Forbidden Magic (45 page)

A
lthough a deep blanket of snow covered the ground, the sky overhead was crystal clear and the sun shone brightly, adding a little warmth to the cold winter afternoon and a seemingly peaceful element to the dark castle in the distance. The four knights who had journeyed here paused at the top of the last knoll to survey the land and the people milling about the entrance to the huge stone fortress, each silently contemplating a method that would gain them entry without being seen or, at least, recognized.

"Have you a plan, Amery?" Gunther asked.

The helm nearly shadowed Amery's entire face, but the kink at one side of his mouth told his friend that he did. "Yea, we shall visit Doane and ask his help. He will provide us with a change of garb and the knowledge of where we might find Kennard. Then, disguised as serfs, our swords hidden beneath our mantles, we shall enter the castle without notice and pay the man a visit. I don't think it will take much persuading on our parts to convince him to come with us."

"Why not take your half brother instead?" Rickward questioned. "If he is the guilty one, 'twould seem the logical thing to do."

"Yea, but Radolf's mind is quick and he would claim an injustice done, that I forced a confession from him to suit my own needs. I must take his weak-willed cousin and give him to the dowager queen. In my absence, she can question him and learn the truth."

"But will he so easily betray Radon?" Stafford asked. "You have said that his loyalty is as ours to our long."

"Kennard loves his cousin as a brother, but he also knows that what they did at Lady Edlyn's order was wrong. Innocent people died because of her greed and the blame was laid on yet another innocent person. His punishment would be greater if the truth were learned without his help, and he will be made to understand this."

"And what of Lady Jewel, Amery?" Rickward queried softly. "Is it possible we shall find her here since no one at Harcourt has seen her since the day she left with you and Gunther?"

Amery's eyes darkened with a hate-filled gleam as he stared down at Wellington Castle. Once they had left the Isle of Wight and had gone to the monastery where he and Gunther had stabled their horses those many days before, they had learned from the monks that Jewel had not sought out their abbey for shelter the night before or at any time that day, and his suspicion that she had perished in the storm had only deepened. It had been at Gunther's insistence that they had stopped at each house along the way to Harcourt to inquire if anyone had seen her. No one had, and Amery's heart had ached a little more with each negative response they received.

When they had reached Harcourt, he and Gunther had hidden among the trees while Rickward and Stafford had journeyed on to the castle to ask the few serfs still living there if the daughter of their lord had returned. Again, the answer had not been what they had wanted to hear. They had learned, however, that Radolf and Kennard had left for Wellington that morning, and the group had hurriedly headed in that direction, praying they might overtake the pair on the road and make their task that much easier. But their luck had not changed, and now they found themselves about to enter Wellington in disguise and counting on an old man's help. But, Amery was not truly worried about their success. He had a great deal of confidence in Doane as well as in his own ability to move about the castle undetected. As for his companion's question, he would face it honestly.

"Nay, Rickward, I do not expect to find Jewel here. In truth, I do not ever expect to find her. I feel she is dead, and 'tis because of my foolishness that she is." Without allowing any of the other three to voice their opinions, Amery jerked on Conan's reins and started down the steep incline toward Doane's hut, carefully staying within the protective cover of the barren trees and many rocks to avoid being seen should someone from the castle be watching.

"Gunther," Rickward asked with a worried frown as the trio watched their friend ride on ahead, "you do not think the same, do you?"

Heaving a troubled sigh, he shrugged and admitted, "There is little reason to think otherwise, friend. But until we find her body, there is a slight chance, I suppose. 'Tis this shred we must cling to and ofttimes remind Amery of. For his sake, I pray I'm wrong about that which I feel in the pit of my stomach. Now come. We must see to proving Amery's innocence." With that, he nudged his destrier on and the cousins quickly fell into place behind him.

Nearing the edge of the hamlet laid out before the road to Wellington, the four dismounted and tied their mounts within a stand of trees, from there to travel on foot the rest of the way. Their success depended on surprise and secrecy, and since Amery could no longer trust anyone but Doane, their arrival would have to go unseen. The cold afternoon air had forced most of the inhabitants to remain inside, and thus they were able to approach the old man's dwelling safely. Rapping softly on the door, Amery guardedly kept an eye on their surroundings until the latch clicked and Doane suddenly appeared before him.

"Amery!" he exclaimed, then quickly stepped aside and motioned the group into the small hut. Once everyone had entered, Doane moved into the archway and peeked back outside to make certain no one had seen them before he hurriedly closed the door. "I knew you would return, but I did not expect you so soon. Do you bring good news? Has Queen Eleanor seen through the lies about you?"

