Faery Queen (2 page)

Then there were the horses. The Bellemare family was renowned for their breeding abilities, producing some of the finest horses in the entire world. It was a reputation they had taken pride in for generations. There were many elements to the breeds, passed from father to son over the years. The animals were an ancient mix of bloodlines, a crossbreeding of French trotters and hunters for stamina, with the intelligence of a Holstein Warmblood and the jumping abilities of a Lipizzaner. Not once could Hugh remember a horse being stillborn, not until that evening. Two prized mares had given birth to dead foals. With three unformed legs on one and an uncovered skull on the other, it was best the poor animals didn't live. Regardless, the event hung over the keep like a bad omen. Three other mares were pregnant, about ready to drop, and everyone in the castle was anxious.

“So ashamed I am, my lord,” came a small whisper. “So ashamed.”

Hugh frowned, sitting up in his chair. He'd been staring into his fireplace, about to drift off into the world of dreams when he heard the words. The earl glanced over the dark green coverlet on his bed. It was embroidered with a horse to match the Bellemare crest—a black stallion statant on a field of green. The mattress was empty, yet he swore that was where the voice had come from.

“King Alwyn, rest him, ordered us here to your keep to watch after you and I have failed with the horses.”

“Rees?” Hugh sighed heavily and his drowsy head cleared. He recognized the spright's voice. “Show yourself. You know I do not like when you lurk about unseen.”

As if stepping out of some undetectable fog, the Bellemare spright appeared. Rees was only as tall as Hugh's knee with short, unkempt brown hair and blue eyes almost too big for his small face. It still made Hugh uneasy to see the magical creatures appear and disappear. Though he decreed they make themselves known to him if in his presence, how could he ever be sure he wasn't being spied on in private moments? Until Juliana had been kidnapped by King Merrick, he hadn't known such things existed.

“What happened to your new tunic?” Hugh asked, seeing the small man didn't have a shirt on. The spright had been in a tattered, bright green tunic until Hugh presented him with the one he now should have been wearing—a darker green with the Bellemare crest over the heart. Rees thought the clothing a great honor, one he bragged about to the other creatures. Hugh didn't tell the spright, but he'd only given him the clothes to make Rees more presentable.

Being earl he was used to respect, but the spright's attention went beyond that into blind adoration. Rees had attached himself to the earl, following him around the keep, popping onto his shoulders during the day, trying to sleep at the foot of his bed near the fireplace. Often, he'd appear, waving and blinking his big eyes behind whomever Hugh was talking to. It was an awful distraction, startling to say the least.

“So sorry I am. I do not deserve to be your spright. Two charges…” The spright's big eyes teared up and he shook his head, burying it in his hands. “I was given charge of the horses and for hundreds of years I did my job well, but now…” He sighed heavily. “Now, I must be past my use.”

“Such things happen,” Hugh lied, uncomfortable, never sure how to receive the attachment. In truth, things like this never happened at Bellemare.

“Not on my watch. Not when you're blessed.”

“Would there be a reason for King Ean to take off his grandfather's blessing on Bellemare? On us? Is he displeased with us?” Hugh paused. King Ean of Tegwen's grandfather had blessed Hugh's ancestor after the man had saved the king's daughter and married her. The elf princess had become mortal and eventually died as mortals do, but the blessing stood. Was Ean displeased with the fact that Juliana had married his unblessed brother? “Have we given him cause for anger?”

“He has said nothing to me.” Rees sniffed loudly. “He has been busy with the war from what I've heard.”

Hugh had thought of that as well. Was the war distracting King Ean, taking away power from the blessing? The earl didn't know enough about the immortal realm to discern how exactly a blessing might work.

“Nay, my lord,” Rees continued. “I fear this is my fault. I understand if you do not want me anymore.”

Hugh cleared his throat, uncomfortable. “Ah, I…”

Rees sniffed again, a loud, womanly sound.

“I still, ah, require your services,” Hugh said, trying to be diplomatic. It went against his nature to say, “I still want you”, to a spright.

“Even after this?” Rees insisted, giving the first sign of a smile.

