Seared by Desire (46 page)

“
How can I not worry?” he roared loudly. “The fire elementals
have her.”

The guard visibly trembled at the implied violence in
Lucian's voice. “My King, all is well, she said she will be back in
a few days.”

She lied!
His eyes scanned the
innocent faces before him, his heart sinking in
understanding.
She didn’t want them to
know and worry and she didn’t want me to jeopardise my chances for
victory. Her compassion is going to get her killed!

“
King Lucian,” Russell began, moving silently to his side. “Is
something wrong?”

“
Sara isn’t here, that’s what’s wrong.” He closed his eyes on
a pained sigh before a thought occurred to him. He could hear
Gareth and Russell murmuring at his side and word spreading through
the ranks of his army and motioned for them to be silent. He needed
to concentrate. Lucian could feel his awareness of his body slip
away as his mind stretched and fluttered, gaining the wings to
travel without the constraints of his body. His focus was intense,
Sara consuming his every thought until it was as though she was
right beside him. Her mind was familiar, easy to find and a relief
to settle into.

Sara?

The sound of Lucian's voice stunned Sara despite the fact she
remembered talking to him in such a manner before.
Lucian?
she responded
hesitantly. She had missed him so much over the last few days that
it wasn’t beyond her fevered mind to conjure his
presence.

Sara, are you okay? Have they hurt you?

I’m fine Lucian, a little weak but better than I was
before.

That’s good. Now what the hell were you thinking? You were
meant to be waiting for me but when I come home expecting you to be
safe I find that you’ve walked off willingly with people who are
trying to kill you!

Lucian, I didn’t have a choice. The fire elementals would
have killed everyone there.

Now they’re just going to kill you instead. You should have
tried to escape.

My life isn’t worth more than the lives of everyone there
Lucian.

Yes, dammit, it is!!!

Lucian,
she groaned. She knew
exactly how he felt. She would sacrifice the world if it meant he
was safe.

He lifted his hands to his temples, rubbing them to relieve
the pressure building.
Are you still in
Shoreditch?

Yes and I know what you’re thinking…

That I’m going to march my army down there right now and
bring you home?

Yes, that. Lucian, look at the sky.
His eyes opened, taking in the colourful streaks that
peppered the night sky in preparation for dawn.
The night is almost over. You’ll never make it here before
dawn and I don’t want you to hurt yourself trying. Don’t let my
sacrifice cost you your life.

I’m coming for you Sara. I won’t be moved from this
course.

Her heart fluttered wildly in her chest as the love she felt
for him poured through her being.
I know
Lucian, I know. But please, don’t try to come tonight. They’re
treating me well enough here,
she
lied.
They’re preparing for a
feast.
“I think.”
They hardly notice me. I’ll be fine until you can get here
tomorrow night. Please, rest, sleep and think of me and when you
rise come and get me.

Her words made sense but the knowledge brought him no peace
and he began pacing wildly.
You can’t
expect me to sit here and do nothing!

Then plan Lucian, think about this calmly. Your men may be
weak from battle, you want them to be strong. Give them a break and
plan what you want to do from there. Lucian?

Yes.

Did the guards deliver my message?

Yes they did otherwise I would know nothing.

That must mean you’re not hurt,
she
mused.
Did they tell you that I love you?
I wanted you to know in case…

Sara, you don’t have to tell me you love me as a precaution.
I’m not going to say the same to you now. When you’re safe, when I
have you in my arms again that’s when I’ll tell you and only
then.
I’m coming to get you
Sara.

A tear rolled down her cheek as emotion welled within
her.
I know.

Sleep well and stay safe beloved.

His mind slipped back into the solid stability of his body,
his mind racing to create new plans. “Men!” he bellowed instantly
silencing the voices around him. As all eyes fell on him, Lucian
contemplated just what William's defeat was worth. He’d lost men
and his bride had slipped through his fingers all for a title he
wasn’t sure what to do with and a peace that was so fleeting it
hadn’t even lasted a day.
I’ll make it
worth it,
he decided.
I’ll have Sara and give her peace so that she can finally
fulfil her dream.
“Sara has been taken by
the fire elementals and they intend to kill her.” Stunned gasps and
angry growls reverberated through the crowd. “Rest well and drink
deep tonight, we’re going to get her as soon as the sun
sets!”

“
For the Lady of Light. For the Lady of Light! For the Lady of
Light!” The chant rose, spreading like wildfire and Lucian knew
that despite the fact that they were dirty, exhausted and tired of
battle his men would fight to bring their Queen home and he would
fight to the death to have her back with him.

Chapter Twenty Three – Web of
Lies

Sara’s heart sank when Lucian's comforting presence faded
from her mind, leaving her alone to face the harsh realities of her
life in captivity. The floor she was sat on was cold and
uncomfortable, pebbles digging into her tender flesh unrelentingly,
preventing her from gaining enough of a respite to sleep. Her
wrists were chaffed from the thick length of rope that had been
tied unnecessarily tight against her skin and her shoulders ached
from having her hands tied behind her back for so long. Her stomach
clenched uncomfortably from hunger and her throat burned from
constantly vomiting up the food she was forced to eat.

She had refused food from the moment she had been tied and
bound, knowing full well the tactics her people used to keep
captives docile. There was no doubt in her mind that the food
contained herbs that dulled the senses and addled the mind and she
needed both if she were to escape. Unwilling to let her weaken any
further, she’d been forced to eat every day since she’d arrived and
as soon as the ordeal was over she proceeded to empty the contents
of her stomach. She’d been unwilling to allow the weaknesses of her
body to deter her from her plans for freedom, she was working to a
deadline now.

