The Underground Witch (Incenaga Trilogy) (2 page)

The watchman paused, seeming to hold his breath, and Tiergan licked his lips. He
had seen the same look in countless others. It was the uneasy smile, the nodding head, the faraway look. And every time he knew his orders would be obeyed despite the level of unease the other man experienced.

The
watchman threw the ladder over the rail and winced as the bottom rung cracked against the hull. He cleared his throat.

“Come aboard then,” he called down.

As his soldiers climbed, the watchman folded his arms and searched the dark horizon as if he couldn’t face his decision to allow them on board, but knew no way to stop it. Tiergan smiled, pleased with himself.

One
by one, Tiergan and his men kicked their legs over the rail and landed with barely a sound. Tiergan pulled himself to his full height and, after a quick nod, sent his men scurrying across the deck on the balls of their feet.

The watchman swallowed and moved his hand toward his belt.
But his weapon was gone.

“What?” he said
almost to himself. His body twisted left and right as he searched the deck. “Where…?”

Tiergan
let out a barking laugh, but the end of it caught in his throat the moment he noticed the Dolmertian holding the watchman’s weapon. The Dolmertian held out his arm, the tip of the sword pointed toward the deck.

“For
you, Captain,” the Dolmertian said.

Seizing the hilt,
Tiergan forced a smile as he brought the sword to his side. While he was pleased the Dolmertian had relieved the watchman of his weapon, he was troubled by the ease with which he had taken it. The Dolmertian was far more skilled than Tiergan had first assessed – a dangerous miscalculation.

Tiergan locked gazes with the Dolmertian
and for the first time since his arrival, the Dolmertian did not look away. Tiergan frowned. It was never a good sign when someone willingly held his gaze. And by withholding specific, and important details, the Dolmertian had proven more cunning than most. He had not exposed his skills as a fighter until now and Tiergan wondered why. His frown deepened. If only he had been more willing to disclose the remaining details needed to win the Incenaga, he would have tossed his carcass to the vultures long ago. Nevertheless, Tiergan could wait awhile longer. He turned his attention back to the watchman.

“
Thank you for your hospitality,” Tiergan said with a sneer.

The watchman
shuddered. “Why are you doing this?”

Tiergan smirked. “
Power. More than you could ever imagine. Enough to make grown men weep. Enough to make them worship me. It will be mine.
She
will be mine.”

“This is about a woman?”
The watchman asked. His jaw dropped.

“Not just any woman.
An Incenaga.”

The watchman
snapped his mouth shut and lunged for the warning bell. He managed two urgent tugs before his actions stopped short and he fell motionless to the deck. The ringing bell echoed across the deck and faded into the sea.

“Thank you
, Demyan,” Tiergan said to his swiftest fighter, his deadliest assassin. “Clearly the watchman was not fit to join us.”

Demyan lowered his chin and stepped back into the shadows.

Tiergan nodded in return and watched, not for the first time, as Demyan managed to blend into the darkness and disappear. If he had not proven so loyal in the beginning, and so insightful in his stratagems, Tiergan would have had no choice but to eliminate Demyan years before. While he valued strong soldiers, he couldn’t afford the risk of having someone as skilled as Demyan so near the Crown. Being close enough to take something for one’s self was a temptation any man would find difficult to resist. But Demyan didn’t crave power, it seemed. Not in the way Tiergan did, at least. Demyan was satisfied with killing, nothing more. And as long as Demyan was satisfied, Tiergan knew he had the only weapon he’d need to gain control of the Incenaga.

“
Ready yourselves, men,” Tiergan shouted over fading bell cry. “The ship has been warned.”

Emmeline tucked her feet underneath her as the tiniest of shivers traveled through her body. Despite the chill, she smiled. Nestled in a cavern hidden behind a roaring cascade, she could just make out Erick’s shape through the falling water. Even sopping wet, he made her heart thump deeper, stronger. His shoulders circled with ease as his sweeping arms held him aloft in the deep pool. She was certain his arms were strong enough that he could wrap one around her and still hold them both above the water. She shivered again, but not because she was cold.

“Jump in
!” Erick called from the other side of the waterfall. “It isn’t cold at all.”

His voice cut off as he
slipped below the surface and Emmeline laughed. She knew he was lying. If the cool mist wafting around her ankles hadn’t already tipped her off, the playful tone in his voice would have. The water was near freezing, that much was obvious, and she was determined to remain cozy and dry in their little cavern.

Emmeline
watched Erick swim, his toned body slicing through the water, and she wondered if perhaps she should swim with him after all. For the entire summer the waterfall had been a place of stolen moments and quiet retreats, a secret oasis hidden behind towering trees with leaves so wide they could wrap around her waist. But the signs of fall could no longer be ignored and their time was coming to an end. The temperature had dropped since they’d last come, the leaves turning crimson. If only the frost would hold off a little longer and let her sink, just one more time, into the depths of the water with Erick’s arms wrapped around her. But, she feared her chance had already come and gone.

Erick’s head broke through the falls, his impish grin
warning her that if she wasn’t careful, he might tug her into the water himself.

“I didn’t bring any
extra clothing to change into,” she said, snuggling deeper into a blanket. “I’ll catch a cold.”

Erick pulled himself through the falls and stood on the ledge
, his tall frame blocking the light coming in through the falls. His grin widened.

Emmeline straightened.
“What are you smiling about?”

With his
white teeth brightening a wicked grin, Erick leaned over and shook water from his hair. Droplets of cold flew in every direction and Emmeline squealed. She jumped to her feet and crossed her arms over her face, not only to shield herself, but to hide her laughter.

