The Contract (19 page)

“And your wife?” I persisted.

“No, she died bearing the child. I do not say my child because you know I had no real idea if it was mine. Perhaps her spirit was low because of my anger with her. She’d been forced to stay in our room—a virtual prisoner. I didn’t know what else to do with her.” He shook his head. “Yet people say I killed her.” He shrugged. “I must admit I considered it. Often. Yet she was my wife, and I’d sworn an oath to protect her. No matter that she’d broken her oaths, I would not break mine.”

He held me against him silently for another minute. “When I first saw you, I had a wife. A deceitful lying bitch of a wife, but still a wife. Yet at that minute, I knew that you would become mine some day. You were nearly blind with grief from your father’s death, yet you stood in front of me and argued with me to let you return to your father’s house as if you were my equal. And although I was careful not to let you know, I watched you. Callista watched you. I even had some of the servants watching you. Did you know that?”

I again turned so I could see him. “No. I thought you didn’t know I existed.”

“And I don’t doubt you wished it that way. You have not seen me the way I once was. I was never carefree, but I didn’t have the burning anger that my second wife left me with. Do you remember when you turned eighteen? You asked me if I would marry you off, and told me bluntly that you would prefer to remain unwed.”

“I remember,” I said. “I was so foolish.” I suddenly laughed. “And when I ran, I thought,” more laughter, “I thought that we could just hide from you. I didn’t realize who you were then.”

“And who am I, Katrina?”

“You’re the terrifying Regent Maximus, a brilliant strategist and tactician. You are Consort to the lost princess of Queen Ophelia.” I added with a saucy grin.

Max didn’t smile. “I am. I have used you for the power it has gained me.“I blinked at him. I didn’t know what to think. But the truth was, I didn’t mind. “I’m glad I had that to give you,” I said evenly. “You have given me so much, that makes us a little more equal.”

Max shook his head. “You are constantly a surprise to me. I thought you would be like one of my other wives, or one of the other women I’d known. Yet you’re something quite different. You’re passionate and loyal.” He gave me a look that almost seemed pained. “I hadn’t thought to tell you this, but if you hear it from someone else…” He shook his head with a self-conscious laugh. “I don’t like the look on your face when you hear things that hurt you. So, I’ll tell you.” He cleared his throat and his manner became more brisk, more businesslike. “The King has demanded your return. My spies say he is very serious about retrieving you. He wants to make you his heir. Queen Ophelia is most likely too old to have any more children, and King Walter very much wants his crown to go to someone of his blood.”

I felt my face pale.

Max watched me, not without compassion. “The King’s armies are on their way, Katrina. My spies say they will mass at the river that I’ve used as a separation between my land and the land of the King. There is a place where it comes fairly close to us here.  I have talked to Devlin repeatedly, and we have decided I will go to meet them. You, however, will remain here under Devlin’s care.”

“No! Max, I want to come. Please, I don’t want you to leave me behind.”

He gave a small shake of his head and slid his hand through my hair where it lay along my shoulder. “Katrina, you will stay here out of danger.”

I scrambled out of his lap, kneeling in front of him. “If it’s dangerous, don’t go! Please, Max. There has to be some way around this.”

“Wife,” he said with rather gentle reproach. “You yourself have stated who I am. What kind of battle leader would I be if I did not lead?”

“But the King won’t—”

“No, he won’t. He’ll stay safe in his castle and send his armies to kill or die.”  He shrugged. “I rarely liken myself to him, however.”

“Max, this can’t happen. Men can’t die over me. Just send me back to them.”

Max said slowly, “That is what you want? To be Princess Katrina, heir to the throne and my enemy?”

I couldn’t help it; I shook my head. “No, I don’t want that. But I can’t just stand by and watch others die because of me. I can’t.”

“Katrina, I believe that we can hold them out of my lands. If not, Devlin has orders to take you out of the country if that is what you want. Or if you want to be Princess Katrina, then you’ll get your chance at that point.”

I realized he meant if he died fighting to keep me. “Please, please don’t do this. I’m begging you!” I had taken his hands, and my tears were again falling, but not with happiness this time. “Please! I’m not worth your life.”

