Beneath The Shadows of Evil... Torn

by Jolynn Raymond

  “It appears your servant girl is nowhere to be seen, but I have some experience with gowns just the same. Perhaps I can be of assistance.” He had come up behind her on silent feet, and Natalya whirled around, shocked, her mouth open in outrage batting down his hands that were poised to do just as he had suggested.

  Suddenly he was near, much too near, and there was a glint in his black obsidian eyes that was unmistakable. Her heart skipped a beat, but Natalya stood tall, unflinching.

  “You shall do no such thing! What are you doing here? I thought my actions and words over the past weeks would have made it quite clear that your presence is not welcome here.”

  His gaze mellowed and became hooded once more, unreadable, but his body was still far too close.

  “Your sharp tongue wounds me, my Lady. I was simply trying to be gallant and return your glove. You dropped it in the courtyard, and I feared your delicate fingers would be in peril.”

  “You can save your sweet talk for a woman who wishes to hear it. I cannot be charmed. Leave it on the table and remove yourself from my rooms.”

  “But what of your tangled gown, dear Natalya? Just a simple working of my fingers and you shall be divested of it.”

  “You... I will manage.” He would not get the best of her. He would not!

  “Where is your servant?” This time he had a bit of anger to his tone. The girl truly should have been here to help her Mistress. The Master would be very disturbed if he found the chit wasn’t doing her job.

  “I imagine the poor girl is abed. Tis late. I sent for her but she did not come. I thought it best to leave her to her rest. I’ve lived without servants all my life, and won’t become reliant upon them now.”

  “And your gowns? How did you manage then? Was your husband very accommodating? Did he unlace you each night?” His voice had become husky, smoky, as he imagined her being stripped bared for sensual delights.

  Natalya blushed crimson at the thought. She had always prepared herself for bed and crawled beneath the blankets before Danior arrived. The other wasn’t proper, but this, this man seemed to have no qualms about that sort of thing. In fact, his eyes spoke of the fact that he was divesting her of her gown with his eyes even as they spoke. Natalya wanted to slap him, but stayed her hand, eyes flashing, determined to give him a lashing.

  “How dare you speak of him! I do not wish to discuss my relationship with my husband. He always acted like a gentleman. As for the gowns, the ones I wore were simple, unlike these ridiculous creations. I was quite able to handle them myself.”

  “Pity for him.”

  Natalya stared at him, aghast. “How dare you?”

  “There are many things my kind dares to do Lady Natalya. So many delightful things an innocence such as you hasn’t even dreamt of.” He reached out quick as lightening and brushed his fingers over his Sire’s mark. “Pity we can’t explore some of those delights.”

  This time she did raise her hand. She raised it and slapped his away from her as if his touch burned her then whirled and stormed away. He followed tugging at her tangled stays.

  “So full of fire and righteousness. Are you certain you wish to play the martyr and send me from your room? You’ve no hope of undressing then.”

  Natalya finally turned slowly after taking several deep breaths. She looked at Lucian impatiently, eyes steely, and saw the twinkle of merriment and the fire of lust in his eyes. She knew it was put there by her predicament, and the fact the he was amused by her troubles made her want to claw his eyes out. The problem was, she was simply too tired to argue with him further.

  “It matters not if I sleep in my gown. Just leave me be. I will manage.”

  Lucian saw the change come over her, saw how her shoulders slumped in defeat, noticed the dark circles under her eyes, saw the fire go out of her and softened immediately. He’d forgotten what a long night it had been.

  “I mean no harm, Natalya, truly I don’t. I will simply untangle the cords and go on my way. As delectable as you might be, I have never molested a woman, and have no plans to in the future.”

  His words were gentle now, soft, but the thought of his fingers working nimbly at the ties of her gown, unlacing it, and opening it up... no, she couldn’t let her mind wander there. True he was handsome, and those eyes... but he was a devil in every sense of the word.

  “GO!”

