Gods Of Blood And Fire (Book 1) (26 page)

Cain rubbed his eyes. “Isabella, why are you lying to me? This is especially important, you do understand that don’t you? You can tell the truth, I will see to it Raygan never finds out who told me. You’re a pretty girl, it will not be hard to find another noble for you to serve. You will never even have to see Raygan again. All I want is the truth.”

Isabella raised her manacled hands and tried to pull her hair back behind her ears. “I’m telling the truth, Your Majesty, I have no reason to lie. Neither one of them has done anything wrong I know of. I will even swear to it on the Holy Tome before Bishop Lyfair.”

“Well, Isabella, you disappoint me. Captain Hightower, take her to the dungeon and see if Arn can ring the truth from her.”

The captain looked at the King, puzzled “The royal executioner, Majesty? A good twist of her bony arm and she would most likely give you the truth.”

Cain stood up from his throne “Are you questioning my order, captain? Is that what I just heard you do?”

“Not at all, Majesty, I will take her down right now.” The captain took Isabella by the arm and led her out. There was no need to send the girl down to the dungeons, the new executioner was a monster of a man. This waif of a girl wouldn’t last a second with him.

Arn had been sent from Braxton Bluff by Duke Blackthorn as a gift to the new King. The duke had told the King every ruler needed a good executioner and he swore this Arn was the best.

Hightower didn’t even like to be in the same room as the vile, mutilated man. He looked at the thin young girl shuffling along beside him. He pitied her for what she would have to endure. “I’m sorry, lass,” he whispered to Isabella as they passed through the doors of the throne room.

The ceremony was to be in the royal chapel, it would be small and quick. That’s what Raygan’s new attendants had told her. She had never seen any of the women before. They belong to her brother and they were there to spy on her, Raygan was sure of that. She had been told that the women were there to help her prepare for the wedding. They were all ugly and she hated them. She wanted Isabella, even Agnes would be better than these hags. She had no one to share her despair with. Isabella was nowhere to be found, and Cain said that Duke Blackthorn informed him that Agnes had returned to her family after their father died.

This was not the wedding Raygan had dreamed of. She had often spoken to her father about her wedding day and what she wanted. It would have been a grand affair with the palace full of guests and of course gifts. The ceremony would be in the garden. Afterwards the whole city would have turned out to see the royal couple waving from the balcony of the palace. Her father could have decreed her wedding a national holiday and on her anniversary the whole city could have celebrated with her every year. That wasn’t going to happen now. Now she was to marry a man she despised, surrounded by men she hated in the cramped royal chapel at night. It was all unbearable.

She was wearing a wedding dress that was old and plain and the matching shoes were an atrocity. They told her it was what the King had ordered her to wear. The servants had fixed her hair and dressed her but when she looked in the mirror she saw only misery. Her eyes were swollen from crying and the smile everyone loved was gone, maybe never to return.

Where was Isabella and what had happened to Rhys? Raygan could not stop wringing her hands, she had not realized how much she cared about the healer until Cain said he would be hanged. He might be swinging from a rope right now for all she knew. The very thought of the man who gave her back her beauty hanging in the city square sent chills down her spine, and it made her loathe her brother even more.

The time had come and she was escorted to the chapel by four Royal Guardsmen and her new attendants. Bishop Lyfair stood at the altar, Talorn and Cain in front of him. The guests included the royal council: Bradford, Fox, and Kaspar. Standing against the wall, she noticed William Blackthorn and Finn Selmac. This was worse than she thought, not even the lesser nobles were in attendance. It was ridiculous for a Princess to be married in this fashion. She would protest. Before she could say anything she saw the look that Cain gave her and she decided to keep her complaints to herself.

Raygan knew she was truly alone, she was missing Isabella terribly at the moment. She realized in that instant the girl had been her only friend since her father had died. Maybe the only friend she had ever had.

