Tethered (The Avenlore Series) (13 page)

Nikolas snapped the reigns and my arms tightened around his chest, fingers grasping at the material of his shirt.  Even with my hands balled into fists, I could feel the hard chords of muscle beneath his shirt
and I tried hard not to dwell on that. 

I looked up to see the stone wall surround the castle getting closer as we crossed the second bridge.  It was several stories high, even larger than I’
d thought before.  I could see the knights spaced evenly around the perimeter, some scanning the horizons, some smiling gladly down upon us as we entered beneath the steel gate that stopped about a fourth of the way down to allow us to pass.  Thick, black metal bars ran perpendicular to the ground, ending in sharp spikes several feet overhead.  Around the bars, intricate vines twisted, adorned with roses in the same black metal, it was a strangely beautiful thing to behold.

Nikolas waved
and called out to the men shouting down at him and a bit of his confidence peaked through again.  I felt oddly proud of him, of the way people reacted to him.  I could understand why my father looked at him the way he did.  He was respected and liked, loved even by his men.  I thought it a great testament to his character to evoke such a response.

The castle ahead rose up from the ground in all its majesty.  Windows dotted the walls everywhere, some peaked and some rectangular,
many large in size.  Their glass had a yellowed hue and I could see the bubbles contained within.  They were imperfect and exquisite, bending the light beautifully. 

Ropes of green vines climbed the face of the castle, dripping in large deep pink roses.  Flowering trees in full bloom lined the pathways through the castle yards, sporting gauzy flowers of white and pale pink and
blue branches bowing beneath the weight of the blooms.       

The pathways were covered with small, round pebbles in every shade of brown, causing the hoof beats to echo off the surrounding walls. 

Ivory stairs climbed to ornate double doors in the same black steel of the gate.  I let out a shaky breath as I sat with my arms still wrapped around Nikolas.  He picked up on my apprehension and laid his hand over mine, squeezing and stroking his thumb back and forth gently over my fingers.

He looked over his shoulder at me, eyebrows cocked, silently asking if I was ready.  I blinked a few times, drew in a slow breath and let it out, then nodded.

Sir Luther stood off in the shadows talking animatedly with another of the knights, occasionally breaking the quiet with his laugh. 

Jumping down, Nikolas called to a young boy making his way over to us.  He bent a little at the waist
and placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder as he gave him instructions on where to take Drift and how he wanted her cared for.  I helped myself down while he was occupied.  Once on the ground, I stood staring at the double doors, breathing in and out slowly in an attempt to calm my nerves.

I felt a hand on the small of my back and I didn’t have to look to know it was Nikolas.  When I did look at him, I could see the exhaustion on his face as he offered me a tentative smile. 

I swallowed and threaded my arm through his and grasped his sleeve with the opposite hand.  His smile became brighter, lighting his face.  “Okay, I’m ready.”  I announced.

Nikolas nodded at me
and placed his free hand on top of mine.  As we stepped forward, the doors burst open and a pair of pale-green eyes stared down at me.

Chapter 16

Liam looked from me to Nikolas, then down at
our joined hands and arms.  Nikolas let go of my hand and we untwined our arms.  I stepped forward, heading toward Liam but stopped short.  I just wasn’t really sure what to do. 

But, Liam was. 

When I hesitated, he crossed the space between us, reaching out to cup my face with his hands.  Thumbs stroking my cheeks, he smiled at me.  Confusion was the order of the day as feelings warred inside me.  I was happy to see Liam, relieved he was safe, nervous about walking through those doors.  Most of all though, I was angry at myself.  These feelings were churning inside of me for Liam, but also and absolutely for Nikolas.  And I had no idea how I’d gotten here, I had no idea what to do with them.

For the sake of my sanity, I decided to chalk the feelings up to extenuating circumstances.  I mean really, who wouldn’t feel a little lost and confused after the past few days?  I was just overly emotional, that was all.  We were all overly emotional.

Besides, no one had professed their undying love to anyone else.  No one was married or engaged or even dating…or courting…whatever it was called here.  No one had made any promises.  So, that made us good, right?  I was in the clear…nothing to feel guilty for.  And yet, I did.

