Legacy of light, p.7
Legacy of Light, page 7
A hawk soared by the window and Alixa averted her eyes from the dismal excuse of a forest. The bird’s graceful dance carried it across the evening sky, and she watched with envy as it disappeared into the approaching darkness. If only she could fly away from here as easily and float off to another life.
“God, I hate this place,” she muttered as she placed her forehead against the cool glass and a single tear escaped the corner of her eye. Wiping it away with a sigh, she opened the large window and stepped out onto the balcony in anticipation. This was her favorite time of day, when evening turned to night. After the horrible pretense of family dinner was over and her father had retired to his library for the evening and Royce had gone out for who only knew what reason. It was her time to be alone.
She stood still as stone, watching the night sky; enthralled as the stars slowly emerged one by one, like candles being lit. The air on her face was cold with the lingering chill of a northerly wind and goose bumps raised on her skin, but she didn’t mind. She didn’t want to go back inside. Not yet.
Voices below her cut through her tranquility and she peered over the balcony with irritation. Surely, it wasn’t Royce back already? But the wagon and carriage highlighted by the servant’s lanterns were not of House Isenore. She was certain of it. These were unfamiliar and her brow furrowed in puzzlement. Her father had guests at this late hour? And coming through the back entrance? Very strange.
Against her better judgement, Alixa left her mother’s chambers and hurried down the steps and through the long halls towards her father’s study. She hoped to catch sight of the visitors, but instead, she found two unfamiliar guards standing watch outside the double oak doors and she brought up in surprise. She didn’t recognize them or their tunics of black and gold. From what house were they and what was their purpose here? The guards stared at her approach in silence.
“Is my father available?” she asked, not that she wanted to see him, but curiosity overrode her distaste.
“No, the Duke is in a meeting. Leave.”
Seriously? She narrowed her eyes and scowled, but knew she had no choice. Who gave them the right to order her around in her own house?
She huffed out a breath and turned on her heel, not stopping until she’d rounded the corner and made her way into the library. Its balcony adjoined the one of her father’s study. If she couldn’t meet who was inside, at least she’d be able to see who it was.
Under the cover of darkness, Alixa crept to the end of the library’s gallery. Hoisting her long gown to her knees, she gripped the edge of the stone balcony and clambered over easily, landing in a crouch on the other side. Scurrying for the cover of a marble pillar, she peered into the lamp lit room.
Her father was pacing back and forth in front of the window and she pulled back quickly, not wanting to get caught. Finally, he turned away and the other person in the room came into full view. It was a tall man, similar in age to her father but not near as balding or stout. Although dressed in the same black and gold as the guards outside the door, he was no guard. His noble bearing was unmistakable.
Her father’s voice broke the night’s silence and Alixa jumped in fright before realizing it just carried from the open window. She leaned a bit further so she could hear more clearly. “Are you sure the King realizes what he’s asking of me? I will expect much more in supplies as way of payment.”
The mystery man nodded. “The King is very aware. And you will receive more. Much more. But he expects some form of guarantee. Your last bit of information was quite enlightening. It was a start. But he requires more in-depth data.”
Information? What sort of information was her father supplying King Marcus with? What would be so important about mining and iron supplies that a messenger would be sent this late into the evening?
“He’ll get what I promised. We have another council meeting scheduled a month from now to discuss military action on the border. King Calis should be quite pleased with what I bring back.”
Alixa reeled back in shock. King Calis? Surely she heard wrong. Her father couldn’t be supplying their sworn enemy, Dreach-Dhoun, with military secrets. But even as her mind refused to believe her father was a traitor to their very own king, her heart was telling her otherwise. The uniforms of the soldiers inside suddenly made sense. No wonder she didn’t recognize them. They weren’t from any house in the realm she’d ever seen. Her father was a collaborator with King Calis!
Whether it was shock or just bad luck, Alixa failed to pull back in time as her father pivoted on his heel and turned back to the window. His eyes locked with hers and narrowed in anger.
“Who’s there?” he yelled as the window opened further and he leaned out. “Alixa, is that you?”
No, no, no.
Nearly falling over in her haste, Alixa hopped the wall separating the two balconies and ran for the library door. If she could get to her room without being seen, she could convince her father she wasn’t even there. That it had been all his imagination. Yanking open the library door she skidded around the corner to the hall, and straight into the arms of the waiting Dreach-Dhoun soldiers.
Alixa bolted upright from her bed and stared at the door to her room as the knob twisted with a creak. She hoped desperately it wasn’t her father again. Her arm still hurt from their encounter the day before. Holding her breath in fear, she exhaled in a sigh of relief as the slight form of her maid, Ella, filled the doorway.
“I brought you food, Lady Alixa.” The maid stepped past the burly guard stationed outside Alixa’s chambers, giving him a wide berth. Her hands busy holding the serving platter, she tried to close the door with her foot, but the guard growled at her.
“Leave it open.”
Ella bestowed him a look of pure steel, belying her tiny frame. “Whether you have been ordered to keep the Lady Alixa under lock and key or not, I’m also here to help her dress. I don’t think the Duke would appreciate you watching. Now, shut the door.”
