Black Rose (3 page)

“Now
what could possibly have put you in a cutting mood? Has someone done something
they were not supposed to?”

“Now,
Mara,” Regald said in a light tone that did not match his hardened expression.
“Surely, whatever happened here did not rise to the level of warranting your
personal attention.”

Mara
looked into his green eyes. “So, he is here.” 

Regald
sighed. “I expected they would send someone. But I did not know it would be
you.”

Mara
considered him for a moment and then said, “Liar.” 

Regald
nodded. “Yes. But it is the expected answer.”

“Where
is he?”

“I
had to follow orders, Captain Mara.”

“Oh
no,” she shook her head, keeping her tone as calm as possible, motioning to the
small black rose etched into his crimson shirt. “You know better. You would
never have carried out these orders.”

He
cleared his throat. “Orders were given…”

“Then
perhaps it is time to start following the orders of someone who knows what is
good for you.”

“What
are you doing here, Mara? You came for Edward? You can’t even be in the same
room with him! He’s not…”

Mara’s
sword was at Regald’s throat before he knew she had moved. “You will not speak
a word against Captain Edward. Not in my presence.” Her voice was far too calm.
“Do you understand me, Captain?”

“Yes,”
he replied, working hard to remain perfectly still under Mara’s silver blade.

“Where
is Edward?”

“In
a cell, my Lady.”

“Take
me to him.” She lowered her sword and sheathed it as silently as it had been
drawn. “Take me to him,
now
.”

“As
you wish, Captain Mara.” The Arum Captain turned, motioning for a pair of
nearby guardsmen to open the tall stone doors which marked the entrance to the
dungeon cells beyond. The man on the left side of the doors, also in a dark red
shirt, stepped forward.

“I
would be honored to escort Captain Mara, my Lord. I was about to take new
bandages down anyway.”

Mara’s
heart skipped a beat at the word
bandages
. “I would be grateful if you
would, Nolan,” Mara said to the man who had spoken. She had met the younger man
almost ten years earlier. He was one of Mara’s favorites among the Arum Guard.
He was a tall man of pale skin, green eyes and dirty blond hair. 

Nolan
moved to the desk on the far side of the room and grabbed several stacks of
bandages before walking back and entering the doors to the dungeons. Mara
followed closely behind him, her wide black heels echoing across the stone
corridor. A chill filled the damp air surrounding them, causing Mara’s black
shirt to cling to the pale skin. As they rounded the corner, Mara paused.

“Nolan,”
she said, her voice crawling along the silent walls surrounding them. “How
bad?”

“It
was bad,” came his reply. He then turned to glance at her. “Really bad. He…”
Nolan’s eyes gazed directly into Mara’s. “I’ve seen worse, but it just…wasn’t
good.” He turned forward again and Mara followed him down several more turns of
the dank labyrinth. They finally came to a large stone door which Nolan opened
with a jingle of silver keys.

They
entered the room quietly. Edward’s still form lay on the cold slab of grey
stone, covered by a thin blanket. Nolan walked around the table and knelt down
to address the injured man. “Captain Edward.”

“Nolan,”
Edward said, acknowledging him. The single word was enough to make Mara’s
breath catch in her throat. Her gaze slid over Edward’s still form; the long
ebony hair, the pale skin and the toned muscles. Then Nolan slid back the
blanket, revealing the long strips of pink bandages that covered the entirety
of Edward’s back.

“Just
going to change these,” Nolan told Edward who did not move from his still
position. Carefully, Nolan pulled back the blood-soaked layers, revealing the
ravaged skin beneath. Edward’s back was covered with long, precise bloody
streaks. The flesh open like a raw steak split by a butcher. 

Mara
remained still, her heart thundering in her chest at the sight of Edward’s
injuries. Edward hissed as the thick, white salve was both removed and
reapplied to the long, open cuts. Fresh blood seeped to the surface of several
wounds as Nolan began to re-cover the injuries, dying the thick strips a faint
pink. 

