Page 14 of The Darkest Knight (The Cursed Kingdom #3)

Chapter Fourteen

T he wizard was not her father. Despite feeling assured that he lied, a part of her wondered if that could be the reason her mother was so against her going to Scotland.

Tammie’s entire body felt as if she had her hand around an electric wire. Everything tingled but it wasn’t unpleasant. Somehow she knew it was a power that she needed to harness, to control if she and the others were to have a chance of escape.

The wizard, Meliot, was just as she’d pictured him. Long lack-luster silver hair hung limp past his shoulders. He wore robing that was belted with what looked to be a golden cord. He was not an ugly man, but the malevolence he exuded made him terrifying.

His eyes were as black as night when he studied her. “Save your strength, you are not strong enough to stand against me.”

“Come in. I know you are there,” Meliot said, glancing over his shoulder. “This is my realm. I know all, see all.”

Hands bound Niall and Padriag appeared in the doorway, both had been stripped of their weapons, and were flanked by four of the beastlike guards.

Tammie pulled energy inward and considered how to strike the guards that held Niall and Padriag, but she wasn’t sure enough of her aim.

“Bring them,” Meliot instructed sweeping from the room. The guards walked forward, dragging a struggling Niall and Padriag with them.

Niall turned met her gaze and mouthed. “Run.”

She mouthed “No,” back. She wasn’t about to leave them there.

Although she didn’t doubt that Meliot could inflict harm, to the point of them wishing for death, his lack of response earlier confirmed her suspicions.

The Wizard couldn’t kill them.

When she and Erin stepped past the doorway, they caught sight of the men turning a corner.

“I don’t know what to do,” Erin said in a trembling voice. The woman’s skin was pale, her eyes red. “I am still not sure why I am here. We need to escape, run.” Her voice lowered to a whisper.

“We can’t. The wizard will send those things after us. I have to find out where they went, and your best bet is to stay with me. I’m sorry,” Tammie said as they took off at a jog in hopes of finding out where Meliot had taken Niall and Padriag.

The castle was a labyrinth of corridors, doorways, and empty rooms. Some led to open spaces, others to balconies from which the expanse of a dark forest could be viewed.

Just as Tammie was about to give up, they entered what looked to be a throne room of sorts.

Heart in her throat, Tammie moved into the space slowly, stopping at seeing Meliot. The wizard had his back to her, but he was aware she was there.

Other than a blazing fire in a monstrosity of a fireplace, there was no other lighting in the room.

Niall and Padriag had been chained to a wall. Neither struggled. They were either held still by magic, or aware it would be useless.

Meliot turned to face her. “You are right, daughter mine. I cannot kill them, as much as I would love to. They have caused me more grief as of late than they’re worth.”

A shiver of revulsion traveled down Tammie’s spine at him referring to her as his daughter. “Then let them go. Stop all this. They have more than paid the price for whatever trespass you perceive they did. Enough.”

The maniac shook his head, giving her a look like that of a parent to a petulant child. “It is not in my nature to do so. No, what I will do instead is to send them to a place where neither you nor anyone else will ever find them.”

“No!” Tammie screamed.

“You are right about one thing,” Meliot continued. “It is enough.”

“What is this Meliot?” A lithe, tall, dark-haired woman stepped through the doorway, her eyes trained on Niall the entire time. “I wasn’t aware you entertained. Why wasn’t I invited?”

An aura of darkness surrounded the woman and Tammie immediately recognized her. This was the woman in the dream. The one who tortured Niall.

Meliot’s gaze swept over the woman. “This is not the time, Devina.”

Instead of replying she walked around the wizard directly to where Niall stood. “Why is he here?”

All color drained from Niall’s face, but he didn’t look at the woman, instead his eyes were fixed on Meliot.

“The knights came to rescue the damsels in distress,” Meliot informed her in a bored tone. “Why are you here?”

“Damsels?” Devina whirled around obviously noticing Tammie and Erin for the first time.

Tammie did her best to tamp down her fear, although she suspected the thundering of her heart was obvious.

Devina’s eyes narrowed, her head cocked to the side as she stalked toward her. “Who are you?” She took a step closer to Tammie and studied her. “Do I know you?”