The big man looked slightly taken aback by the venomous tone, but he did as asked. As soon as the door closed, Ella dropped the tray on the dressing table and the two young woman embraced.
“Oh God, I’ve been so worried, milady.” She ran her hands over Alixa’s arms. “Have they harmed you in any way?”
Alixa’s resolve broke under Ella’s concern and tears flooded her eyes. “Not really, but what’s going to happen to me? My father is so angry and I can’t handle him when he’s like this. I’m scared, Ella. He knows I know. I couldn’t bring his entire world down around him. Now I’m nothing more than a liability.” She breathed heavily. “Why couldn’t I just lie and pretend I hadn’t heard anything?”
She hadn’t just admitted to eavesdropping, she’d thrown the word traitor at her father. That’s what he was and she wasn’t one to hold back. It’d been a mistake. How could he betray the King? It shouldn’t surprise her, but that didn’t stop any remaining love she had for him from shattering under the weight of secrets.
So, he’d locked her away as he always did. Three days now. She’d had a guard watching her every move. No one had been allowed in. Her only visitor had been her father, wearing his anger and displeasure like armor. And instead of his anger waning, it seemed to have increased two-fold. Last night’s visit had been the worst. The pungent odor of wine wafted off of him the moment he entered the room. There had been no deep sighing of regret or uncertainty from him like the first two times. It had been an out and out visit of censure. What had he done to deserve such a contemptible and surly daughter? Why had she turned out so much like her mother, the witch who had destroyed his life? Why was she so incredibly stupid she couldn’t see what he was doing was all for the good of the Isenore people?
Each accusation had been accompanied by a hard shove so by the time he’d pinned her against the dressing table, Alixa had truly been scared for her life. Her hand behind her back curled around a heavy iron candlestick, the itch to slam it into his head crawling under her skin. He stared at her, distaste evident in his face, before turning without another word and exiting her room. Not until she’d heard his footsteps fade away down the marble hall did she relax and let the weapon fall from her hand.
“That I can’t answer, milady, but we have very little time. You must listen carefully.” The fear in Ella’s voice only intensified Alixa’s own. “The Duke left early this afternoon. I have no idea when he’ll be back, but Cook has overheard his discussion with the visitor who’s been here these past few days. They want to take you away, milady. I’m not sure where, but I got a feeling it’s not anywhere good.”
Take her away? To Dreach-Dhoun? No, it can’t be. He was her father. He wouldn’t do this to her…would he?
“You have to go. Escape.”
“Escape?” she repeated dully. Then again, but this one more forceful as the idea blossomed in her head. “Yes, escape. But where would I go?”
“What does it matter?” Ella asked. “But you must leave. I fear you’re in danger here. Listen and listen well. As we speak, Edric is in the loft above with a rope to pull you up off the balcony. From there you will proceed through the servant’s quarters to the lower levels. I will take you to the wine cellar. There’s a hatch to the aqueducts that leads out under the wall to the river. It will get you out and away from any of the guard’s notice. Edric will meet you at the river with a horse.”
Alixa nodded her head in agreement even though this whole escape plan, this whole thing seemed so surreal. “Why would you and your brother help me? Why put yourself in danger? If you get caught-”
“We won’t,” Ella assured her with way more confidence than Alixa was feeling. Grabbing the younger girl’s hand, she smiled at her. “And you need not ask why. You have always been more like a sister to me than my mistress. You know that. I would do anything to keep you safe… little sister.”
Alixa’s eyes filled up once again along with Ella’s, but her maid shook her head. “No time for tears. You must hurry and change. I need the guard to see you still here after I leave. Your escape will be a mystery to all. Now move.”
Alixa half-ran, half stumbled down the stairwell, one hand trailing along the stone wall to keep her from falling. The tiny flame from the lantern Ella carried their only source of light.
She breathed a sigh of relief as they hit the bottom of the stairs. They’d made it into the cellars without being caught. Ella didn’t stop there. She ushered Alixa along the corridor and into a storeroom, the lamplight casting shadows over the barrels and crates lining the floor. Alixa was shocked to see so many supplies, especially after her father had forbidden her from handing out scraps at the back entrance to the starving children because he’d said the House of Isenore could barely provide for their own staff. Obviously, another lie, since there were enough supplies here to feed them all for a year. How many of the staff knew about this? Most of them would have no need to visit the cellars, but surely a few were in on it. Some of the people she’d known her entire life were traitors just like her father.
There wasn’t time to dwell on that. Near the rear of the room, Ella pushed a basket out of the way to reveal an iron handle resting on a wooden hatch in the floor. It took the two of them, using their whole bodies to lift it before it fell against the stone floor with a loud clang. The hole was dark and dank and a putrid odor hit her nose, but it also reeked of freedom.
“This is as far as I go, milady,” Ella held the lamp high revealing the tears already flowing. “Remember, the aqueducts will take you straight to the river where Edric awaits. From there head into the woods. Ride swift and fast and don’t look back.”
Alixa nodded before pulling the tiny woman she’d known since she was a child into her arms. “Thank you for everything, Ella. I will miss you, my friend.”
Ella gave her one more squeeze before pushing her away. “Go now. Be free, little sister.”
