by Jody Hedlund
Once word spread regarding the king’s rejection of me and decree regarding Magnus, how many would stay with me? I had too few men left after losing so many of my most trusted knights to the labyrinth. While I’d gained the respect and support of others in Delsworth over the past year, I still didn’t have the same networks and connections that Magnus did.
Even so, I couldn’t let Magnus take the throne without a fight. I refused to stand back and relegate the people to a ruler like my brother.
“Your Majesty.” Dante rose and bowed once again. “I regret the news I must bring you at so sorrowful a time.”
My chest pattered an extra beat. Was Emmeline finally doing what she needed to? I’d hated leaving her behind, especially knowing I’d hurt her. But I’d had no choice. I’d had to cause a rift in order to force her to side with her sisters—which was where she should have been all along.
Even though I’d done the right thing, my body burned with my need for her, a need I would always have. Though I’d set her free of any obligation to me, in my heart she’d always be my wife. I’d never want or love another woman ever again.
I thought about her every moment, prayed for her safety, and hoped one day she could forgive me and find happiness.
“Your Majesty,” Dante said, this time his tone containing an urgency that forced me up from the bed. I gave him my full attention and nodded at him to continue. “The usurper’s army is on the move. They are drawing near with their siege engines.”
I stifled my disappointment. I’d been hoping to avoid the frontal attack, and now that it was upon us, I had no will to fight. I wanted to open the city gates and let the rebels in. But the king’s army wouldn’t allow it. They’d battle until they defeated our foe or a new ruler’s flag was raised over Delsworth. Either way, the fighting would be fierce and would take a great toll on the town and the people.
“Any other news?” I asked.
Dante cocked a brow, likely sensing a deeper question—one he had no answers for. At least none that would please me.
“Very well. Gather the bulk of the army and go to the city wall. I shall assemble my guard and meet you there.”
Dante bowed again and strode out, leaving me with Father Patrick. The priest drew me to a far corner from my mother before speaking in a whisper. “Your Majesty, your brother is spreading rumors among the castle servants.”
“They are not rumors. They are the truth. I refused to obey the king in the labyrinth, and he renounced me as his heir.”
The priest studied my face and then offered a gentle smile. “You made a difficult choice, Your Majesty. But I am proud of you for doing what was right no matter the consequences.”
“I will not subject the people or the land to Magnus being king.”
“And I do not think you should.”
“Then you support my claim to the throne?”
“I could not do otherwise.”
I tilted my head to acknowledge and thank him for his loyalty as well as to dismiss him.
Instead of going, he pulled his short stature higher. “Your Majesty, you have my fullest support in everything except in the matter regarding your wife.” His voice rang out in the chamber, no longer clandestine.
I glared at him, daring him to say more.
He cleared his throat and continued just like he always did. “I do not support you setting aside your vows to her.”
“I shall do as I please.” I stalked toward the door.
He rushed after me. “You must honor the commitment you made, even in the worst of circumstances.”
I paused, one hand on the door handle. “I have no doubt her sister will nullify our marriage and find her a better husband, someone noble and good, someone like the Earl of Langley or Lord Chambers.”
“Princess Emmeline will never find a better husband than you, Your Majesty.”
The sincerity in Father Patrick’s voice gave me a moment of hope . . . until all of my faults came rushing back. I’d forced Emmeline into a relationship with me, had given her no choice with our marriage. If I survived the battle against Magnus as well as the battle for the kingdom, I wouldn’t coerce or manipulate her into coming back to me. No, she was free to choose what she wanted, and I’d have to live with the consequences.
Before I could formulate my thoughts into words, rapid footsteps and loud voices rumbled outside the chamber. Was Dante returning with more news?
I swung open the door only to find the king’s closest guards gathered, their weapons drawn, their expressions severe. The two guards I’d left on duty were slumped in the passageway with blood pooling beneath them. Behind them stood Magnus.
He’d waited until Dante departed with the majority of the army before coming after me. I could admit that was a smart move. But he underestimated me if he thought he could conquer me with a handful of soldiers.
In an instant, I had my weapons out. A quick thrust of my dagger into the closest guard sent him staggering back into the hallway. A swipe with my sword at another brought him to his knees. I used my speed, power, and agility to my advantage. If Magnus believed I’d risen to my position as head commander of the elite guard because I was the king’s son, then he was wrong. I’d earned my spot because I’d become the best.
I spun away from the men pouring into the bedchamber, fighting them off and taking them down in quick succession. From the corner of my eye, I saw Magnus stalk across the room. A warning rang in my head, but I was too outnumbered and too busy to stop him unless I threw my knife into his back—which I couldn’t do.
An instant later, he shouted above the clamor of fighting. “Surrender or I will kill Father Patrick.”
Even as I parried a thrust and ducked away from another blow, I caught a glimpse of Magnus’s knife pressed against Father Patrick’s throat. I’d witnessed Magnus’s cruelty often enough to know my brother never issued an idle threat.
I took several rapid steps, trying to decide how I could hurt Magnus and free Father Patrick simultaneously. My gaze landed upon Mother, who’d risen from the king’s bedside and was watching the conflict with horror rounding her beautiful eyes.
