Chapter 27
Kurt marched through the castle eager to be done with his mission.
Sebastian was nowhere to be seen, and he had been left waiting in the hall while the many servants tried to locate him.
He paced around the great hall like a lion in a cage.
It was already late, and he had no desire to wait until tomorrow to see Elise.
The longer he waited for Sebastian to appear, the more he feared he would have to postpone his visit to Elise’s house. He could not bear another day without seeing her. Running out of patience, he made his way to the gardens, where he knew his friend spent many nights wandering.
He headed straight for the maze, and as soon as he had advanced along its paths, he heard Sebastian through the walls of clipped greenery.
“You are just as fair. How is it possible?” Sebastian’s voice was barely audible.
“You are too kind,” a woman murmured.
Kurt had not known Sebastian used the labyrinth to conduct business of the heart...or whatever this was.
He could not make out much of the conversation as he made his way along the twisting paths and more walls came between him and his target.
It mattered little to him if he interrupted one of Sebastian’s affairs, so long as he delivered the brief report he had prepared.
He was certain Sebastian would not mind him knowing of his latest romance, as Kurt had always proven to be the most discreet of his friends.
But when he finally found Sebastian, discretion became the least of his concerns.
Together, in the midst of what looked like a private moment, stood not only his friend but Elise herself.
Kurt’s heart froze. He felt all the blood leave his body for the span of a breath.
The two of them were too absorbed in each other to notice him. Sebastian was unusually agitated, delivering something very much like a passionate speech to Elise.
Thankfully, he was a man of quick reaction. The battlefield had trained him well enough not to let emotions get the better of him.
Kurt hurried away before they could notice him.
Out of the maze, rage and jealousy gripped him as he made his way back. Once more a king stood in the way of his interest. This time, however, it was not a foreign monarch he could openly resent, but his friend and his liege.
Kurt closed his eyes as he stumbled along, scarcely aware of where his feet were carrying him.
Memories of Josephine clouded his mind as he reached his horse.
He tried to find another explanation for what he had just witnessed, but why else would Elise be there at that hour of the night with Sebastian?
It seemed plain to him that just like Josephine, she had measured her prospects and decided a duke was not high enough for her ambitions.
And who could blame her? After all, she was the most irresistible creature he had ever seen.
The mere thought of her was enough to set his blood racing.
Kurt rode in despair all the way to his manor. One thing was Elise dealing with a former lover, but having to share her with Sebastian was another matter altogether.
He found himself resenting his friend as well, remembering all his warnings about witches.
What a bastard his king had turned out to be.
Sebastian had likely set out to meet Elise after he had been foolish enough to talk about her.
He had spoken of her too well, and knowing Sebastian and how eager everyone was for him to take a wife, Kurt did not doubt he could silence any objections and give the kingdom the first witch queen people had ever known.
None of it mattered anymore. Perhaps Sebastian only wanted Elise the way the king of Falaine had wanted Josephine. What mattered was the betrayal, the violation of trust, and of course, Elise showing what she truly cared about.
He would go back tomorrow to see Sebastian. He would fulfill his duties as duke and captain, but nothing more.
*****
Elise went back to her room with a strange feeling about her brief encounter with the king.
She could barely believe even His Highness had his history with Morgaine.
The man seemed still smitten with the witch.
In every one of his words there lingered the unmistakable yearning of a man who had lost the battle to love many years ago.
“You are just as fair. How is it possible?” the king had said.
Elise had explained that she was acquainted with Morgaine and that she was her ward, but the king had shown little interest in her apprenticeship. Instead, he dismissed much of what Elise said and repeatedly inquired about Morgaine’s whereabouts.
It was a miracle Elise managed to make her way out of the gardens without being sent to fetch Morgaine in the middle of the night. The king eventually calmed down. He had rather lost his wits for a moment. Apparently, he had not seen Morgaine in a decade.
Elise remembered Beth and Morgaine’s comments from that night over drinks, but hearing the confirmation from the king made the matter seem less like old gossip and more like an incendiary reality.
Just in case, Elise had kept the exact location of Morgaine’s home to herself. She felt a measure of worry at the thought that the king might send an army to her door at any moment, and Elise figured it would be best to speak with Morgaine beforehand.
Once she had recovered her breath, Elise took out the Mirror of Daimor and proceeded to contact the witch.
