Return to Caer Lon (32 page)

Derek fell on one knee then the other hit the ground. The brightness was so intense Elwyn couldn’t watch at the sword any longer.

‘Svic af kiom e kiom af svic.’

The spell exploded in his head.

Elwyn dove forward, one arm still clutched around Sacha. He grasped Derek’s ankle at the same moment Wolfryth realized his intention. Balls of fire lurched at the trio. Light and darkness clashed. The world spun faster
and
air got stuck into of his lungs. He had trouble breathing. Reality narrowed to a pulse, small and frantic. Wolfryth’s yells of rage died
on
the wind. Every sound disappeared, reduced to that beating heart. And then the beating stopped.

Chapter 33

Sacha
lost her grip on Elwyn and sprang up, panicked. Air scorched its way back to her lungs. She gasped and blinked. Behind her lashes, the shadows shaped into faces she knew, the dry silhouette of Master Bor, the blacksmith, and the plump Master Pelles. How…

“Derek, oh
,
thank God…”

Ylianor knelt before her son. Geraint, who was hugging Elwyn, dragged her in the same tight embrace.

Home. They were home.

Still a spectator whilst the world swirled in a painful ballet of sounds and images, Sacha noticed relief fighting suspicion on the counselors’ faces. She turned her head to see Derek struggling to push on
to
his feet, his mother’s arm secured around his waist. His face was twisted in pain. His hand still clutched the hilt of an enormous sword. It didn’t look so big a moment ago when he…

The memory escaped her. She had trouble gathering her thoughts; they came and went too quickly in her head. Sacha tried to shake her father’s hands off her shoulders without success. She had the strength of a newborn kitten. Anything more than a whisper asked too much of her.

“What happened?”

“I’m not sure and I don’t care…”

Elwyn’s answer came through the fog invading her brain. Someone
else
talked; the
words meaningless to
her.

“Sir Geraint, surely this changes your decision…”

“This council is adjourned until tomorrow morning.”

She recognized the voice of Master Grifelt in the dismissal and then left herself to drift off.

oOo

When she regained consciousness, Sacha was lying on her bed. She didn’t remember bathing or changing clothes, but she knew she had. The fresh fabric of her shift was a blessing on her skin. She ran a cautious hand in her hair, indulging in the soft contact. It felt so good to be clean again.

Home.

The grey light coming through the half-drawn curtains made it impossible to know if it was morning or afternoon. Sacha sighed and turned her back to the window before the gloom of that low sky chased away the well-being from her rest completely.

Her mind juggled with the last day’s events, unable to fit them into a coherent puzzle. Like fragments of a lingering dream, every image stayed distinct only until she tried to connect it with another. Derek yielding to Wolfryth, the sword, the ancient magic filling her, and Elwyn screaming in her head. None of these memories seemed real yet each one had her heart pounding harder.

Sacha pushed away the coverlet, unable to stay still any longer. She slipped on a dress the color of the dark clouds hanging above Haven and exited her room.

The few people she came across in the corridors saluted her briefly before they went to their occupations in a furtive haste. Gloom seemed to have taken over the entire castle. Upright, her body remembered it hadn’t eaten properly for days, and her stomach
demanded that
she find her way to the kitchens. Even there, the usually joyous atmosphere was tampered with hushes and thoughtful glances. The slowness that reigned around the cooking fires made her guess noon was a
memory
, for meals always sent the place in frenzy. A kitchen boy smiled shyly at her before a cook scooted him out to bring water with threats of pots to scrub if he didn’t hurry.

Sacha was to sit down at the long table when a maid she didn’t recognize asked:

“Will you join
Master
Sebastian for tea,
m
y
l
ady?”

She remarked the large tray covered with s
teaming
cups and butter
ed
scones, ready to be taken away
,
and nodded hastily. Her cheeks burned in shame. How could she have forgotten? Sacha hurried up the stairs leading to the wing where Sebastian, Elwyn and Derek had their quarters, refusing to listen to the protest of her sore muscles, now fully awake.

The door was open, so she neglected knocking and instead pe
e
ked inside. The two silhouettes by the bed stopped her from flying in the arms of the dark-haired man seated in the bed. Composing herself, Sacha approached quietly, avoiding both Elwyn and Derek’s stares when she bent
over
her cousin to kiss his forehead.

“I’m glad you’re awake.”

Sebastian
returned her bright
smile, squeezing her hand gently.

“And I’m glad you’re all back here in one piece.” He nodded
over
her shoulder
.
“Put that on the table, thank you
.
”

The maid put the tea tray down and bowed quickly before she closed the door behind her. Elwyn approached the food with a famished look on his face. Sacha’s stomach shrunk in envy when he picked up a scone and shoved it almost entirely in his mouth. Sebastian laughed.

“Elwyn, why don’t you serve the tea?”

Freed from her hostess’ duty, Sacha released her cousin’s hand to install herself at his feet on the bed with her legs under her, arranging her skirt so it pooled around her. She didn’t care how unladylike it might look. It was just the four of them now, like when they were younger. Derek had seen her in far worst states in the last days
,
anyway.

The prince had taken his favorite position by the window, checking
on
the courtyard below, so she could only see half his face. He, too, had rested and looked much more presentable. Interest warmed the pit of her stomach as she noticed he hadn’t shaved. Sacha glanced away quickly.