When
he was finally finished, Nolan pulled the blanket back over Edward’s body. “Forgive
me, Captain. You have someone who would like to see you.” 

Edward
started to rise when Mara said, “No.” She drew a deep breath. “Please, Captain.
Do not rise on my account.”

Edward
froze. The muscles in his back visibly tightened. Several moments of dead
silence filled the room. Then Edward said, “Mara.”

She
walked forward slowly, her heels shattering the silence surrounding them. When
she aligned herself with his vision, Mara lowered her gaze to meet Edward’s for
the first time in six hundred years. “Mara?” His voice held a tone of
disbelief.

She
stared into the darkest eyes she had ever known. Her voice was a strangled
whisper.  “Edward.”

“What
are you…” He did not finish the sentence. “You are here. You came.”

“Of
course I came.” Hot tears rose to the surface of Mara’s eyes. She closed them
and was haunted by the image of the woman who had stood by Edward’s side all
those years ago; the long dark hair, the violet eyes. Mara fought back the
unexpected emotions and shook her head to clear the vision. She opened her
eyes. “I am taking you out of here, Edward.” She turned towards Nolan and
commanded, “Assist the Captain to his feet.”

Nolan
did not question her order, but instead moved to Edward’s side and helped him
rise, allowing Edward to lean against him. “Mara,” Edward cautioned. “You can’t
just walk out…”

“Watch
me.”

They
walked unhurriedly down the dungeon corridors. Halfway down the tunnels, Edward
began to stumble. Mara caught him, moving to his left side, opposite of Nolan.
The doors opened before them and they walked out of the cold hallway and into
the room beyond.

“What
are you doing here?” a guard Mara did not recognize asked them. “Why is he out
of his cell?”

“Because
he is coming with me.” Mara searched the room for Regald, but he was nowhere to
be found. She leaned Edward against the stone wall before turning to address
the unfamiliar guard. Mara pulled a small, rose-shaped badge from the silver
chain she wore under her shirt and flashed it at the guard. “Black Rose.”

The
man took half a step back in surprise. Then he bent to one knee, lowering his
gaze toward the floor. “Forgive me, Captain. I did not realize.”

“Help
us out of here and consider it forgiven,” Mara told the kneeling man. He rose
instantly and assisted Nolan in supporting Edward. The foursome walked slowly
down the colorful halls beyond before finally emerging into the sunlight. The
limousine in which Mara had arrived was awaiting her return. Nolan helped
Edward into the car before sliding in after him. Mara gave a brief word of
thanks to the other guard before entering the limousine herself. When they
reached the palace gates, they were waved through—no questions asked.

Edward’s
breath was shallow as he leaned back in considerable pain. “Mara, I…”

“It’s
all right.” She soothed him. “Try to sleep. It will be less painful if you do.”
Mara gave Edward the full weight of her gaze. “I’ve got you.” Edward closed his
eyes at her words, allowing Mara to shift her attention to the younger man.

“Captain
Regald left on purpose,” he informed her. “He’s too smart to put himself
between you and the King.”

“If
that was true,” Mara replied, “then he never would have touched the Captain of
another guard. Especially not this one.”

“Come
on, Mara. Should he really have known that you would come for him?”

Mara
fought to draw a tight breath. She let it out slowly, her gaze shifting
involuntarily to the man beside her. Her eyes closed of their own accord.

Edward
stood in a crisp white shirt with silver buttons and ruffled sleeves. A
beautiful young woman dressed in a pale blue gown stood gracefully on his arm,
her long dark hair blowing softly in the wind. Her gentle laughter, the essence
of joy.

Mara
opened her violet eyes. “I will always come for him.”

Mara
knocked on the tall stone door. A few moments later, it was opened by a man
with sandy brown hair and matching eyes. In a bright red t-shirt and black
slacks, the man offered a quizzical look that lasted for several long moments
before recognition seemed to settle upon his tall frame. He stepped back,
motioning for Mara to enter the room.

“Hello,
Jake,” Mara said to the Sub-Captain of the Ciar Guard.