“Morgaine, Morgaine,” she called.
It was almost midnight by then, and Elise hoped to get some sleep if she wished to keep up her good work in the workshop.
Elise waited and waited, but no image appeared in the mirror. It was not until one of Bruno’s loud croaks that the glass finally began to shift.
“Elise?” a voice from the mirror said.
Elise sat up in bed, prepared to tell the witch everything that had happened.
“Morgaine, I was on my way to find the rock tonight—”
“Good, good,” Morgaine interrupted. “Any luck on that?” The witch seemed a little too relaxed, the miniature face in the mirror sporting a wide grin. Elise suspected Beth was still with her and that the celebration was stretching on for a few more days.
“The king saw me wandering before I could find the stone,” Elise said. “He questioned me about you. He wants to know where to find you.”
This last remark made Morgaine lose her smile. If there was one thing the witch always was, it was poised. If there was one thing capable of rattling her, it was news of the king.
“No, no,” Morgaine rasped. “Did you tell him?”
“No!” Elise said, glad at last to have held her tongue with the king. “But he was very insistent. He told me he would summon me tomorrow to continue our conversation.”
Morgaine let out a deep breath.
“So, what should I tell him?” Elise murmured. “I thought all that talk about you giving up a queenship was a jest. How could you not warn me about any of this?”
“I sometimes forget that we look alike, darling,” Morgaine said, suddenly hesitant. “I didn’t know he still remembered me. Is he still unmarried?”
“Ha, ha, ha,” Beth’s voice came from the small glass. “Why do you care, you harlot? I bet you still want him.”
“Absolutely not!” Morgaine huffed, somehow sounding nervous despite her best efforts. “I merely inquired because of Devon’s orders.”
“Oh, I see,” Beth whispered.
“Morgaine,” Elise rasped. “You haven’t told me what to say about you tomorrow.”
“Dear Elise, let me tell you a little story,” Morgaine replied with the calm of someone who’s handed out queenships every spring.
Elise heard Beth squeal, and the image of Morgaine moved as though she were making herself comfortable before relating her tale.
“There was once a beautiful witch who, after proving her worth, began working for the king. This happened around eleven years ago when the king was still a lad and I was just a maid.”
A loud cackle made the mirror shake.
“A maid?” Beth said. “You mean a young tart.”
“Beth, are you going to let me tell my story or shall we hear your version instead?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
Morgaine continued. “It was during one of those hot summer days. I remember it as though it happened yesterday. I was wandering through the gardens when I saw him. He was one of those men who could start a fire in a woman’s...
Well, it is fair to say Sebastian was tall and handsome,” the witch sighed.
“Unaware that such a strapping lad was none other than the king, I may have flirted a bit. One glance at him and I thought to myself: ‘That is a fine cut of meat.’ Though some of those candid thoughts may have escaped my lips. That part is a bit hazy.”
Morgaine allowed a moment to pass as she seemed delighted to remember in more detail.
“We conducted our business among the bushes and beneath the searing sun. Ah, how we liked to go back to that wicked maze. We repeated this arrangement for a good part of a month until I discovered he was the king. After that, matters became more complicated. I do not know whether it was his title or the way he moved through the sheets, but we might have visited every chamber in the castle. I was quite taken with him.”
Elise heard Beth sigh.
“What a beautiful love story.”
“That sounds...intense,” Elise said, confused as to how any of this would help her decide what to tell the king the next day. “So you wish to rekindle your romance?”
“No, no,” Morgaine quickly interjected. “It would never work, my dear. I fled the moment he made his intentions clear. He intended to make a respectable woman out of me.”
“That cannot be!” Beth exclaimed, fighting her way into view of the small mirror.
Morgaine nodded. “Best leave it at that. Tell him I have not aged a day, but that I am devoted to spinsterhood and have retired to a mountain to practice witchcraft in peace. Tell him I am somewhere beyond the borders of the kingdom so he will not send for me.”
“Very clever,” Beth said.
Elise nodded. “I shall convey your message as soon as he sends for me.”
With that, the mirror returned to its natural sheen, and Elise tried not to dwell too much on Morgaine’s confession. It was difficult enough keeping her secret mission straight without tangling her thoughts in someone else’s romantic history.
“Good night, Bruno.”