Return to Caer Lon (2 page)

Chapter 2

The
chattering of the women buzzed irritatingly in her ears. Usually, Sacha enjoyed seating in the small courtyard after spending so long closed inside the castle by bad weather. Haven’s fortress overlooked the sea, and winter tempests were as hard as beautiful. Clear days were a deliverance everybody appreciated. Life bloomed again when the sun started to warm up the air. Vivid and light fabrics replaced the sober colors of winter clothes. Women assaulted the merchants for the latest fashion advice or gossip, while men flexed their muscles in riding or training in the field
, happy to move after
being inactive for so
long.

Today, however, the soft warm spring air caressing her face and the early bird sing-songs were not enough to
allow her
ignore the acid barbs covered by hushed tones and knowing smiles from the gossips seated with her. Their high-pitched voices screeched on her nerves so hard she felt like screaming one moment, crying the next.

Sacha tried to concentrate on her embroidery and gave up within the minute. It had been four days since the battalion had left and each passing hour added to her anxiety. She hid it
so as
not to alarm her father, but every night she woke up more terrified, her heart pounding so hard she was sure it was going to explode.

Ylianor’s most powerful draughts were ineffective to silence her dreams. Her visions were always the same: a pack of wolves, the flap of bat wings and feathers falling down on the ground. The ground was dampe
ne
d with blood; so much blood
that
it suffocated her and she woke up screaming every time.

Even thinking about it in daylight sickened her. The young woman peeked around her; her companions had not noticed her sudden vertigo and kept gossiping about tokens, the past Easter celebrations and the upcoming May Day joust. Four days…

Sacha spotted Ylianor entering the courtyard from the corner of her eyes and put down her half-finished craft, standing gracefully.

“Please excuse me.”

She was pretty sure the joyous gossips started on her case as soon as she was out of earshot. The beautiful (and still unsuitored) daughter of Geraint was among their favourite topics, especially when tournaments were around the corner.

Sonia’s crystalline voice tickled the air. The brown-haired lady was probably purveying the others with some absurd tales about Derek’s exploits.
Sacha barely retained a snort.
S
onia was
obviously
interested in him. Good for her.

S
he
joined Ylianor near the colonnades on the other side of the terrace. The older woman smiled at her gently, and part of the weight in her chest lifted.
They locked arms,
and exited the gardens to enter the train-yard.

“You look tired, Sacha. How are you sleeping?”

Sacha sighed lightly.
She could always confide in the former
q
ueen; Ylianor never made her feel foolish or spooky.

“The nightmares are so vivid, I fear they are real. Something terrible is going to happen, I know it.”

The blond woman squeezed her hand, but did not try to deny her visions or comfort her with vain words of faith. Sacha appreciated her discretion.

“I wish I could see more clearly, but those images…”
She trailed off.

Ylianor nodded.

“One day you certainly will, my
d
ear. Ah, here comes Derek.”

Sacha stiffened instantly. While
Ylianor
put her at ease, her son tensed her nerves to a breaking
point. She suspected a good part of that came from Derek’s infuriating habit
of
challeng
ing
her every word
. He treated her
either like some tapestry on the wall, useless
,
if pretty to look at, or like the brainless girls he pursued once in a while. Well, she was neither! She had a good head on her shoulders and knew how to use it
,
thank you very much, and if he had stopped his brattling for a minute to take a proper look, he would have noticed she was much more
...
More of
a
nything
than Sonia
.

Sacha retained an
other
undignified snort and looked for her best contemptuous smile
with which
to greet him.
Ylianor handed her free hand to her son.

“Sacha and I came to interest you in a ride; it is such a beautiful day
.
I
t would be a shame to stay inside.”

Sacha tried not to wince. Horse riding always ended with both of them competing, as
Ylianor
knew full well. Competition led to bickering, and bickering… She felt too tired to quarrel with Derek. She unhooked her arm from her elder’s.

“Oh,
Ylianor
, I am not-”

Derek interrupted her excuse, like he always did, which annoy
ed
her
beyond reason
.

“I am in charge of the training while Erik is away. But I will be happy to escort you after lunch, Mother.”

Sacha frowned at the ceremonious tone, and the fact
that
his invitation was directed only to the
q
ueen. She needed no further incitement to change her mind.

“I will see to my duties, then, so they do not disturb your busy schedule
,
Sire.”

Derek caught his mother’s warning glance just in time to bite back his retort and settled for a smirk and a quick bow. Sacha made a point to look elsewhere while he jogged back to his training. Well, maybe she took a glimpse at his retreating figure when he stopped to pick up his sword, but only because
Ylianor
was talking to her again and she had turned to face
the training yard to look at her
.

The amused smile of the former
q
ueen
made S
acha fe
e
l like a little girl caught with her hand in the jar of sweets.

“Sacha, you have to learn that one catches more flies with honey than with vinegar.”