I
tried to hide my angst from Liam, offering him the best smile I could conjure.  But, our little reunion was cut short when the tip of a blade was laid against Liam’s throat.  I sucked in a sharp breath, and turned to scold Nikolas for his behavior.  But Nikolas hadn’t moved and by the expression on his face, he was as surprised as anyone by the blade pressing against Liam’s skin.

My head snapped back to find the person responsible and the answer surprised me.  Sir Luther stood with his arm outstretched, wielding the blade, eyes filled with a half-crazed look.  “You will remove your hands from the princess.”  The words were delivered
through clenched teeth, low and severe, more a growl than anything.

Blood beaded beneath the tip of the blade and began to slide down Liam’s neck like morbid red tears.  He hadn’t moved an inch other than to slide his eyes to the right to look at the man who held the blade.

“Stop it!  You’re hurting him!”  I screamed.  Unsure of what to do, my hands fluttered uselessly in the air. 

Nikolas was beside me then.  “Luther, this is an honored guest at Castle Lux.”  His tone was calm, but deliberate.

“With respect, Sir, he is not.”  Luther replied, twisting the blade slightly and more beads of blood ran down Liam’s neck.

“Sir Luther, you will
remove your blade.  That was not a suggestion.”  Nikolas’ voice rang with finality.  Sir Luther looked to Nikolas and nodded, then dropped the blade.

Liam rubbed his throat, then examined the blood on the tips of his fingers.

“Do you know who he is, Sir?”  Luther demanded.

Nikolas looked from Liam to Sir Luther
.  “He has named himself Liam of Shirebrook.”

Luther cocked his head to one side and took a step closer to Liam.  “Has he now?”  Liam did not look to Sir Luther, he locked his eyes onto mine and held them there.  Luther studied Liam as he spoke to Nikolas.  “Well Sir, allow me to introduce you
.  Before you stands William of Castle Knox.  Second born son of Lord Soren of the House of Raythen.”

No.
Uh uh, nope.

I recoiled like I’d been slapped
, feet shuffling backward.  Feeling my eyes widen in my head, I searched Liam’s face, waiting for him to contradict this revelation.  But he didn’t.  On the contrary, his eyes confirmed Sir Luther’s words. 

Without a word, Nikolas reached over and grabbed my hand, stepping forward, he placed himself between Liam and me.  Aside from that
, Nikolas said nothing, did nothing but stand there, studying Liam intently.

That shocked the baby pigmy’s
out of me.

Sir Luther blinked rapidly, apparently surprised by Nikolas’ response as well.  “Sir, what will you have done with him?”  His tone pled for some sort of action.

Nikolas raised his chin by an inch, eyes never leaving Liam.  “We will hear his reasons for misleading us.”

“But, Sir…
he is of House Raythen!  I remember his face.  He is the enemy.”  Sir Luther argued, words thick with contempt.

I stepped forward, coming parallel with Nikolas, but he put up and arm as barrier, allowing me no further.  I did not argue.

“His silence does indeed seem to verify he is a Raythen.  Whether or not he is the enemy, remains to be seen.  I will hear his explanation.”  Nikolas said as his eyes shifted to the left, toward the doorway.

My father stood there at the top of the stairs, flanked by a woman on each side
. 

The woman on his right was fair of hair, pale golden locks falling to her waist in thick, loose curls.  She was slim and tall, commanding a measure of respect by the way she held her
self.  Her round face was pixie-like, delicate with high cheekbones and a round, full pout of a mouth.    Veiled eyes the color of honey studied me and me alone, their depths filled with warmth.  She seemed completely at ease and unbothered by the tense situation in the yard.

The woman on his left stood shorter, but still had a few inches on me.  Her hair hung straight down her back
, soft curls turning up its ends.  Its color was dark brown, tinged with red.  Auburn, just like mine.  Her features were lovely, full pink lips slightly parted beneath a perfect nose, cheeks flushed, and wide, blue eyes surrounded by thick, dark lashes.  She studied me as well, but like I was precious and new and…loved.  I knew instantly who she was, I could feel it down to my bones.      

