A Kind Of Magic (23 page)

“How did you know?” Val asked.

Hugh shrugged. “I know that look. What happened?” Roderick took a deep breath. “The harpies will be here before nightfall.” Both men cursed long and loud.

“We need everyone in place, especially a lookout,” Roderick continued.

Val nodded. “Three are already in place.”

“That is not all Aimery told you,” Hugh said as he searched Roderick’s face.

Roderick sank onto a barrel and looked at his two friends. “My father is dying, and there is a chance Elle will die this night.” Val whistled and propped his foot on another barrel. “You must choose.” Roderick nodded.

“Go,” Hugh said. “We will watch Elle for you, keep her alive until you return.

You need to see your father, to explain what happened.” Roderick looked at his leader. “How do you know?” Hugh smiled ruefully. “I pieced things together through the years. I don’t know what happened exactly, but whatever it was needs to be explained so you can receive your family’s forgiveness.”

“There is a chance that I can go to my father and return before the harpies arrive,” Roderick said.

“Then do it,” Val urged. “Find Elle and explain to her.” Roderick put his head in his hands. The last thing he wanted to do was tell Elle why he had no other choice but to return to his father before died. If she didn’t hate him for leaving her, she would hate him for what he had done.

“I cannot,” he mumbled.

The armory grew silent as the three men turned to their thoughts.

“Do you love her?” Hugh finally asked.

Roderick lifted his head. “I do not know. What I feel for her is hard to put into words, but is it love?” He shrugged.

“I will tell her,” Val offered. “Go to your father.” Roderick turned to Val. “I cannot ask you to do this.”

“You didn’t. I offered,” Val said with a smile. “I give you my word that I will keep Elle safe. Go so you can hurry back.” Roderick knew he would forever been in Val and Hugh’s debt. He stood and gazed at the two men. “I cannot thank either of you enough.”

“Don’t try,” Hugh said and pushed him towards the door. “We’ll be waiting for you.”

Roderick hurried from the armory and out of the castle to the stables. Just as he reached the stables he called out for Aimery who appeared instantly.

“Well?” Aimery asked.

“Let us go so that I may return.”

Aimery smiled and then glanced over Roderick’s shoulder, his smile slipping.

“What is it?” he asked as he looked over his shoulder.

And

spotted

Elle.

She was coming towards him, but Val quickly intercepted her. Yet, Roderick couldn’t take his eyes from her beautiful face. And when the anger and surprise shown in her eyes, he knew then he had lost her.

“Fight for her when you return,” Aimery said.

Roderick knew he was right. He turned back to Aimery and nodded. “Take me to Thales.”

And that’s when it happened. The instant Aimery touched him, Roderick smelled the evil.

Elle blinked, her mind barely registering that Roderick had left her. What was it Val had said? That Roderick needed to return to his realm.

“Elle,” Val yelled and pulled at her arm.

She turned and looked at him as if through a fog. Her mind had stopped working the instant she heard Roderick was leaving her. After he had sworn never to.

Val grabbed both her shoulders and shook her. “Elle, look at me.” She blinked again and focused on his face. “He left me.”

“He’ll return,” Val promised. “We must leave. Now.”

“Why?”

“The harpies are here.”

And then she heard their unmistakable screams, screams she never wanted to hear again. Like nails on a chalk board, their cries would rival that of a banshee.

She lifted her skirts and followed Val into the stables. While Val began to saddle the horses, she barred the door after Hugh, Mina, and the knights ran inside.

“Did the call go out to the others?” Hugh asked as he saddled his horse.

“Aye,” two of the knights answered in unison.

Elle ran to her mare and gathered her weapons to place on her saddle now that Val was done. She tossed him the bridle to his horse and then moved to mount hers. It was on her third try that she felt hands on her waist.

Once in the saddle she looked down at Val. “Thank you.”

“We’ll take care of you,” he promised as he vaulted on his horse.

The small group looked at each other in the stables before Hugh gave a nod.

“Ready?” he asked.

Elle was anything but ready. She knew Val would keep her safe, but they needed Roderick. As the group burst from the stable, Elle tried to recall just what reason Val had said Roderick needed to leave.

