Lionel stood and shouted for his men, but Hunter waylaid him, having re-entered from the rear of the store. “Leave Sada to me. Guard Clarysa.” He stormed off.
Clarysa stared intently at Patrulha, who hadn’t moved. “Patrulha?”
She approached the Captain with Lionel close behind. “Patrulha?” Clarysa stepped around to face her.
A jeweled dagger protruded from Patrulha’s good eye. She was still on her feet, but stone dead.
Lionel caught her body as it fell. He laid her gently on the ground. Clarysa knelt beside him, cradling Patrulha’s head. Blood was everywhere. “Oh no. Don’t die. Please don’t die!” Tears ran down her face in torrents.
Hunter ran up to them. “Couldn’t find her.” He blanched upon noticing Patrulha. “Damn that infernal sorceress!” He sank to his knees beside the fallen warrior in grief.
Clarysa cried harder. Then a shadow passed over her.
She looked up. Right into Stellan’s eyes–a now fully human Stellan.
He knelt opposite her, naked but for a strip of cloth wrapped around his hips. He looked upon Patrulha’s bloody face. A tic in his clenched jaw was the only hint of life in his stony expression.
A fresh wave of tears overcame Clarysa as she remembered her conversation with the Captain by the previous night’s fire. She grabbed Stellan’s arm. “She loved you!”
He stared at her in shock.
“She…loved you. Not like a sister, but as a woman.” She drew the warrior’s blood-soaked head closer to her chest. “I don’t think she ever had the courage to tell you. And now, she’ll never be able to!” Clarysa pressed her cheek against Patrulha’s forehead and sobbed. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!
For a long time Stellan was silent. No tears. No emotion. He turned to Hunter. “You are now the Captain. Report.”
And so Hunter filled him in on the details of their journey, Edward’s army, and the recent battle on the apothecary’s doorstep. He ended it with one chilling comment. “Vandeborg remains under siege.”
At this Stellan pulled Lionel aside. Clarysa only half listened as they discussed plans to return to the castle for a counterattack. The Duke informed them that a contingent of the King’s men had since been dispatched from Aldebaran to provide reinforcement.
“And there’s the matter of your sister as well,” added Hunter. “She’s wounded, but I couldn’t find a trace of her.”
Stellan nodded curtly. “Hans will need help cleaning up. Let’s restore order here and begin preparations for the return journey. I have to find some clothes.”
The men dispersed to fulfill his orders. Stellan paused to look upon Clarysa and the deceased Patrulha. A shiver passed through her. She had never seen his green eyes so dark and cold.
He walked away without another word.
Clarysa stared after him. There could be only one reason he was ignoring her. He thinks it’s my fault. He blames me for her death!
And he would be right. Patrulha’s words came back to haunt her: I’m here to rescue him because he deserves a better life, and obviously that means one with you. She had chosen to fight Sada, drawing the sorceress away so Clarysa would be safe. But at what cost? Anguish crushed her heart like a steel vise. She had lost a potential new friend, but Stellan had lost a member of his family.
Clarysa bowed her head, certain her relationship with Stellan was no more.
Chapter 36
The scorching noon sun blazed mercilessly down upon Clarysa as she and her companions departed from the apothecary’s shop. With Lionel and his group, their number had swelled to seventeen. Some of the men nursed injuries from the recent fight. Patrulha was the only casualty. Her horse dragged her body on a makeshift litter. It carved deep ruts into the earth as they headed back to Vandeborg.
Clarysa stared longingly at the back of Stellan’s head. He had yet to utter a single word to her since resuming human form. She had never seen him look so sullen and heartsick–each emotion appeared to permeate his very soul. Perhaps Patrulha’s death had altered his feelings about her, feelings he might never recover. Was this possible?
“Rubbish,” Lionel had told her after she’d confided in him about her fears. “Let him be,” he cautioned. “The man obviously needs time to be alone with his thoughts. Give it to him.”
And this she did. But it was difficult. The ache in her chest only grew more pronounced with every passing minute.
