked over to Scarlet. I woke her up gently. Her eyes were wide until she realized it was me waking her. They focused on me and I spoke to her softly.

  “Can you go lay with Queen Malina? She is having a bad dream and I don’t want her to wake alone. I will be back soon. I have something to do.”

  She nodded.

  I walked out of the room and packed an overnight bag. I planned on being back before the morning, but it was hard to tell how long it would take. I was going to get to the bottom of what was going on in Tiven, since now I didn’t have anyone to worry about.

  I met Raynor in the hallway and told him what was going on.

  “I’m going back to Tiven to clean up my mess and get to the bottom of what is going on there. Things were off, I need to get to the bottom of it. Plus, I have something personal to do while I’m there. I’ll be back in a few days. Please keep an eye on Malina and her maid.”

  Raynor gave me a nod. “Okay, I can do that. Stay safe, friend.”

  Heading out the door, I walked into the woods and headed back to Tiven.

  I came out of my room in the rectory and met Father Lopez right outside my door. He stared at me with narrowed eyes.

  “Where have you been, Father Mahoney?”

  “I spent the last three days in solitude, praying for the immortal soul of the damned queen. She needs all the prayers that she can get. Is it true they have decided to execute her?”

  Father Lopez’s eyebrows shot up. “You haven’t heard?”

  “Heard what, Father?”

  “She escaped and there are several guards dead. I am surprised you didn’t hear the commotion.”