My Lady Mage: A Warriors of the Mist Novel (26 page)

Granted, Alina deserved a far better husband than the one she’d been burdened with. If Fagan returned to the keep with the intent of winning back control from Gideon and his men, Alina would soon be a widow. Even if that were to happen, Murdoch would not be around long enough to take Fagan’s place in Alina’s life, even if her aunt was interested. The woman had little reason to trust the men in her life.

That thought brought Merewen full circle back to Captain Gideon. He was gruff, determined, and overbearing at times. Yet he’d kissed her with such tenderness and held her when she needed his comfort. Right now he was showing every kindness to a woman who had good reason to be skittish around men.

It would be all too easy to depend on him, to become accustomed to having such a man in her life. Nothing would change the gods’ decree that he had so little time
to walk the land before returning to the river. She needed a man who could give her strong sons and daughters to carry on her family’s heritage—to face the future with her no matter what it held.

For now, the path of the Damned ran together with hers, side by side. Too soon those roads would diverge, never to cross again. A shaft of pain shot through her chest at the thought of watching Gideon and his men march back into the water, once again to sleep in the chill of the river. She stared at his back, wondering how she would bear to see that happen.

But what choice did either of them have? None.

Gideon happened to glance back at her, the touch of his gaze warming her from the inside out. He frowned, as if reading some of her thoughts in her expression.

At the top of the steps, Alina released his arm. It was a relief to hear a bit more life in her voice.

“Thank you, Captain. My quarters lie in that direction, but I can go the remaining distance on my own.”

Before leaving them, she glanced in Merewen’s direction. “Perhaps tomorrow you will see fit to explain to me how the good captain and his men came to be here right when we needed them the most.”

“I will, Alina. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

Alina gave Gideon another considering look. “We’ve all had secrets we’ve tried to keep, Merewen. Maybe that should change. Good night to you both.”

She walked away, carrying herself with such wounded dignity that it brought the sting of tears to Merewen’s eyes. Her aunt had endured so much pain.

“He won’t get near her again, Merewen. None of us will let that happen.”

The tone of Gideon’s voice made it clear that his words were more than a simple statement of fact. They were a vow, a heartfelt promise that Alina would never suffer another minute spent in Fagan’s company.

“I believe you.”

They’d reached her doorway. She hesitated, the memories of Olaf’s attack still fresh in her mind despite everything that had happened in the interim.

“He’s gone, Merewen.”

She could feel the warmth of Gideon’s strong body even though he stood a short distance away. Maybe it was only her imagination, but it gave her the courage she needed to cross the threshold.

As promised, an enormous tub full of steaming water sat near the fire. The servants had left another bucket of water sitting close enough to the flames to make sure she could warm the bath if it had cooled too much.

Gideon stood in the doorway. “Tomorrow I will make sure a bar is installed on your door. But for tonight, will it bother you to be alone?”

Her pulse raced. What was he asking? Or offering?

He answered her unspoken question. “Would you sleep better if your aunt or one of the servants stayed here with you?”

She tried not to show her disappointment. “No, I’ll be fine. Besides, Alina needs her own rest.”

Still he lingered.

“The room where Ellie had other tubs set up is down the hall to your left.”

He cocked his head and listened. “I’m guessing Averel and Duncan found them first. I’d just as soon not share, not with them. They’ll be done soon enough.”

Again, his meaning was hidden. Was he wanting to share her bath? The images that brought forth in her mind left her tingling in places better left unnamed. Did she have the courage to invite him into her room?

It would seem so. “Then share mine.”

When he didn’t immediately step toward her, she wished that she could back up time long enough to retract
the offer. At least he didn’t laugh. Instead, the corners of his mouth kicked up in a small smile.

“Think carefully, Merewen. If I were to stay, it wouldn’t be only to bathe. Your people will know.”

They would. Secrets were hard to keep when people lived in such close quarters. So the question really was, did she care?

She studied the dance of the flames, remembering all too clearly how close they’d come to losing Gideon to the fire.

“I have lived in terror of my uncle, a man I have grown to hate. For months I have been waiting for him to decide what to do with me, fearing for my very life. The last night my uncle was here, he stopped Olaf from entering my room, but only because he said the duke had plans for me. Evidently, I was to remain untouched until such time as the duke was finished with me, whatever that was supposed to mean.”

She could think of several options, none of them good. However, right now she didn’t want to arouse Gideon’s pity or even his sense of duty as her champion.

No, that was not what she wanted at all.

“Gideon, I have only ever wanted to make my own choices, my own decisions, to marry and bear children who would share my heritage. Fagan has done everything he can to prevent that from happening. In his eyes, I am little better than the broodmares out there in the pasture. Actually, not even that. The last thing Fagan wants is for me to produce a son who might have inherited the family gift. That would cost him everything.”

Well aware that she was still covered in soot and smelled of smoke, she wasn’t sure what to do. Her experience with men who were of her station had been severely limited, especially since her father’s illness and her uncle’s tyrannical rule.

She’d never learned the art of feminine discourse; she’d been too busy discussing bloodlines and breeding stock. Thanks to her work with horses, she understood the earthier side of what went on between men and women, and life within the crowded confines of the keep left little to the imagination.

But knowing Gideon had enjoyed their few kisses and embraces gave her the courage she needed. Once again, she faced him, wanting him to see her truth.

“I would choose you, Captain Gideon, if you would have me.”

His pale eyes studied her for all of a heartbeat, perhaps two. “In all of my years of serving the gods, I have never once met a woman like you, Merewen. I want you so badly that my hands shake, but I won’t…I cannot…”

He shook his head in frustration. “If I were a mere man, one not cursed by the gods, one who could stay, I would walk through fire to be at your side and give you those sons and daughters you crave. You deserve better than a man whose life and soul are no longer his to claim.”

