by Jody Hedlund
“Then we shall go to St. Cuthbert’s first.” She accepted the news of my going with her as if it was a foregone conclusion.
“But it’s the opposite direction.”
“Not overly so.”
“Anyway, don’t you think Wade should be the one to accompany you?” She shook her head, but before she could say anything, I rushed forward. “He’s the trained warrior. He’ll be able to protect you and get you to Norland much better than I could.”
“We shall be fine,” she said with her usual confidence. “I would rather be with you than anyone else.”
At her words, warmth seeped through my chest.
“Let us set out at once,” she said. “If we depart without delay, we shall arrive at St. Cuthbert’s tomorrow morning.”
The abandoned abbey was a full day’s ride in daylight and good weather. But in the dark of night in winter? “We ought to wait, Maribel. We’d be safer traveling by daylight. Besides, we should say farewell to everyone, should we not?”
“We shall return before going to Norland,” she said. “And we shall say our good-byes then.”
Past experience had taught me she’d do whatever she planned whether I supported her or not. If I decided against accompanying her, she’d go without me. And I couldn’t let her do that.
She turned her face up, her blue eyes sparkling and wide with anticipation. “How can you wait? We have a clue that could lead us to the treasure. Sister Katherine will understand the urgency. After all, she is the one who said we must have the treasure before we can defeat King Ethelwulf’s evil. If I am able to ride into Norland with my part of the treasure, then we shall bring something worthwhile to my sister.”
“If she is as good and wise as people claim, then she will value you for who you are and not for what you bring.”
Maribel made quick work of putting the key back together and tucking it into a pouch tied to her belt. “Can you not feel the adventure waiting for us, Eddie? We shall embark on a hunt for real treasure this time, not just for my herbs.”
I hated when she called me Eddie. It was a childhood nickname I’d long outgrown. Thankfully, she didn’t use it often, but when she did, I felt as though she saw me as a young boy and not the man I’d become.
She stood and straightened her veil. The gray fabric did nothing to mute or detract from her loveliness. In contrast, she only seemed all the more vibrant and alive. Certainly not the type of woman destined to become a nun. Perhaps now that she knew she was a princess, she would put the idea of being a nun out of her mind.
“Say you will come with me,” she pleaded softly, looking down at where I still knelt on my prayer cushion. “Please.”
I had the strangest longing to reach for her hand, bring it to my lips, and kiss her delicate fingers. Instead, I swallowed the unexpected desire and gave her the answer she wanted. “You know I will.”
She smiled, and her eyes danced before she spun around and started to cross the chapel. “I shall meet you by the stables in ten minutes.”
“Dress as warmly as you can,” I whispered after her. She waved her answer and disappeared, leaving a mixture of longing and frustration swirling in my chest.
I wasted no time in returning to the forge, gathering my clothes and weapons. Wade’s heavy breathing told me he still slept, and I prayed he would until we were well on our way to St. Cuthbert’s. I doubted he’d approve of me giving in to Maribel’s whim, especially to set off in the dark.
With all I needed in hand, I started to open the door, careful not to make a sound.
“Take Sheba.” His whisper stopped me.
I spun to find his gaze upon me. I wanted to shake my head in denial but then thought better of it. After all, how could I explain why I had my weapons and every stitch of clothing I owned?
“Keep to the high paths until you reach the tunnels at the eastern end of the Iron Hills.” His instructions told me he knew the details of our plans to go to St. Cuthbert’s and search for the treasure. Had he pretended to be asleep only to follow me to the chapel? How many times had he done so in the past?
Embarrassed heat slid up my neck into my face.
“Do you remember the underground route that will take you into the ruins?” he asked.
I nodded. I’d traveled with Wade into the vicinity of St. Cuthbert’s on several occasions, and he’d done his best to teach me all he knew about the various hiding places set into the Iron Hills and Highlands.
“Stay out of sight during the day and travel at night.”
My shoulders dropped. “Maybe you should come with us.”
Wade expelled a breath and closed his eyes. “No. She wants you.”
If he’d listened to us in the chapel, then he would have heard Maribel’s declaration that she desired me to accompany her and not Wade. How must he feel after sacrificing so many years of his life to stay near her and protect her only to have her choose me instead of him?
“I’m sorry, Wade.”
“No, lad. It’s as it should be. You’re the one to go with her. Even Sister Katherine knows it.”
“I’ll take care of her.”
“I know you will.” Although not quite words of praise, it was the closest he’d come to acknowledging perhaps I wasn’t a complete failure at all his training efforts.
“And we’ll be back before dawn on the second day.”
“It would be for the best if you can convince the princess to leave directly for Norland. She won’t be safe here anymore.” The way he said “princess” left no doubt he’d guessed her identity long ago.
“Do you think King Ethelwulf’s men will discover Sister Katherine’s trail?”
“It’s not a matter of if, but when.”
Danger awaited everyone who remained. Was that another reason Wade wasn’t protesting my going with Maribel, so that he could stay and defend those left behind? “I’ll do my best to keep Maribel away, but she is strong-willed and not easily persuaded.”