She blushed. She had no intention
of
catch
ing
Derek, with vinegar or otherwise.

oOo

The slap of air on her face lifted her spirits and Sacha urged her mount forward, exhilarated. She felt free, far from the burden of being the first
L
ady of
Haven
and far from her dreams. Nothing could imprison her
or make her tremble
while she rode like the wind. She was powerful and free…

A peal of thunder echoed behind her and she guessed Derek was trying to catch up. They both were excellent riders, but she had an early start and if she didn’t want him to join her, he would never succeed. The young woman bent on her horse and whispered softly. The white mare whinnied and accelerated. The sound in her back decreased in the hurling of the wind in her ears and she focused on her race again, savoring the movement of the animal
's
hot muscles under her knees. The landscape moved so fast
that
she had to blink to accommodate the sight.

She had nearly reached the small bridge near the river when she allowed her mount to slow down to a more reasonable trot, then a peaceful walk.

Derek jumped down
from
his mount even before his horse had completely stopped and grabbed her reins
,
forcing her to halt abruptly. Her mare protested
,
but Sacha felt so happy she faced his ire with a brilliant smile, extending her hand so he could help her down.

Unsettled by her reaction, Derek caressed the hot neck of the horse for a second before he turned a furious glare to her.

“God almighty
,
woman, are you trying to kill yourself!”

Sacha frowned, her joy fading quickly
, and withdrew her hand
.

“You are ridiculous. I am an excellent rider; you barely kept up with me.”

The blue eyes shone like steel.

“I
did
keep up with you, but you exhausted your mount and my mother ha
d
to ride by herself while I raced after you.”

Sacha blushed at the reproach. Her mare’s hair gleamed from perspiration, and
Ylianor
was a small shadow at a distance… She looked away, unwilling to concede
that
he was right and she had acted foolishly.

“I am fine, as you can see for yourself. Why on earth you feel you had to follow me is beyond my understanding.”

Derek scowled, undoubtedly preparing an irritate lecture on responsibilities.

The argument had already chased the well
-
being the ride had provided, and she felt edgy again. A bird took off nearby and Sacha turned on her saddle nervously. Her heartbeat refused to slow down, pounding harder by the minute.

“Did you hear that
?

“That was just a bird
.
W
hat is wrong with you today?”

He really felt like twisting her neck. The idea of his mother riding alone was unnerving, but he could not leave Sacha now
;
she looked troubled enough to jump into the river. Damned woman… The growing tap of horseshoes on the ground pulled his attention back to the road and he glimpsed at the figure of
Ylianor
approaching them.

His distraction loosened the hold he had on her bridle and Sacha’s horse danced away, probably because the incomprehensible nerves of its mistress were starting to reverberate on the usually docile animal. Derek tightened his grasp on the escaping reins, growling at the burning in his hand despite the gloves.

“You stay here, I am done racing after you.”

Sacha squealed.

“Let me go!”

Abashed by her sudden panic, Derek glanced up. Sacha was shaking her head and pulling on the reins, suddenly eager to escape his grip.

The images in her mind were terribly clear; a black bird was being beat up, his soft feathers bloodied and flying everywhere. The animal’s cry of agony pierced through her like a white-hot arrow. The swan was down, the swan was dying, the swan… She screamed.

“Sebastian!”

Her cry sounded barely human. Startled, Derek released her mount, but Sacha jumped down
from
her mare to run into the woods on foot.
Ylianor
stopped with a horrified expression on her face. Derek looked at her before he started after the young woman
, who was
running as if the devil
were
after her.

“Sacha!”

He was certain she was going to break a bone in her wild race;
he
half-hoped she
would
.

“Sacha!”

Her own calls echoed his.

“Sebastian!”

He accelerated his pace.

“Sacha for Heavens’ sake! Sacha wait! Sebastian is not...”

And then he saw her fall.

“Sacha!”

Derek reached her side in a few seconds, and felt as if his heart had stopped.

The immobile form of her cousin was resting on the ground. He quickly knelt beside them. The pulse was there, weakening by the minute. Sacha had taken his head on her lap and she was rocking back and forth. For the first time since they were kids, he saw tears wet her cheeks. Her mumbling was foreign to him.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I didn’t know, I didn’t understand… Please don’t leave me… I should have known… Please, I’m sorry…”

She sounded so desperate... Derek was at a loss of what to do, for her and for his friend
,
dying on the leafy ground.

“Derek,
pull
her back.”

The poised voice of
Ylianor
sobered him up, and he reacted quickly. Taking Sacha by the shoulders, he gently forced her to move away from her cousin so his mother could tend to him. Sacha refused to let the inanimate body of Sebastian go at first, then she stood slowly, nearly falling when her knees buckled under her; Derek steadied her swiftly.

Then she realized he was
leading
her back to their mounts and he had to restrain her.

“Get your hands off me!”

She jolted violently to free herself
.
H
er pale green eyes shining like
jade
, filled with rage or madness. One particular jerk hit his plexus at a vicious angle, and Derek grunted in pain.