She was led to the altar by the guardsmen; they saluted their King and then their general and stepped to the back leaving Raygan standing by her future husband. Lyfair began the ceremony. Talorn stammered through his vows, the general seemed very nervous. He didn’t have the confident look Raygan had seen so many times on the tournament field.

When it came Raygan’s turn to recite her vows, she found the courage to remain silent and not repeat the words Bishop Lyfair had just read to her.

She looked to her brother. “I will only proceed with this on one condition.” The look on Cain’s face was pure fury but he kept his voice even. “What is your condition, Sister?”

“I want my healer Rhys Morgan left alone and no charges brought against him by you or the Church. I swear before God in his holy chapel he has done nothing wrong.” She looked at Talorn, “He healed the woman that is to be your wife. Is that a crime, my lord? Or did you prefer my crooked face?”

Cain started to answer, but Talorn spoke first. “Majesty, grant her this favor, so our marriage can begin on good terms without any malice in my bride’s heart.”

Cain put his hand on Talorn’s shoulder and sighed. “If that is what you want, my friend, then so be it.” The King waved one of the guards to him. “Tell Captain Hightower to call off the hunt for the good healer.” The guard saluted and left the room.

Raygan almost smiled. Rhys still lived, they hadn’t captured him yet. “Consider that my gift to you, Sister, on this day of your wedding,” Cain said with a mocking bow.

Raygan tilted her head towards her brother feeling she had won a small victory. Bishop Lyfair cleared his throat and the ceremony continued. That night Raygan Albana became Raygan Albana Blackthorn before God and witnesses.

As everyone quietly filed out of the chapel, Duke Blackthorn touched the King on the arm. “That was very magnanimous of Your Majesty to call off the hunt for the healer after what I heard about him.”

Cain stopped and waited until everyone was gone. “Once the girl Isabella confesses that she saw him dishonor your new daughter-in-law and use magic, my hand will be forced. If I don’t arrest him, the Church will and he will still be brought before my judgment.” Blackthorn smiled. “Very cunning, Your Majesty. By the way, where are you holding that girl?”

***

The cell was so humid that Isabella’s hair and body were soaking wet. It made the blood running down her legs look thin. The huge pig man had put her in a pair of manacles that hung from the ceiling. The stone beneath her was wet with sweat and blood. Her toes barely touched the floor, causing her to sway and the manacles to cut deep into her wrists. Blood had started to run down her arms now. The pig man had also ripped all her clothing off and rammed things inside her in places they shouldn’t go. This wasn’t Isabella’s first time in chains or the first time a man had hurt her.

The pig man had left the cell. He didn’t say where he was going, he had not actually said anything at all. Through all the torture, he hadn’t asked her one question. It wouldn’t have mattered if he did. She would protect her Princess, no matter what.

She could hear other people moaning from outside her cell, she was not the only prisoner down here. Maybe the pig man had gone to hurt someone else.

“Well, young lady, you seem to have gotten yourself into a very grave situation.” Isabella looked up to see William Blackthorn standing in the doorway of her cell with his hands on his hips.

Sweat ran into her eyes when she raised her head, it burned and blurred her vision but she could tell he was smiling.

The pig man walked up beside the duke. “How do you like Arn here? I hope you don’t mind his face. Arn’s nose was cut off by his father when he was a small child, his tongue was torn out as well. He does good work though, doesn’t he? Be kind to him, he has been a dear friend of mine for a very long time.”

Blackthorn slowly walked over to her and took off one of his riding gloves. He began to run his hand slowly down her back until he got to her small buttocks, then he squeezed it like the women in the market squeezed the fruit.

“Very nice, Isabella, I believe you’re ripe.” He then started on the front of her, his hands cupping each of her breasts then sliding down between her legs. “Oh yes, my dear, you might do nicely, I believe you would have grown into quite the beauty. What a shame. I think I might spend a little time with you myself before Arn ruins your looks.”

