Secrets of the Night Special Edition (75 page)

Keriam blinked her eyes in the bright sunlight, her steps faltering as she neared the stake. Terror was written on her face, a face gone white. Roric clenched his hands, his stomach taut with tension. I
love you so much, Keriam
.
If only I had the chance to tell you how much
...Goddess, he prayed again, save her.
Be with Radegunda this day.

Keriam addressed the guards, words Roric couldn't hear. Then her gaze covered the crowd, and she opened her mouth to speak in a loud, clear voice. "My beloved people of Moytura, please believe that I did not bring the plague to this city. I–“

"Then who did?" someone in the crowed shouted, but the rest of the people hissed him to silence.

"Remember, stay behind me," Radegunda whispered fiercely to Roric. "And help me up on the chair." She planted a quick kiss on Zinerva's cheek. "Goodbye to you, Zinerva. Thank you for helpin' me." Roric offered the witch his arm, and she mounted the chair, pressing her hand against the storefront for balance.

Radegunda drew her magic from deep within her, letting it build and strengthen, waiting to be released. Every breath she took, every beat of her heart, revolved around her skill.

"I feared that this black fever would kill many," Keriam continued, "if nothing was done to prevent this terrible sickness. And it has killed too many. People of Moytura, you must know that I have always loved you." Done speaking, she nodded to the sentries on either side of her. Looking as if she would faint, she bowed her head.

"The princess speaks the truth!" Radegunda shouted from her high position. She raised her arms, the power singing in her veins. Men and women turned her way, looking bewildered. Roric stared in Keriam's direction and saw disbelief mingling with hope on her face.

Sentries frantically glanced in all directions, trying to locate the speaker.

Radegunda raised her arms. "The princess speaks the truth," she repeated. "She did not cause the plague. Fleas on squirrels is what caused the black fever. And if anyone who is not here tries to tell you otherwise, you will tell him that the princess is innocent."

One of the sentries pointed to Radegunda. "There she is! Arrest her!"

Too late!

Radegunda flicked her upraised fingers, and a green mist spread over the people. She flicked her fingers in all directions, until she'd reached everyone who'd come to view the execution. Features set in bewilderment, the crowds exchanged glances and drew back, as if they could escape the drizzle.

Then Roric saw–The Goddess! He knew people would talk about this sight for years to come. An apparition of the Earth-mother Goddess glowed on the ground before them, her body nebulous but her voice as real as anyone's.

"The princess is innocent!" Talmora said. "Never doubt it. Let no one say she is guilty, for such an untruth will cause me distress. Remember, my people, that I am always with you, to help and guide you, to rid your country of wickedness." The specter of the Goddess slowly dissipated in a haze, and soon she was gone as mysteriously as she had come.

Stunned by Talmora's appearance, the spectators had little time to react, for Radegunda's spell was already affecting them. They sniffed the air, mothers gathering their children close. In no time, men, women, and children closed their eyes and slumped to the ground, soon fast asleep. The sentries, too, released Keriam and tumbled to the ground, stretched out on their sides. The princess swayed, then dropped in a graceful heap.

"The Goddess!" Roric breathed. "How could anyone doubt the princess's innocence?"

"She has Talmora's blessing!" Radegunda gasped.

Overcome by Talmora's apparition, it took several seconds before Roric or Radegunda moved. After the Goddess had drifted away in a haze, and the spectators slumbered around the execution site, the enchantress stepped from the chair and faced Roric.

"Now git the princess! Ride off, back to the
Gorm
Forest
. I'll stay here."

"Yes!" Needing no further prompting, Roric strode forward, shoving through the crowd. He stepped over the somnolents, hundreds of them, and pressed his hand to his tunic pocket. "Hold on tight, Zinerva." Driven by haste, he soon reached the princess. He bent to lift her from the ground and enclose her in his arms, then retraced his steps. Precious minutes passed until he reached Radegunda again as he eased his way among the crowds, keeping his goal in sight.

With infinite care, Roric set Keriam facedown over the horse, the princess lax and easy to manage. Relieved to have a saddle now, he placed his foot in the stirrup and mounted, easing the princess closer to his body. He bade goodbye to Radegunda, his voice deep with happiness and gratitude. He would never forget this day, never forget Radegunda. He wished he had more time to reveal his appreciation, but he had to move. Urging the horse on, he headed away from the city, toward the forest.

Once past the warehouses that bordered the city's northern edge, he bent his head to address the fairy. "Zinerva, I could never have rescued the princess without your help. And I'm sorry you can't speak to her, after all."

"I can wait, major. Now it's time to return to the palace grounds," she said. "I miss all my friends there, human and fairy."

He patted her head. "Of course you do. And I hope to see you again soon."

"Right, sir." She crawled out of his pocket, her tiny fingers gripping his tunic material. "Please tell the princess how much I love her, and I hope to see her again soon. You, too, Roric Gamal." She jumped a little, then flew off. She turned to wave at him. "'Bye, major."

He returned the wave. "Goodbye, Zinerva."

The horse cantered past the warehouses on the city’s outskirts. Keriam remained fast asleep as they clambered up a wooded hill that preceded the forest, then entered its woodsy depths, where leafless trees and evergreens hemmed them in. With the princess’s body so close to his, wild thoughts taunted him, desires too long stifled.

Free of the city, Roric thought of Radegunda's rescue of the princess. Witchcraft!

Radegunda had told him the spell would save Keriam from execution and proclaim her innocence, yet she remained a fugitive from Balor. She dared not risk capture again. He resolved to dismiss his apprehensions. After all she'd endured, she surely could adjust to life in the forest, too.

But for how long? She must be restored to her rightful place as queen. And Balor must be eliminated. Roric squared his jaw, determined to make it happen.