Max said, “Katrina, I’ve never backed away from a fight in my life. While you are indeed worth fighting for, even if you weren’t I wouldn’t back down. I don’t do that.”

He lifted my chin and kissed me softly. “And if you’re already carrying my son, then maybe even if we don’t carry the day, my son will yet be king.”

“No!” I said again, but Max was getting impatient with my repeated refusals.

“Katrina, enough. I will go and will meet the King’s armies. God willing, we’ll win the battle, and you’ll be safe.”

I swallowed, a wild, desperate plan forming in my mind. “When do you go?”

“The King’s armies are vast and they move with agonizing slowness. I have fewer men, but we move much more quickly. I’m betting we’re better trained as well.” A light was in his eyes at the thought of the battle to come. “I will defend what I’ve built,” he said in a hard voice.

I nodded, hugging him again, my head against his chest. I didn’t want him looking at me too closely. “I know you will,” I said. “I would do the same.”

“We will leave within the week,” he said. His arms held me securely against him, and I reveled in it. “Will I regret that I told you this?” he asked.

Oh, will you ever
, I thought to myself.  Instead of answering, I kissed him, and he kissed me back, turning us so we again rested next to each other on the bed. In sharp contrast to our almost violent coupling earlier, we were achingly gentle with each other, taking our time and making it last. When we were finished, I waited until Max fell asleep. Then I rose and began to get dressed.

Chapter Seventeen

When I’d arrived in the castle, I’d brought some of my things with me. One thing I’d brought was my father’s black leather leggings. He’d worn leggings all the time, and usually black. He’d always worn at least one weapon, even in our home. That had never seemed odd to me. I’d kept the leggings as a reminder of him. As I’d prepared to leave, I’d remembered the leggings and put them on, with a dark shirt of my own. My father hadn’t been much taller than I was, and slim, so the leggings weren’t that poor of a fit. I put on the belt that had come with them, and carefully put my jeweled knife in the sheath.

I looked at Max for several minutes before I left, very slowly unbarring the door to keep the sound from waking him. If he caught me before I was away? I knew he’d forgive me eventually, but it wouldn’t be pretty. And if he caught me after I’d gone, if he knew what I’d intended, then I just didn’t know what he’d do.

I crept through the castle like a criminal, which I suppose I was now. I went to the servants’ quarters and wound my way through, ignoring any servants who saw me and walking boldly as if I had a right to be there. No one stopped me. Eventually I stopped at a door leading outside into the laundry area. I exited and followed the path there around until I was approaching the stables.

This was the tricky part, but couldn’t be helped. I had to have a mount or Max would catch me before I’d even left the surrounding area. Yet the stables were guarded day and night. I’d picked up a solid bit of firewood as I’d moved along, hoping I’d have the guts to use it.  But I was in luck. The guard was chatting with a servant girl, and was at least 100 yards away from the stable. I slipped inside and prepped a horse for leaving, wincing every time the horse made any noise. I’d chosen River, who had once been my father’s horse. He’d come with me when I’d come here. I used to ride often, but it wasn’t considered appropriate once a woman was of age, so I’d been away from him for over a year. He remembered me, and I reflected I should have wondered as I was growing up what my father would be doing with such an amazing steed. River as very different looking from either the warhorses or the breeds meant to pull a carriage or work in other ways. River had long slim legs, a wide chest, and a unique muzzle that I’d never seen on any other horse, curved in then rounding about the nose instead of falling in a straight line. River had more stamina than any horse I’d ever heard of. And boy, was I going to need that stamina tonight.

I led him to the door and looked about for the guard. He was not immediately in sight, but I finally found him in the shadows of the out kitchens, with his female friend pressed up against the wall of the kitchen. Slowly I led River out, and held my breath until we were out of sight of the stables.My luck held until I was almost to the little used back exit that the servants used. The guard there was neither talking to anyone or away from his post. He watched me coming closer, pulling his sword. I raised my hands to show I meant no harm. I’d let the firewood piece go as soon as I realized I’d never sneak up on him.

As I came near, he said, “Stop. Who are you and what are you doing?“I had tucked my hair up under a hat I’d found in the stables. “I’m on the Regent’s business, of course.” I said in as gruff a voice as I could manage.