“Stay with me,” Mina said as she rode beside Elle.

Elle nodded, her throat unable to make a sound as the harpies flew towards them.

The clank of their wings as they grew closer drowned out the sound of the horses’ hooves as they rode through the bailey and out the gates.

Elle glanced over her shoulder to see the gates closing behind them. At least the people of Stone Crest would be safe, she thought.

Her horse veered to the left as she struggled to hang on. The oak trees where the rope was strung were only a short distance ahead. They could make it. They had to make it.

A man’s terrified scream sounded around them.

Elle glanced back to see one of the harpies had taken a knight off his horse and tore him limb from limb. She choked on her bile and turned to lower herself over the mare’s neck.

Snow had been falling all day, but the flurries grew larger and heavier, obscuring Elle’s view. She kept Mina in her sights at all times, and a glance to her right showed her Val stayed with her. His horse could easily outrun hers, but he held back, protecting her.

And then she saw them.

She could just make out the giant oaks through the blinding snow. Their small group plunged their horses through the two trees.

“Take me back. Now,” Roderick demanded.

Aimery raised his nearly blonde brows. “You are on Thales. Do you not wish to see your father?”

Roderick sighed. “More than anything.”

“You are here, Roderick. See your father.” But Roderick didn’t budge. “The harpies attacked as we left. I must return.” For several moments Aimery didn’t speak. “You realize, that if you leave now, there is a chance you might never see your father again.”

“I knew that chance when I left Thales all those years ago. ‘Tis the chance I must take again.”

“All right,” Aimery agreed and started to reach for Roderick.

“Wait,” Roderick stopped him. “I would ask for one thing.”

“Ask. If ‘tis in my power, I will give it.” Roderick turned his head to look at his beloved city, the home he yearned to return to. “Go to my father. Explain to him why I couldn’t be with him.”

“Is that all?” Aimery asked. “Isn’t there more you would like him to know?”

“Aye,” Roderick nodded sadly. “If he won’t last until I can return … tell him for me.”

“Consider it done,” Aimery said and gave him a sad smile.

Roderick blinked and found himself once again on Earth. He looked around the stables and recognized Stone Crest. “Thank you, Aimery,” he said as he vaulted onto the white stallion. “Ride,” he whispered as he rushed from the stables.

Only to find the gates being shut.

“Open them,” he shouted. “Now! Open them.” They heard him just before he reached the gates and gave him room enough to ride through. As the stallion’s hooves thundered over the snow covered ground, he heard the boom as the gates closed and locked.

Up ahead, he saw the three harpies flying over the trees of the forest, as if deciding if they should venture down or not. Finally, they swooped down, and Roderick lost them in the trees.

But he knew where they were headed.

The

oaks.

He leaned low over the stallion’s neck, and the horse increased his pace, nearly flying over the ground. And all the while Roderick prayed he reached Elle in time.

Elle raced through the two oak trees and didn’t turn around until she heard one of their screams. Hugh and Mina slowed to look, but she and Val continued on. Elle glanced over her shoulder and saw one of the harpies had fallen for their trick.

And by the screams of rage resonating above them, she knew her terror had just begun.

“Ride,” Val yelled over the drone of the horses’ hooves.

She followed him down the narrow trail to the monastery, her breath burning like ice in her throat. Her heart beat like a drum as her stomach ran with the acid of fear. She wanted to look and see if the remaining two harpies had been separated, but mind numbing fear kept her head straight.

And then, just up ahead through the snow laden branches, she saw it. The monastery.

Val never slowed as he thundered through the low, crumbling gates of the monastery. Elle ducked just in time to keep her head from being removed from her body as she passed through the stone gate.

“Jump,” Val said over his shoulder as they reached the door.

Elle might have gained some confidence from riding, but there was no way she could jump off a moving horse and not break something. She watched in horror as Val did just that and rolled to his feet. Mere seconds was given to her to make a decision.

“Elle. Now,” Val said from the doorway.

He glanced over her, and Elle knew. At least one of the harpies had followed them.

Kicking free of the stirrups, Elle tried to mimic Val’s jump but only managed to get her legs tangled in her skirts and fall in a heap on the ground. At least there was snow to break her fall.