Sebastian let his stare ventured from one to another. Sacha suspected he looked for something to say. Surely, confined in bed
as he was
, with the sole visits of Jeffrey who looked gruffer than ever and
servants
who hurried out of the room after opening the curtains
or
helping him to a cat-wash, the news of their climatic apparition the night before had yet to reach him. She said: “We arrived yesterday.”

Sebastian’s short nod had Sacha swallowing. She failed to understand why suddenly chitchat was so hard between them and the feeling she was the cause of the pregnant silence thickened in a lump
,
blocking her throat. Derek turned away from his vigil.

“You already know of the council Geraint had summoned.”

The statement of the prince seemed to conclude a conversation they had begun before she arrived. Elwyn continued to busy himself with the teapot and plates, his nose down. Sacha detached her eyes from the jewels scintillating on the golden hilt at Derek’s waist to look
first at her brother, then h
er cousin.

“You all seem to know something I don’t. What’s the matter?”

Elwyn answered first.

“We are at war, Sacha. Father declared Wolfryth a usurper and called on his vassal’s duties to Camelot’s Crown to revolt against him.”

Her brother seemed on the verge of adding something but he shut up, looking at Derek
intently before he returned to
the plate in his hand. Color drained from her cheeks. They were safe now
. T
hey could resume their lives without risking more. War would bring death and desperation upon the people
.
W
hy…
?
Her stare collided with Derek’s unreadable one.

“Derek, hundreds will die!”

He could die. And Elwyn. And Sebastian.

“I know.”

Sacha opened her mouth to argue further. His hand rose from the sword it was absently caressing to silence her.

“I won’t let that happen.”

Something in the angle of his jaw transformed the thanks on her tongue in
to
a
chip
of ice
, which
she forced herself to swallow. It chilled her to the bone. His eyes returned to the window, his hand finding his weapon once more, his back stiff to block her probing. She knew that stance by heart and she hated it. Sacha gathered her skirt to
stand
, determined to have the entire story out of him, one way or another. Sebastian interfered.

“Elwyn, do you have any intention to share, or should we call for more scones?”

The little joke fell flat. The young man wasn’t eating anymore, torn between his loyalty to his friend and his twin sister. He had the same puppy
look every time they bickered, but somehow the growing silence made it even worse for him than the icy barbs they used to throw at each other. Sacha took the cup her brother was holding and brought it to her cousin.
Sebastian asked,
“So where were you all this time?”

Elwyn washed
down
the last crumbles of sweet bread with a mouthful of tea.

“Wolfryth discovered the city of Caer Lon, and he brought me there after we were attacked.”

Sebastian bowed his head.

“So no one else survived.”

“I fear so.”

Derek approached the table in turn
.
Sacha tried to catch his eyes, in vain. Keeping her hand from trembling when she handed him a cup
demanded
an effort
of her
. She wanted to believe his elusiveness irritated her; that she was just annoyed; not anxious.

“How Derek and Sacha got there, I have no idea. Wolfryth tortured us to force Derek to bring him to the sword trapped in stone
,
and…”

Sebastian turned his head to the prince. Derek fetched the blade out of its stealth slowly and presented it for all to see. The tarnish was completely gone, as if he had spent hours polishing the metal and sharpening its edges. Sebastian held one hand to touch the sword and Derek instinctively withdrew his hand, before he noticed and displayed it fully so his friend could admire the weapon.

Finally, Sebastian abandoned his inspection.

“It’s a fine piece of work. But how did you escape?”

Derek sheathed Excalibur.

“I guess it was more Elwyn
's
and Sacha’s doing.”

Elwyn beamed.

“I did
m
agic I never dreamed about before!”

Sacha broke from her reserve to scowl.

“I am not sure it’s a good thing Elwyn.”

“But Sacha-'”

“She’s right.”

Derek’s intervention turned three pair of eyes to him, all of them amazed by his statement, though for different reasons. Sebastian cocked an brow. Elwyn wondered when Derek had started to take her side in an argument. Sacha suspected she would regret his change of attitude as soon as he explained himself.

“If Caer Lon increased your powers, what do you think it did to Wolfryth’s?”

oOo

She returned to her room with a disagreeable throb in the back of her mind. Derek’s question had h
ung
above their heads for the rest of their tea, despite Sebastian and Elwyn’s obvious intents to deflect the conversation on lighter topics.

After hours of trying to figure out what it was they were not telling, she was tired and edgy. She wanted nothing more than to relax in a bath and crawl in her bed after a light supper. Unfortunately, when Agnes finally showed up, her maid announced her father requested her presence
in
the courtroom.

The usual cheer escorting the invitation was absent from the servant’s voice. Generally Agnes loved pampering her beautiful mistress, probably more than Sacha herself. Her lack of enthusiasm was definitely a surprise. But not as much as seeing the maid at all. Sacha didn’t doubt for an instant she had had to answer about her disappearance, and she was even
more
amazed she had not been given her notice. The girl looked at her feet more than her lady’s hair while arranging the long curls in a braid.

“Which dress will you wear,
m
y
l
ady?”

Sacha tore her thoughts off the penitence her father would unmistakeably announce either tonight or tomorrow morning for her elopement.
Though
Elwyn’s return was a blessing
, s
he was certainly to be punished. As for Derek…

“The velvet one, thank you.”

It was a deep purple
velvet
dress with front laces and golden band on the sleeves and the bodice
. T
he neckline was low for a simple, familia
l
din
n
er, but the fabric was soft and warm, and exactly what she needed to comfort her.