Seraphina had been quiet since she’d been brought back to
this place. Eerily quiet as though she couldn’t spare the energy to
talk to her anymore. The little Sara overheard of her chaotic
thoughts made her even more anxious. The spirit was constantly
muttering to herself, the hushed words uncomfortably similar to the
ravings of a mad man before they did something insane. Convinced
that Seraphina was storing energy for the last release that would
be capable of taking her life, Sara was determined to escape. If
she could reach Lucian, she could stop Seraphina and they would be
able to live in peace. Hope was the only thing that was keeping her
going.

Speaking with Lucian had motivated her and now that she knew
he would be coming for her that night she could finally put her
plan into action. The door to her room opened and her heart sank.
Morning had arrived and her horrifying daily ritual had begun. Two
men walked in, one carrying a tray of food and the other equipped
with thickly muscled arms strong enough to hold her down and force
her to eat.

She smiled jovially at them, knowing full well that they
would not be moved from their objective. “Good morning.” She eyed
the food disdainfully. “You know I’m not going to eat that
willingly and if you force me to eat it I’ll only throw it all back
up. It’s a waste of a perfectly good meal trying giving it to me.
Why don’t you take it home and offer it to your wives instead. I’m
sure they miss you.”

No words were spoken as they moved towards her, setting the
tray down on the ground beside her. “Open your mouth,” the man with
the tray demanded. Sara’s jaw clenched tightly in defiance. “Fine,”
he grumbled. “We’ll just do it like we have every other
morning.”

The more muscular of the two men, ran a hand down her arm,
flames caressing her skin to give her strength before he covered
her nose with his free hand. In seconds, her throat began to burn,
the feeling of suffocation weighing on her heavily. She struggled
at first, desperately trying to get air into her lungs, to breathe,
but the man’s hand was too heavy to move, the rope too tight to
give her any leverage to shift his iron grip. Her eyes widened as
panic began to beset her, her heart racing wildly within her chest.
She needed air and there was only one way she was going to get it.
Unable to find any other way to breathe, Sara opened her mouth
sucking in huge mouthfuls of air. Her body began to calm allowing
her captors to take advantage of the opportunity she had given
them. Food was forced into her open mouth before a second hand was
clamped over her lips. With no choice but to choke if didn’t chew,
Sara reluctantly swallowed the food that had been placed in her
mouth. The ordeal continued in that manner until all the food on
the tray was gone.

The men looked pleased with their achievement until she began
hiccupping, her chest heaving with effort. Her mind was filled with
images designed to turn her stomach, to make her lose the breakfast
that had been forced into her. The muscles in her throat worked
rhythmically as she heaved, coaxing the food in her stomach to the
surface. As she had done every morning, Sara threw up the food and
its toxins, spraying her captors with chunks of what they had tried
so hard to have her swallow. She smiled despite her dirty state
unprepared for the hand that hit her cheek so heavily. No matter
what she’d done to them, the guards had never hit her
before.

“
We should leave you here to sit in your own stench,” he
hissed.

Her heart sped up; she needed to get out of this room if she
was going to escape. The guard raised his hand as though to hit her
again and she instinctively flinched.

“
Sean, leave her be,” the other reasoned, placing a
restraining hand on his companion’s arm. “No matter what she does
she’s still the child of flame and we must treat her with
respect.”

“
She doesn’t deserve any Marcus. She doesn’t want to be here.
You’ve heard her yourself. She doesn’t want to serve the greater
glory of our people. She may be the child of flame but she clearly
doesn’t want to be. Respect is earned not given freely because of a
title.”

“
Elder Geoffrey thinks differently,” Marcus answered firmly.
He loosened the ropes that bound her to the wooden pole, chaffing
the ones that tied her wrists further in the process. Dragging her
to her feet he pulled her from the room and outside where Abigail
was waiting for her, a disappointed expression on her
face.

“
Not again Sara,” she groaned. As had been the ritual for the
last few days Sara said nothing to her former friend unwilling to
associate with her at all. “Thank you Marcus, I’ll take her to the
stream to wash up.”

The journey to the stream involved walking through the centre
of the village where curious stares greeted her once again. No one
was permitted to speak to her and she felt no need to talk to them
either. Abigail’s steady flaming hand led her past her former
house, the small shack a painful reminder of what her life had been
like before Lucian, of what the people who wanted to sacrifice her
had subjected her to. Sara’s hands clenched into fists as she
fought against the urge to strike out at Abigail in any way she
could. Biting the inside of her cheek, she mentally recited the
steps of her plan, which allowed her to calm slightly.

Abigail pulled her into a sitting position at the bank of the
stream before she began washing the remains of that morning’s
breakfast from her face. “You really shouldn’t keep doing this.
You’re going to actually make yourself sick.”

And what do you care?
Her mind
hissed rebelliously. Abigail continued talking, berating her for
not taking care of herself but Sara wasn’t listening, her plan was
already in motion. While Abigail cleaned the dirty skin on her
cheeks, Sara’s hands were busy scrambling around the riverbank
desperately searching for the perfect stone. Most were too smooth
and those that were the right texture were too big for her to
conceal inconspicuously. She was beginning to worry that her plans
were for nothing as Abigail dried her face with a dry cloth but
then she felt the skin of her palm tear, serrated on an overly
sharp rock protrusion. She wrapped her hand around the stone,
struggling to prevent relief from showing on her face when the
stone fit securely in her palm.

“
Sara,” Abigail began. “If everything goes to plan we may not
be able to see each other again and if that does happen I want you
to know that…I just wanted you to know that you’re my best friend
and I’m going to miss you. And if you do survive then I’ll talk to
Elder Geoffrey and ask him if you can go back to Lord
Lucian.”