It’s your fault. If you had respected his wishes by staying at Vandeborg, Patrulha might still be alive.
They traveled late into the night and then broke for camp at the edge of the Snowflake Kingdom. Clarysa busied herself by helping Hunter make supper. While passing around food, she noticed Stellan wasn’t by the fire. When her own meal sat upon her lap, she could barely swallow the food. Concern for Stellan overwhelmed her. She could stand the separation no more. Abandoning her meal, she searched for him.
She needn’t look far. She discovered him sitting forlornly by Patrulha’s body.
Clarysa approached quietly and sat beside him at a polite distance. He didn’t acknowledge her presence, but neither had she expected him to. Head bowed, he held the dead woman’s hand. Clarysa watched the sorrowful scene for several minutes. Then, compelled by sympathy, she placed a comforting hand on his arm.
Stellan choked out a sob. He looked up at her, tears streaming from his eyes. “Clarysa, help me.”
“Anything. What do you need?”
His face twisted in anguish. “What am I going to tell her mother?”
The strain in his voice betrayed the depth of his sorrow. Clarysa opened her arms. Stellan dove forward and let her cradle him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and buried his face in her lap. His whole body shook.
She stroked her fingers tenderly through his hair. “Tell her the truth–she was a brave and beautiful warrior who was loyal to her prince until the end.”
She gazed at Patrulha’s shrouded form, willing herself to hold back tears. He needed her to be strong. Stellan shuddered with the force of a monsoon as he emptied his grief. It felt as though he would never release her.
“Clarysa, forgive me,” he said, his voice muffled. “I know I’ve ignored you. That was cruel of me. It’s just…I didn’t expect to lose her so suddenly. I always assumed she would die in battle someday, but not this, not so soon.”
“I know how much she meant to you,” she whispered. A tear rolled down her cheek. “It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry.”
He raised his head. “No,” he said forcefully. “That’s not true.”
“But she was protecting me–us–so we could be together. If I hadn’t been in the shop, distracting her, the battle might have ended differently. She might have lived.”
His cool hand cupped her cheek. “Don’t torture yourself. Patrulha knew the stakes. The choice to help us was hers, and hers alone.”
“But, Stellan, she was in love with you. Her eyes…her eyes followed you everywhere.” Hot, salty tears burned her cheeks. “But my presence made it difficult for her to declare her feelings. I knew how she felt, and I said nothing!” Clarysa choked back a sob. “I was so selfish!”
Stellan lifted her chin. Though wrought with exhaustion, his expression was tender. “Clarysa,” he began, “a love between Patrulha and I would have been nothing more than shared misery. That’s all.” His lips grazed hers. His warm breath filled her mouth as he spoke. “But with you I feel as if I can actually find happiness, true happiness. It means so much you’ve accepted me for who I am–especially considering I wasn’t my true self for a time. Few women, if any, would have stood by me as you did.”
“That’s because I want to spend the rest of my life with you no matter what your appearance.”
“That’s a relief.” He pulled her into his embrace. “And guess what?”
“What?”
“I like that you’re silly.”
Despite her tears, Clarysa grinned at the unexpected compliment.
His
hands tightened around her waist. “And I love how you’re so…uninhibited.”
As Stellan pressed his lips to hers, she surrendered to his urgent, demanding kiss. Arousal flared in her core, though she dare not display any kind of wanton behavior in the presence of their companions. She molded her body to his, reveling in his heat and maleness. Oh, how she had missed him! If only she could stop the hands of time to preserve this one moment.
But Pestilence still threatened the Five Lands. Until they defeated that menace, there would be no happiness for them anywhere.
Chapter 37
The darkening sky echoed Clarysa’s somber mood as she and the others prepared to travel through the Snowflake Kingdom. Despite the recent fight, the real battle had yet to begin.
In near silence, they donned heavy shirts, cloaks and scarves in preparation for the pending climate change. As Clarysa rode with the group into the outlying plain, the weather greeted her with long, frigid fingers. The icy wind blew fresh snow into her face. The abrupt change in temperature once again tested her mettle.