Erick
let out a deep chuckle and Emmeline lowered her hands to her hips.

“What is wrong with you?” she said with
mock seriousness. He laughed again and she lost control, her giggle echoing off the stone walls. “I would push you back into the water, but I’m afraid that is exactly what you want!”

Erick smirked.
A thick strand of hair fell across his left eye and she resisted the urge to brush it aside for him. If she got any closer she knew, without a doubt, he would pull her into a wet hug.

“
The weather is still warm enough for a quick swim,” he said. “We even have enough daylight to lie in the sun before we ride back.”

Emmeline shook her head and smiled.
“It’s suicide.”

“If we catch our deaths, at least we’ll do it together.”
Erick winked and flashed a crooked smile before reaching out his hand. “I promise it isn’t that cold once you get in.”

“Then why are you shivering?”
Emmeline said, raising an eyebrow.

“You have that e
ffect on me.”

“Of course I do.” S
he crossed her arms in front of her chest, but knew her smile diminished the effect.

“Are you telling me
you’ve never felt the same for me?” Erick said in a playful tone. He cut the distance between them in one large stride and pulled her into his arms, ignoring her protests as he kissed the top of her shoulder. “Not even when I do that?”

“Not even that
.” Emmeline said as she relaxed into his arms. She’d rather be wet than far away from him.

He
kissed her neck. “What about that?”

Feigning boredom, she turned her gaze toward the cavern wall.
“Not in the slightest.”

Erick laughed.
“Don’t you love me the way I love you!”

Before she could answer h
e covered her lips with his own. She melted into his arms and returned his kiss. Tingles traveled up her spine and, despite her effort to hide her reaction, she shivered with delight. Erick pulled away and grinned, his gaze falling to the hundreds of tiny goose bumps covering her arms.

“See, I knew I had that effect
on you too,” he said.

Emmeline smiled and
lifted up on her toes to kiss him again. “I suppose you do. It is a good thing we will be husband and wife soon.”

“Not soon enough.”
Erick said.

Emmeline agreed. The
fifth of November couldn’t come any faster. It was the same day her father had married her mother eighteen years before. And the leaves would be at their fullest glory by then, their colors still clinging to the branches as if in salute to summer’s fading reign. It would be the perfect setting for their wedding.

“
Once we marry, you’ll never be rid of me,” Emmeline said with a teasing smile. “I’ll follow you around day and night.”

Erick chuckled.
“I suppose there could be worse things, like a sharp stick in the eye. But, I don’t know. I could go either way.” He grinned. “Let’s go swimming.”

Before she could protest, he
grabbed hold of her hands and pulled her over the cavern’s edge. Emmeline let out a shriek as she flew through the air and splashed into the frigid water. Shocked by the cold, she had to remind herself to keep her mouth shut and hold her breath. There was no sense in letting even a drop of the coldness inside her. Her toes touched bottom and she let out a garbled yelp. The silted floor felt even colder than the water and the way it clouded around her ankles made her feel as though it would drag her into its murky embrace. She pushed off with all her strength and kicked to the surface.

“It’s freezing!” she
screeched as soon as her head broke through.

Already halfway across the pond, Erick laughed
and then his expression turned fearful as he pretended to escape from her wrath.

“Y
ou better swim away!” Emmeline called. She slapped her hand against the surface, sending sprays of water toward him.

Erick beamed from his side of the pond.
“Is that the best you can do?”

Emmeline
’s jaw fell, but she couldn’t keep her smile away. Snapping her mouth shut, she dove into the water and propelled herself toward Erick. The water didn’t seem to bite into her skin as deeply as it had before, giving her the willpower to kick forward with a new burst of energy. After several hard strokes and only two quick breaths, she reached Erick. She slapped her hands onto his shoulders and pushed him underneath the water. He squirmed as if her strength alone could hold him under, but she knew he wasn’t putting up much of a fight. If he really wanted to, he could toss her across the pond without so much as an effort. She counted to ten, marveling at how her hands barely stretched across his shoulders, and then she released him.

“Ha!” she said
once his face came out of the water.

Erick laughed
and kissed her wet forehead. “You got me. I’m right though, aren’t I? It isn’t cold at all.”

Emmeline raised her eyebrows.
She wasn’t ready to admit to anything.

Erick smiled and pulled her close
r to him. With their arms around each other and their legs entangled, they couldn’t keep from slipping beneath the surface. Erick kissed her and it felt so strange, and yet so wonderful, to kiss him under the water. His lips gave into hers, molding to her until she could no longer feel where her lips ended and where his started.

It wasn’t until
her lungs burned for air that she untangled herself and kicked to the surface. She gulped for air, but before she could get a full breath, Erick pulled her under for another kiss. Surprised, she let out all her breath in one underwater laugh and found herself kicking to the surface sooner than she would have liked.

By the time she swam
to the water’s edge and stood on the grassy beach, Emmeline’s teeth were chattering like a snake’s rattle. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to ignore the icy water dripping down her legs and between her toes.

“Stay
there.” Erick called from the water. “I’ll get the blanket for you.” He slipped beneath the surface and Emmeline watched in awe as he cut through the water with ease, disappearing behind the waterfall.

Emmeline sighed.
It seemed impossible that the blanket would come back with a single dry corner. The only other way out of the cavern was on a narrow ledge that skirted the cliff, but even then, the mist rising from the falling cascade refused to let anything pass untouched.