"Nay, old friend," Amery replied, taking off his helm and gauntlets and going to stand before the small blaze in the fireplace to warm his outstretched hands. "We have come for Kennard."

"Kennard?" Doane repeated, his weight balanced against his cane as he hobbled to the cupboard and took down his well-guarded drinking horn full of wine. Handing it to Stafford, who stood next to him, he turned his attention back to Amery. "He is devoted to his cousin. How can he help your cause?"

"Sit, old man, and I will tell you all I have learned." He waited until Doane was comfortable, then began. "After Gunther and I left your home, we traveled to Harcourt to learn what we could of the tragedy that befell the castle and its lord. Dressed as monks, we gained entry to Lady Jewel's chambers."

His voice suddenly became tight, and he paused to clear his throat. As he did, Doane sensed something new about the young man, and he frowned when he could not put a name to it. "Co on," he urged, watching Amery pull up a small stool on which to sit and thinking how tired and drawn he looked, something Amery had never allowed himself to show before.

"We learned from her what you had already told us, but as she talked, I began to suspect that my half brother was truly the one who had ridden to Harcourt that night. Who else would benefit from it and have the freedom to take a necklace belonging to my mother from my chambers in my absence? For that is where I left it—not hanging from a chain around my neck. We also realized that Jewel's life was in danger. Even you admitted she had been spared simply because she was away when it happened." His knees apart, Amery rested his elbows on them and clasped his hands between them, his gaze lowered to the floor. "I cannot tell you why now. I had decided that since my father was dead I would not honor his request that I marry her—but I took Jewel from Harcourt to protect her, and the three of us fled to Burchard on the Isle of Wight. We needed time to decide a way to prove my innocence when it seemed all of England thought otherwise." Frowning, he stood up rather suddenly and moved to the fireplace where he leaned an elbow on the stone face and stared down into the flames. "Three nights ago, Jewel sought the help of one of Gunther's knights, Hadwin by name, and together they left Burchard Castle. Gunther claims Jewel was convinced that I was not guilty of the murders of her family but could not accept the idea that Radolf was. Tis our guess she intended to confront him."

He fell quiet then and a long while passed before he spoke again. Yet, before he did, Doane began to sense something terrible had happened, and he glanced over at Gunther with a pained expression on his face. That one, in turn, shook his head and sat down in the chair near him.

"Tis our assumption that the two came upon a man they thought was a monk, for that was how he was clothed—in a robe. In truth, he was Ian, knight to Lady Edlyn."

"What?" Doane gasped. "Sir Ian? But why? How did he know where to find her?"

Having taken a drink of wine from the horn Rickward had passed to him, Gunther stood and handed it to Amery before he turned to Doane, ready to pick up where Amery had left off. "When we discovered Jewel and Hadwin's absence, we took up the hunt right away. But it was too late for Hadwin. We found the place where Ian had slain him, and while his cousins, Rickward and Stafford"—he nodded at the two, then continued—"while the three of us took Hadwin back to Burchard, Amery went in search of Jewel by following the tracks in the snow. Not much further ahead he came across Ian. The knight had been wounded and was dying. But before he did, he told Amery that he had been at Harcourt that night, sent by Lady Edlyn, and that he had watched the woman poison a friend of his."

"Ryland," Doane moaned.

"Yea, Amery's father, or at least Amery believes 'tis who he meant."

"And now you feel that if you can get to Kennard, he will wrify the story?"

"Yea," Amery said, facing him again. "Will you help?"

"You do not have to ask," Doane replied. "You are the rightful lord of Wellington, and 'tis what you father wanted. He was my friend and I will do all it takes to see his murderer brought low." Snowy white brows came sharply together. "But what of Lady Jewel? You did not speak of finding her."

"There is hope," Gunther quickly replied.

Suddenly, Doane knew what had brought about the change in the man he had watched grow from a fair-haired, happy youngster to a troubled, callous knight, and it was not that Amery blamed himself for Jewel's disappearance but that Amery had fallen in love with his betrothed. His own heart j ached for his friend, for he knew how much he must be suffering. Just when he had learned how to love, the woman had been taken from him. He gritted his teeth and silenced the growl that tightened his throat. And all of this because of one woman—Edlyn!

"Tell me what to do," he said, awkwardly pushing himself up to his feet.