The sky opened up and the snow fell in buckets. A blinding snowstorm unleashed its fury, slowing their procession to a crawl.
Stellan looked to the sky, then turned back, his face filled with ominous portent. “I’ve seen dangerous weather here, but never like this,” he shouted. “It cannot be a good sign. Stay close together!”
He signaled to Hunter. The two men dismounted. Using coils of rope from the saddlebags, they linked all of the riders together. Stellan took the lead. Clarysa was in the middle, preceded by Lionel. Would Stellan be able to lead them safely through, or would the storm overwhelm even his expert tracking abilities?
They rode for hours. Periodically, Stellan would stop and reach out a hand. Ethereal fire came from it in spurts. It must have been some kind of magickal compass, for he altered direction each time he used it. Once, Clarysa caught sight of his haggard expression. The exertion was taking its toll.
Hours later, the storm weakened, having spent the entirety of its might. As the sheets of snow retreated, Stellan led the group behind an outcropping of boulders near Vandeborg’s perimeter. They could now discern the enemy encampment. It stretched, snakelike, around the stone fortress.
Hunter removed the linked ropes while Stellan, Clarysa and Lionel studied the scene.
“Edward is responsible for this, isn’t he?” Clarysa whispered.
Lionel nodded. “He’s consumed with bringing Stellan to his knees. I see the reinforcements have arrived. Expect him to attempt a breach of the castle at any moment.”
Hunter joined them. “What are your orders, Stellan? I’m ready to smash some sense into their heads, but the men could use some rest after the journey.”
Stellan nodded in tacit agreement. He pointed to an outlying stretch of rocks near the northeast wall. “See that? It conceals an entrance I discovered by accident one day. Never thought I’d have to use it.”
Hunter’s eyes widened at the revelation. “An emergency exit is more likely, but it’ll serve our purposes all the same.”
Clarysa cast a worried glance toward the Aldebaran troops. “But how are we going to slip past them?”
Stellan’s deep green gaze locked with hers. “Leave that to me.”
* * * *
Thirty minutes later, Clarysa watched in awe as thousands of bats descended on the Aldebaran troops. Blindly, the soldiers swatted at the creatures in an attempt to drive them off. Slashes of their gleaming blades accomplished nothing, for they were overwhelmed in number.
Stellan’s rough hand closed about hers. He drew her into the long, winding passageway that tunneled deep into the blackened earth. The horses barely squeezed through, and only then by lowering their heads. A dank underworld poisoned with the smell of rot greeted them as they descended. Frozen stalactites jutted toward them, jagged and hungry for their weak human flesh.
Gretchen and her son met them as they emerged onto one of the castle’s lower levels. She reached first for Stellan. Standing on her toes, she patted his cheek and briefly tousled his hair. “I knew it was you the moment I saw those bats.”
Stellan shook his head wearily. “No easy feat, but it did the trick.”
Clarysa glanced shyly at the gypsy. “I apologize for being so rude to you.”
Gretchen turned to her with a welcoming embrace. “Not to worry. I’m just relieved to see all of you back!”
But the sea of long faces did not share in her joy. Gretchen shot Stellan a questioning look. A solemn Hunter Red dragged the litter forward and revealed its secret. The gypsy woman took in the sight, and then her alarmed gaze latched onto Stellan.
Stone-faced, Stellan muttered a single, curt reply. “I’m sorry.”
Gretchen wailed, a baleful keen that blanketed them all with its misery. She rushed forward, but Stellan halted her with an arm. She clung to him, her face a sea of anguish. Grief devoured her remaining strength and she collapsed into a fetal position by his feet.
Ghyslain stood nearby. His haunted, empty expression betrayed his refusal to believe his sister was truly dead.
Clarysa could hardly bear to watch. She wondered why Stellan didn’t offer her comfort. Gretchen needed him. But then Clarysa remembered his words from the night before. He must have felt responsible for Patrulha’s death. After all, it was his sister who had plunged that hateful blade. A rush of sympathy for him went through her. To feel extreme guilt on top of such an acute loss must have been more agony than most people could bear. No wonder he tries to bury all his emotions.
