Chapter 62
Rain pelted our bodies while we raced, running from the screaming and shouting. Still held tightly in Karim’s arms, I shook with cold, my dress completely soaked through.
Thundering through mud and swamp like streams, my two rescuers didn’t flinch or falter. They just carried on going. Karim sent out a few bolts of whatever magic he possessed as soon we came to some cliffs. They didn’t think twice about climbing up the ledges, even when I offered to get down and climb myself, they wouldn’t listen.
Once we were high enough we stopped, and I was set down. The cuffs were magically removed from my wrists. Only the moonlight gave us any sort of indication as to where we were or how high we were.
“I don’t want to risk exposing ourselves to a fire. For now, we can use this.”
Karim waved his hand about a dim light orb appeared in the palm of his hand, not bright enough to see from afar but enough to illuminate our path and surroundings.
“Thank you for saving me, but what about your sister?” I asked, sitting down on the cold rocks, aching all over.
“She can take care of herself. This was all part of the plan.”
“Who’s plan?”
“Your brother, the king, and your sister.”
I recognised that voice. Lowering his hood, Marcus, revealed himself. Nearly jumping into his arms in relief and gratefulness, I held out my hand for him and when he placed his rough hand in mine, I squeezed it tightly. He’d always looked out for me, even when I had no idea he was watching.
“Norok is the reason Dorian tried attacking me.”
“Norok had to get Dorian and you away before we could intervene.”
Marcus spoke roughly, letting go of my hand and stepping towards the edge of the cliff, watching, waiting. He seemed as if he’d seen better days. Worry rested upon his shoulders and I wondered what he’d seen after I left. Had he been punished for not keeping a closer eye on me?
“Dorian murdered your father, princess.”
“I know,” I replied, my voice cracking and breaking. I couldn’t even recall the last moments I had with my father, and it ripped at my heart thinking of how much I hurt him.
“I suspected he and Lady Nora had been planning this attack for years. They didn’t anticipate you leaving though. So, when you and your king were wed, Dorian began plotting and putting doubt into your parents minds, and Norok’s.”
Nora had been behind so much. It was plain to see her affection for Dorian and after hearing her speak of him earlier made my heart sink. How much had they orchestrated in the last few years?
“I left shortly after your father passed.”
“What happened to my mother?”
“She went into deep mourning, and no one has seen her since.”
My eyes lowered as a lump formed in my throat. I worried deeply for my mother. If Dorian could kill his own brother-in-law, what was to stop him from killing his sister to get to what he truly wanted?
“What does Dorian want with Nicholas?”
“The ultimate power,” Karim interrupted as he sat next to me, creating another orb of light.
“Your uncle believes that below your husband”s kingdom lies the Goddess’s true power. He intends to take it and harness it for himself.”
I shook my head at how unbelievable this all was, how Nora was going behind Nicholas’s back spying and then reporting everything to Dorian. I wondered what she hoped to gain from all of this.
“You said Norok and Talia came up with this plan, but Norok allowed you and your sister to remove my bond from Nicholas.”
Another piece of my shattered heart broke off, the emptiness inside me intensifying.
“We did not remove it, your highness, we simply put it to sleep for the time being.”
“What?”
I felt it though, that sensation of something being ripped away from me, that feeling of loneliness and as if the world had forsaken me.
“It will return once you are with your king, I promise you. My sister and I do not wish to harm anyone. We just had to make your uncle believe it worked.”
So many truths and lies ran through my mind. So many confessions. All I wanted to do was run into Nicholas’s arms, for comfort, warmth and safety. Now that I was away from Dorian and the others, our next step would be getting me back to Nic and his sisters.
“What’s in it for you then? Why are you and her helping me?” I asked.
Karim paused for a moment as he looked outwards, towards the skyline, and rubbed his hands together. “My sister and I just wish to return home and to be left alone. For years, Dorian has used us for his own personal gain, and we wish to be free of him.”
I could understand his reasoning as it was similar to my own. I wanted to be free of Dorian for as long as I could remember. If it meant helping two mages, I”d gladly help them. No one deserved to be used by him.
”What next then?” I looked at Karim as Marcus walked back to join us.
”For now, we rest, and before sunrise we will return to the Obsidian Castle where we will defeat Dorian. Norok will help us on his end, and we hope your king will do the same.”
Marcus kneeled in front of me and removed his cloak before wrapping it around my shoulders. The rain was still pouring heavily, but didn’t seem to be hitting us anymore. Perhaps another one of Karim’s spells.
“Nicholas may be difficult to rely on if he’s angry, especially if he sees I am hurt.”
“We are hopeful you will convince him to help. No one wants a war. The rest of my men surrounding Dorian’s camp will keep his soldiers at bay. Hopefully your sister, Talia, will convince your king”s men to stand down as well.”
Marcus was one of the oldest and most skilled soldiers within my father’s army. It was why he was given the job to protect me. Wherever I went, he wasn’t far behind. I treated him poorly in the beginning, but we grew to tolerate each other and perhaps grew fond of one another as I grew older.
“Sleep now, princess. We will keep watch and protect you till our last breath.”
Karim nodded in agreement to Marcus’s words. Then for the first time in days, I slept, dreaming of nothing.
Ahand pressed gently on my shoulder to wake me up. Marcus and Karim were already up and waiting to make the journey back to Nicholas’s castle. We were at a disadvantage as the land separating us and the castle barely had any cover. We would have to rely on the night sky to cover us and shield us from prying eyes.
“We will go around the edge rather than straight though the middle,” Marcus said, as if he were listening to my own thoughts.
“But what of Dorian’s guards? Surely they will be keeping an eye out for us?” I asked as I was helped down from the cliff”s edge.
“I will have us protected, and my sister will keep them blinded from us. We have you, princess.”
Karim stepped ahead of us, waving his hand slowly in front of us creating a circular motion. As he muttered in a strange language, a glow of pale white light flowed through the air, surrounding us. “This will hold until we reach the castle.”
All in agreement, we set out towards Nicholas’s home.
My home.