Authors: Kate Hill
“Is he a cruel man?”
“No,” Delia said quickly. “On the contrary, he’s the most
caring man I’ve ever met. He has genuine concern for his people and he wants
them to be safe and happy.”
A knowing look crossed Agatha’s face. “It sounds to me as if
you care for him.”
“I do. Very much, but as I said, he doesn’t want me.”
“So he asked you to leave?”
“No, but you know about the conditions of our marriage.”
“About you producing an heir within a year?”
“I’ve already lost a child. With him away at war, I won’t
deliver another before the year is up. I thought I would save him the trouble
of casting me out.”
Agatha tilted her head to the side. “So you left him and he
allowed it?”
“He doesn’t know I’m gone. I didn’t want to burden him
before he went to war.”
“Don’t lie to me, Delia.”
Delia was taken aback. “I’m not lying.”
“You are, if not to me, then to yourself. You’re telling me
that without having the courtesy to let him know, you left a good, caring man
who is risking his life to protect his people? You expect me to believe you did
that for his sake?”
Why did Sister Agatha have to put it like that?
“He said I wasn’t fit to be queen,” Delia said.
“Why did he say that?”
“Because I asked him to consider a peaceful alternative to
going to war against Zaltana. He doesn’t value his own life as much as he
values Lortia.”
Agatha sighed. She studied Delia carefully before she
finally said, “He is the king.”
“He’s also my husband.”
“Not anymore, am I correct? You wish to leave him and live
here again. Except this time I doubt your father will pay for your upkeep.”
“When my marriage officially ends, I would like to join the
sisterhood.”
Agatha’s brow furrowed. “The sisterhood shouldn’t be a
second choice.”
“You know that I had fully intended to take vows. If my father
hadn’t decided to marry me off to Areus—”
“Before your marriage I would have welcomed you into the
sisterhood. You’re a caring woman and an excellent healer.”
“Then why won’t you take me now?” Delia pleaded.
“Because I’m not convinced your heart is here, at least not
fully. Tell me, Delia, are there others in Lortia you care about as well as the
king?”
“Yes,” Delia admitted. She shook her head and cast her gaze
down to her hands as she twisted them on her lap. “I have good friends there.
The skills I’ve learned here have been helpful in Lortia as well.”
“Perhaps you just need some time to think. You’re welcome to
stay here.”
“My marriage will end soon, Sister Agatha. When it does, I need
to know if there’s a place for me here. Please.”
“As I said, there will always be a place for you here, but I
can’t allow you to rush into vows. As you know, for hopefuls there is a trial
period. Before your marriage, we would have waived it, due to your years of
living and working with us, however since your situation changed, you will have
to endure the trials like any other hopeful.”
Delia relaxed. At least Sister Agatha was giving her a
chance.
“Thank you, Sister.”
“Tell me, Delia, if your husband wishes you to return, would
you go? Be honest.”
“If Areus came to me and asked me to return, if he believed
I would be an adequate queen for Lortia, I would go back to him.”
Sister Agatha nodded, her discerning gray gaze fixed on Delia.
“You may have your old chamber back. Will Echo be staying as well?”
“Not for long. When the war ends, she wants to return to Lortia.
She has met a man there. He’s a soldier and a healer. They want to marry.”
“I see. You’ve traveled a long way and I’m sure you’d like
to rest. You may go.”
After thanking the head of the convent, Delia went to her
chamber. Katerina joined her as well.
“Tell me about your husband,” Katerina said, her dark eyes
glittering. “Is he handsome? Is he a good lover?”
“I’ve left him, Katerina,” Delia said flatly.
Her friend looked shocked. “Oh. I’m sorry. Would you like to
talk about it?”
“No. And yes. I have never met such an insufferable man in
my entire life!” Delia finally snapped. She tossed her hands in the air.
“Is he cruel?”
“Why does everyone ask that? No he’s not cruel, but he’s the
most arrogant, self-righteous… Katerina, he thinks he’s as strong and
invulnerable as his damn sword. It’s as if his own life means nothing to him.
All he cares about is winning battles.”
