Page 6

M cColl

So much for coming up with a good plan.

I couldn’t think of anything that would work to get me out of my duties. Not one reason that wouldn’t land me being led straight down to the mines.

In the end, I opted to pack up some of my meager belongings and hide.

I am holed up in a small alcove underneath the wooden stairs leading up to the servants’ quarters.

It’s dusty and dim, but at least it’s secluded.

No one will think of looking for me here.

The time ticks by slowly as I wait, my heart pounding with a mixture of fear and excitement.

At first, it is busy. I hear people talking and many booted feet on the wooden stairs. I’m pretty sure that some of those were guards looking for me.

As the Feast of the Shadow Moon draws closer, the sound of laughter starts to grow.

Then the music and singing start up. My heart races with anticipation and dread in equal measure.

I clutch the amulet around my neck, feeling its weight like a shackle.

The plan is set, the stakes are high, and there’s no turning back now.

I’m ready.

I have to try.

I leave the alcove, taking careful steps. The air is heavy with the scent of roasting meat and freshly baked bread. My stomach rumbles, but I ignore it. My strides are quick as I make my way to the old bell tower.

Thankfully, no one pays me much attention. They’re having too much fun. I don’t see any of the guards. None that know me, at least. I hurry to the bell tower.

Alaric is already there, his eyes scanning the surroundings, possibly for any sign of trouble. Or perhaps for me, because he gets a look of relief when he spots me, inclining his head for a moment as I approach.

“You came,” he says, smiling. His blond hair glints in the bright sunlight.

“I said I would. Is everything ready?” I ask, eyeing the hammer through his belt. “Are we really doing this?”

“We are, indeed, and yes, I managed to pack away a week’s worth of food and two days’ water. The supplies are with the horses.”

“Great.”

“I hope you have something warm stashed away in that bag?” Alaric asks, looking unsure.

“I have a cloak.” I nod. “It will do well enough. I’m wearing my boots under my dress.” I lift the hem to show him.

He makes a noise like he isn’t sure.

Alaric looks to the side as we hear someone approach. Heavy, booted footfalls that grow closer. It’s more than one person. Voices filter through.

I recognize one of them, and it makes my hands go clammy.

“If I find that little wench…” It’s the guard from last night. He hates me.

“You’ll what?” another sneers.

“I’ll take her to the mines myself, but only once I’ve taught her a lesson or two.” He sniggers.

I suck in a breath. Alaric and I look each other in the eye. Mine feel wide. My heart is racing.

Kakara help me.

“They’re looking for me,” I whisper. “Guards,” I add. “The one from last night.”

Alaric curses under his breath. He leans in. “You need to trust me, McColl. Follow my lead.”

They’re about to turn the corner. About to find me. There is nowhere to hide. I’m out in the open. Exposed. The door to the bell tower is padlocked. There is nowhere to go.

I swallow thickly and nod back, my eyes locked with his.

Alaric pulls the tie from my hair, pushing my amulet into my smock and between my breasts. Then he presses me against the wall and covers my lips with his. He pushes his body solidly against mine. Hot and hard man.

I gasp, my body going stiff and my eyes flying open.

“Play along,” he says against my mouth.

I make a noise of agreement, my eyes still wide. He’s right. This is the only way. I have to play along, or I’ll…we’ll be caught.

He presses his lips to mine and slips his tongue into my mouth.

I gasp again, but he swallows the sound, deepening the kiss.

I kiss him back, moaning and sliding my arms around his neck just as the guards walk around the corner, stopping mid-stride.

One of them chokes out a laugh, but I ignore him. I have to. I pretend to be engrossed in the kiss.

Alaric wraps his hand around my thigh through the layers of my dress and pulls it up. He is cupping my jaw with his other hand, shielding me from their prying eyes.

“What have we here?” the mean guard asks as Alaric holds me tightly. The man holding me so tightly scents of all things masculine, like leather and smoke, with a hint of sandalwood, perhaps.

The other guard laughs heartily.

My heart continues to beat wildly in my chest. It’s fear. If they catch me, I’m done for.

“Well, well, well. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a little show,” the other one chuckles. I recognize the voice but can’t put a face to it.

Jessop’s tit! I’ve gone stiff all over again. I need to relax.