"Two things," Amery informed him. "First, we must have a change of clothes so that we can enter the castle with the serfs and no one will notice. Secondly, we must learn where we can find Kennard and when he will be alone."

"Done," Doane said with a firm nod. "Stay, eat, warm thyselves while I see to it. It won't take me long."

* * *

Edlyn's narrow face was pinched in an irritable frown as she stood near the window in her chambers looking out at the serfs in the yard below. She had underestimated her stepson, and with every day that passed without his being captured there was a stronger threat to her success. Even Radolf had turned against her to some degree—he and his simpleminded cousin. Anything Radolf told him to do, Kennard did without question, and Edlyn knew that with Jewel, too, at Radolf's side, her plan to rule both Wellington and Harcourt would fail. She would have to dispose of Kennard and soon! But it would have to be made to look like an accident. If Radolf suspected she had anything to do with Kennard's death, her son might find the courage to send her away. Her gray eyes narrowed to fine slits as she thought about it, knowing of only one man she could trust to see it done—Ian. Heaving a disgusted sigh, she turned away from the window and went back to sit before the fire again. Ian had been gone for weeks, and it worried her. Everything depended on his finding Jewel and killing her— everything! With her and Kennard put of the way, she could control her son again, and together they could war against their neighbors and gain more wealth than any other lord and lady in all of England.

A light rap sounded on the door to her chambers, startling Edlyn out of her reverie. "Who is it?" she snapped, annoyed by the interruption.

"Leta," the soft voice replied. "Lord Radolf sent me."

The thin arch of Edlyn's brow rose suspiciously. Since that day they had had words in the great hall about Ian and Edlyn had insisted that the knight was trailing Jewel to bring her home safely, Radolf had spoken very little to her. A smile suddenly crimped her mouth. Perhaps Ian had returned with the news she had been praying to hear and Radolf wanted to have it out with her. Rising, she crossed to the door and opened it.

"Has Ian returned?" she asked in a whisper.

Her eyes lowered and hands clasped nervously in front of her, Leta replied, "I do not know, m'lady."

Glancing past the maid down the long, narrow corridor to the steps, Edlyn murmured, "I wonder if there was trouble . .." She snapped to and looked at Leta again. "What message do you bring?"

Unable to lift her gaze to the woman, Leta stepped back and motioned down the hall. "Only that he requests your presence in the stables."

"The stables!" Edlyn exclaimed. " 'Tis cold and smelly there! What is so important that it cannot be spoken within the warmth of the great hall... or my chambers?"

"I do not know, m'lady," Leta answered quietly. "Only that he instructed me to accompany you there.''

If it had not been so important for her to reestablish good feelings between herself and her son, Edlyn would have refused to meet him there and insisted that they share a glass of wine by the hearth in the great hall. She would have, but she could not. Her curiosity had been aroused. Turning, she crossed to the wardrobe and took out her warmest mantle, flung it over her shoulder, and marched from the room.

"Hurry, Leta," she called back as she moved toward the stairs. "We shouldn't keep Lord Radolf waiting."

"Yea, m'lady," Leta replied, falling in behind the woman's quick pace and smiling for the first time since she had knocked on Edlyn's door. She had taken a lot from the callous woman since Lady Jewel had been kidnapped and she had been forced to live at Wellington under her rules. In a few minutes, the pain Leta had suffered because of her would all have been worth it.

During her entire stay at Wellington, Edlyn had never had reason to go to the stables and thus she resented having to depend on a serving maid to show her the way now, for she preferred being in full command of every situation. She was being put at a disadvantage, but she drew some comfort from the fact that her son would be there waiting for her and she shrugged off the eerie feeling she experienced as she followed Leta through the wide double doors and stepped into the shadowy interior of the stables. However, once Radolf had told her what it was that was so important for them to discuss standing among a lot of ill-tempered nags, she would firmly inform him that from now on they would meet in a more suitable place—she wrinkled her nose—one without such a foul odor.

"How far must we go?" she demanded irately when it seemed they had walked forever between the unending rows of stalls on either side of them. Each was filled with a huge jittery stallion, and it offended Edlyn that the animals' rumps were faced in her direction, as if her presence was not worthy of respect even from the simplest of beasts.

"Not much further, m'lady," Leta replied, smiling openly and hurrying her steps as the excitement of what was to come made her want to run.

"Slow down," Edlyn shouted as she tried to keep up and step over piles of manure in her path as well. "He'll wait."

"Yea, m'lady," Leta agreed. "I'm sure he will."