Katerina raised an eyebrow. “He’s Areus of Lortia, the great
warrior king. You’re surprised that he’s obsessed with battle?”
Delia calmed a bit. “I see your point, but knowing his
reputation is different than loving the man.”
“Love?” A smile tugged at Katerina’s lips. “Now this is
getting interesting. Start from the beginning, Delia, and don’t leave out the
details. I want to hear all about this man who makes your eyes sparkle and puts
color in your cheeks.”
“I told you it no longer matters. I’ve left him.”
“And he allowed it?”
“I just had this conversation with Sister Agatha.”
“Did he please you in bed?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Quite a lot. On the wedding night, did you need the salve
and herbs?”
“Katerina!”
“Did you?”
“If you must know, I did not.”
Katerina stretched out on Delia’s bed, propping her face on
her hand. “Tell me more.”
“It’s not your business.”
“You have to tell me about him so that I’ll recognize him
when he comes for you.”
Delia drew a deep breath and released it slowly. Closing her
eyes for a moment, she imagined Areus’s strong arms around her. She could
almost catch his delicious scent and feel the tickle of his beard against her
face.
“He won’t come for me.”
No matter how much she hoped he would.
* * * * *
After several days of travel, Hypatios, Areus and Blaze
arrived at the castle in Lortia late one afternoon.
Upon reaching the gate, Areus asked a guard to alert Captain
Etor of his presence. Then he, Hypatios and Blaze brought their horses to the
stable. Due to his injured flank, Areus had left Cosmo at the camp to recover,
but Hypatios had taken Notus.
Hypatios was glad to see that Notus had been well cared for,
despite the trouble he had caused his captors. Areus and his men treated their
mounts with respect and even affection. That explained why, during the first
battle, the Lortian horses had remained loyal to their riders despite
Hypatios’s attempt to rile the animals.
“You could have cooperated,” Hypatios told Notus as he
removed the stallion’s tack.
With our enemies?
Notus snorted.
It would have
been undignified, not to mention cowardly.
“As of now, they’re not our enemies.”
You intend to make peace.
“Yes.”
Then maybe we can find some time to gallop and graze
instead of train and fight.
“If that’s your wish, I’ll do my best to grant it.”
My wish is to be with you, no matter what.
The connection between Hypatios and his animal companions
had for so long been the only real happiness he’d known, other than his time
spent with Cassandra—Cosma.
He would find her name change difficult. Perhaps when he
heard from her own lips that Areus’s story was true, then he would accept it
more easily.
Yet with Hypatios, nothing had ever been easy.
Especially love.
Still, his animals and Cassandra brought him joy. If he was
capable of love, he felt it for them, but lately he had experienced another
kind of love—one that touched his mind, heart and body.
Mira.
Though one day destined to be the King of Zaltana, Hypatios
had never thought about a queen. The idea of binding his life to that of a
woman held no interest for him.
Until now.
Still, even if he succeeded in his plan to bring peace to Zaltana,
his life would always be in turmoil. Too many men in high positions in Zaltana
were loyal to the old ways. They would pose a constant threat to Hypatios, his
queen if he took one and most definitely his heirs.
Even if he found a way to bring Mira to Zaltana and keep her
safe, would she want him? Yes, he could offer her riches and remove her from
her simple cabin in the forest, but he was considered a madman by many. He
spoke to the dead, was plagued by the white warrior and was the product of a
brutal rape. Would any decent woman want him?
He couldn’t think about that now.
Areus’s Captain Etor joined them in the stable. A tall,
muscular man with piercing eyes, he received Hypatios with the same suspicion
as the soldier Eli. Areus ordered the man to be calm.
Once the horses were settled, they followed Areus to the
castle.
“Assemble my advisors in my meeting chamber,” Areus told Etor.
“I’ll meet you there momentarily to brief you.”
“What about him?” Etor jerked his thumb in Hypatios’s
direction.
“I’m escorting him to my mother’s chamber. Sir Blaze will
stand guard outside.”
“I’ll send two guards to back him.”
