Return to Caer Lon (3 page)

“Do not make me calm you, Sacha.”

The low-tone
d
threat
stopped her jittering at once.
Unsure if she was going to lash him again, Derek did not release her immediately, but lightened his grasp slowly until he noticed her shivers.

Ill
at
ease, h
e rubb
ed
his hands
awkwardly
on her shoulders. The fabric was soft under his palms, and warm… Then the urgency of the situation kicked back in, and Derek hardened his grip again.

“Damn it Sacha, now is not the time to act like a fainting maiden! You never played the act before, don’t start now. I want you to go back to
Haven
. Alert the
k
nights first, then Jeffrey and your father.”

She didn’t say a word, but her jaw clenched and she nodded firmly. Instead of freeing her, he hugged her tightly then sized her up and put her on her horse without ceremony. Before she could react, Derek handed her the reins.

“You’ll dash me later. Just go!”

Sacha kicked her horse into a fast gallop before he could slap it to move. Derek
watched her for a few second, then
hurried back to his mother.
Endless questions spun in his head.
How did she know her cousin was here? What had happened to him? And where the hell was
Elwyn
?

Chapter 3

The
knights patrolled the woods searching for Sebastian’s attackers but came back empty-handed. No traces of a fight were visible, nor did they find a horse. As far as they knew, the unfortunate man could have appeared out of nowhere.

Derek concluded his report to the
d
uke with an intense sense of failure and he hated it.
Geraint
shook his head gloomily.

“Thank you, Derek. Jeffrey and your mother are tending to my nephew. His wounds are bad.”

The young prince
read between the heavy words
;
Sebastian might die. Clenching his jaw in a vain attempt to mask his emotions, Derek bowed slightly and was taking his leave when the doors of the
h
all opened to give way to Sacha.

She hadn’t taken the time to change. H
er dress was stained with dust and her cousin’s blood. With her hair dishevelled from the rides and her eyes still too bright, she looked like a mad fury. The beautiful lady ran to her father and grabbed his hands, visibly uncaring about Derek
. Her disarray left him speechless
.
She always made a point to prove him she was so infernally perfect…

“Father
,
please… We
h
ave to go now!
Elwyn
-”

Geraint
squeezed both her hands gently and led her to a chair
. S
he refused to sit.

“Sacha, the knights did not find anything and we need to talk to your cousin before taking a course of action. Any harsh action may be quite disastrous; if an entire battalion was attacked within our borders-”

“But Father!”

Derek stepped forward.

“If you give me a couple of men, I-”

“This is out of question
.
Y
ou stay here
,
Prince Derek.”

Geraint
added the title only to remind the young man he had a duty that lay beyond running the woods and endangering himself. As long as he was safe and sound, people in Camelot could hope that one day their rightful king would overthrow the tyrant and claim back his throne. Derek growled but kept his mouth shut. Sacha was looking at him with blazing eyes.
Whether
she
admired him
for his offer or
was
furious at his yielding, he could not tell.

He bowed stiffly, and left the room without waiting. The last thing he heard was the striking lady, now fully enraged, shouting accusations at her father about careless handling and cowardice. He felt a pang of pity for the man. His passionate daughter had little idea how difficult it was to wait and do nothing.

He could not silence that part of himself that agreed with her. The quicker they went
,
the more chances they had to find survivors
or
avenge the dead.

oOo

Ylianor
knocked and entered Sacha’s chambers. The young woman was seated at her dresser, her maid braiding her hair for the night. The girl curtsied and exited quickly after the quick nod of her mistress.

The older woman picked up the job the maid had abandoned, twisting the dark locks together. Sacha said nothing, her eyes seeing beyond the reflection of their figures in the mirror. The former queen caressed her head gently.

“Your father has to see to everyone’s well-being, Sacha, not just his son.”

“And what will
be
our well-being, if his heir dies?”

Ylianor
closed her eyes briefly. Behind grief and anger, Sacha’s reasoning had its logic. She had said more or less the same thing to Derek in the morning. She tried another approach.

“Sebastian escaped, so maybe
Elwyn
-”

“Sebastian did not escape. He was sent back; as a warning.”

Ylianor
stiffened. The young woman met her eyes in the mirror.

“I saw it,
Ylianor
. Wolves attacked and our men lost the battle. All were killed but the Swan and the Cub. Sebastian’s heraldry is a
swan, with wings spread.
.
Elwyn
…”

Sacha continued telling her dreams, so low her companion could barely hear the words.

“The wolf leader tortured and sent the black swan
back
to
deliver a message.”

“What is that message, Sacha?”

“Hand
over
the son of the Dragon
,
before I slaughter you all.”

The blond woman swallowed
, failing to
suppress the fear
rising
inside her. She knew those names; dread them. The wolf was
Wolfryth
. And he was coming after Derek.

oOo

Unable to sleep, turning and tossing in his bed, the prince
conceded
and got up. He dressed quickly and stepped out his room into a dim
ly
lit corridor. It was past midnight, and the castle was silent.
Derek breathed deeply. So early in spring, the thick stones failed to retain warmth at night. The air stung with cold, even inside the castle
.