Alaric pulls back just a little. “You’re about to ruin my day, sirs. A little space…please.” Then he kisses me again.

I will myself to relax. To give myself over to the kiss. I push my fingers into his hair.

“Let’s leave the lad be.” He laughs again. “Lucky bugger.”

They don’t move away. “Maybe I’ll stay and watch.” The mean bastard sounds like he is smiling.

I stop, putting a hand against Alaric’s chest as if to push him away. His arms tighten around me like he’s trying to keep me in place.

“Leave them be, Harlow,” the other one says. “We need to find the witch. She has a lot to answer for.”

“Fine,” Harlow mutters, and they finally start to walk away.

I open my eyes.

Instead of stopping, Alaric deepens the kiss all over again.

I realize that the guards could still be watching.

They could turn back. I slip my hands around his neck and finally start to relax, feeling his mouth against mine.

His hands on me. His body against me. For a moment, I forget everything, including the reason why we are kissing in the first place.

For just a moment, I allow myself to feel.

To feel him, to taste him, to smell him.

I’m lost and drowning in a kiss that isn’t even real. I have never been kissed like this before. I like it. I moan just as he pulls away. Alaric holds onto me, steadying me.

“That was close,” he says.

“Yes…it…um…it was. Too close.” My cheeks are red. I can feel the heat blossoming up my neck, spilling over on my face. “You’re good at pretending.” Why did I say that?

He smiles, and my insides do something strange.

“You are, too.” He looks serious. Almost angry. I’m not sure why. “I’m glad you played along.” His voice is gruff. “That you trusted me.”

“We’re about to escape…together. I think that trust is important.”

“Very important.”

I look around, but the guards are gone, at least for now. I straighten my dress, trying to steady my racing heart. I wipe my mouth because it is still tingling.

I think I might have actually enjoyed a pretend kiss a little too much. Particularly with a stranger I am forced to trust with my very life. I will chalk it up to the adrenaline that is coursing through my system.

Yes, it’s that, and only that.

“I hope they don’t come back.” His jaw is tight. Alaric looks up at the sky. “Not long now.”

I look up and sure enough, the moon is already covering half of the sun. Once the sun is fully obscured, there will be a great release of power.

The surge.

Our chance.

Alaric takes the hammer from his belt. “Do you see that line of trees in the distance?” He points using the implement.

I nod.

“Aim for between the two tallest trees heading due south. You will find the path I told you about. The horses are tied up to the right of the big flowering honeysuckle.”

“We’ll go together, so you don’t need to explain all this to me.” My tone is a little shrill because I don’t fully believe what I have just said. There is no way that it will go as smoothly as that.

Not a chance.

“Humor me, McColl. Besides, you never know.” I see his Adam’s apple work. He’s nervous. “Look for the flowering honeysuckle. You can’t miss it. The horses are tied to the right of the bush, just fifty or sixty yards into the undergrowth.”

I nod. He’s afraid he might not make it.

“You don’t have to do this. It’s dangerous,” I tell him.

“I know the risk involved, but I do have to go through with it. I have no choice. We need each other if we want to escape this place. I won’t last five minutes without your magic.

We stick to our deal: I free you, and you, in return, get us out of here.

If I don’t make it, you run. I’ll do the same. ”

I’m not worried about myself.

“You could die.” Why am I trying to talk him out of this? I don’t know Alaric. I shouldn’t care.

Only, I do.

“You’ll bring me back, McColl. I’m not worried.” The tightness in his body tells me otherwise.

Will I bring him back? I’m not convinced. I nod anyway. “I will do my best.”

“I believe in you, McColl.”

I feel warmth spreading across my chest. It soon turns icy. The problem is that he doesn’t know me at all. He has no idea what I’m capable of. Or where my many weaknesses lie.

You’re useless! What’s wrong with you? You’re no daughter of mine. You’re no Child of the Veil. You’re an embarrassment to the coven.

I hear my mother’s voice running through my head. All of her cruel taunts stabbing like barbs.

I pull the amulet from between my breasts, looking down at it. I may not be good enough to be a Child of the Veil, but I’m good enough for this.

I have to be.

“Lie down.” He looks up, and I follow his gaze. We don’t have much time. The sun is almost completely covered. The sky is darkening more and more by the second.