“As you wish,” Areus said. “But they are to remain outside my
mother’s chamber unless Sir Blaze says otherwise.”
Etor raised an eyebrow, but didn’t question his king.
On the way up to Cassandra—Cosma’s—chamber, Hypatios’s heart
beat faster. His stomach clenched. He had never in his life been nervous around
her, but learning the truth about his birth made him question their
relationship. How would she react to him now that he knew?
Pausing outside her chamber, Areus knocked.
“Come in,” she replied.
Areus opened the door and stepped inside, Hypatios behind
him. Blaze and the others remained outside.
Cassandra, wearing a pale-green gown trimmed with gold, rose
from where she sat reading. She glanced from Areus to Hypatios in surprise.
“You’re both well,” she said, stepping toward them. “Thank
the Spirit.”
She embraced Areus, then turned to Hypatios.
When she hugged him, he stiffened at first, though he longed
to hold her tightly. He had been worried about her since he’d learned about her
disappearance so many months ago.
“Hypatios,” she said, stepping back, though her hands
remained curled around his forearms.
His gaze fixed on hers. “Areus has told me many things, but
I want to hear the same from you.”
“What has he told you? That I’m his mother—your mother?”
He nodded.
“Yes it’s true,” she said, her brow furrowed. “Hypatios, I’m
so sorry.”
“I don’t—” He sighed deeply.
“I’ll leave you alone,” Areus said. “Hypatios, when you’re
ready, Blaze will escort you to my meeting room. We have much to discuss before
you go.”
Once Areus left, Hypatios tugged away from
Cassandra—Cosma—and strode to the window to gaze out.
“So this is your real home,” he said softly. “It’s a wonder
you left it. Why did you? After what my father did, why did you come back?”
“You were there.”
He closed his eyes for a moment and swallowed past thickness
in his throat.
“How could you feel anything for me except disgust?” he
asked. “After what he did—”
“That’s what
he
did. You had no part of that.”
He spun to face her. “I exist because of it. Because of him.
You should have killed me before I drew my first breath—no. Then you would have
killed Areus too.”
“Hypatios, you were innocent. You didn’t deserve to die.”
“All these years you must have hated me as much as you cared
for me.”
“Cared for?” A smile flickered across her lips. She stepped
toward him and touched his face. “I love you, Hypatios. I’ve always loved you
and Areus.”
His lip curled. “How can you love me after what Hippolytos
did? I wish I could tell you that Damon was my father as well, but he’s not. He
told me himself. He’s watched over you and Areus. He tried talking to me many
times, but the white warrior—”
“Hypatios, it’s all right.” She placed her hands on his
shoulders, her fingers gripping him tightly.
“No it’s not. If Damon had known, he would have avenged you.
Areus would have avenged you.”
She must have sensed the direction he was headed because an
expression of even deeper concern crossed her face. “I don’t need to be
avenged. What Hippolytos did is long past.”
“That bastard will not escape this life unpunished for his
crimes. There will be peace between Zaltana and Lortia, like you wanted.”
“What are you planning?”
“I’m leaving for Zaltana in the morning,” Hypatios said.
“When I arrive, I plan to remove Hippolytos from the throne.”
“All those years I said you would bring change to Zaltana, I
meant after Hippolytos died. I didn’t mean for you to ride in there and get
yourself killed trying to overthrow him.”
“He’s ruled long enough. I should have done this long ago,
but I lacked the courage of my conviction. No more.”
“Hypatios, please think this through.”
“I have and I’ve discussed it with Areus. There will be a
treaty between our kingdoms.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
“Absolutely not. When it’s safe, you can return if that’s
your wish. I know this is your real home, not Zaltana.”
“Home is where those you love dwell. Hypatios, I don’t want
to lose you.”
“You won’t lose me.” He embraced her, closing his eyes for a
long moment. “And I will see that Hippolytos gets what he deserves. Trust me.”
That evening, Areus, his advisors, Hypatios and Blaze held a
meeting that lasted until long after dusk. When it ended, Areus agreed that
once Hypatios gained control of Zaltana, they would meet on the border, their
armies behind them, and make a public display of peace. Negotiations for the
treaty would take place in Lortia.
