Deck of Cards (22 page)

The foliage was thick and full of brambles, which caught the children’s skin and clothing. It was a small advantage, however, because it prevented the Heathens from pursuing the royal family on horseback.  Deloris could hear footsteps approaching.  She quickly looked for a thicket to hide her children. 

The barbarians were growing ever closer.  She could hear their grunts and groans, practically feeling their stale breath on the back of her neck. Just then, she saw an undergrowth that just might lend itself to her purposes. She directed her children beneath the branches, and they hurriedly did as instructed, despite the sharp thorns that poked their tender skin.

Katey
had never imagined anything so terrifying. Even in her worse nightmares, she had never felt like this.  Her mother had her arms around all three of them, attempting to shelter them from the unimaginable evil that lay just on the other side of those thin branches. They collectively held their breaths, waiting, praying for the Heathens to pass them by.  They heard heavy footsteps draw closer, then fade, repeating as more and more of the enemy approached their location and then disappeared into the night.

A cloud passed over the crescent moon, leaving them in pitch black.  Katey began to shake. She could barely see the face of her brother
just an inch from her own.  She watched as he silently brought a finger to his mouth, indicating that she must be quiet.  She nodded her head, fully intending not to make a sound. As her eyes shifted back to the blackness before her, she suddenly saw one bone-white hand pull back the thin veil of brambles before her.  Her hands flew to her mouth, attempting to hold back the scream that was forming in her throat but just then, she glimpsed the most hideous face imaginable, pure evil in human form. 

And she screamed.

The noise caused the Heathen to turn his head instantly in their direction. He had his crossbow ready and he instantaneously fired at the source of the noise.  Despite the darkness Katey saw the arrow flying at her face, causing her to scream even louder. He had missed however, or so she thought.  She turned to hide her face in her mother’s gown only to realize the soft satin white fabric was now soaked in warm, sticky blood. She looked up to see that the arrow had landed squarely in her mother’s chest.  As Deloris fell forward, gasping for breath and gargling blood, Katey’s screaming stopped.

She had the same dream nearly every night.  Sometimes the circumstances changed; sometimes she felt the arrow enter her own chest. Katey had accepted that, inevitably, each time she closed her eyes for the rest of her li
fe, she would find herself in this nightmare.

But this morning, the nightmare did not end when her eyes flew open. The first thing she noticed was the agonizing throbbing in her left hand.  Even before she was fully awake, she could feel the ache from where her flesh had been scorched from her first two fingers. Her right arm, which had been resting on her head most of the night, was asleep and moving it even a degree caused pins and needles to shoot threw her entire limb. She knew she had deep bruises on both of her arms where she had been dragged.  The area around her right wrist and both of her ankles was rubbed raw from the shackles. Even though she had jerked awake, startled by her dream as always, her mind would not let her come fully conscious, trying to protect from the
excruciating pain.

She was only partially aware of the rats that had
begun to nibble on her toes.  Through narrowed and swollen eyes, she saw a puddle of blood on the floor and wondered absently if she were still dreaming. She drifted in and out of reality, her grogginess her only barrier from the state of shock threatening to overcome her at any moment. She had gone from the pampered life of a princess to the deepest throws of a dank, dingy dungeon in only a few days and nothing could have prepared her for the stressful toll it put on her body and her mind.

Only a sliver of light illuminated the room, that coming from under the door at the entryway
at the top of the long staircase leading to the gate. She had no way of knowing whether it was night or morning.  She wasn’t even sure how long she had been down here, though she thought it had only been a matter of hours, not days, since Caleb had dragged her down the stairs and chained her here. Thinking of him brought her back to reality momentarily.  She wasn’t sure if the warm splashes against her hands were drips from the ceiling or teardrops and she wove her way back into the land of slumber where neither the physical or emotional pain of her ordeal was quite as sharp.

              
                     ***

The sun was not yet on the horizon when Caleb finally reached the castle. Hendrix had given it everything he had, pressing on at the urgency of his master when any other horse would have given up.  As a squire took the reigns, Caleb jumped down, hoping his horse would recover.

He hurried into the fortress, not stopping to acknowledge the few individuals who were about, even though many of them called out greetings.  He pressed on, flying down the hallway, down the back stairwell, finding the guard asleep at his post. 

“Open the gate!” he demanded.

Startled, and not yet fully awake, the older man, groped for the key. Caleb was out of patience. He snatched it from the man’s hand and flung the door open, carrying the key chain with him so that he could use it to open the shackles.

He approached her slowly, afraid of what he might find. She seemed to be sleeping and, even in the dim light he could see the soft rise and fall of her chest, confirming that at least he had not killed her. As he got closer, rats scurried off into the darkness, causing him to gasp in disgust. Despite the dank and dirty state of the floor, he dropped to his knees next to her.  She had been asleep but, sensing his presence, her eyes fluttered open momentarily, before her head slumped against her chest again.

Seeing her this way, knowing he had done this to her, brought tears to his eyes.  He swallowed the lump in his throat, doing all that he could to keep his emotions in check.  “Rose,” he said softly, waiting to see if she acknowledged him.  She did not but he thought she could hear him. “I’m so very sorry,” he continued. “I never should have let my anger at the situation manifest itself against you. I hope that you can find it in your heart, someday, to forgive me.” Again, her eyes fluttered open and though there were tears in them, she looked as though she understood what he had said.

He quickly unlocked the shackles,
seeing her body tighten in pain as he touched her wrist and ankles. Her right arm was twisted from being held at an odd angle all night so he was especially gentle as he tucked it around her and across her chest so that he could scoop her up into his arms.  Her left hand was cradled beneath her chin and he new it had to be agonizing at this point.