Wade nodded his agreement, then rolled to his back and closed his eyes. It was his silent method of communicating that our conversation was over and I needed to be on my way.
I reached for the door.
“She doesn’t see you the same way you see her.”
Wade’s comment twined around my gut and cinched tight. I didn’t have to ask him what he meant. He was finishing the conversation we’d started much earlier in the day—the one about Colette and Maribel and marriage.
I wanted to be angry at him for pointing out something I’d already known about Maribel, something I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge. That Maribel wasn’t attracted to me as a man. In fact, half the time she considered me nothing more than a childhood playmate—even though we were both fully grown.
But instead of retorting, I swallowed my anger, which was really directed more at myself than at Wade.
“I just don’t want to see you get hurt, lad,” he said softly.
“I know.”
“Colette loves you already and won’t break your heart.”
The problem was I didn’t love Colette. How could I, not when I loved Maribel? I couldn’t deny the truth any longer. I’d always loved Maribel and would forever. And if she never felt the same in return, I’d rather be by her side as her friend and companion than not at all.
“Go on, now, lad,” Wade said, “and don’t forget anything I taught you.”
“I won’t.” As I exited, I had the awful premonition I might not see Wade again, that I wouldn’t have the chance to thank him for everything he’d done for me—for rescuing me as a frightened boy alone on the street, for bringing me to safety, for taking the time and effort year after year to shape me into a warrior. For modeling hard work, sacrifice, and courage.
Maybe he hadn’t loved me as my own father would have. But he’d loved me in his own way. And I would always be grateful to him.
Chapter
5
Maribel
The spiderwebs coating the tunnels were as thick a
s the snow that had fallen all night and covered our tracks. Well, maybe the sticky webs weren’t quite as thick as the snow, but I shuddered with each dangling strand blocking our path. We’d been traversing the hidden passageways for the past two hours since riding down from the Highlands and entering the Iron Hills. Every time I asked, Edmund reassured me the tunnels would take us to St. Cuthbert’s.
“Do you think this is the way Sister Agnes escaped from St. Cuthbert’s when she took me away as a babe?”
“It could be.” Edmund held the torch in one hand and his sword in the other. He slashed another spiderweb in half so we could make our way without tangling in the silk. The low ceiling forced us to crouch and at times had narrowed so much we’d had to crawl. Edmund had been wise to leave our mounts behind in the secluded alcove at the beginning of the old mine.
“It is difficult for me to imagine Sister Agnes traversing these tunnels and rushing to get away from King Ethelwulf’s soldiers.” The old nun had always been big boned with broad shoulders and hips. As far back as I remembered, those joints had given her trouble, particularly when she walked for any length of time.
“Whatever route she took would have been hard for her,” Edmund said, slashing at another web. “Especially carrying a newborn babe.”
I stifled a yawn. My eyes were heavy from lack of sleep, and keeping up a steady stream of conversation kept my mind off how tired I was. Thankfully, Edmund was accustomed to my endless chatter and didn’t seem to tire of it. “I wonder why she never told anyone, not even the abbess, about my identity.”
“I suppose she decided the fewer people who knew, the safer you’d be.”
“But she could have told me before she passed away.” I’d spent hours at her bedside when she’d taken ill from an unexplained fever. Although I’d tried every remedy Sister Agnes had created and even new ones I’d devised, I hadn’t been able to save her.
A familiar heaviness settled around my heart. I blamed myself for her death. I should have been able to cure a fever. A fever without any other symptoms. What kind of physician was I that I couldn’t manage something so simple? Since that day, I’d vowed I would be an even better physician than Sister Agnes. I’d spend my life proving it if that’s how long it took.
Edmund ducked under a low doorway. “Sister Agnes knew if she told you, you’d run off and do what you’re doing now.”
“Search for treasure?”
“Get into trouble.”
I laughed.
Edmund smiled over his shoulder. “I’m serious.”
“We shall not get into trouble. I promise.”
“If I had a piece of silver for every time you’ve told me that, I’d be a rich man.”
“I am not at fault for the decision to roll in poison oak.”
“I suppose getting stuck up in the giant sequoia wasn’t your fault either?”
My thoughts flashed back to those carefree days as children when we’d played together and roamed as much of the Highlands as Wade would allow. “I shall take responsibility for the bees’ nest falling on Colette. I should have warned her to move out of the way before I cut it out of the tree.”
Edmund chuckled. “The only reason you take responsibility for it is because she reminds you of her bee stings whenever she’s upset at you.”
Colette had been covered with welts. Thankfully, Sister Agnes had concocted a salve of honey and witch hazel and applied it all over Colette’s little body. She’d been miserable for several days and had never forgotten it, much to my dismay.
Before I could defend myself further, Edmund stopped so abruptly I bumped into him. He reached a hand behind to steady me.
We’d come to a closed door in the tunnel.
“From here on, it’s a steep uphill climb,” he said.
“I can endure it.” Once again, excitement coursed through my veins. I was on a hunt for the ancient King Solomon’s treasure. What could be better?
We’d already discussed the best places to search. That had been the main topic of conversation during the dark, cold hours we’d ridden across the Highlands. We’d decided we needed to locate keyholes and try the key into every one. How hard could that be? But of course, the always logical Edmund had cautioned me against getting my hopes too high.
