Dragonblade Trilogy - 02 - Island of Glass (24 page)

“I wondered how long it would
take before you came looking for me.”

It was a soft voice from the
shadows. Kenneth whirled in the direction of the sound, startled to see Aubrielle
seated on the ground against an old, rotted tree. She was so well camouflaged
that he would have walked right past her and never have known. As it was, his
heart was in his throat, indescribable emotions of joy bubbling within him. But
he just stood there, looking at her.

“Are you well?” he asked calmly.

“I am.”

He couldn’t help it; he emitted
an enormous sigh, as if his entire body suddenly deflated of everything it held
deep and strong within. 

“Why, Aubrielle?” Was all he
could think to ask. “Why did you do this?”

She gazed up at him, her
sea-colored eyes glistening in the light of sunset. After a moment, she patted
the ground beside her. Kenneth walked over and obediently set himself down.  He
refrained from throwing his arms around her, fearful he would chase her off.
All he knew was, at this moment, he was never more thankful for anything in his
life.

“I suppose running off is my way
of dealing with distress or sorrow,” she said softly. “As I told you, running off
has become a part of me, for many reasons. I run to escape, I run to seek out
something.  Glastonbury seems more and more to me as if it was just an excuse
to escape situations I cannot control. ‘Tis true, the Grail still means a good
deal to me. It always will. But as I ran down the road and into the trees, it
occurred to me that you mean a good deal to me, too. By the time I reached this
very spot, I realized I could go no further. I could not leave you no matter
what has happened.”

Kenneth gazed at her, studying
the lovely lines of her face, feeling his heart swell. 

“My lady?”

“Aye?”

“Would this be an appropriate
time to tell you what is in my heart?”

An expression of longing washed
over her. “Aye, Kenneth, it would.”

A great hand came up, cupping her
sweet face.  His thumb stroked a velvet cheek. “I have never known such terror
as I have the past hour,” he murmured. “To think you had gone filled me with a
feeling of panic as I cannot begin to describe. I thought I had lost you.”

She smiled wryly. “You lost me
only as far as the trees. After that, I thought I would sit and wait for you. I
knew you would come.”

His smile faded. “I will always
come for you. I will never leave you, and I will defend you to the death. What
happened with Lucius…? I am a man unused to apologies, but in this case, I
must. I was wrong. I was attempting to be fair and it only came across as
indecision and weakness. For that, I beg your forgiveness. That is not a usual
happening with me.”

“There is nothing to forgive. I
understand that you had your reasons.”

“You are too kind.”

He was humbled, uncomfortable. Aubrielle
saw this. Rising to her knees, she put her hands on either side of his face and
forced him to look at her. “Kenneth,” she whispered. “Do you not understand
that these past few days have seen an unexpected love for you blossom in me? No
matter how much I would like to become angry with you, or bear a grudge against
you, I cannot. I cannot hurt you that way, or myself.  I would forgive you
anything. Perhaps it is foolish of me, but I cannot help myself.”

He stared at her, his ice-blue
eyes melting into pools of warm, limpid water.  He took her hands in his own,
kissing them before calling out to his men.

“Everett!” he boomed.

Somewhere in the darkness, the
knight responded. “My lord?”

“I have located the lady. Return
to the castle.”

Everett darted through the brush.
They could hear him running towards them. He burst through some bushes, his
blue eyes wide with surprise.

“My lady!” he exclaimed softly.
“Are you all right?”

Kenneth didn’t let her respond.
He spoke to Everett directly. “Take the men back to the castle.”

Everett had heard that tone
before. It usually meant trouble, which he suspected the lady had enough of. He
would wait and get the story at a later time. It was best now to obey.

They heard Everett calling out to
the men as he walked away. Soon, the woods became quiet but for an occasional
night bird.  Aubrielle was still on her knees and Kenneth was still on his
bottom.  When he was certain they were alone, he looked at her.

“No one has ever said what you
have said to me,” he said quietly. “My entire life has been focused on duty and
discipline. Emotions were not a part of that.  In fact, I have done everything
possible to ensure that emotions did not affect me at all. But when you speak
to me… I feel your words as well as hear them.  But I cannot believe that it
has only taken a week for us to fall madly in love with each other. There is no
logic in that.”

She grinned. “Whoever said love
was logical? It is a supremely illogical emotion that is more powerful than
anything else on this earth.”

He studied her features, looking
deep into her eyes as if he wanted to say something. Finally, he just shook his
head. “God knows, I find myself loving you.  If this is weakness, then let me
be weak.”

He seemed baffled by the whole
idea. Aubrielle put her arms around him because it seemed as if he needed it.
Kenneth responded by drawing her closely to him, holding her so tight that he
squeezed the breath from her. She could feel his mouth against her shoulder. It
wasn’t long before his lips began to move against her flesh.

“God, I do love you,” he muttered
as he feasted on her collarbone. “Swear to me that you will never do anything
foolish like this again.”

She closed her eyes, relishing
the feel of him against her. “I swear it.”

“I would have never stopped
looking for you, do you realize that? I would have spent my entire life
searching even when all hope was lost and my life was at an end.”

Her head lolled back and his
mouth moved up her neck. “Like Percival searching for the Grail.”

He stopped and looked at her.
“Does everything have a Grail connection with you?  Even something like this?”

Her arms were wrapped around his
neck, her face an inch from his own. “Do you not see it?”

“See what?”

“How you would have stopped at
nothing to search for me until the end of your days?”

“Do you mean to suggest that you
are my Grail?”

Her sea-colored eyes twinkled.
“No,” she whispered. “I mean to suggest that perhaps you are mine.”

“I do not understand.”