“I sired her. Her magic is already strong. I would maintain my distance.” The pride in Meliot’s voice made Tammie cringe. “She has come to claim her birthright and will rule the land, she will be more powerful that you and I combined.”

Niall’s eyes widened.

Tammie fought to keep the fear at bay.

She locked gazes with Niall. She heard his thoughts. I failed you .

Not yet you haven’t.

Devina caught the exchange between them and moved closer to her. She leaned forward and sniffed at her.

“Ah yes, I do know you.” Her face twisted into a rage as she slid a look to Meliot. “She is not that powerful. I am sure you are mistaken. The one you sired is not her.”

For the first time since meeting Meliot, he seemed unsure. “What do you speak of?”

When Devina didn’t reply, he flew at her, curling his pale long fingers around her throat. “What. Do. You. Know.” He pronounced each word slowly, deliberately.

The woman fought against the hold, her hands clawing at his. Tammie took advantage of the distraction and rushed to Niall. Curling her fingers around the chains, she concentrated energy in an attempt to break them.

The chains loosened enough that Niall slipped his hand out from the manacles. Quickly she did the same with Padriag.

When she looked to the door, Niall, tapped her arm and whispered. “Wait.”

She moved away from him just as Meliot released his hold on Devina, the demon gasped in air, her face contorted in anger.

“She was sired for a specific purpose. However, her fate is locked with yours, however. Perhaps a slave... who cares.” Devina whirled toward Tammie. “I doubt she will be agreeable. You will have a fight on your hands.”

Devina stalked to Tammie and lifted her hand as if to slap her, but before she could Tammie managed to hurl a blast of energy at the demon so hard that she stumbled backwards falling onto the stone floor.

With an enraged scream, Devina lunged at her, only to be intercepted by Niall, who got the brunt of the hit and was hurled back against the wall he’d been chained to.

Tammie was in a fight once. A girl in middle school called her a bitch, and before she thought better of it, she’d knocked the girl to the ground and began to pound her. Memories came flying back when Devina rushed at her, fingernails aimed at her face. They tumbled to the floor, Devina screeching and Tammie punching her as hard as she could.

Tammie was able to throw the woman off to the side and jump to her feet. Just as she got her footing, the woman rushed toward her again.

Enough was enough. Tammie harnessed all the anger and fear and threw a fireball at the advancing woman. It was as if the demon was electrocuted. She shook violently before falling to the floor where she was still.

Before Tammie could celebrate any kind of victory, an invisible vise surrounded her, pinning her arms to her sides. How long would this continue? This going back and forth, or more appropriately, one step forward and several back?

Niall and Padriag were being held by the guards, although struggling, it was evident they, too, were tiring.

Exhaustion poured from her and Tammie fought tears. She wouldn’t cry. This was not a time to show any kind of weakness.

The room was silent, and she could barely draw a breath, the hold was paralyzing.

Of the two things, whether she was Meliot’s daughter, or she was to be his slave of sorts, neither was an acceptable option. Demons always lied. Devina had to have lied to distract Meliot, so she could attempt to kill her.

The room seemed to tilt. He was trying to put her in a trance. Tammie clenched her eyes closed and forced her hand upwards. A weak fireball hit the wizard. He flinched but did not release her.

“Let her go.” The threat in Niall’s voice seemed to affect Meliot more than her fireball. The hold on Tammie loosened when the wizard whirled around to face the knight.

“You can never win against me. Accept your fate. You will be in another realm until your dying breath. Never will you see the place you lived before.”

Meliot picked up one of the discarded swords and advanced toward Niall and Padriag.

Niall glanced at her. Go now .

Tammie realized the hold on her had loosened even more.

She looked at Erin and motioned for her to go toward the door.

Erin shook her head. Like her, either because of fear or because she, too, was not leaving Niall and Padriag with the madman and his idiot guards.

Sword in hand, Meliot advanced toward Niall.

In desperation, Tammie pulled as much power as she could draw from everything in her surroundings and formed a large fireball. Just as Meliot drew up the large sword, she flung it at him with all her might.

The wizard stumbled, and the sword fell out of his hand clanging against the hard stone floor.

Both Niall and Padriag fought anew, but were no match for the stronger, larger creatures that held them in place.