Once again, his honor and nobility rang clear in the small space that separated them.

It helped to know that he hungered as she hungered. “Have you already forgotten the events of this evening? You already have walked through fire for me, Gideon.”

She risked a step closer to him. “We both have obligations and duties that we must honor. But for tonight and as many nights as the gods may grant us, let us find what comfort we can in each other’s arms. Surely that is not too much to ask.”

Then she did the bravest thing she’d ever done. She held out her hand to her champion and waited.

G
ideon was many things, but he was not a fool. He wanted more than anything in the world to take that single step, the one that would allow him to take Merewen’s proffered hand in his. To share that steaming water, washing away the last vestiges of the night’s battles against foe and flame. To lose himself in the welcome of her arms and her bed.

He was a man caught in the middle, trapped between the desires of this world and the demands of his gods.

If he refused Merewen’s offer, it might wound her in ways he couldn’t imagine. But if he were to accept, how would the gods weigh his actions? His poor judgment had condemned him to the river in the first place. Alone, he wouldn’t hesitate to take the gift that Merewen had offered him. But he wasn’t alone; he had four friends who would suffer his same fate, for good or for ill. They depended on him to make a wise decision, one that would eventually lead to the end of this false life they had all endured for too long.

Bedding her could have other consequences, ones he doubted she was prepared for.

“Merewen—”

At that sound of her name, she wilted, dropping her hand back to her side.

He hurt for her. He hurt for them both. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I am, Captain. Forgive me for placing you in such an awkward position.”

She kept her chin up, but he could see the sparkle of tears as they filled her eyes and then trickled down her cheeks in muddy streaks.

“Please just go, Gideon. I’ll be fine, and I’m sure your men are wondering what happened to you.”

Just as her words faded away, the air around her rippled with power. Gideon charged forward, reaching for his sword, ready to defend her against an invisible foe. When he reached her side, she stood frozen in place, her eyes wide and unblinking. Her breathing had been short and shallow as she’d fought against the pain he’d caused her. Now her lungs no longer drew in air.

Magic crawled along his skin, powerful enough to have his hair floating in a halo around his head. All was silent except for the ripple of water. He frowned, trying to trace the source of the sound.

The tub. It had to be.

With great trepidation, he crossed the room step by cautious step. Just as he expected, the surface of the water was covered in a series of rings that started at the center and rolled outward to lap at the sides of the tub.

He lowered his sword; it would not protect him from the forces at work. The only times he’d felt this power before was in the presence of the gods. Never before had they spoken to him except at the river’s edge. What had drawn a god to this time and this place?

Placing the tip of his blade on the ground, he knelt and placed the palms of his hands on top of the pommel, one on top of the other, palm-side down. With his head bowed, he spoke.

“I am but your servant, here to do your bidding.”

The temperature in the room plummeted, the chill all too familiar. He’d slept in that same cold for far too long to mistake it for anything else. He held his position though he longed to grab Merewen up in his arms and bolt for the door. But it had been his courage that had
convinced the gods to let him earn his way back into their favor with his service to their cause. He would not run now.

The water churned and swirled until finally a single form rose out of the tub, feminine in shape but with no more substance than the water itself. Even so, her transparent eyes burned with terrifying power.

Her voice chimed like bells. “Captain, it has been far too long since last we spoke face-to-face.”

Not nearly long enough, but he kept that thought to himself. Well, not really; after all, the gods read his thoughts as easily as they heard his words.

“Lady of the River, what do you require of your humble servant?”

The goddess’s laughter rang out over the room. Her good humor remained in her voice as she chided him. “Captain, Captain. As I recall, it was precisely your lack of humility and your selfishness that led to your downfall.”

“True, my lady.” He risked a look to better gauge her reaction. “I have endeavored ever since to change my behavior.”

“Indeed we have noted that.”

The goddess passed through the side of the tub, her movements liquid and flowing with grace but leaving no trace of moisture as she passed over the stone floor. When she approached Merewen, it was all Gideon could do not to throw himself between the two women. He hadn’t been given leave to rise from the floor, but he trembled with the effort to remain still.

It was too much to hope that the goddess hadn’t noticed his reaction. She looked more curious than concerned.

“Interesting. In some portion this woman has usurped your loyalty to us.”

“I live only to serve you, my lady.”

More laughter. “Oh, Captain, are you lying to me or only to yourself? Did you think we weren’t listening to your thoughts when she had you caught like a rabbit in a snare? Your desire for her glows in your very soul, enough that we had to see her for ourselves and judge her worthiness.”

His blood ran cold. What game was afoot?

The goddess returned to her inspection, circling Merewen in silence. “She has great strength, this one.”

She coasted to a stop in front of Merewen, her head tilted to the side. “Captain…Gideon, you have always served us well, and still do. Perhaps it is you who are different this time. You serve this woman’s cause out of more than your duty to us. We may hold the power over your soul, but it would seem Lady Merewen has captured your heart.”

She returned to Gideon’s side. “Rise up, Warrior.”

When he stood facing her, she reached out to touch the center of his chest with the cold chill of her hand. “By granting Lady Merewen’s plea, we have set these actions in motion and cannot yet see the outcome. There is a darkness that hinders our view. We have not seen its like in an age or more.” The Lady stared past him, her expression concerned. “You are correct that there is far more work to be done than regaining control of Lady Merewen’s home for her. For good or for ill, your affection for this woman and hers for you have added another stream of power to the flow of events.”

Gideon stated the simple truth. “I refused her offer. Lady Merewen is the innocent in this in every meaning of the word. She deserves better than me.”

“We noted the nobility of your action, Captain. This is the first time you have cared more for another human being than you have cared for yourself and the four warriors who fight at your side. I foretell this is a good thing.”