At the end of the long building, Leta paused before the door leading into the room where the saddles, bridles, and destriers' armor were kept. "In here, m'lady." Leta nodded the direction, lifting the latch and swinging the barrier open. "He said he didn't want the two of you disturbed."

Raising her hose loftily in the air, Edlyn remarked, "We could have done that in my chambers. You may go now." She waved a hand dismissingly and stepped into the dimly lit room, unaware Leta had followed until she heard the door shut behind her and she absently glanced over her shoulder. "I said you were to go!" A sense of panic assailed her when Leta did not respond but turned instead to drag a cumbersome trunk in front of the door, barring anyone's immediate entry or exit.

"And I asked her to stay," a deep, threatening voice behind her proclaimed, and Edlyn spun around to see whose it was.

"Amery!" The name trailed from her lips in a strangled cry as he stepped out from behind a partition and into the muted yellow light fighting to shine through the grime-covered window at her left.

"Yea, Stepmother, 'tis I," he said with a half smite, though it did not reflect in his emerald eyes. His gaze trained on her, he motioned to someone else who stood out of sight, and Edlyn's worried expression darted to the two figures who suddenly appeared beside him. "I believe you know this one," he said, grabbing Kennard's sleeve and shoving the bound and gagged man to the floor in front of her. "The other is my trusted friend, Gunther. But perhaps you already know his name. I'm sure Ian would have told you before he left Wellington."

"Ian?" she whimpered, suddenly feeling very threatened. "Why would Ian—"

"Do not play your games with me, Stepmother," he snarled. "I am not Radolf, who is too stupid to recognize your methods. You sent Ian to find Jewel. But he found his own blood upon the sod instead, put there by the very woman he had been commissioned to kill!"

"Ian? Dead?" Edlyn gasped, her carefully plotted scheme beginning to crumble all around her.

"Yea, Ian is dead. But before he died, he told me how you poisoned my father and sent your son and this one"—he gave Kennard a kick—"to Harcourt. The rest even the simple mind could unravel. Twas your plan all along to have Wellington and Harcourt for your son and rid yourself of me, all at the same time. But I am here to tell you, Stepmother"—he nearly spat the title—"that I am not so easy to dispose of. I am the rightful lord of my father's land and I shall fight you for it. And when I have won, I shall return here and you will know the extent of my hatred." He nodded at Gunther, who in turn bent and roughly took Kennard by the arm to haul him to his feet.

"Where are you taking him? And what have you done with my son?" she demanded, her voice edged with fear.

"Your son, like you, will pay for all your evil deeds in due course. As for Kennard, the blind follower, he is going to visit the dowager queen. He will be given a chance to redeem himself by telling Her Majesty what truly happened at Harcourt." He motioned for Leta to come to him. "Enjoy your reign over Wellington while you can, Edlyn. In a few days, you will have to rely on your memories of it, for if I have my way, you'll be exiled from England to some barren wasteland with only the clothes on your back." Nodding his head at Gunther, the man took down a small strip of leather hanging on a hook and came to Edlyn.

"What.. . what are you doing?" she shrieked when Gunther took her hands and pulled them in back of her.

"Ensuring that we have the time we need to be far from this place before you sound the alarm," Amery casually explained.

Realizing now that her stepson did not intend to kill her as she had at first thought he would, some of Edlyn's courage returned. "Yea, run, coward," she hissed. "Do as you have always done when there was no one to take your side. If you were half the man Radolf is, you would meet him face to face."

A tawny brow lifted mockingly. "And shall I hold out my hand in friendship while I grip my sword with the other as he did with Lord Alcot? If that is what you call a man, then I shall bend my knee in prayer this night that I am of a different mold." This last was nearly snarled between clenched teeth. Then, with a jerk of his head toward the back entrance to the room, he waited while Gunther unceremoniously deposited Edlyn on the floor, then moved to take Kennard by the arm and shove him outside.

"I'll see you dead for this, Amery," she shouted at his broad back when he turned to leave her. "Just as surely as I poisoned your spineless father!"

Amery's body stiffened with her confession, and he stopped just inside the doorway, the urge to end her life immediately almost more than he could bear. He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath, willing himself to follow through with his plan rather than give her a quicker punishment by lopping off her head with one effortless sWoop of his sword. Nay, to strip her of her titles and property and send her off to live a meager life among lowly serfs would be far more satisfying he told himself. Without glancing back, he pulled the door shut behind him.