“The keyhole won’t be out in the open and easy to find,” he’d said. “It’s likely hidden in a special place having to do with the symbol on the key.”
We’d speculated on the various items represented by the tree of life and healing. Perhaps the secret place was located in a well or former apothecary or even the garden beds. We had to search everywhere as quickly as possible. I’d promised Edmund we’d be on our way by nightfall since I didn’t expect we’d need all day to find it.
When we reached the top of the steep incline leading to the former abbey, we had to climb several additional winding tunnels before we came into an abandoned mining drift. Continuing along, we eventually found ourselves in a wider room that contained a cold cistern of water fed by a spring cutting through the rocks. We refreshed ourselves there and let our breathing even out before moving onward and upward. I was grateful more than ever for Edmund guiding the way.
Even though he claimed to have been hunting in the eastern Iron Hills a time or two with Wade and was familiar with the area, I also knew Edmund had entire maps of Mercia committed to memory. Wade had required it of him during his training. At the time, I hadn’t understood the importance of it, but now I realized Edmund was a huge asset, and I needed him more than I realized.
By the time we surfaced into the ruins of the abbey, the winter sun was peeking from behind clouds, indicating that most of our morning was already gone. The crumbling walls and the remains of small rooms brought a lump to my throat at the realization I’d once been here with my sisters. It was the last place we’d been together, the last place we’d been a family.
“Soon,” I whispered into the cool air as I stepped into a tower room that overlooked Mercia’s Eastern Plains. “We shall be together again soon.”
Shrouded in the freshly fallen snow, the flat fields looked pristine and endlessly beautiful. To the west lay the Iron Cities of Everly, Middleton, and Stefford. The cities were set at the base of the Iron Hills, each upon a different branch of the Cress River. I could almost imagine I saw smoke rising into the air from the many smelters which took the raw iron from the mines and purified it into bars fit for making tools and weapons and household items.
If only I could walk among the cities one time, browse the busy markets, visit a smelter or forge, and step inside a cathedral.
I shook my head and rebuked myself for my wayward desires, certainly not the dreams of a young woman months away from taking her vows. In His Providence, God had chosen me—not my sisters—to go with Sister Agnes, to grow up in a convent, and to learn the physician’s skills. It was my work, my life, my purpose. I might have a slight detour while I looked for the treasure and took it to Norland. But I wouldn’t be swayed from my true calling to become a nun.
I turned away from the view and began scanning every inch of the tower room for a keyhole.
“Have you found anything?” Edmund’s voice broke into my inner chastisement.
“No, I have not found a single clue.”
“Likewise.” He crossed to the lookout window and gazed over the enormity of Mercia as I had just done.
“It is majestic, is it not?” I couldn’t stop myself from moving next to him and peering out again, hungry for another view of the beauty so different from the barren wilderness of the Highlands.
“It is.” His voice was wistful. Was he more eager to see the world beyond our convent than he’d admitted previously? Maybe accompanying me to Norland would give him a taste of adventure too.
“Thank you for coming with me.” I shifted and studied his profile; his angular jaw, long nose, and finely sculpted cheeks. A wayward strand of hair lay across his forehead. Before I realized what I was doing, I smoothed the piece back.
His hand captured mine so swiftly I started. When he brought my fingers to his lips and placed a kiss upon them, I drew in a quick breath. Over the edge of our hands, his green eyes were wide as they met mine. And they were filled with the same something that had been there yesterday, something that made me realize Edmund was all man and no longer a boy.
For a moment, time stood still. My heartbeat and my breathing ceased to function. Somehow I’d missed the fact that he’d grown up. Did that mean we couldn’t be friends in the same way anymore? What about when I became a nun? What about now that I was a princess?
I wouldn’t allow anything to get in the way of our friendship. Heaven forbid it.
Impetuously, I uncurled my fingers from his and cupped his cheek. “I want you to know that no matter what happens in the future, you will always be my friend.”
I waited for a smile, for light to spark in his eyes. But instead, he nodded and took a step back, breaking our connection. I sensed my answer disappointed him, but I wasn’t sure how.
“We need to keep looking.” He strode toward the tower door without a backward glance.
“Yes. Of course.”
Before I followed him, I turned to the view again, drinking it in one more time. Rather than marveling at the beauty, I could only feel the strange weight of Edmund’s disappointment.
We continued searching, moving aside debris and leaving no corner or crevice of the abbey untouched. When the afternoon began to wane, a sense of urgency prodded me.
“It is not here.” I released a long, loud yawn from where I perched on a lone stool—the only item left intact within what we guessed had once been the abbey’s apothecary.
Edmund’s face was lined with weariness. He sat on the floor and leaned against the wall, his head tilted back and his eyes closed. I wasn’t ready to leave yet, but I’d promised him we’d go at dusk. Since he was clearly tired, I wouldn’t push him to stay, even though I wanted to keep looking until I found the treasure. I didn’t want to travel to Norland and meet my older sister without it. I’d be of no use to her. But neither would I break my word to Edmund.
