The Last Witch (Incenaga Trilogy) (7 page)

The
young man combed his fingers through his dark brown hair and dropped his gaze to the tips of his mud covered boots.

“Pardon me, miss. I wasn’t expecti
ng to see anyone here.”

Emmeline
leapt to her feet and wiped her face with the back of her hand, “I was just leaving.”

“Please, sit down
.” he gestured to the bench. “Are you okay?”

He took a step toward her and
Emmeline tensed. She’d had too few experiences with people to know if they meant harm or not.

“I’m fine,”
she said, taking a step away.

The young man’s brow creased. He dropped his hand and t
ook a step back. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

Uncertain of the stranger
, Emmeline wanted to turn and run, but she hesitated. His fearless gaze intrigued her. Other than Mahlon, he was the only person in Dolmerti who was not afraid of what he saw.

S
he took a quick moment to inspect him closer. He had an air of confidence about him, a certain way he held himself that she couldn’t quite place. His dark hair appeared clean, but disheveled, as if the wind had just whispered a secret to him. She gazed into his face, and her body relaxed a little. His eyes, the color of warm honey, brimmed with kindness.

“Are you hurt?”
he asked.

“No,
I’m fine.” She looked around the clearing. “Although, I arrived here in such a hurry that I’m afraid I might be a little turned around. Perhaps you could point me toward the gravel paths?”

He smiled and
held out his arm. “I can do better than that. May I escort you, My Lady?”

Emmeline looked at
his arm and then back at his face. Could she trust him? Her experiences thus far told her to run away, that he could be one of Mahlon’s men. And yet he looked at her with such warmth, not a trace of fear or malice in his eyes. Her curiosity won and she took hold of his arm, her hand trembling.

He smiled down a
t her and held his arm further from his body, no doubt sensing her discomfort. She appreciated the gesture and the space it allowed, but he began leading her in the opposite direction than she had come and a wave of nausea flooded over her.

“Are y
ou certain this is the way to the paths?” she asked.

“There is a road up ahead that leads to ju
st about anywhere. It’s easier to travel than the forest paths, but it’s a bit of a walk, I’m afraid. Do you think you’ll be able to manage?”

Emmeline bristled
and pulled her arm away. “I can manage just fine, thank you.”

“Forgive me,
My Lady.” He gestured toward the trees and held his arm out once again. “Shall we?”

Emmeline
hesitated. Was he really going to lead her to the road? Or did he know her true identity and was leading her farther away? Her heart pounded in her chest. Glancing around, she hoped to get a better sense of the forest and perhaps find her own way. But the forest was thick and the trees obscured a view of any kind. Unlike her forest home, she feared Dolmerti’s forest was a labyrinth she might never solve.

She looked up
at the young man, his face relaxed as he waited for her to take his arm. He smiled and she could almost feel the warmth emanating from him. He wouldn’t harm her, she decided. Nodding, she took hold of his arm once again.

After several long
strides he broke their silence, his smooth voice echoing off the trees. “What brought you to my clearing?”

“I
t’s your clearing?”

“Sure
,” he said with a wink. “At least, I’m the only one who goes there, but I’d be happy to share it now that the secret is out.”

“Well, thanks
,” Emmeline muttered. She tilted her neck up to smile at him and he responded with a smile of his own. The last of her defenses melted away.

“
What brought you to the clearing?” she asked.

“I go there when I need to think
. I am the King’s gamekeeper. Although, he no longer hunts. The two princes hunt on occasion, but while they are traveling I have more free time to myself. I prefer the quiet of the forest.”

“There are two princes?”

“Of course. The Crown Prince and his younger brother, Prince Weldon. You must not be from Dolmerti.”

Emmeline shook her head.

“
I should have known from your speech. Where are you from?”

Emmeline tensed. W
ould she be in danger if she told him? She couldn’t be sure. “Why doesn’t the King hunt anymore?” she asked, hoping to drop the subject of her origins.

“You don’t know? He’
s blind. He lost his sight about ten years ago.”

“How devastating.”

He nodded, “It has caused some problems among a few of the nobles. They don’t think a blind king will notice their lack of integrity and radical behaviors. But the Crown Prince has taken on most of the royal affairs as of late.”

“I meant for the King
. It must be devastating for him to be blind.”

“Oh, y
es, of course. Forgive me. The King is an optimistic man. He doesn’t see his blindness as a hindrance, but rather as an excuse to become a better listener.” He chuckled.

It was clear to Emmeline that
he thought very highly of the King and she wondered when she would have the opportunity to meet him. It had been over six weeks since her arrival and not once had he requested an audience with her. Several possible explanations flitted through her mind—he didn’t care for her common upbringing, his illness prevented him—but none seemed a proper enough excuse to ignore his future daughter.

When t
hey reached the road, Emmeline understood why the young man said it led almost anywhere. Memories of countless travelers were pressed into deep wheel ruts and hard packed dirt. It wound around the mountain above and stretched far into the valley below.

“Ah, here we are
,” he said as he released her arm. “Where can I take you from here, My Lady?”

Emmeline
grimaced. She wasn’t ready to be confined behind marble walls and tall doors. “The day is still too young for me to return, I think. Would you mind taking me to the King’s stables? I can probably find my way to the palace from there.”

“The palace?”

Emmeline squirmed. “Um…yes.”

“I wasn’t aware
you were a guest of the King’s,” he said. “We are usually informed of guests’ arrivals so we can better accommodate their needs.”

