Page 25 of The Lionheart’s Bond (Bonds of Dusk and Dawn #1)

Judel started. With the commotion and the fight, he had forgotten all about that.

‘You really didn’t know,’ Judel said.

Isidore sat on a chair, shaking his head.

Judel’s eyes involuntarily found the remains of the man, his eyes turned into his head, lying in a puddle of his own blood, soaking into the carpet.

‘He didn’t have any other children?’ Judel asked.

‘None that can claim his title. The children of servants can’t succeed their noble fathers, no matter the title.’

‘Why did he go to get you?’

‘My father had debts, many debts. He wasn’t the best at managing his estate and couldn’t keep up. He took the money Lord Torell gave him, but the duke was never a trustworthy man and became impatient. He went to get his money back, but there was no coin to take, and everything else was of no value to Torell. My father’s library was a sight to behold of course, but that man wouldn’t have known what to do with it. He probably heard I had a hand for animals and thought that was interesting enough to take me with him. Not to mention, my mother was of noble lineage. It makes me a suitable heir, even if having an heir wasn’t his original intention. If not for my little ability, I think he would have killed me too.’

Isidore’s face tensed, his mouth in a fine line, biting down on whatever emotions were running through him. Judel squeezed his shoulder and Isidore tilted his head until his cheeks pressed against the back of Judel’s fingers, the warmth of his skin soothing.

Distant voices interrupted their momentary peace, though, and they forced themselves to remember they still had to make it out of the fort alive. Isidore might be the only known heir to the duke’s seat, but that didn’t mean the men would accept him.

‘Get dressed,’ Isidore pointed at a chest over by the bed.

Judel stepped over the clothes he had ripped through as he shifted, aghast that he had done so. All of the duke’s trousers were way too tight for him. At least the boots were intact. He slipped them on while Isidore searched through a pile of clothes discarded on a chair. He looked down, the gesture accompanied by a rattling, metallic sound. Whatever it was, Isidore shoved it into his pockets just in time to welcome three armed men into the lord’s rooms.

‘You! What the hell happened to Lord Torell!’ The man at the front, tall, and surely at one time handsome, was probably the cleanest and best dressed of the lord’s men. Certainly, the only one sober, if the state of the guard behind him was anything to go by.

‘Captain Reiner,’ Isidore began, his voice firm. ‘Lord Torell’s dukedom has come to an abrupt end. As I am sure you know, since it seems like even the lowliest of guards knew before me, I am his only known son—’

‘A bastard!’

Judel took a step forward, wishing he had his sword, but Isidore signed for him to stop, and he did. He liked this side of Isidore. What was he planning to do now?

‘A bastard who is now the rightful Duke of Stonehollow, as was my father before me,’ Isidore replied, his eyebrows high. ‘But if you feel you have a better claim to it, I welcome you to try and fight my claim in front of the king.’

Captain Reiner gritted his teeth, his jaw so tense Judel thought it would shatter.

Isidore, reading the indecision, spoke in that voice again. The wolf lifted its eyes, coming to the young man’s side and pushing its head into Isidore’s hand.

A curtain of resignation shut the resentment behind the captain’s eyes as he witnessed the scene.

‘Fine,’ he said, his voice far from enthusiastic.

‘Fine, what?’

Captain Reiner didn’t know what to say, at first. His eyes opened wide, then, suddenly understanding, only to frown with annoyance.

‘Fine, my lord.’

Isidore nodded, content.

‘Order the men to convene in the hall, I shall have a word with them.’

‘Yes, my lord.’ Captain Reiner pretended to bow, before squaring and walking out.’

As if moving on to the next item on an imaginary list, Isidore turned to the duke’s body and grabbed it by the ankle, pulling it towards the door. But pulling a body was harder than it seemed, limbs flailing and clothes catching, added to the weight.

‘What are you doing?’ Judel whispered.

‘I want to bring his corpse to the hall.’

Judel smiled, nodding towards the guards and enjoyed the blush climbing Isidore’s collar.

The boy cleared his throat, straightening up.

‘You, find someone else and carry the body down to the hall.’