“Your path is dangerous,” Blaze said to Hypatios at the end
of the meeting. “You should not go alone.”
“It’s my fight,” Hypatios told him.
“Yes, but let me travel with you.”
Hypatios couldn’t hide his surprise. “You would go with me?
Why? If I fail, we’ll both die.”
“You won’t fail.”
Areus hoped Blaze was correct. Though he knew firsthand
Hypatios’s strength and skill, the challenge he faced could very well kill him.
Areus hadn’t been aware of how many enemies his brother had among his own
people. He couldn’t deny Hypatios had courage.
With the meeting finally over, the brothers and Blaze decided
to retire for the night. All three would rise at dawn to start their separate
journeys. If everything went as planned, they would meet again quite soon.
“I can’t help noticing the absence of your queen,” Hypatios
commented on their way out of the meeting chamber.
“The hair belongs to her,” Areus said, finally deciding to
answer Hypatios’s question from so many days ago.
Hypatios glanced at him and nodded. “You were right when you
said I never had a lover, but there is someone. Areus, you and I have not been
friends, nor have we been reared as brothers, but as one warrior to another,
will you grant me a favor?”
“That depends on what it is,” Areus replied honestly.
“Should I not survive my attempt to dethrone Hippolytos,
would you get word to a woman named Mira who lives on the outskirts of
Barnshill Village on the northern border of Zaltana?”
“Who is she?”
“Just someone to whom I owe my life. Tell her I would have
kept my promise.”
Areus met Hypatios’s gaze and nodded. “I will grant your
favor if need be, but I won’t have to. Whatever that promise is, you’ll keep it
yourself.”
“For everyone’s sake, I hope so.”
Areus left Hypatios in a guest chamber. Before going to his
own, he went to see Cosma in hers.
“I know it’s late and I’m sorry to disturb you,” Areus said.
“Not at all. I doubt I’ll sleep tonight,” she admitted.
Areus closed the door behind him and approached her. “I want
to apologize for how I’ve treated you since you came here.”
“You’ve been more than hospitable.”
“But I’ve been unfair. Until meeting Hypatios for myself,
outside of battle, I hadn’t realized your situation. You were right. He needed
you. If I sounded accusing or unforgiving of you, I was wrong and I ask your
forgiveness.”
“Areus.” She smiled and embraced him. “There’s nothing to forgive.
There’s so much I wish had been different for all of us. I should have told
Damon. I should have trusted him. I should have told Hypatios the truth and I
should have let you know sooner that I was alive.”
“It doesn’t matter. We can’t change the past, but we still
have the present and the future.”
“What about Delia?” She tilted her gaze up to his.
“I have apologies to make to her as well. If she finds it in
her heart to forgive me, I intend to bring her home. In the morning, I’m
leaving for the convent.”
* * * * *
Delia welcomed her old duties at the convent—using her
skills as a healer to help villagers and travelers, assisting with daily chores
and tending the vast garden.
Like the sisters, she and Echo wore plain brown dresses.
Since she wasn’t a sister, she couldn’t wear the veil, but kept her hair in a
simple braid down her back.
She had been there for days and while she enjoyed the work
and was happy to be among her old friends again, she missed Areus even more
than she’d imagined.
Was he well? Had he been wounded again? Maybe he had already
defeated Zaltana? The latter was too much to hope for. Even with the united
northern army and the Knights of the Ruby Order, they were greatly outnumbered.
Hypatios had nearly killed him the last time. She feared
that this time, when they inevitably locked in combat, the monster would win.
It was nearly noontime on a warm, sunny day when she and the
sisters tending the garden looked up from their work, hearing hoof beats
approaching.
Her heart nearly leapt through her chest when she saw Areus,
Cyril riding alongside him. Areus was dressed simply in brown trousers and a
forest-green tunic trimmed with gold. The color made his thick hair and beard
look even redder.
“By the Spirit,” Delia murmured.
“My lady, it’s King Areus,” Echo announced.