“I do not think it is you. Something is not right at Bellemare, Rees.” It was the first time Hugh had voiced his fears out loud and he wondered why he would be compelled to do so in front of the spright and not his own brothers, Thomas and William. “I can feel it in my bones.”

Just then, a loud crash sounded in the hall followed by the hammering of footsteps as someone ran toward his door. Hugh stood, waving his hand at Rees. The spright instantly disappeared. Running to his trunk, he grabbed his sword off the top before hurrying to open the door.

“Ho!” Hugh yelled, armed and ready. He leveled the tip of his sword down the hall. He had yet to change his clothes for the night and still wore his long, green overtunic and breeches. A loud, piercing scream echoed over him. He flinched, instantly removing the tip of his blade from the direction of the hysterical serving maid. “What goes on here?”

“Oh, my lord,” the woman answered. “You must come down to the bailey. The devil comes to Bellemare.”

Who now?

Hugh was less alarmed than the woman by her declaration. His first thought was of his brother-by-marriage, King Merrick of the Unblessed. The man did have the manners of a devil about him.

The woman's wide violet gaze met his. He was sure he would remember seeing a woman with eyes like that in his castle, but he had little time to try and place who she might be as she trembled before him, stumbling forward. Hugh automatically lifted his arm in a protective gesture, catching her against his body. The maid pressed against this chest, burying her head. The shock of her soft figure against his harder one made him tense as a sudden wave of desire washed through him. She smelled clean, sweet and made soft noises in the back of her throat—the kind of breathy, fragile sounds distinctive of the female sex.

He'd been celibate since meeting Tania, not trusting any woman enough to let her get close. But now the sudden press of feminine curves clouded his mind, stirring the all-too-neglected part of his male awareness. He became conscious of her breasts, the nearness of her thighs. For a moment, he considered kissing her, pushing her against the passageway wall and lifting her skirts. It wouldn't take much to meet his release and the woman was beautiful. Hugh took a deep breath and instead patted her awkwardly on the shoulder, keeping his sword hand to the side. Now was not the occasion for such carnal pastimes.

“I saw him, my lord,” the woman continued.

“Saw who?” His voice was strained.

“The devil!” she cried in terror, moving torturously against him.

“Who is the devil?” Hugh tried his best to walk down the hall in the direction she'd come from. The woman clung to him, making it hard to move without brushing up against her.

“Hugh?” A shirtless Thomas appeared at the end of the hall, his overlong dark hair flopping around his head. He too carried a sword. His eyes narrowed in surprise to see Hugh holding the woman. Thomas stopped and pointed back the way he'd come. “Do you…? Should I…?”

“She has seen the devil.” Hugh forcefully put the woman away from him. Thomas' face fell in disappointment. It was no secret his two brothers had tried to tempt him by bringing pretty women to the keep. Was this woman one such temptation? Did they seek to bring forth the protective instincts inside him with the frail, pretty maid? He thought of Queen Tania and the violet-eyed woman's beauty paled in comparison.

The faery witch has ruined me!

“The devil?” William joined them at a slower pace. He looked like Hugh had as a younger man, with the same hair and dark eyes, though William wore his locks longer, letting them hang shaggily around his head. He also wore brown robes, a custom he'd picked up while studying at a monastery. Well, the family had thought he was at a monastery, when in truth he'd been apprenticing to be a wizard. Stopping, his eyes went to the woman curiously. “The real devil? Nay, that is not possible. The real devil cannot cross over—”

“William.” Hugh glared at the youngest brother in warning. The servants didn't know about the immortal realm, beyond their everyday superstitions, and he had every intention of keeping it that way. The last thing he wanted was all of Bellemare running away out of fear. Or worse, accusing his family of witchery and devil worship.

All it would take was one of Bellemare's enemies to spread a rumor that he'd sold his soul for good horse stock and riches, before the church would intervene, excommunicate him and steal his lands. Bellemare was the envy of many and whereas he demanded respect with his position, Hugh also walked a very fine line with other nobles. All many of them would need was one excuse to try and take what was his.