She cocked her head, attempting
to formulate the answer that was suddenly abundantly clear.

“Think about it, Kenneth. Just as
Percival and the knights of Arthur’s court searched for that one thing that
would make their lives complete, just as I have also been determined to search
for it, perhaps I have been searching for the wrong thing. Perhaps, all of this
time, I have been searching for you and did not even know it. Even as I look at
you now, I sense completion now that we have declared our adoration of each
other.  The part of me that I thought the Grail would fill has been filled by
you, Kenneth.  I have been so… blind.”

He smiled, touched by her words.
“Were that true, my lady, I could ask for no greater gift.”

They gazed at each other, a
miasma of emotion enveloping them.  Kenneth kissed her, a deeper and more
heart-felt gesture he had never given. He devoured her, knowing at this moment
that there could be nothing better in life. He had every intention of claiming
her bodily at that moment. He could think of nothing else. But his happiness
was the last coherent thought before something deep, evil and painful struck
him twice, in rapid succession, squarely in the back.

The fog of emotion turned into an
abrupt nightmare of reality. Aubrielle felt the physical strike from the first
arrow as Kenneth’s body shook violently. He pitched forward, enveloping her to
protect her. A scream erupted from her lips as the second arrow hit and he fell
to the ground, trapping her beneath him. 

“Stay down,” he commanded
huskily. “Do not move.”

She was in a panic to see how
badly he was hit. “Let me see how terribly you are injured.”

She tried to squirm out beneath
his bulk but his massive arms held her fast. “No, Aubrielle,” he murmured. “Do
not move. I do not want you to be hit. Just… stay.”

She stopped fidgeting for the
moment, her eyes welling with tears as she gazed up into his white face. The
seriousness of what happened was dawning on her.

“My God,” a sob escaped her lips.
“What have they done to you?”

He could only shake his head. It
was a struggle for him to stay conscious. Horror surged through Aubrielle and
she threw her arms around his neck, holding fast as if fearful that to let go,
death would take him.

“Do not die, Kenneth,” she wept
earnestly. “Please… please stay with me. I shall tend you back to health, I
swear it. Just stay with me, listen to my voice.  We shall get through this, I
promise.”

After the shock of the attack
wore off, Kenneth knew he was in trouble. He cursed himself for not having
taken the time to don his armor, but it was a wasted regret. There was no
changing his hasty decision. Many thoughts rolled through his head, of a life
that could have been, of the cruel fate that had betrayed him, but he chased
those thoughts away. He tried to focus on the present, his chances for
survival, and Aubrielle’s. He was far more concerned for her than for him. 

The woods around them were
rustling with danger. He could hear the enemy in the shadows, coming to claim
the prize. He was in no position to stand up and defend her, but he could buy
her time. He would gladly sacrifice himself if only to save her.

“Aubrielle,” he muttered. “Crawl
to the bushes and stay low against the bramble so they will not have a clear
shot at you. Do you understand? Go back to the castle and get help.”

“I will not leave you,” she
hissed at him. “I am not a coward.”

“Leave me or we both die.”

She twisted violently, pulling
herself from underneath him. Kenneth thudded softly against the cold earth, his
immense body limp and placid. Aubrielle was still lying on the ground, but she
could get a look at his injuries now; two nasty arrows protruded from his back,
one to the lower portion near his spine, and the other from his left shoulder. 
Blood soaked his shirt, and had spilled down onto her, she noticed. The sight
was enough to make her physically ill.

But she swallowed the bile. Her
female fits would do nothing to help him and she needed to stay strong. It was
a struggle to think clearly.

“I am going to drag you into the
bushes,” she whispered, taking hold of his arms.  “If I can hide you, then
perhaps they will go away and leave us alone.”

He shook his head. “No, leave me.
Run back to the castle. Now.”

She lifted an eyebrow at his
tone, making sure he saw her. “You cannot order me about, Kenneth St. Héver.
You’ll do as I say.”

He muttered something but she
grabbed a hold of his wrists, ignoring his protest.  She barely had one good
drag on him when a figure stepped from the bramble, aiming a crossbow directly
at her. Aubrielle froze, her eyes wide with astonishment. 

It was almost too much to bear.
Her shock cooled into simmering, deep-seated hatred. She let go of Kenneth,
putting herself between the dark form and the wounded knight. It was a
touching, sad gesture, like a mother bear trying to protect her young. Aubrielle
had every intention of protecting him to the death.

“I always knew you were a
loathsome, despicable creature, but even I didn’t think you were capable of
this.” Her voice was laced with venom. “Why in the world have you done this?
What is your excuse, you brainless, vile beast? Tell me now before I scream my
lungs out and everyone at Kirk will hear me and come running. I swear to God I
will cheer at your execution and take great pleasure in your agony.”

Lucius lowered the crossbow. His
features held no discernible expression. The fact that he had just launched two
arrows into his second in command apparently held no meaning. In his opinion,
it has been necessary and he had no regrets. As for the lady, he was used to
the nasty words directed at him. But he had nothing to say in reply. There was
no need.  In this subversive game of politics that he played so well, he had
bided his time and it had paid off handsomely.

“That day may come, Lady Aubrielle,
but not today,” he said as casually as he was discussing the weather.  He eyed
Kenneth and took a step towards him, but Aubrielle thrust herself into his
path.

“Touch him and I shall kill you.”

Lucius stopped his advance. “He
was a fine knight. The very best. ‘Tis a pity, really. You can blame yourself
for this.”

“Me?” she was horrified. “What
have I done?”

“You led him into the forest.” He
smiled, without humor. “You have no idea how much trouble you have saved me
this day. I really should thank you.”