One of the back hooves of her mare grazed her temple as she landed, but she shook off the injury and scrambled to her feet. Val’s hands closed over her arms as he hauled her into the monastery.

“Do you remember the plan?” he asked as he raised his halberd.

Elle stared in horror at the weapons hanging from her saddle.

“What is it?”

“My bow. It’s still attached to my saddle.” Val cursed. “Wait here,” he told her and slipped out of the monastery.

Elle tried to catch him, but he was out the door before she had even lifted her hand. Luckily for them, her mare had stopped almost immediately after she had fallen.

How Val made it to the mare and back without being attacked, Elle would never know.

He handed her the weapon, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you,” she whispered and stepped back.

His cocky smile nearly brought a laugh from her. “Any time.” Then the smile dropped as a harpy scream reached them. “Do you remember the plan?” he asked again.

She nodded.

“Good. Keep to the plan, Elle. Everything will be fine.” But she knew it wouldn’t. Roderick wasn’t there. His departure made ragged gnashes on her soul so deep she couldn’t even think about it without bursting into tears, and tears would do her no good now.

First, she had to live through the harpy attack, then she would face the hollow in her chest.

Her feet stumbled several times over the fallen stones and bookshelves that littered the main room. Even in her haze of fear and glum she managed to recall where the door was that led down to the lower rooms. Through the cold she could smell the mold and mildew from long decades of unuse. She pushed away her growing panic of being alone in the dark of the lower level and grabbed the torch they had made for her.

After several attempts, she managed to light the torch and held it high overhead.

Long, silent shadows met her gaze.

“You’re being silly,” she said to herself and took her first step into the narrow hallway.

Roderick heard the startled screams of the harpies and smiled. Elle’s plan must have worked, but just as they expected, the other two hadn’t fallen for the trick.

His eyes darted up to see two of the harpies circling over the trees just as he reached the forest. He tried to keep his eyes on them as he rode, but the snow and trees hindered his view. He reached the fallen harpy and nearly choked on the rancid smell of evil. His stallion pranced and tried to turn away, but he was trained well, and with Roderick’s expert handling, the stallion calmed, though his withers twitched to be away.

Roderick didn’t take long to scout the area, but enough time that he saw where Hugh and Mina had nearly stopped and two other horses rode past.

“Elle and Val,” he whispered and looked in the direction of the harpy.

The creatures had grown silent, and even in the stillness of the day, he could barely hear their wings beating. He wished he knew if the second part of their plan had succeeded.

He turned his horse toward the monastery and urged him forward. The stallion lurched into a run, as if sensing Roderick’s urgency. In his mind’s eye he could see Elle’s expression of surprise and anger at his leaving. And she had every right to be. He had given his word he wouldn’t leave her, but he had hoped, nay prayed, that he could go to his father and return before the harpies attacked.

Inwardly, he cringed as he wondered what Elle thought of him now. But he would make it up to her, and explain everything. It was time she knew his dark secret, the secret that had sent him running like a coward from Thales and his beloved family.

Finally, he reached the monastery and spotted Elle’s mare. He raised his eyes and scanned the skies but saw no trace of a harpy, nor heard her.

Which wasn’t a good sign.

He kicked free of the stirrups and pulled back on the reins. The stallion slid to a halt as Roderick landed on his feet.

“Hide,” he whispered to the stallion and slapped him on the rump.

Roderick spared the animal just a glance to make sure he would indeed find a place to hide, and thankfully, Elle’s mare followed him.

He stepped into the monastery and wrinkled his nose at the scent of evil. The harpy was here but where? He knew Val and Elle would stick to the original plan unless something had gone terribly wrong. Silently, Roderick unstrapped his flail, the weight of the spiked balls tugging at his hand. He yearned to use it on the harpy, to feel the spikes sink into its skin.

With a skill long learned, he picked his way through the large chamber, never making a sound. Not even the chain from his flail clinked as he walked. It was as if he were a spirit, and what better way to sneak up on evil than a spirit? His heart urged him to follow the stairs below to let Elle know he was here, but his head told him to go to his arranged spot and carry out the third part of the plan.