Suddenly an explosion shook the castle, the sound so loud, every occupant in the room scrambled toward the interior wall. The entire exterior wall disintegrated. Stones flew in all directions. Tammie and Erin rushed for cover under a table.

The guards seemed to know what happened as all six men drew swords and advanced toward the large gaping hole.

Fire projected through the opening, and they jumped back.

Whoomp. Whoomp. Whoomp. The sound of large wings preceded another blast of fire. Two of the beast-like guards fell dead, a third rolled on the ground attempting to put out the flames crawling over him.

Meliot rushed towards her and Erin and grabbed them by the arms. “Come we must go or perish.”

Tammie yanked her arm away. “I am not going anywhere with you.”

Erin kicked at the wizard. He slapped her hard, and she fell against the wall and slid down, unconscious.

He went to pick her up. Tammie jumped on his back pounding and kicking him.

A force threw her off, and she landed with a loud thump. Tammie rolled away to avoid being stepped on by a guard that fought whatever it was that came in through the opening. When he burned and crumpled to the floor, the last guard dropped his sword and ran out of the room.

What she saw next made her mouth fall open.

A dragon.

A real dragon.

She stumbled backwards. The beast’s shimmering eyes glanced over her before they locked on Meliot who blasted it with a fireball. The dragon leaped. avoiding a direct hit with agility that shocked her.

Huge talons wrapped around the wizard pinning his arms to the sides. Meliot’s struggles were futile. The huge beast flapped its wings and turned midair heading away from the castle.

“You’ll pay for this, Sterling,” Meliot threatened as the dragon disappeared into the sky with the screaming wizard in his claws.

The man Meliot had called Sterling stood in the middle of the room with what looked to Tammie like a bored expression. His long silver-blonde hair whipped around his striking face, the ends waved in the wind. “Help me.” He motioned to Niall and Padriag, and together the men shoved the larger stones against the door.

Then he picked up the still unconscious Erin, and motioned to Tammie and the others. “When Dragos returns you will leave.”

Tammie opened her mouth to protest, but the dragon appeared as suddenly as the first time.

The man looked toward the knights, “Come let us go before more guards arrive. The stones will not hold them off for long.”

“Some assistance would be nice,” Padriag replied, holding up his bound hands.

“Yes, of course,” the male somehow managed to keep Erin in his arms and swing his sword, breaking through the bounds with a graceful swing.

Niall grabbed Tammie’s hand, and as a group they hurried to the large beast that had lowered itself to allow them to climb on his back.

“What exactly do I hold on to?” Tammie asked. She tried to swallow, but her throat was dry. “I’m afraid of heights.”

When Padriag mounted, Sterling handed Erin to him and stood back.

“Your help saved us,” Niall told the blonde male who watched them with what seemed to be a bored expression on his face.

It was then that Devina sat up dazed, when she spotted them on the dragon, she shrieked and tried to lift her hand to throw a fireball, but Sterling stopped her. He grabbed her arms and pulled them behind her, holding her in place.

“Eeeeeeeeek!” Tammie couldn’t stop from screaming when the dragon leaped into the air. Tammie held on to the nearest scale, her knuckles turning white as she hung on for dear life.

The beast began to descend, and Tammie looked to Niall who held her against him. “Why are we landing so soon?”

“We are too heavy, besides he has to return for Sterling,” Niall informed her.

The beast lighted onto the ground. Astounded by the beast’s grace, Tammie didn’t think to protest when Niall carried her into the woods. She watched over his shoulder to see the dragon take flight again toward Meliot’s castle.

“Do you think that Sterling guy is going to be all right?”

“Sterling can take care of himself.” Niall replied.

Snow fell onto the frozen ground. Tammie snuggled against Niall as he carried her, using his cloak to keep them both warm. She tried to protest, insisting that she was perfectly capable of walking, but he’d told her this way they could both use the cloak and share body warmth.

They walked for almost an hour before the men finally walked into a clearing and stopped.

Padriag and Erin dematerialized.

“Are you taking me back to Scotland?”

“Yes.”

“Will you return?”

“Close your eyes and hold on to me,” Niall told her.

Not wanting a repeat of what happened last time with Gunther, she did.