‘Yes, my lord,’ he said. The hesitation was still evident in his voice, but he obeyed.

‘What’s next?’ Judel asked when they disappeared.

‘It’s as you said, isn’t it? We have to make it out of here.’

‘But you’re the Duke of Stonehollow now.’

‘Don’t remind me.’ Isidore looked greener for a second. ‘That’s all well and good, especially since Reiner accepted it, but that doesn’t mean they’ll let us walk out of here with the prisoners. Their loyalty was to Torell before the king, but now I’m the duke, the king will come first.’

Isidore’s confidence and ability to foresee this much impressed him and his heart thumped loud in his chest, a mixture of attraction and pride.

The sound of steps warned them of someone approaching and Captain Reiner was at the door again, cloak billowing.

‘The men are ready for you, my lord.’ Everything in his voice betrayed his distaste at having to treat Isidore with reverence. Isidore was right, being recognized as Torell’s son was no guarantee of success.

‘Very well,’ Isidore nodded.

Judel followed his lover, expecting to return to the lower floors at once but the young man stopped, looking up a different set of stairs for a moment. Whatever he was considering, he gave up on it soon and turned back to the lower floors. The corridors below were empty; the only noise that of the captain’s teeth grinding loudly.

On the ground floor, Isidore asked them to wait and made it down another flight of stairs. Judel and Reiner watched each other with hostility. The prince willed the other man to do something stupid, still hungry for a fight, but Isidore was back before anything could happen. A thick tabard with the Kaletian colours covered his dirty clothes. A long string of questions burnt on Judel’s tongue, but the captain was too close.

The hall was brimming with people, and the crowd went into a loud murmur and occasional yelling when he walked out onto the dais.

‘Where is the body?’ Isidore asked to no one in particular, looking around until he saw the two guards by the door. He waved at them to come over. ‘Throw him down the steps,’ he ordered.

The two guards froze, looking to Captain Reiner for confirmation. Nahel would have them hung from the gate if anyone as much as dared look away from her when she was giving an order. Now it was Isidore’s authority that was questioned, and Judel felt that outrage twice as much and wanted nothing more than to punch each one of them in the face.

He was ashamed to say he hadn’t felt quite that same vengeful urge for his actual queen. He’d have to bring her a pastry on his way back. Or a bird.

Captain Reiner nodded, and the men did throw the body down the steps. It hit the stone with a dull thud, blood spluttering out. The first row took a step back. A murmur ran through the crowd again, but soon died, an expectant silence spreading through the guards.

‘I am not going to waste any of your time,’ Isidore began. ‘My friend and I are going to walk out of here and never come back. I am aware that some of you,’ Isidore said, pointing at the body below him, ‘might not feel that’s fair given the situation. I have no interest in being the new Duke of Stonehollow, and have no intention of staying here, neither alive, nor dead. You all have a decision to make, now. You can try to stop us and waste your time in a task that’ll bring you neither riches nor glory. While the king might be grateful to you, he will repay your loyalty with nothing, and you all know it.’ Isidore allowed his words to sink in before speaking again. ‘Or you can choose the alternative.’

A pregnant silence settled over the audience, and Isidore let it linger again, watching the tension rise.

‘Stonehollow’s coffers are open,’ Isidore continued at last, the crowd buzzing with whispers. ‘I suggest you spend your time taking whatever coin and riches you can carry and go make a life somewhere else.’

Judel watched, holding very still as one by one, the men’s expressions turned. Their faces contorted as they calculated how quickly they would need to move to make it down there before anyone else. That was where Isidore had disappeared to. He had gotten the keys from Lord Torell’s cloak and ran downstairs to open all the stores and coffers. Clever.

It took a second of collective breath-holding, before all hell broke loose, as man upon man ran out of the hall, so many of them getting stuck at the door, all of them trying to get out at the same time. Reiner was by far the calmest, leaving through a different exit. Judel had a suspicion he just knew of a shortcut.

They both watched, transfixed, until the reality of their own situation brought their focus back to the task at hand. Surely, dawn was around the corner. The telltale signs hadn’t appeared yet, but it wouldn’t be long now.