Emmeline shrugged.
Most of the servants hadn’t been made aware of her presence. Her guards knew who she was, along with a few of Mahlon’s men and servants, but beyond that she wasn’t sure what everyone else was told, if anything at all.

She looked into
his honest face and found that she wanted to confide in him. She wanted someone to talk to who wasn’t tainted with all the painful memories of her former home, someone outside the palace walls who wouldn’t follow her around and tell her when to eat, bathe and dress. She wanted a friend.

Stil
l, she didn’t know him. How would he react when he discovered she was not just a guest to the King, but the future bride of the Crown Prince? And a witch! The servants who knew of her nuptial arrangement treated her like a delicate ornament, someone who needed careful handling and pampering. If he behaved the same way, her hope for friendship would crumble. Likewise, if he discovered she was a witch he might fear her. Unsure of what to do and uncomfortable with lying him, she told him the only truth she could.

“I haven’t been here long,” she said. “
Most of the servants haven’t been made aware of my arrival yet.”

“Well, a
ll the stable servants have the day off, so you may not be able to ride today.”

“That’s fine.
Just to see them will be enough.”

He smiled. “Does the lady have a fondness for horses?”

“I do.” A stab of yearning pierced Emmeline’s heart. It had been so long since she had ridden. Even to have a horse nudge her hello would give her so much comfort.

“R
ight this way, then.” He gestured to the curve in the road and waited for Emmeline to step out from the trees. Setting an easy pace, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and started up the incline. A lock of brown hair fell across his forehead and Emmeline smiled as he tried, and failed, to blow it back in to place. He caught her watching him and grinned, pulling his hand from his pocket and wiping the errant hair back.

“Do you ride often?”
he asked.

“I used to.
I haven’t ridden since I arrived from Pamizak.” She thrust her hand out toward him as they walked. “My name is Emmeline, by the way. And you are?”

He
stumbled to a halt, his mouth forming a frown. “What?” he whispered.

Emmeline
dropped her ignored hand, realizing her error. With a potential war brewing, she shouldn’t have let him know she was from Pamizak. At least not until her marriage secured the peace treaty.

She
gave him a sweet smile. “Forgive me,” she said. “I’m not familiar with Dolmerti’s customs as they relate to introductions. Please know that I do not harbor any ill feelings towards Dolmerti, though I am from her enemy kingdom.”

He
turned his gaze toward her, his eyebrows knitting together for such a brief moment she wouldn’t have noticed had she not been searching for some indication that he wasn’t about to turn her in to the rebels. He shook his head and relaxed into a smile.

“N
o, forgive my rudeness. You may call me Erick.”

He took up her arm and held it close
as they continued walking, his pace a little faster. Every so often his eyebrows would furl together and then smooth just before meeting her gaze.

“Excuse me, Emm
eline,” he said after awhile, “but it occurred to me that you have been out here alone for quite some time now. Shouldn’t someone be searching for you?”

Emmeline surprised them both when a giggle escaped her lips. “Actually,
it took a good portion of my morning, but I managed to sneak past my guards. It was a miracle my handmaiden didn’t find me. She, in particular, will not be pleased when I return.” Emmeline couldn’t help but let laughter bubble out of her at the memory of her escape. “Isn’t it silly that I had to go through so much trouble to enjoy some fresh air?”

Erick smiled in
answer but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Why do you want to leave the palace?”

Emmeline sighed. There were so many reasons she could never
explain to him. A forced marriage, lack of freedom, over-protective guards. None of these things were safe to discuss. So once again she told him the only truth she could.

“
I suppose the storm is partially to blame,” she said. “I’ve been forced to hole up in my chambers for weeks, which has become quite tedious. When it stormed at home I usually played my harp. With the rain and thunder beating against the house I could almost pretend nature was making music with me. I have yet to find any musical instruments in the palace though. Do you know why that is?”

“It
’s the law, My Lady.”

“
A law against instruments?”

“
No, against any form of music. In the palace, that is.”

Emmeline couldn’t believe it.
A law to ban music? She wondered how many other silly laws Dolmerti seemed fit to impose on its people. No fires while the princes were away, no music in the palace. What was next?

“Why
?” she asked. “It’s not as if music ever hurt anybody.”

Erick shrugged.

“Well, that’s very disappointing.”

“
Are you not in good company at the palace?”

Emmeline
nodded half-heartedly. “My handmaiden, Adelia, is very kind to me. I hope she won’t be too angry with me when I return. She’ll probably sleep in front of my door for a week!” Emmeline laughed at the thought.

Erick
chuckled. “Your guards too.”

Emmeline
frowned. The guards already slept at her door. She couldn’t get rid of them.

“Adelia is
the closest thing I have to a friend right now,” Emmeline said. “Although, I’m not sure how much I can trust her just yet.”

“Why?”
Erick asked.

Emmeline waved her hand in front of her
face in dismissal. “Oh, I don’t know. It’s nothing. I think I’m just not used to having any friends.” Truth was, Adelia was kind and very giving, but Emmeline didn’t appreciate how willing she was to follow Mahlon’s orders. If it were up to Adelia, Emmeline would never have received permission to wander the palace corridors. She had a feeling that privilege would be taken away as soon as she returned.

E
rick pursed his lips. “If you are in need of a friend, I could prepare a horse for you to ride. The King’s horses behave much better than most people, I think.”