  His eyes flared at her order, no longer hooded and now full of ire. She certainly did know how to ignite his fury. Fine, if she was to be a shrew, he would let her struggle. He would go see about her maid, and find the reason for her absence. At least that one hadn’t the protection of Mikhal the Merciless. He had no intentions of beating the girl but she certainly wouldn’t shirk her duties in the future either. Someone was going to pay for his mood. This little scene hadn’t gone as planned, and his temper was foul.

  “As you wish. I shall see you tomorrow evening.”

  Natalya turned her back on him once more, refusing to acknowledge his presence any longer. It was too much, and she was much too tired. When she heard the door close behind him she sat quickly to remove her boots, and then crawled into bed, gown and all, falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Lucian took the stairs up to the servants quarters two at a time, his haste fueled by one part unrequited lust and one part anger at the servant wench who had disregarded her Mistress’s summons. He would see to the little chit, let her know in no uncertain terms that slothful behavior would not be tolerated. He’d set her straight by whatever means necessary, then report the night’s activities to his Master. Mikhal the Merciless had set him up as protector to Natalya, and to Lucian, this fell under that realm, for if Natalya became unhappy, then the Mistress would as well, and that bode ill for them all.

  He arrived on the top floor of the castle and went directly to the first door he came too, banging it open, startling the man within. He’d been just about to go to bed, his nightly duties, whatever they may be having been, just finished for the night, when the Master’s first in command had barged into his small quarters. The man immediately sank to his knees, fearing the worst.

  “Get up. I mean you no harm. Tell me where the girl Hannah resides. Take me to her chambers.”

  The man arose at once, a stricken look on his face. The one before him was known to be mild in his dealings with the humans of the castle, but he was still one of ‘them’. “Yes, M’Lord. At once.”

  The man wondered what the poor girl had done, and if it was punishment that was coming her way or ravishment. He knew she had been appointed as the new Gypsy’s maid, gossip flew through the halls of the castle like birds a flight, but her new position could be one fraught with peril if her Mistress was unkind.

  He hurried out of the room and down the hall, keeping his eyes downcast, then pointed to one of the doors, mumbling that it was the place Lucian sought. Lucian nodded curtly and dismissed him with a wave of a hand, and the man gratefully sank back into the shadows and quickly proceeded to his room.

  Lucian lifted the latch and entered without knocking, Hannah was a servant after all, a human, and while both Alliana and Natalya were also human, this girl held no position of stature. She was but a slave among their kind, and it seemed as if she wasn’t doing as she had been bidden.

  He stared about the sparse room, immediately deducing that she wasn’t about, and began to assume she had indeed gone to see to her Mistress, when the girl herself quietly slipped through the door. She didn’t look around as she came in, but kept her head turned, as if looking to see if she was being followed or watched, then closed the door as quietly as possible, only then turning around to come face to face with her visitor.

  Hannah squeaked in surprise when she saw Lucian, her eyes growing huge with fear, her hand coming up to clutch at the fastening of her cloak. The very fact that she wore her cloak made it plain that she had been about outdoors and not tending her Mistress where she should have been, and Lucian al
lowed his gaze to rake over her slowly, taking in every detail, noting her broken shoe, making it a point without ever saying a word that he knew she had left the castle walls. Be it a dalliance with a stable boy or some other secret activity, Lucian suspected the girl had been up to no good.

  Hannah froze like an animal that has spotted the predator. Her mouth opened and then closed, at a loss for words and unsure if she should even speak. She knew she had been with her Mistress for far too long, hours and hours in fact. She had even taken the time to wash in the kitchen, but now she was terrified that what Marishka had warned her against would happen, that Lucian would smell her Mistress anyway. Oh, what was she going to do?

  “Mistress Natalya summoned you and you did not appear. Where were you girl?” Lucian’s voice was low and sinister, something was amiss here, something was very wrong. He felt it in his gut.

  “I...I”

  “Do not lie to me.” His voice boomed in the tiny room, making Hannah shake, and her knees becoming weak.