How could I live with myself if I injured Magnus? I couldn’t do it, especially not in front of Mother.
“Do not harm Father Patrick,” I said, lowering my weapons.
Magnus didn’t loosen his hold on my wise teacher. His blade nicked the priest’s fleshy neck. The remaining guards surrounded me and cautiously crept closer.
“Drop your weapons. Now,” Magnus ordered. “Or your priest dies.”
I released my grip on my sword and dagger. They clanked against the floor. It was over. I knew it, and from the gleam in Magnus’s eyes, he knew it too.
He’d known exactly how to control me and make me do whatever he commanded. He’d perfected the use of the different, but no less deadly, weapons of threats, manipulation, and force—just the same as the king. But no longer for me. I could no longer be that kind of man, not even now.
At the sight of Father Patrick’s pale face, I was all the more relieved I’d left Emmeline behind. If she’d been here and within Magnus’s grasp, I most certainly would have killed my brother. As it was, I could submit, at least for the time being. And later, I’d find a way to regain control.
“Chain him,” Magnus called out to his loyal guards. “Then take him out to the inner bailey and flog him.”
“Magnus, no!” Mother held out a trembling hand.
“Be silent, Mother,” Magnus said. “Or you will join him.”
Magnus would never harm our mother, would he? I suspected the threat was aimed more at me than Mother, another attempt by Magnus to exert his authority and make me comply.
“Everyone knows that nothing good comes from Warwick.” Magnus stated the familiar slur with disdain.
I didn’t resist as the guards finished disarming me and then wrapped a thick chain around my wrists and shackled my ankles. And I didn’t resist when they yanked me toward the exit.
Chapter
26
Emmeline
I’d insisted on going first and leading the way. Though my heartbeat rammed against my chest, all my anxiety had fled the moment I’d unlocked the tunnel door and ducked inside.
Rex would have guessed I didn’t need a key, that I had the skill to break in without it, just as he had. That he’d left me the key was all the more confirmation of what he’d wanted—for me to lead Adelaide’s army into the fortress. It had also likely been his way of telling me he forgave me for betraying him.
I had a role to play in restoring the land, and I couldn’t stop until I helped Adelaide bring about the peace the people needed, even if that meant I had to hurt Rex in the process. Regardless of my decision, my heart hadn’t ceased aching since the moment I’d made up my mind to fulfill my destiny as one of the lost princesses.
Adelaide crawled behind me. Thankfully, she’d easily forgiven me for taking Rex to the labyrinth after she’d given me the last of the ancient keys. In fact, I’d learned she’d handed over the key with the hope the king and his men would go after the treasure. Without all the pieces of the map, Adelaide wouldn’t have been able to navigate the labyrinth anyway.
She’d sent Edmund’s band of knights to intercept the king’s men if they made it out of the labyrinth alive and with the treasure. What she hadn’t expected was that the king would so willingly put his own life at risk by going inside the labyrinth himself. As it was, his greed had led to his downfall.
Although the ancient prophecy proclaimed the treasure would rid the land of evil, none of us had realized the fulfillment would happen so literally. I now knew without a doubt Adelaide was the young ruler who’d set everything into motion. She was strong and wise and good, but she alone hadn’t been enough. She’d needed—and perhaps always would—the gifts of others to truly become a great leader.
During the whole process, Adelaide had concluded that a secret passageway existed, one that led in and out of Delsworth castle, allowing the king and his men to go after the treasure. But her scouts hadn’t been able to locate the tunnel entrance.
Using all the skills Lance had once taught me, I’d retraced my path through the thick woodland and found the hidden place. Though the way was narrow and at times required us to slither on our stomachs, I’d pushed myself onward with Adelaide following behind me, assuring me I was doing the right thing.
The Earl of Langley—Christopher, as he insisted I call him—was next in line, leading Adelaide’s strongest and bravest men. Among them was her captain of the guard, Firmin, a giant of a man who’d previously lived in the castle as one of the king’s guards. Once we were inside, Firmin planned to take half the men through the fortress for Magnus while I would lead Adelaide and Christopher to Rex.
Even from my short time living in the castle, I knew the best places to find Rex—if he wasn’t already at the city wall readying for the fight there. Additionally, if I encountered any of the king’s guards, they’d recognize me and wouldn’t question my presence in the castle until too late. At least I hoped so.
Courage, I silently admonished myself. Be of great courage.
With the cold, damp earth beneath my fingers and the darkness of the tunnel blocking out everything, I put one hand in front of the other and crawled onward. My mother and father had once bravely carried me out of the castle to safety. And now it was time to return just as bravely and not only free them but free the land from the curse it had been under for far too long.
When I bumped headlong into an iron door, I halted abruptly and whispered instructions to Adelaide. “We’ve reached the end. I’ll unlock the grate, go inside, and make sure the way is clear before I signal for you.”
“We must move swiftly and without hesitation,” she replied.
I guessed she was warning me not to let my personal feelings for Rex influence what I did. When I’d returned from the Highlands with Maribel and Edmund, we’d gone directly to Adelaide who’d delayed an attack until she learned the status of the treasure. I’d told her everything that had happened including Rex’s defiance of his father as well as his instructions to his knight to give me the key to the secret tunnel.