‘Let’s go,’ he said, pulling from Isidore’s sleeve.

Isidore snapped out of it and nodded, following him out and down the stairs once more.

‘Did you do that to send them in the opposite direction to the dungeons?’ Judel asked as they rushed downstairs?

‘To get them out of our way all together, but the fact the coffers are in a different part of the castle also went through my mind.’

Half an hour later, having freed the prisoners and stolen a cart and two horses from the stables, they made it to the city walls, Isidore and he on the driver’s seat, and the wolf lying under Isidore’s legs, licking its wounds. Judel had watched impatiently as Isidore tried to dismiss the beast when it had found them in the yard. At first, it terrorized the horses, but Isidore ran a hand over them, and they quietened quickly.

The wolf, however, ignored every effort Isidore made to communicate it was free to go, and while Judel would have liked nothing more than to keep trying, they were running out of time.

That one gate ahead was their last hurdle. Nerves pulled at his shoulders, and he reached for the pummel of the sword he had picked up, ready to fight his way out.

Isidore dug his fingers into his thigh as they started driving under the arch, his hand shaking into Judel’s flesh. The prisoners shuffled with unease at the back of the cart, on edge too.

‘Hey, you!’ the guard yelled.

Judel stopped, looking straight ahead.

‘Isidore.’ The other guard came around. ‘What are you—’

The movement of Isidore’s hand caught Judel’s eye as he slid it under the tabard. Judel was ready to see a blade cut through flesh but what Isidore pulled out was a purse. He threw it far behind their cart, the leather satchel splitting open on the dirt road, coins falling dully into the dust. The shine of gold caught the guards’ attention and tricked them into forgetting about the cart entirely. Judel didn’t give them a chance to second-guess themselves and urged the horses, who started into a decent gallop, away from the walls, the city and The Quarry. He looked over his shoulder in time to see the guard half-heartedly watching them go, considering whether to do something or not. By the time the Kaletian completed his thought, they were out of reach. The guard went back to picking up coins, and Judel turned front with a sigh of relief.

He didn’t let the horses slow down until they were far enough for the fortress to look small. The sun was low, and his shadow projected ahead, a long, dark brushstroke on the road.

Judel’s mouth slowly gaped open. Then closed. He swallowed. Frowned.

Paralyzed, his grip on the reins slackened, his heart suddenly racing and his eyes hot and blurry. He turned, lifting a hand over his eyes.

‘What’s the matter?’ Isidore asked.

‘Isidore.’ His voice came out so weak it was almost inaudible, even to him.

‘What?’ Isidore asked again, his face stiff with panic.

Judel turned to him and grabbed his shoulders so hard Isidore started.

‘Isidore!’

Judel looked back and up, finding the sun, that orb he hadn’t set eye on in human form in over seven years.

‘Lord Valledar bless us…’ Isidore gasped, a hand covering his mouth.

‘I didn’t transform. Isidore, I didn’t shift!’

‘That’s… that’s…’ Isidore’s voice broke, and tears ran down his cheeks, and this time Judel couldn’t help the emotion running through his body. His human body.

He wrapped his arms around Isidore’s waist, and held him close; too happy to even exchange words, pushing the confusion and the questions away. For now, all that mattered was the feeling of the sun on his face as he hugged the man he loved.

Judel stood by, arms crossed, as Isidore tried to dismiss the wolf again. The air was cool under the trees, where they could hide once more.

Isidore led he animal away from the road and squatted in front of it.

‘You can go, now,’ Isidore said, and his voice rang like power vibrating through the forest floor. The wolf’s eyes shone bright gold once but turned orange again, just like last time. It didn’t budge. He rubbed his head against Isidore’s and just sat there, both of them staring into each other’s eyes.

‘I guess it’s staying with you too,’ Judel said, smiling. ‘It’s a smart one.’

Isidore looked up and smiled that open smile that stole Judel’s breath away. He couldn’t wait to be home.

It took them most of the morning and part of the afternoon to find the rest of their party, camped in a discreet area, out of sight of the road.