“See,
I knew you would rather see me than Edward.” He flashed Mara his best smile.

“Actually,
I came with Edward.”

Jake’s
smile disappeared as though in slow motion. “Sorry…would you say that again?”

“I
came with Edward.”

Jake
gave a hard swallow and took a step back from the slightly taller woman. “Mara,
what the hell is going on?”

“Edward
was a captive of the Arum Court. I got him out. It’s a bit of a long story as
to why. Nolan of the Arum Guard is here and he can fill you in on the details.”
She drew a deep breath. “But the question that I want to know is this. What the
hell happened to cause the Arum Court to think that they could take the Captain
of the Ciar Guard hostage and not pay a price for doing so? Doesn’t matter what
they believed Edward’s crime to be, this crossed a fucking line!”

“Wait.”
Jake put up his hands in the shape of a ‘T.’ “Where is Edward?”

“In
the next room. He slept through most of the flight. They…” Her breath caught in
her throat and she struggled to finish the statement. “They tortured him, Jake.
Whips…” Mara twisted her head toward the bedroom door. “Let’s go see him?”

Jake
nodded. The two walked out of the room and down the hall until they reached the
Captain’s private chambers. Two men stood outside the door, both dressed in
black from head to toe. The guards nodded as they approached, motioning them
through a set of tall, stone doors.

Built
deep into the mountains, the Captain’s chambers featured walls of pale grey
stone. A large bed sat in the center of the room where Edward lay, covered with
thick blankets which were used to fight off cold nights experienced within the
mountain tunnels. Over the years, many members of the guard had moved out of
these ancient sanctuaries for a more modern form of living. However, the Royal
Guard steadfastly remained.

The
room was lit by a large fire which provided both warmth and light to the vast
room. Jake moved forward quietly while Mara remained in the back. When Jake
reached the bed, he eased back the blankets which covered Edward’s ravaged
back. Jake took in his Captain’s injuries for several moments before replacing
the blanket.

“You
know, Captain, our men have not had a decent excuse to openly engage the Arum
Court in a few centuries. I don’t suppose you feel like telling me who,
exactly, is responsible for these injuries?”

“We
are not going to war over this, Jake. Do you hear me?”

Silence
followed as Edward and Jake stared each other down. Then Jake asked, “Do you
want to tell her instead?”

Mara
stood on the opposite side of the room in tight jeans and a scoop neck shirt.
Her long hair was pulled back and held in place with a thin, silver band. A
silver rose mark was embroidered onto her shirt and a thick, silver necklace
encircled her slender throat supporting a large diamond cut in the shape of a
white rose. Even her violet eyes had a touch of silver near their center, a
mere glint in the darkness. She stood perfectly still, her right hand on the
hilt of her silver blade, hidden in a black leather sheath tied to her left
hip.

“Mara?”
Edward asked in a voice hoarse from screaming.

She
walked across the room languidly, her steps the only sound in the silent
chamber. Edward started to rise. Mara shook her head and knelt down, placing
herself at his horizontal height. “You came for me. I thought it was a dream.”

“Thought,”
she asked softly. “Or hoped?”

He
leaned forward, closing the distance between them. “Mara.” His gaze searched
her violet eyes as a look of pain crossed his features. Mara shifted her gaze
to the floor, ripping her eyes from his view.

The
sound of laughter slid into the room. It was the sweetest sound that Mara had
ever known. She shook her head and reached for Edward’s arm, gently pulling it
towards her. She placed her cheek against the backside of his hand and dug her
thumb into his wrist, letting the strong beat of his heart drown out the
echoing laughter. Edward reached forward with his other hand, placing it upon
the side of Mara’s neck, his own fingers finding her heartbeat. 

The
laughter rose in volume.  Edward pulled Mara towards him, placing her head
against his chest. She crawled onto the large bed, driving the memories back
with the steady rhythm of his breathing and the strong beat of his heart.
Edward kept one hand firmly on the side of her neck while gently stroking her
hair with the other. “Edward,” Mara whispered under her breath.