Sebastian’s quarters were a short walk from his. Derek decided to pay a late visit to his wounded friend. His mother had said he was ‘sleeping’, a gentle word to say he had yet to regain consciousness. That didn’t mean he could not speak to him; only that Sebastian would not answer him. If he talked to his friend, maybe Sebastian would listen, and come back. He wanted his friend back.

A swift sound, like paper folding, caught his ear and he froze.
T
he brush automatically resounded like danger. Derek unsheathed his dagger and listened. A squeal echoed behind him and he turned abruptly to peek at some dark grey fabric disappearing behind a door.
His
door.

The young man tightened his grip on his weapon and backtracked carefully to his chambers. He heard no noise coming from it, so his late visitor was either very quiet or had already found the room empty and was preparing to exit…

Derek
moved away from the door just in time to avoid being seen when it opened, and grabbed the
burglar
by the throat, pressing his blade against its side.

Sacha yelped. Her jolt of surprise had her flank pressed harder on the dagger and she gave a little cry of pain. Derek discarded the blade quickly before he shoved her into his chambers and closed the door behind them.
Footsteps echoed in the corridor a few seconds later and the lady’s eyes widened in apprehension. Derek motioned her to silence. He did not mind having company at night, but if someone caught this particular lady in his quarters…

He was still holding her and the situation made him suddenly very aware of the softness of her skin under his hand. He could feel her pulse, just a little h
a
rried, and her body heat increasing… The
person
outside his room walked away and he released her.

Sacha took her hand to her throat where her skin tingled from his touch. Her eyes shone in surprise
, along with
some emotion he did not try to define. Derek stepped away and growled
,
“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Please mind your language.”

The haughty tone annoyed him immediately and Derek smirked, bowing his head mockingly.

“I never suspected you liked me
so
much that you
’d
decide
to sneak into my chambers; at night; my lady.”

She glared, probably more irked by her sudden blush than his sneer. Her fingers were still smoothing the skin of her throat and he preferred to look elsewhere.

“Derek, help me.”

He was waiting for some poisonous retort to match their growing argument
.
S
he knew she had his attention when his blue eyes flicked back to her, first to her face first and then to her attire.

Sacha briefly wondered if she should be insulted by the relief in his eyes when he noticed she was fully clothed under her wool cloak. Derek scowled
.

“Are those
Elwyn
’s old breeches?”

She chinned up, mute, and realization hit him.

“Oh no, absolutely not.”

“He is my brother…”

And you are the only one who can free him…
S
he didn’t add the last part.
Sacha deciphered hesitation in his eyes, the need to obey and stay put battling the urge to
do
something. She remembered the anger he had tried so hard to conceal from her father that very same afternoon in the hall. But he kept silent. Sacha broke the eye
contact, disappointed. She would f
ind
another way to save them all
.
T
here had to be another one…

She turned to leave and he grabbed her arm.

“I
cannot
let you go.”

Sacha glanced at him defiantly and freed herself from his grasp. Derek placed himself between her and the door, folding his arms over his chest. She raised an eyebrow, temper starting to fire again.

“I only have to alert the guard, Sacha.”

“Oh really? My father will be so delighted to learn how you lured me into your chambers at night and
...
” she put one hand on her throat again
.
“
...a
ssaulted me.”

She was bluffing. She was surely bluffing and he should not buy her threat. He did anyway. Derek blamed it on the growing desire to go to
Elwyn
’s rescue;
and on the certainty
Geraint
would claim for reparation; most probably a marital one. The idea
of
spend
ing
the rest of his days and nights with her was enough to push anyone to act harshly.

Any
way
, he refused to move away from the door, but he relaxed his stance a little.

“What do you have in mind?”

Sacha stamped her foot impatiently.

“My maid prepared our horses and some hoards
. A
ll you have to do is pack a few things and…”

“Did you say
our
horses?”

God, this man was impossible. She frowned and decided to change her tactic.

Sacha approached the stubborn prince slowly
and
place
d
one hand on his crossed forearms, her fingertips brushing his chest, and she plunged her clear stare into his.

“I took a chance on your heart, Derek, please…”

Derek swallowed hard. Suddenly, he was glad the proud
L
ady of
Haven
preferred threats and commands to more feminine ways to submit a man to her will. No man in his right mind would deny her anything when she fixed her impossibly green eyes on him, all innocence and sweet admiration. He certainly could not.

Derek
untied the slender fingers from his shirt, and hid his surrender behind a severe
“Give me five minutes.”

The glint of triumph she quickly masked behind a thankful smile was enough to confirm he had been framed. But he knew that beforehand, and he had dived anyway. Derek shrugged his shoulders, and started packing.

oOo

They followed the servant’s staircase to access the kitchens, which allowed them to go without encountering any guard. Derek took a mental note to add some patrols to those passages when they returned. Not only
would it
strengthen an obviously weak spot, but hopefully it would also prevent
some reckless lady’s
nocturnal escapades in the future.

Sacha tiptoed across the vast room, careful to avoid the helpers who slept on the bare floor near the hearth. She had tugged her long cloak around her so it didn’t swipe the floor
tiles, and Derek
quickly imitated her.

The kitchens’ backdoor opened on a rear courtyard and the stables. They walked swiftly through the yard and found their mounts ready, held by Sacha’s maid. The girl bowed to her mistress and confirmed
that
the northern door was free. Derek frowned
;
he really needed to talk to
Geraint
about security.