She was my mother. 

My father broke through my thoughts and brought me back to the matter at hand.  “My queen and I have come to welcome our daughter home, and here stands a guest of our home, bleeding on his shirt in our daughter’s very presence.”  His tone was completely serious, eyes sparking as he looked to the faces of each man.

Sir Luther looked to Nikolas, who provided the explanation. 
“Sir Luther has named our…guest…as William Raythen.  We await his explanation.”

Liam’s eyes were on the King now, awaiting his fate.  I searched his eyes for fear, but found only resignation. 

Shock fluttered across my father’s face, then anger.  “Is it true boy?  Are you the Son of Soren Raythen?”  He snapped.

Liam stared straight into my father’s eyes, chin high.  “It is true, Sire.”

“I find myself at a loss, I cannot imagine what your intentions are here.”  My father said, shaking his head and running his hands through his hair.

“My intentions are as they ever were, Sire.”  Liam’s gaze shifted to me.  “I intend to protect my princess.”

The calm mask slipped from Nikolas’ face.  “
Your
princess?”

Liam’s head whipped around to Nikolas.  “She is the people’s princess, is she not?
”  He paused, running his hand over his face.  “And, I gave you the name my mother called me, and her homeland, I did not lie.”  He looked meaningfully at my father.

The woman to his left sucked in a sharp breath and she and my father shared a long look as another silent conversation was had.

Looking back to Nikolas, Liam continued.  “You have spent your life as the golden boy of the Valley of Light.  Your very name commands respect.  People see you and they see goodness and hope and life.  People look at a Raythen and they see evil and fear and death.  But you would only see me as a Raythen if I told you my name.”  He paused to rake his fingers through his dark locks.  “I am not my father, and do not wish to be judged as such.  So I did not tell you my given name, because I have spent my life having people look upon me as you do now.  My name does not make me who I am, my actions do.”

Nikolas looked to the ground, hands opening and closing at his sides. 
He spoke under his breath, seemingly to himself but I was close enough to hear.  “She told you the prophecy…that’s how you…she told it to you.”

My father looked back and forth between Nikolas and Liam and I felt like I was really missing something.

“Wh-what’s going on here?  Who told him the prophecy?  Why do you all look like that?”  I blurted out in my frustration.

Nikolas, my father, and the woman I was pretty sure was my mother all turned to look at Liam.  No one said a word, waiting on Liam, because this was obviously his story to tell.

Liam was peering down at the ground, seeing some distant memory there.  When he finally looked at me from beneath his lashes, the pain there was difficult to witness.  “I know about the prophecy because my…my mother was the seer.  Alec overheard her, but did not listen to the prophecy in its entirety.  That is why they did not know of the mark on your skin.” He glanced to Nikolas.  “She did not tell me the prophecy, she did not have to.  I was there when the vision came on her.”  His eyes scanned the group, then tracked back to me, voice pleading that I believe his next words.  “My mother was nothing like my father.  She was all things good and pure and kind, she was betrothed to my father, it was never a choice she made.”

Every soul in the vicinity hung on his every word as he continued. 

“She did not tell my father of the vision, but soon learned that Alec already had.  When she realized the danger you were in, she sent word to your father and mother, knowing what it could mean for her.”  He drew in a shaky breath, eyes downcast.  “When my father learned of what she had done…he…he slit her throat.”  He said, voice cracking.  Then almost in a whisper, “I was there for that as well.  As I sat crying by her side, begging her to wake up…”  Another shaky breath as a tear rolled down his cheek.  “He told me…he said this was the price for betrayal.”  He looked at each face again.  “That is when I decided I would be nothing like my father.  When I learned they had located the princess, I set off in hopes of joining the Knights of Castle Lux.  I never dreamed I would be the one to find her and when I did, I knew I must safely see her here.”  He looked at me now.  “I will do anything to protect you, I will do anything in my power to ensure that mother did not lose her life in vain.”