The faces on the guards were a poem by themselves, but his brothers reappeared one by one, and the forest filled with the calls from hawk, deer and fox, cries of outrage. Questioning cries. His brothers, in their animal forms, paced around him like predators, waiting desperately for the sun to set.

They assaulted him with questions as soon as they were able to form words, and some tried even sooner.

‘Stop! I’ll tell you everything.’

They sat through the night, unable to travel at all and moderately relaxed in the knowledge that no one would chase them for a few days, while Judel and Isidore recounted the events of the past couple of nights.

‘Bribery? That was your plan?’ Brin turned to Isidore, amazed.

‘He was amazing,’ Judel said, grinning. ‘I was so proud of him. He was so confident up there.’

‘I thought I was going to pass out, I was so scared.’ Isidore blushed, smiling, as he buried his face in his crossed arms.

‘It was a solid strategy. When in doubt, money will move mountains,’ Nel said, resting back against a tree.

‘One mystery remains, though,’ Hina said, leaning forward, as if he could figure out how he didn’t shift by looking at him more closely.

Judel shrugged.

‘If I could explain it, I would tell you.’

‘Maybe it’s because you spent the night with your lover,’ Nel smirked.

‘Aye, that’s what it is,’ Brin rolled his eyes. ‘You spend the night with your true love, and then, puff, the curse is broken.’

Hina rubbed his chin, pensive.

‘True love. There are countless stories in which such sentiment is the answer,’ Hina nodded, considering the issue seriously.

They all looked at each other, their faces serious. Nel was the first one to break, laughing out loud. No one else was able to hold it after that.

‘Of course, that’s not it’ Hina confirmed, quite adamant. ‘It’s a common archetypal element in children’s stories and folklore. It would be so convenient if it was possible.’

‘I don’t think so, brother,’ Judel said.

‘Why?’

‘For starters, Nel would be entirely screwed. He wouldn’t know love if it hit him in the face with a mace,’ Judel laughed, his abdomen sore, now.

‘Excuse me! I’ll have you know I’m never without partner,’ His brother scoffed indignantly.

‘That’s likely the problem, brother, that’s likely the problem,’ Brin said, dropping a hand on Nel’s back and shaking him affectionately.

‘Still, this is an encouraging development. We know at last the curse can be broken,’ Hina continued seriously.

Judel looked at Isidore, busy once more petting the wolf.

‘Let’s not be too optimistic. It might all go back to normal tomorrow morning.’

But the next morning came, and they all watched the light be born on the horizon. Judel grappled with sadness and guilt as he watched his brothers twist and stretch and shrink through the transformation, the pain of it all etched in his bones still, while he remain human.

A hand slid into his, though, and their fingers intertwined.

The animals made a ruckus at them and Isidore laughed, watching them.

‘What?’ Judel asked.

‘Hina says congratulations, and Brin says he’s happy you were the first one to break the curse and that he loves you.’

‘You could say some of that when you’re human, you jerk,’ he swore at Brin, but his heart felt full. ‘Hold on, you can speak to them?’

Isidore shrugged.

‘When we fought against Torell, I got so scared… I thought you were going to die and then it all changed. Something became loose in my chest and I felt as if I could breathe properly for the first time in years. Lord Torell devices might not have worked the way he wanted, but they did affect me after all.’

Amazed, Judel blinked at him, not sure of what to say.

‘It seems my affinity for animals was more than just that, after all,’ Isidore said, smiling in his brothers’ direction.

Judel looked at each one of them, his human eyes meeting their animal ones, a knot of emotion lodging in his throat.

‘Did Nel say something?’

Isidore chuckled.

‘What?’ Judel frowned.

‘Nel says you suck.’

Judel laughed one of those laughs that made heads fall back and bellies squeeze, while his brothers ran ahead into the forest. Their lost friends, their men, Isidore and his wolf, and he followed the road South.

They were going home.

Thank you for reading the first book of Bonds of Dusk and Dawn !

You will be happy to know there is not long to wait for book two. To Outfox a Prince will be out in July and is already available to pre-order.

If you're too impatient for book two, continue reading for a free sample of the next volume in the Bonds of Dusk and Dawn Series.