  “Please M’Lord. I went to try and find the herbs Mistress Natalya spoke of yesterday. I wished to surprise her. To make her pleased with me.” The lie had come easy much to Hannah’s surprise. Her fear and her love for Marishka making the words flow off her tongue.

  “In the dark? Do you not know what my kind does to a girl such as you when we find one alone in the dark of night? When we hunger? When we lust?”

  “Oh yes M’Lord. Yes. I... I simply wanted to make her happy. It was foolish I know. I didn’t go far, just to the field beyond the kitchen courtyard.”

  “Tis the end of winter girl. Do you think I’m a fool?”

  “No M’Lord. Please. I thought perhaps what she sought would be there. Twas not the plant she wanted, but the roots. The soil is softening during the warmer days and I thought perhaps I would be able to dig it up. Mistress Natalya truly wanted some Valerian for a tea. She said it would relax the Master’s wife.”

  Lucian advanced on Hannah, coming within inches of her before stopping. He took both of her trembling hands in his, bringing them up, and examining them in the light of the smoldering hearth.

  “I see no dirt under your nail, nor streaks of mud upon your hands.’ He looked down at her shoes, noting again that the heel of one was broken off. “No caked dirt upon your shoes, yet you claim to have dug for roots in the muck. Besides, the ground becomes hard once night falls. The tale you are trying so hard to spin sounds false.”

  “Yes M’Lord. I realized my folly when I arrived at my destination. I am but a foolish girl.” Hannah lowered her eyes, she couldn’t bear to look at him, didn’t want him to see her terror, her doubt.

  “Which was it girl, soft soil or hard dirt? Be careful with your lies because your hands and feet speak the truth, and either would show as stains upon your knees.”

  “I thought it would be soft but twas not so I scratched at it a bit then washed in the kitchen.” Hannah’s words were desperate and spilled forth in a ramble that told of her terror.

  Lucian moved his hands to her shoulders and shook her, the motion causing her hair to fall from where it had been hastily pinned. As the long locks tumbled down, Lucian caught an old familiar scent. Marishka.

  His fingers gripped her arms like a vice, squeezing as he snarled for her to look at him and pulled her close to breathe deeply of the scent that lingered on her hair. “Tell me the truth, you little bitch. Where have you been?”

  “I... Please. Oh please don’t hurt me. Mistress Natalya promised me I wouldn’t be hurt. M’Lord please.”

  “Tell me why you stink of Marishka? Where have you been, girl?”

  Hannah shook her head mutely, mouth open, eyes rolling up in her head in terror. She wanted to cry out for her Mistress, desperately wanted Marishka to save her, but knew that if she were to survive she’s have to help herself.

  “Answer me!”

  “Please M’Lord. I shouldn’t have. I know that.”

  “Shouldn’t have what? Do not play the fool with me girl for I shall beat the truth out of you.”

  “I went to Mistress Marishka’s old chambers to find more gowns for Mistress Natalya. I... I thought that the Master would see to her needs but the gown material has never arrived. I didn’t have permission, I know that, but I felt a Lady such as she needed more than she had. The Mistress said she didn’t need anything, but I wished to please her. I sew, M’Lord. I wanted to alter them. I’m sorry. I wanted to surprise her with some new dresses. I am quick with the needle and she has only two gowns, both are borrowed from Lady Arcos. A woman wishes to have gowns of her own and…”

  Hannah knew she was babbling but she simply couldn’t stop herself. She had to make Lucian believe her, she simply had to or her life would be over. If he didn’t kill her himself, he would bring her before Mikhal the Merciless.

  “It twas to get gowns for Mistress Natalya. It was. I swear to you upon the grave of my mother.”

  Lucian slapped her, not hard, but enough to snap her head and to silence her ranting. “Enough. I wish to hear no more. You have not convinced me of your innocence girl, be sure of that. I plan to have a discussion with Lord Arcos about your behavior. Your tale of digging for roots at nighttime in the frozen ground and foraging in the wardrobe of Lord Arcos’s sister sounds like lies. It is my duty to protect the Master of this castle and the Ladies as well, and if you are up to evil deeds I will find out about them. You can be certain of that girl. Your fate shall be decided soon enough.”