The sisters rose and stared at the men with interest.
“I’ll let him in.” Bina hurried to the gate.
“My lady,” Echo called to Delia who was already halfway to
the convent.
Seconds later she caught up to Delia and said, “You don’t
want to see him?”
“I don’t know,” she replied, her heart pounding.
“Do you suppose the war is over?”
“Why don’t you ask him?” Delia lifted her skirt and ran up
the stairs, through the doors and into the foyer.
Katerina was already there, a look of excitement on her
face.
“Men have just ridden up to the gate, Delia. They look like
soldiers and they appear to be young and handsome.”
“I thought you were in the library?” Delia snapped. Katerina
spent much of her time copying manuscripts. While at the convent, she had
learned to be a skilled scribe.
“I saw them through the window. Why would I stay among
wrinkled parchments when there are beautiful warriors at our gate?” Katerina
headed for the door while Delia raced up the stairs. “Delia? Where are you
going?”
By the time she reached her chamber, Delia was trembling and
panting, not from exertion but from a barrage of emotions at the thought of
seeing Areus again.
First and foremost, she wanted to laugh with joy that he was
alive and apparently well.
Then she wondered how he would react. Was he angry at her?
Had he come to ask her to return home or to set her free?
She must look terrible, perspiring and dirty from working in
the garden. Touching a hand to her hair, she felt several strands that had
escaped her loose braid. Dirt stained her hands and her dress.
Why did she even care how she looked?
Still, she poured water from a pitcher into the basin on her
nightstand, washed her face and dried it with a towel.
Someone tapped on her door and she actually jumped and
gasped.
“Delia, it’s Sister Agatha. May I come in?”
Sighing with relief, Delia tried to compose herself. “Yes, Sister.”
The door opened and Agatha stepped inside. Gazing at Delia
with calm gray eyes, she closed the door and said, “Your husband wishes to see
you.”
“Sister, I’m not sure I’m ready to see him.”
“He’s ridden a long way during wartime and he is still your
husband. You can’t refuse him.”
“Does he look well? He’s not wounded or anything like that?”
“See for yourself. I’ll send him in.”
“Sister Agatha, wait.” Delia touched the sister’s arm.
“Wait for what? You wanted him to come, did you not? That’s
why you ran away, wasn’t it? To see if he’d follow you. If he did, then that
proves you’re a worthy queen, does it not?”
Delia sighed again and a lump formed in her throat. She
didn’t feel worthy.
“On the contrary, I agree with him that I’m a terrible queen.
I abandoned him and our people because he hurt me.”
“Your actions were impulsive,” Agatha said. “However you
can’t shoulder the entire blame. There are two sides to every story, as they
say, and it takes two people to argue. Delia, I’ve known you for most of your
life. You were a child when we first met and I’ve watched you grow into a good,
caring woman. You’ve always been the first to help with any task here at the convent,
whether it be healing or chopping vegetables in the kitchen. Women of your
blood are rarely so open in mind and heart—”
“It’s because you reared me. Everything in me that’s decent
has come from this convent.”
“Let me finish.” Agatha smiled slightly. “I don’t doubt for
a second that you did as much for the people of Lortia as you’ve done here. I believe
that while you might not be a conventional queen, you will be an excellent one.
If Areus can’t see that, then
he
doesn’t deserve
you
. However now
that I’ve met the man, I think he not only appreciates your fine qualities, but
shares them. Talk to him.”
Delia nodded.
This time when Sister Agatha left, she didn’t try to stop
her, though she did turn and gazed out the single small window in her chamber.
She heard the door close again, but no other indication that
Areus had entered. For such a rangy man and a fierce warrior, he moved quietly.
“Delia.”
She closed her eyes for a moment at the sound of that smooth
yet slightly raspy voice. His voice. How she had longed to hear it.
“Look at me,” he said.
Still giving orders though.
She didn’t move, but asked, “Is it over?”
“The war, or us?”
This time she turned to face him, her heartbeat quickening
and her nipples tight.
He was so beautiful to her. Tall and lean with those huge
green eyes that drew her into their depths.