“I’ve had no word.” The guard said, trying to see my identity in the low light.

“The guard here before you knew,” I said, letting sarcasm enter my voice. “He let me in.“The guard hesitated.  “You idiot,” I snarled. “If you must go to the castle and wake the Regent, do so. I only left him an hour ago, and he seemed intent on spending time with his wife. But if you don’t mind facing his anger when you pull him from his bed to tell him someone is leaving, then be my guest and do so.“The guard still looked undecided. I continued, low, “Hurry up and decide, you lout. But you cannot speak to anyone but the Regent. I have strict orders to only report to him, and my comings and going are to be kept secret.”

I was hoping that Max was just a little too daunting to wake up in the middle of the night. I knew that the guard was mainly here to keep people out, not to keep people in, and was hoping that was enough to get me out.  The guard stepped aside finally, and I walked my horse to the gate, which he opened for me. I kept River between us until I was outside the inner walls, and then mounted. I rode to the outer walls, but this wasn’t as difficult to leave from, since even in the night there were people coming and going. I told the same story I’d told the other guard, and strongly suspected Max actually did have spies who’d arrived before, so readily did the guards accept my story. Ninety minutes after I’d walked out of the room, I was cantering up the road towards Snake River and the armies of the King.

*                                  *                                  *

DEVLIN

Devlin woke early. He was to be married today, and even though he was no mere boy, this was his first wife and he was a bit on edge. It had to be the wedding that had put him on edge. Or perhaps it was that everything Max had built, with his help, was in danger. Yes, that might be it as well.

He left the castle, thinking he might ride before the rest of the castle awoke. He went to the stables, waving at the guard who was standing at the entrance. Once inside, he went to the horse he usually rode when an empty box caught his attention. River was gone. He shrugged it off initially, assuming that there was a likely explanation for it. But after he’d ridden and returned, River was still gone. Servants were moving around the castle now. He asked the guard on the way out if he knew where River had gone, but the guard didn’t know anything, even if River had been there when he’d arrived. He only guarded the stables; he didn’t care for the horses.

Feeling a little worried, Devlin caught a stable boy, who then woke the stable master. They questioned the guard again, but he insisted that he’d been there all night and hadn’t seen anyone come to steal River. Devlin left the stable master questioning people. One missing horse. Probably didn’t mean anything, but again, that edginess remained.

Once in the castle, he went up to wash, one of the first there. After he was done, he ran into Max, looking annoyed. “Have you seen Katrina?” he asked.

Devlin shook his head. “Last I saw her she was with you.”

Max ground his teeth. “I told her not to wander off in the morning.”

Devlin grinned at his brother. “I’m sure she’ll turn up.”

Max shook his head. “I told her about the King,” he admitted. “She was upset, as you’d expect. Kept saying that no one should die because of her.” He gave a shrug, apparently at the ridiculousness of women.

Devlin nodded, but he was thinking about the missing horse. Certainly Katrina wouldn’t be so foolish as to…suddenly he froze.

Max tensed as well. “Devlin?”

“River is missing,” he said slowly.

“The horse? How…” But then Max turned and roared for Katrina’s guards, who had been following him, ashamed they hadn’t noticed Katrina leave this morning. They’d maintained they’d been on guard since dawn, and now scrambled to follow the curtly ordered instructions that Max was gritting out.  He turned to Devlin, “Ask Callista what she knows. I swear, Devlin, if she helped her…”

Devlin put his hand on Max’s shoulder. “I’ll find out what she knows.  Max, I was out there before dawn, and the horse was gone then, so she’s some hours on her way already.“Max growled and strode off. Devlin watched him go, thinking about Callista. If she’d helped Katrina to escape, it might not matter what Devlin said. Max was her guardian still and had the right to do as he wished. If only they’d already been married. Briefly he thought of letting Max go after Katrina alone and quickly marrying Callista while he was gone. But no, even if he could let his brother go off alone to seek Katrina, he wouldn’t do it. And if Max was determined to see Callista pay…Devlin shook his head. He sincerely hoped Callista knew nothing of Katrina’s plans.