She knew as well as I did that Rex could have stationed guards at the entrance or even flooded it. As it was, he’d all but offered himself up to her. With such an act, I prayed Adelaide would show him some mercy. I’d asked her to spare his life. But she hadn’t promised me she would.
Even though I feared for Rex, I had to keep going.
With a click of the key, the grate unlocked, and I carefully slid it aside, peering through the opening to find that the storage room was deserted except for crates and barrels and old furniture. It was the same storage room in the lower level of the castle that my parents had been in when making their escape. The last time I’d been there, I’d searched for any sign of the door they’d used, but it was long gone.
I scrambled out of the rectangular opening that was big enough for only one person at a time to fit through. The others followed just as silently and crept up the winding stairway until we reached a passageway that led to the kitchens and other servant quarters. For the early morning hour, I’d expected the castle to be bustling with activity. But maybe with the king’s death, everyone was in mourning.
We’d heard the church bells tolling his death not long after dawn and had been surprised to learn he’d only just died, that he’d lasted as long as he had. Adelaide had suggested we take full advantage of the distraction the king’s death would provide. She’d issued orders for a frontal attack to draw attention away from us as we left for the secret tunnel that would take us into Delsworth.
Apparently, the tactic had worked well. No one was around to see us infiltrating the fortress.
We continued up steep, spiraling stairs to the next level where the great hall and king’s antechamber were located. As previously arranged, I planned to go ahead of the others and check both areas for Rex.
Before I could slip through the doorway, Christopher touched my arm and pointed to a window on the landing. It was narrow and slanted, made for shooting arrows at an enemy while staying secluded. “I think we may have found Prince Ethelrex,” he said.
I stepped into the landing, peeked through the slit, and found myself gazing over the inner bailey and main courtyard. Amidst a gathering of servants and soldiers, a broad-shouldered young man had been chained to a center post, his arms suspended above his head, and his legs spread. He’d been stripped to his waist, revealing a thickly corded muscular back that was already laced with a crisscross of red welts.
His head was bent, but his fair hair and warrior braids were evidence enough.
“Rex,” I whispered, nausea swirling as a whip struck his back. At the contact, his arms jerked and he arched up, but he didn’t make a sound, which only caused the slap of leather against flesh to echo all the louder.
“Magnus has taken control,” Adelaide whispered as she peered out the narrow slit.
Of course, Adelaide was right. And somehow I sensed this was what Rex had feared all along—that his brother would learn of the king’s declaration and make himself king.
I wanted to bend over and retch, but I took a deep breath, straightened my spine, and prayed for more courage. “He doesn’t deserve to die this way.”
Before anyone could say otherwise or stop me, I dashed through the door and into the passageway that led to the great hall. My footsteps pounded hard, matching the thud of my heartbeat. I didn’t care if Adelaide would eventually sentence Rex to death. I wouldn’t let him die so cruelly, especially not at his brother’s hand.
With footsteps slapping the floor behind me, I ran faster. There wasn’t a servant or guard in sight, and I guessed Magnus had ordered everyone to be present for the display that would show his authority over Rex.
Was Magnus overseeing the proceedings from somewhere out there?
It didn’t matter. Whatever the danger, I had to go to Rex.
Whe
n I reached the door leading to the inner bailey, I flung it open. Magnus and two guards stood on the forebuilding. At the slam of the door against the inner panel, they spun, first surprise and then confusion flitting across their faces. I didn’t give them time to question or halt me. I flew past them down the stone stairway.
“Stop the beating at once!” I called to the soldier wielding the whip. Already, I had my knife out and aimed at his arm. Though I didn’t want to hurt him, I’d impale my blade into his hand if he attempted to thrash Rex again.
Behind me, Magnus issued clipped orders to his guards. At the same moment, the guard with the whip pivoted, his expression one of surprise—and relief. Were some of the king’s guards reluctant to side with Magnus? Or perhaps this one was simply hesitant to bring bodily harm to a royal son.
“Throw me your whip!” I sprinted toward him, knowing I needed to keep ahead of Magnus’s guards. I couldn’t allow Magnus to catch me yet, not until I freed Rex and gave him the ability to fight back.
The soldier with the whip hesitated only a moment before tossing it to me. I caught the handle and then, gathering my strength, swung the multiple strands in an arc over my head before spinning and aiming for the guards pursuing me. The cords swept across their faces, tearing and slashing. One cried out and dropped to his knees, covering his eyes with his hands. The other drew back, his sword now drawn.
“Bring her to me alive,” Magnus called from where he still stood on the forebuilding. Not far from him, I glimpsed Adelaide and Christopher in the doorway. I didn’t know what they were planning, but I had to give them more time—time for the rest of the invading army to infiltrate further.
As one lunged at me with his sword, I slapped him with the whip and then sent it zinging toward the other, forcing them back.
“Get her, you imbeciles,” Magnus roared, his voice laced with derision and frustration.
The men crept more slowly this time, and I once again slashed at them, this time hitting the neck and face of another and bringing him to his knees.