Clarysa bent down and wrapped her arms around the gypsy, now uncontrollably sobbing. She stroked her shoulders and uttered soothing words as best she knew how. Eventually, she coaxed Gretchen to her feet so they could follow the others to the main floor.
As they entered the great hall, the rest of the castle’s inhabitants watched, shell-shocked, as the litter bearing Patrulha went past. Froll fought to hold back tears, but quickly lost the battle. Ghsylain took his mother from Clarysa and guided her toward the kitchen.
Thirty or so of Stellan’s men now crowded the area, aimless and disorganized. No one appeared to know what to do. Clarysa stood idly by, feeling awkward and helpless.
Stellan strode into the center of the hall. “Gather ’round, men.”
Clarysa hurried to a spot at the front of the group. What was he going to do?
Stellan stood on a dais and addressed his loyal followers. “My friends, Patrulha’s loss was both unexpected and painful. But we cannot allow our grief to dissuade our cause, for the battle is not yet won. And you know as well as I that she would have wanted us to fight with everything we have.
“I have lived a lonely existence for many of my years. I’ve cursed the gods and circumstances that led me to this bewitched kingdom. But somehow each one of you found me. You trusted me and supported my efforts to keep Pestilence from the Five Lands.”
He held up a hardened fist and regarded everyone in the room one by one. “Hope was restored in my broken spirit as well as body. Look about you. All of us are gathered here for a reason. For each of us in his own way bears an albatross. In one way or another, we have all gone against our peers and society’s acceptance.”
Stellan’s head made a quarter turn, singling out Clarysa even as he addressed them all. “Each has a story to tell. Each of us has braved poisonous insinuations, and, in some cases, defied the razor-sharp blades of others to stand for what is right in this world!”
He stepped forward, his arms outstretched on either side. “Our fallen comrade, Patrulha, knew some causes were worth dying for. Are we to let her selfless sacrifice be in vain?”
A resounding chorus of “No!” thundered in the hall.
“I’m glad you agree.” Stellan raised his voice with renewed vigor. “Even now my father schemes to conquer all of the Five Lands. His instrument is Pestilence, and of all the sorcerers in the Western Wastes, I alone stand in his way.
“Yet other, more immedi
ate challenges await us. The misguided crown prince of Aldebaran seeks our downfall. The assembled troops outside await his order to attack. Also, my recent ordeal at the hands of my sister has demonstrated the lengths to which my family will go to sow seeds of conflict and pain. Transforming me into a beast was Sada’s way of giving me a chance to repent my ways. My only chance. I’ve no doubt that the next time she and I meet, we will fight in a battle to the death.
Clarysa clamped both hands across her mouth. A magickal duel? To the death?
“The coming battle will shape the destiny of the Five Lands for years to come. Together, we are the future. So let it be remembered that on this day, we individuals, spurned by society, bound together and defeated those who would destroy us and what is right!”
A deafening roar of cheers went up, drowning out all of the war drums now beating incessantly outside. Clarysa gazed at Stellan with deep admiration.
A guard rushed forward and whispered in Stellan’s ear. The Dark Prince nodded and turned to his warriors. “Aldebaran attacks! We must go to Vandeborg’s defense. Are you with me?”
Again a deafening roar went up, one whose sound far belied its small numbers. The men leaped into action. Rusty armor was dispersed to those who were not already suited. Swords, maces, arrows–anything that could possibly be used as a weapon was passed out to ready hands.
While the men raced to their positions, Stellan turned to Clarysa. “If the sight of blood does not trouble you, I fear the men will need someone to tend to the injured.” He stared at her expectantly.
Clarysa nodded. “I’ll take care of them.”
“Good. Go find Gretchen. She’ll instruct you.”
Clarysa struggled to speak calmly past her trembling lips. “My love, please return safely to me!”
“All the demons of the otherworld couldn’t keep me away from you.” He bent down and crushed her lips with his.
Lord of Snow and Ice Page 25