I do as Alaric instructs, lying on my side.

He takes the amulet, pulling it as far from my body as possible. My neck feels exposed. The cobblestones feel hard against my side. I glance up, and the hammer in his hand looks impossibly big. It’s well-used, just like his hands.

“I am an excellent marksman,” he tells me. “Breathe, relax. I won’t hurt you. Just make sure you don’t move so much as a muscle, and you’ll be fine.” He gives me a half smile. It’s tight, showing his nerves.

I swallow thickly. “O-okay.”

The shadows lengthen as the moon continues its path across the sun, casting an eerie darkness over the courtyard.

Alaric’s hands are steady as he positions the hammer above the amulet around my neck.

I can feel the cool touch of the chain against my skin, a stark contrast to the heat of anticipation swirling inside me.

Please let this work.

“Ready?” Alaric’s voice is surprisingly calm.

I nod, unable to form words, as I steel myself for what is to come.

As the moon fully covers the sun, a surge of magic is loosed. My skin tightens. Goose bumps break out on my arms, and all over my body. Prickles run up and down my spine. The surge hits, and I have to do everything in my power to keep from moving.

With a swift motion, Alaric brings the hammer down on the amulet.

There is a great clang as metal hits stone, breaking through the gold.

The impact sends a shockwave through me, a rush of magic colliding with my senses.

It feels like lightning coursing through my veins.

The pain is sharp, but thankfully, it is over quickly.

I bite down on my lip, fighting back a scream as the chain snaps and the amulet falls away from my neck. For a moment, everything is silent. The world seems to hold its breath.

I fill my lungs, my body buzzing. I’m free. I look up at Alaric, and he looks down at me.

It worked!

He was right.

I start to smile just as he falls to his knees, his eyes wide and startled.

“Alaric!” I yell, moving to a sitting position.

He gasps and falls into a crumpled heap on the ground. His eyes are wide and unseeing.

I smell magic in the air. I taste it, too. It’s thick and metallic.

I crawl to Alaric’s side. There is a faint shimmer around his body. When I turn him onto his back, I notice a black singe mark on his tunic over his chest where the bolt of defensive magic must have hit him.

No!

No! No! No!

“Alaric, stay with me,” I plead, my hands trembling as I reach out to touch him. His skin feels icy cold under my fingertips. Panic rises in my chest as I realize he’s not responding.

I don’t think he’s breathing.

I put my ear above his mouth. I don’t hear or feel anything. I press my palms against his chest, feeling for any sign of life.

But there is no beat.

His heart is quite still. His skin is ashen.

No! No! No! No!

Desperation grips me. I have to save him. That was the deal.

I can do it.

Summoning every ounce of power within me, I focus on the healing energy that flows through my veins. Closing my eyes, I channel it toward Alaric, willing his heart to beat, his lungs to fill. I whisper a spell, chanting the words over and over.

“Come back, Alaric!” I whisper as urgency grips me.

I feel a sizzle as magic leaves my fingers, going into the human on the ground.

For just a moment, his skin color seems to improve.

But already my power is fading. No! I push harder and harder until sweat drips from my brow. Until I am shaking.

I can’t… I… I gasp, slumping over Alaric, my breaths coming in quick succession.

I sit back up and inspect Alaric. He looks somehow worse than before as the color once again begins to fade.

“No,” I whisper. “No…please.” I shake him, but it is of no use. His body lies still on the ground, his chest unmoving. “I’m so sorry.” I look down at my hands. It’s useless. I have nothing left to give.

Then I look down at Alaric’s still form. He’s dead, and it’s all my fault. I couldn’t hold up my end of the bargain. I failed. My mother was right; I’m useless.

I cover my mouth with my hand to stifle a sob. The sound of voices grows closer. The sun is still partially obscured, but not enough to provide any kind of cover.

If someone comes this way, I will be found out and thrown in the dungeons. And Alaric’s sacrifice would be for nothing. I can’t have that.

I look down at Alaric, handsome even in death. A tear slides down my cheek. I wipe it away.

I lift a hand to his cheek, his skin cold to the touch. I bite back another sob; more tears sting my eyes. Then I jump to my feet and run in the direction he showed me moments before the eclipse.

It feels like a lifetime ago.