  He left her then, stormed out, eyes flashing amber, every muscle tightly wound, ready to spring, ready to kill. His beast had been awakened, and if it hadn’t been for the fact that the girl was under the protection of his Master because she served Natalya, he would have beaten the truth from her then and there. That lies had spewed from her tongue he had no doubt, and he was determined to get to the bottom of those lies and find out if the mousy little thing who appeared so very innocent was in fact harboring a dark secret.

  It was time to talk things over with his Master. The fate of the girl would now lie in his hands, but if Hannah were indeed playing the traitor with Marishka, Lucian hoped that Mikhal the Merciless would allow him to punish her. It wasn’t often that he wished to commit acts of violence upon a human, especially a woman, but he would certainly make an exception in this case.

  Marishka had broken their laws, shamed herself, wronged her brother, and harmed the Mistress. If Hannah was seeing fit to do Marishka’s bidding, then she deserved to die a horrid death after she revealed the hiding place of the ones they sought.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  As soon as Lucian left her, Hannah gave in to the wave of fear that was rushing over her and crumpled to the floor. She was terrified and she couldn’t stop shaking. All the things Marishka had warned her about, had told her to be careful of had come to pass. Oh it hadn’t been Lord Arcos questioning her, no, that hadn’t happened tonight, but Hannah was certain that sure as the sun would come over the horizon, she would be summoned before the Master of the castle before too long.

  What to do? Oh what was she to do? She couldn’t go running to Marishka could she? It’s what she wanted, to be in her Mistress’s loving arms where she would be protected, but Hannah also knew that Marishka would be very furious with her for being careless.

  Her Mistress would be angry and would possible hurt her, and worst of all, she might stop loving her. Then a new, horrid thought hit her. What if Marishka gave her over to Andor because she had failed in her mission? What if she let that evil creature have his way with her? Oh it was too much to think of. Being touched by him was a fate worse than death, but then again, facing an enraged Mikhal the Merciless was one too. Oh what was she to do?

  She thought of running to Natalya and throwing herself at her feet, begging for mercy, pleading and swearing she hadn’t committed a crime, but then, if that happened, Natalya might put off the making of the potion that was to cause her death. On the other hand, if she did let Natalya proceed with her potion mak
ing as she did almost daily and the Gypsy died, would the astute Lucian turn his eye on her for that as well?

  Oh she simply didn’t know. She was but a simple village girl, never schooled, never taught to read or write, how was she to judge what to do. In the end, Hannah gave in to her feelings of hopelessness and simply curled up in a ball on her bed, waiting for fate to take its course. Maybe the Master wouldn’t believe Lucian, maybe Natalya would die as the sun came up and all thoughts of her would be forgotten. That result would please Marishka and possibly make everyone forget about the little servant girl who very much planned on disappearing when Natalya met her fiery death. Yes, that was it, she’d stay here and sleep until fate took hold; one such as her couldn’t make decisions anyway.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  As Hannah was curling up on her bed, wishing the world away, Lucian was standing outside his Master’s door, in a fit of rage. He’d knocked but received no reply and now was unable to deliver his very important news. The sentry at the door said Mikhal had gone the way of the Mistress’s chambers and Lucian knew better than to follow him there. Oh, it wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about it, but to disturb his Lord with news such as this in front of the Mistress would be a grave mistake.

  Lady Arcos was human and could very well take the girl’s side causing a riff between the Master and the Mistress. He also didn’t relish waking them or disturbing more intimate activities. No, his news would have to wait until morning. The question was what should he do about the girl?

  Lucian paced the hall, taking measured steps as he went to and fro, his body tight, muscles tensed like a panther ready to spring. What was he to do about the girl? He wanted to drag her to the dungeon, but knew that would be unwise. He supposed he could place a sentry at her door, but wasn’t sure if that was needed either. It would only draw attention to the fact that something was amiss, that he was on to her, and if there were more of her traitorous kind inside the castle walls, he would be tipping them off to his knowledge.