She rested her head against his chest and, for a moment, he reflected on how different carrying her was this time, as opposed to yesterday.  Regardless of her station or her occupation, Rose was an incredibly special woman, one he vowed to protect from this day forward.  She had done so much to provide comfort and assistance to his brother and he had let his rage almost destroy her. He would do whatever was necessary to make sure she was never mistreated again.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he found Cook and Gordon waiting for him.  The expression on his face said it all and she did not bother to berate him.  “Let’s get her to her bed,” Cook said softly.

“No,” Caleb said, shaking his head, “I want to make sure she is able to rest and recover.  I’ll take her to my room.” Cook nodded leading the way so that she could open the door. 

“I’ll go fetch the physician,” Gordon said as they passed the hall that led to Russell’s chamber.  Caleb nodded his agreement and continued to make his way to his own bedchamber.

Once inside, he carried her carefully through another doorway to a small adjoining room, one where his attendants might sleep should he care for any.  There was a large, comfortable bed
across from a window. Cook turned down the bedcovers and drew the curtains.  As Caleb lay her down on the soft bed, Katey stirred just a bit, her eyes fluttering.

“I’ll go fetch some water and a fresh nightdress,” Cook said, exiting the room.  Left alone with her, Caleb sat down next to her on the bed and brushed the
hair back from her face.  She opened her eyes, peering at him curiously, and then closed them again. “Oh, Rose, I’m so very, very sorry,” he said softly.

Katey was unsure whether or not she was dreaming. Fading in and out of consciousness, she had the sensation of movement. She had flashes of Caleb’s handsome face, his piercing eyes full of sadness.  At one point, she knew she was in his arms because she had felt them around her before.  But this time was different.  This time, she felt safe.

There was a bustling sound in the room around her and she briefly opened her eyes to see Russell and a few others.  She thought she saw Caleb standing across the room and she was certain she recognized Cook’s form.  When Russell began to clean and bandage the wound on her hand, she was suddenly jerked back to full awareness. The pain was so severe, it was almost as extreme as when she had burned it.  He was reassuring her that the worst was almost over, that the medicine he was using would make it stop hurting almost instantly and that she should recover full use of her hand.   Then, he cleaned and bandaged the wounds on her other wrist, ankles and feet, some of which she didn’t even realize she had. Though it only took him a few moments, it seemed like an eternity and she was relieved when he finally left the room.

She had heard him explaining to
Cook that the herbal blend he had handed her would help her to rest and she was looking forward to drinking it. However, Cook insisted on helping her change into a fresh gown and so, running everyone else out of the room, she barred the door and crossed back to Katey’s bedside.

“Oh, my sweet Rose,” Cook was saying as she began to undress her. Katey was of little to no help but she did her best to cooperate so as not to impede the kind woman’s work. “I’m so sorry I didn’t come and get you yesterday. He forbade me from it. But I should have done it anyway.”  As Cook pulled her dress off over he head, she gasped at the bruising along her upper arms. 

Katey had begun to doze off but the gasp got her attention. 

“It’s nothing, Dearling,” Cook said, hurrying to put the nightdress on before she saw how b
lack and blue they were.  A fresh wave of animosity against Caleb rose up inside of her and she had to stifle it, especially now that Katey was staring at her so intently. “There,” she said once the clothing change was complete.  “You’re fresh as a daisy.  I will mix up this herbal tea that Russell has provided and then you can drift off to dreamland, my love.”

When Cook returned, she had to rouse her patient just a bit to get her to drink the tea. She had already fallen back to sleep.  The pain in her hand was subsiding and she finally began to feel safe again. For the first time in as long as she could remember, Katey was not afraid to fall asleep.

                                     ***

Matthew did not wait for Rebecca to awake the next morning before he quietly slipped out the front door of the tiny cottage. There was no reason to. He knew that she would be hurt either way, whether he explained to her that he
had to leave or not. This way, at least he could spare them both the uncomfortable conversation.

He was better able to ascertain his location from the discussion he had with Rebecca the night before. He was much further away from Castle Blackthorn than he had originally thought and much closer to the clutches of Leopold and his men. He decided that he needed to head due south today, rather than southeast.  Though the southeastern region of Clovington was fairly desolate, he felt it would better his chances of escaping.  He knew he would lose some time not cutting east simultaneously but, rather than concentrating on finding Arterians, he decided to make getting away from Gradenians his number one priority.

He had borrowed some bread and cheese from his hostesses, vowing to return it someday. He also refilled his canteen at the well.  He had no idea when he might have another opportunity to eat or find fresh water. As he resumed his journey, he silently thanked Rebecca for everything she had done for him.  This day, he felt better than he had in a very long time.  With an extra spring in his step, he set off hopeful that today might be the day that he reached safety behind the Arterian lines.

            
                            ***

As
she slept, Caleb made himself busy around the castle.  There was plenty of work to do, that was for certain, but he constantly found himself thinking of her, wondering how she was doing, hoping she was fast asleep. He also knew he would need to apologize to her again once she was fully awake.  As king, he didn’t have to apologize often but when he did, it was sincere.  He was more worried about what her reaction might be. He certainly wouldn’t blame her if she demanded to be returned to her home this instance and while he could understand that, he knew, for some reason, he would desperately miss her.

Later that morning, a courier arrived, bringing word from Prince James of Placidia.  He was riding out that very morning, eager to retrieve his sister.  The letter requested that Katherine be delivered to him west of Castle Blackthorn at Landres Hill.  Placidia would be bringing members of the queen’s guard to insure a safe exchange, and they requested that a detail from Arteria be sent in escort as well.  To Caleb, this was good news. He was
glad to be rid of Katherine at last.  He asked Gordon to handle the arrangements and to notify the princess.