Isabella raised her head and spit full into Duke Blackthorn’s face. He wiped his face off with his hand. Then the duke slowly licked her spittle off his fingers. “What a spirited girl we have, Arn.” Then he thrust his thumb into her left eye, there was a very slight pop as the fluids that were once Isabella’s pretty green eye trickled down her cheek. She screamed and her body became taut. The girl began to convulse as the duke twisted his thumb into her eye socket.

Isabella finally went limp, losing control of her bladder and bowels as she hung helplessly from her chains. Blackthorn pulled his thumb out and wiped it off on the girl’s sweat-soaked hair.

“Arn, make sure she doesn’t die and don’t tear her up too badly yet, she will make a fine project for us.” The executioner snorted through the two holes where his nose once had been, causing yellow slime to drip out on to his upper lip. He licked it off then giggled like a girl. “Yes, dear boy, she will give us hours and hours of pleasure.”

When the morning came, the new Princess Blackthorn stood staring out of her window. Should she consider herself a woman now?

Her wedding night had not been what she expected. She had thought that General Talorn Blackthorn Champion of the lists, the greatest warrior Bandara had known since Braxton Blackthorn, would come in and rip her dress off and have his way with her. She had made up her mind to just shut her eyes and let it happen but that was not what occurred at all.

Talorn had carried her into their bedroom after the wedding and sat her on the bed. Then he seemed not to know what to do next. He was sweating and acted very odd. They had drunk some wine and she had waited and waited, but the great knight had never said a word about intercourse. The mighty Talorn Blackthorn, the subject of so many women’s fantasies, the envy of so many men, was a fraud in the bedroom. Either that or he didn’t find her desirable. The very thought of a man not wanting her was just ludicrous.

She had excused herself and put on her bed clothes and gotten into Talorn’s huge bed while he just sat there with an idiotic look on his face. She saw no reason not to just go on to sleep. Raygan was very relieved, as handsome as the knight was she didn’t want him touching her. She had no feelings for him, and he was too closely associated with Cain for her to ever have any affection for him. She drifted off to sleep thinking about Rhys, pleased with her wedding night.

A little later she was awoken by her new husband climbing into bed with her. He was nude and smelled strongly of wine. She could see he was very aroused. Talorn began tugged at her sleeping gown. He was very clumsy and she ended up take it off for him, she knew if she didn’t do her womanly duty her brother would pay her another threating visit, now that he knew Rhys was a weak spot of hers. Cain would not hesitate a moment to use him against her.

She lay back on the bed her, exquisite body unveiled for the first time before a man. Talorn stared at her as if he were spellbound. He mumbled something about how beautiful she was.

Then he just jumped on top and shoved himself inside her. It had been awkward and quick; he had said nothing afterward. She went to sleep confused by the whole thing, only to be awoken in the middle of the night for another assault by the great knight. It was no different than the first time, maybe even worse. He had got up when he was finished and left the room.

Raygan had never been with a man before, so she had nothing to compare it to. She really felt no different than she had the night before. She really didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. All the servants around the palace talked about sex all the time like it was such a wonderful thing. She thought it akin to being molested by a sweaty hog. Perhaps her husband was not the experienced lover everyone thought he was.

Everyone believed Talorn swam in a sea of women. After her experience with his lovemaking, the Princess would say he was not much of a swimmer. The thought made her smile—what would all the ladies of Bandara say if they could have seen the great lover last night? The mighty Talorn Blackthorn was baffled when it came to what to do with a woman.

He had not returned to their room by morning so she had got up and dressed. Breakfast had been brought to her and she had eaten sparingly. She also made up her mind that her husband would never have her willingly again.

She stood at the window, finding herself wondering what Rhys was doing and if he had heard the about the wedding. The bells had been rung throughout the city and the criers had announced her marriage from every corner in Turill. If he was still in the city he had to know. She wondered if she would ever see her handsome healer again.