A shout from the corridor startled them both. “Oi, who’s there?”
“Guards,” Alixa muttered in horror as she froze in fright. Ella was the first to react.
“Go. I’ll distract them. They won’t follow you.”
The iron ladder down was rusty and broken in spots and Alixa feared it wouldn’t hold her weight, but she didn’t slow her descent, even as the hatch slammed shut overhead, cloaking her in darkness. She was more afraid of the guards catching her. Ella proved to be true to her promise of holding them off however, and Alixa hit the bottom with a loud splash. She paused to catch her breath as darkness surrounded her with a suffocating pressure and panic clawed at her throat. She blew out a series of short breaths, trying to regain control.
Having no choice but to keep moving, she turned from the stairs and laid her hand against the slimy wall, taking her first step into the unknown. No turning back now. Dampness saturated her boots and the hem of her dress, the cold seeping into her very bones. She was actually glad for the darkness since she couldn’t see what she kicked about with every step, but the odors had bile rising in the back of her throat.
Dragging her hand along the damp wall to find her way, the walk seemed to take an eternity. She kept glancing back expecting at any moment a hand to fall on her shoulder. Finally, a sliver of light appeared up ahead. Alixa grinned to herself in the dark. The end of the tunnel. Hurrying now, the sliver grew bigger as the tunnel began to fill up with moonlight. Rushing water reached her ears and she knew it was the river’s waterfall. Breaking into a run, Alixa fell out of the tunnel into the river, up to her knees as the stench of decay was replaced with sweet, fresh air. The water was freezing, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care that she was soaked to the bone or that her teeth chattered so loud she could hear them. She was out. Out of the tunnel. Out of the castle. Out of her father’s reach. She was free.
“Lady Alixa,” the voice called to her from the riverbank as Edric reached toward her to pull her out of the water. She grabbed his hand in thanks, grateful for his help.
“Ella,” she gasped as soon as she could catch her breath. “There were guards–” She jumped as a burst of wind rustled through the leaves nearby.
“Don’t worry, Milady, my sister can talk her way out of anything.” Edric shifted his eyes from side to side, the nervous tic belying his assurance.
All it did was increase Alixa’s dread. Her teeth clamped down on her lip as she rocked from one foot to the other.
“Your horse awaits in the trees over there.” He pointed with his chin and Alixa spotted the dappled work horse laden down with sacks of precious food. He’d taken care of her, but soon she’d be on her own with no home and nowhere to go.
“I can’t thank you enough, Edric,” she whispered, her voice choked with tears as a crushing fear constricted her chest. “I will always be indebted.” She patted the small blade hanging at her waist under her cloak, reassuring herself it was still there.
Edric nodded solemnly. “Stay safe.”
“I will try, Edric. I will try.”
A loud trumpet broke the night’s stillness and Alixa’s heart smashed against her ribcage. The alarm! They already knew she was gone.
“Hurry,” Edric shoved her towards the horse.
Alixa bundled up her soaked skirts and climbed onto her horse. Without another word, she turned into the trees and dug her heels into the mare’s flanks, making her jolt forward.
The trumpeting alarm joined with shouting, but the sound of her horse’s pounding hooves soon drowned it out. It was Alixa’s last contact with House Isenore as she galloped into the forest and toward her freedom.
Chapter 7
Trystan kicked his heels against his horse as he sped through the woods standing between the palace and the town. He’d needed desperately to get out of the palace and clear his head. Images of Willow flashed through his mind. Her delicate, pale skin. Her soft blonde hair. She was small and fragile and he couldn’t deny her beauty, but she was missing what he’d always imagined in a partner. She’d make a good queen, but he’d hoped for someone who could ride and hunt and help keep the kingdom safe. His hopes were unrealistic though and he knew his father had chosen well for Dreach-Sciene.
He’d always known he wouldn’t get to choose and she was the daughter of a close ally, so it made sense, but she followed him around like a lost puppy. He didn’t want obedience or adoration in a wife. He wanted partnership. He wanted to be challenged. He didn’t need love, but he wanted a mutual respect.
Soon, his horse wasn’t the only one thundering down the path. He glanced back and pulled up on the reins with a sigh to allow his uncle to catch up. Geran Drake was a stern man. He was younger than the King and had been raised only as a pawn for the realm to move – much like Rissa with her marriage to Royce Eisner.
“Nephew,” Lord Drake said when he reached him. “You shouldn’t be out of the palace without your guards.”
“Just exercising my horse.” Trystan patted his horse’s long neck, eliciting a snort from the beast.
“There are stable lads for that. I’m sure you have other duties to attend to.”
He narrowed his eyes in irritation. Since he was a child, his uncle had been trying to assert his authority over him, but that was before he was Toha.
Trystan turned his horse. “Return to the palace, Lord Drake. That’s an order.”
A harsh laugh burst out of his uncle. “You don’t give me orders, boy.”
“Actually, I do. I –”
A high-pitched scream pierced the woods.
Trystan kicked his horse around and jerked his head from side to side, scanning the trees for the source of the commotion. His uncle prodded his horse forward and took off in the direction it came from.