“Both,” she said, managing to sound stronger than she felt
at the moment.
“The war is complicated. As for us, you left me.” He shook
his head and his eyes blazed. “You lied.”
“How did I lie?”
“You pretended everything was fine before I rode off. Then
you didn’t even have the courtesy to write to me that you’d left.”
“I didn’t want to distract you. You had to focus on the
battle.”
“Another lie,” he scoffed. “I once thought you were the most
honest person I’d ever met.”
“And I once thought you had grown to care for me.”
He looked at her, aghast. “You question my feelings for
you?”
Lifting her chin, she said, “You’ve never actually expressed
your feelings for me.”
“Is that what you want? It doesn’t matter that I’ve tried to
show you how I feel in every possible way. Do you realize that since the day we
met you haven’t ever been out of my heart and mind? All I thought about on the way
to the border was you. That night before I left, when I believed you’d forgiven
me—Delia.” He paused and shook his head again. To her disbelief, moisture
welled in his eyes. He took a moment, struggling to compose himself. She had
never seen Areus bare his emotions like this. Not ever. She knew how proud he
was, how he considered such displays weak, but for the first time since she’d met
him, he seemed unable to control himself.
Her first instinct was to go to him, but she was frozen,
stunned.
Finally he blinked, his eyes clearing. “If you don’t want to
be my wife, if you’re unhappy in Lortia, then I won’t hold you.”
Now Delia felt close to tears. That wasn’t what she’d wanted
to hear.
She turned back to the window.
“What do you want from me, Delia?” he demanded. “How can I
express what I feel so that you’ll believe me?”
“You could try saying it for once, instead of leaving me to
guess.”
“Saying that I love you? That I was an arrogant,
self-righteous fool for calling you an unfit queen?” As he spoke, he stepped
closer until he stood so near that she felt the heat of his body against her
back.
She turned, her eyes wide, and tilted her gaze to his. The
naked emotion on his face tugged at her heart.
“I’m sorry, Delia.” He cupped her cheek and caressed it with
his thumb. Sinking to his knees, he held her hands and stared into her eyes.
“Please forgive me and come home. It’s empty without you.
I’m
empty
without you.”
“Oh Areus.” She dropped to her knees as well and melted into
his arms. Closing her eyes, she pressed her cheek against his shoulder. “I love
you so much.”
“I love you, Delia. Don’t ever doubt it.”
“I won’t. Never again.”
“You’ll come home?”
“Yes, I’ll come home, my love.”
They stood, their fingers entwined.
Areus said, “When will you be ready to go?”
“Whenever you are. Is the war over? What happened? How were
you able to come here?”
“It’s a very long story and you must hear it.”
“Are you hungry? You’ve ridden a long way.”
A grin tugged at his lips. “I’m always hungry, or have you forgotten
already?”
“I’ve forgotten nothing about you, sir. Since we parted,
you’re all I’ve thought about.”
* * * * *
Hypatios and Blaze traveled hard on their journey to
Zaltana. Instead of the garb of the Ruby Order, Blaze wore the clothes of a
commoner—plain brown trousers, a tunic and a cloak.
When they stopped to rest on the first night, Hypatios
checked Notus for soreness. He disliked pushing his loyal companion, but like Hypatios
himself, Notus was accustomed to the exertion of heavy training and battle.
Hypatios noted that while Blaze didn’t possess his gift of
communicating with beasts, he treated his horse, Ice on the Mountaintop, with
respect and friendship. The big-boned gelding with a white star between his
eyes was nearly a match for Notus in strength and stamina, though he was of a
quiet nature, much like his rider.
“Why did you geld him?” Hypatios asked as they rubbed down
their horses. They had already built a fire, but before they rested, they saw
to the comfort of their equine companions.
“A defect of birth that would have caused him harm.” Blaze
ran a hand over the horse’s shoulder. He raised an eyebrow in Hypatios’s
direction. “Does he understand? I would never harm him.”
A smile flickered across Hypatios’s lips. “If you’re asking
what he thinks of you, he loves you as much as you love him.”