“I know what I saw.” Tears poured over the woman's cheeks. “The devil waits outside the gate. He has come to Bellemare. Why else do you think the horses died?”

“What?” William's expression fell. “What horses? What is she talking about?”

“We lost two foals a couple hours ago,” Hugh answered. “Stillborn.”

“But that never happens,” Thomas said. “Not in my entire life.”

“Nor mine,” said Hugh. “Nor in the life of our father.”

“Where is this devil, woman?” William moved toward her. She managed to compose herself, though she still shook. “Where did you see him?”

“The front gate, waiting to be let in,” she said.

“Did you let him in?” Thomas asked in alarm.

“Nay!” she spat, as if he were crazy for thinking such a thing.

“Did he speak? Did he say what he wanted?” William grabbed her arm.

The woman yelped and pulled out of his grasp. She signed her chest with the cross and looked at Hugh. “I do not converse with devils, my lord.”

“William, stay with,” Hugh struggled, but still couldn't place who the woman might be, “
her
. Thomas, come with me to the gate.”

Hugh began to lead the way, when the woman said, “I do not need him to watch me. I'll go to the chapel.”

“William, escort her to the chapel,” Hugh ordered, not stopping to argue with her over the matter. The last thing he wanted was a maid running around his keep screaming about devils. When they were away from her, heading down a stairwell lit by torches toward the great hall of Bellemare, he said, “It is odd, but I do not feel as panicked as I would have a year ago hearing her say that.”

“I know,” Thomas agreed. “My first thought was King Merrick.”

“Mine, too.” Hugh paused to grab an unlit torch off the wall as they entered the hall. He crossed to the fireplace and thrust it in the low flames. An orange glow came from the end of the torch, giving them better light to see by. He shared a concerned look with his brother. Mayhap it really was Merrick.

“Juliana,” they said in unison, drawing the same conclusion. If Merrick had come to the castle their sister might be in some sort of trouble. Had the war reached their sister? Had something happened to her? It had been so long since they'd heard anything from her—almost a year in fact and that was a letter telling them of the child she carried. There had been no news since.

Hugh was spurred into action, quickly weaving around the permanent dining tables to the other side of the hall. Thomas was right behind him. Going to a second stairwell that led outside to the inner courtyard, the brothers raced down and ran toward a tall stone and timber wall that guarded the main part of the keep. Hurrying through the opening in the wall, they went to the front gate. A second wall wound around the outside of the castle grounds. It was shorter than the inside wall, but still high enough to provide protection. A couple of the guards stood on the battlements like stone fixtures, their bodies unmoving and outlined by moonlight. At the sight of the two nobles, they sprung into action, hurrying along the top edge to meet them near the gate.

“Simon,” Hugh hollered, looking up at one of the men. “Have there been visitors?”

“Nay, my lord.” Simon, the guard, glanced across the top of the gate to the other man.

“Nay, my lord,” Tobias, the other guard answered.

“Check along the wall,” Hugh ordered. “Look for a man outside the castle.”

The guards obeyed.

“Hugh, wait,” said Thomas. “We have it wrong. It cannot be Merrick. If it were Merrick, why would he wait outside the gate? Why wouldn't he just come in? He is family.”

“Family by marriage,” Hugh corrected. It pained him to admit it, but Thomas was right. Merrick didn't seek permission from them to do things. He would have just appeared, not wait for an invitation.

“What of the other? The King of the Damned?” Thomas asked.

“King Lucien cannot come to our world,” Hugh said, thinking of the Damned King. “William said he is trapped on his side. But it could be one of his minions I suppose.”

“Mayhap it's nothing,” Thomas answered. “Methinks the woman wanted some attention. Either that or the servants snuck into the brewery again, heard of the horses and scared themselves with things that aren't there. You know as well as I how the night can play tricks on a person's vision. Once, at tournament, methought I saw a two foot man playing a fiddle. It turned out to be a fallen log.”

“With our family, and what we have discovered follows us around this keep unseen, it could well have been a two foot creature playing a fiddle that you later mistook for a log.”