* * *

Mindful of the need for haste, Radegunda watched Roric ride away, then faced the crowd again.
Thank the Goddess for Zinerva and Roric Gamal
. She could never have rescued the princess herself. Besides, she liked to see the princess and the major together. Maybe something would come of their proximity in the forest.

The crowds stayed on the ground, a few showing signs of awakening. Now she must remove all traces of the execution site. Saying a special invocation and gathering her magic within her in one final burst of power, she aimed her arm toward the steel stake, then flipped her arm back. At first nothing happened, except a crackling sound and a wobbling of the stake. She repeated her spell, projecting all her skill in this one enchantment.

With a hiss and a cloud of smoke, the steel stake rose from the ground and sailed overhead. Radegunda waved her arms in the direction of the
Orn
Mountains
, miles away. The stake, flashing in the bright sunlight, soared over the city and continued flying north. In the far distance, it landed on a sandstone outcrop, scattering rocks in all directions. An eagle squawked and flew away, its wings beating wildly.

After the stake disappeared, Radegunda used the same spell to remove all evidence of the execution site. Happy beyond her wildest imaginings but exhausted, too, she turned and plodded back to her store, her strength depleted. She smiled to herself, immensely satisfied with all that had happened this day.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Keriam moaned. Awkwardly, she raised her head, wondering why she lay facedown across a horse. A wooded, rocky hill loomed ahead, leading to the forest.
The forest--no! Can't go there
. Preceding the woods, a path wound through dark clusters of trees, the hard ground studded with shale and limestone. Vague thoughts hazed her brain, recollections just out of reach.

"Madam?" someone asked in a voice heavy with concern. She heard booted feet landing on the ground, then someone grasped her by the waist, his hands strong but gentle.

"Princess Keriam," he repeated, easing her off the sorrel, setting her on the ground.

Roric! Happiness and puzzlement collided inside her, combined with a strange, inexplicable lassitude.

She turned her head from side to side. "What happened? How did we get here in the forest? Why are we here?"

"Madam, Radegunda cast a spell--"

She pressed her hands to her burning cheeks, her terror returning. "The stake!"

He gave her a smile of assurance. "But you are safe now, madam."

Like a bolt of lightning in a midnight sky, it all came back to her: the plague, her trial and sentence of death by impalement. The last thing she remembered was being led to the stake, then a green mist that dizzied her and sent her toppling to the ground.

She shivered. But was she safe now, despite Roric Gamal's encouraging words? Would she ever be safe?

Roric undid the bronze clasp that held his cloak in place, then draped the wrap around her shoulders, his hands warm and comforting. "You are cold, madam. My apologies for not giving you my cloak sooner." He waited in silence as she fastened the clasp in place. "Radegunda proclaimed your innocence and convinced the crowds of it. And something I'll never forget--the Goddess appeared before the people and declared your innocence, too."

"Yes, the Goddess! Oh, I remember!" From now on, she would never doubt that miracles could happen. And that the Goddess would appear to save her was more than she had dared to wish for.

Roric frowned, twisting around to look back in the direction of the city. "But madam, you still remain a fugitive from Balor. We must seek sanctuary in the forest."

"Not there! Monsters!"

"No, madam." He reached a hand toward her, as if he wanted to touch her, then dropped his hand to his side. "Believe me, there are no monsters in the forest. A different kind of creatures, yes, but they are good folk. I already told them about you, told them I'd try to bring you here, if I could save you."

"And I haven't even thanked you for rescuing me. If it hadn't been for you . . ." She shuddered again, unable to say more.
You and the Goddess
.
Oh, I’ll never forget this day.

"Rescue, yes. I'll save that story for another day. For now, suffice it to say that Radegunda and Zinerva are true friends. But madam, we must hurry! One of the city's sentries might come after us. Best if you ride in front of me."

"Then let's go!" Trembling from her recent ordeal, Keriam disregarded her shock. Her fury at Balor overrode every other emotion. She wanted to kill him now.

"Here, let me help you." He lifted her on the horse, making sure she was back far enough, then placed his foot in the stirrup and mounted again. He heeled the sorrel into a canter, skirting towering trees and thick understory. She slid back against his hard chest as they ascended the hill, but Roric maintained a firm perch on the animal, slowing the horse to a trot. They plunged through the dark woods, sending a doe and her fawn scurrying, their white tails bobbing.

"For now," Roric said, "it's best if you stay with us in the forest. Believe me, these forest people won't hurt you." He smiled. "I'm a fugitive from Balor, too. And Conneid and his wife–“

"Conneid and Malvina . . . in the forest?" she asked, her voice rising, surprised to discover they were so close, and that she’d soon meet them again. She smiled, happier than she’d been in a long time, to know that she’d live here among friends . . . and Roric. And Roric, she mused, surely he was a friend. More than just a friend, a secret part of her heart reminded her head.

"All three of us,” Roric said. “We've been living with the outlanders--our name for them--since we escaped the palace." He nodded. “So I'll be here, along with Conneid and Malvina.”

She looked at him closely, as if seeing him for the first time. "And you--you have a beard.” She longed to reach out and touch him, feel his skin beneath her fingers, know the strength of his arms. If he took her in his arms now, she could never resist him, could never refuse him. In spite of her recent ordeal, all she’d endured since her capture, Roric and he alone claimed her every thought, her every desire.

He fingered the nascent growth. "Good disguise, this beard. I think I'll keep it for awhile." He paused. “For now, we must all live in the forest. Until we overthrow Balor–“

"We must!” She diverted her mind from thoughts of Roric, for surely they were futile wishes, a longing that could never come true. “We can't permit him to rule . . . misrule the country." If only they could rid the country of this evil usurper now, imprison
him
and put him on trial, and pray that he’d get the death penalty. Then send him to the Underworld!