The Court of Love (3 page)

Chapter Five

In silence, they bolted from the stables and immediately turned to make their way out of the courtyard and into the surrounding forest. A shout went up as they passed by the erics where the tournament was being held. Kat didn’t want to think about what that meant, but there was no other way out of the castle grounds. She squeezed the horse with her thighs, encouraging it to go faster. A glance to the side revealed Michael’s stunned face as he watched her ride away with his prisoner.  So much for any chance there.

The wind whipped her hair across her face and she reached up with her free hand to wipe it away so she could see where they were going. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Micheal start to run toward the stables. Too late, he was too late. For some reason her heart felt as though it was breaking, but she couldn’t stop and explain. He would never believe her.

A tear slipped down the side of her cheek and landed on her hand. Maybe she was not meant to find love. The stallion’s hooves pounded the ground as they escaped. At least her friend would be safe.

Chapter Six

The water lapped at the shore. Stars shone down from the sky and glistened on the black surface. Magdalena stood beside her, and the horses grazed on the gently swaying grass behind them. A ship waited on the coastline to take Magda to France where she could find sanctuary with her people.

“Thank you my friend.” Magdalena placed a hand on Kat’s arm and gently patted it. “All will be well soon.”

Kat’s heart was heavy. No matter how she looked at it she was stuck in the sixteenth century. She would never find her way back home. “You still haven’t answered my question. Who are you, if you are not the Magdalena I know?”

The woman shrugged looking for all the world like her best friend. “I can only assume it was one of my descendants. I do not know what the future holds, but I do keep journals. It is possible that they were found at some point in the future. I do not know, nor do I want to know. I have a feeling that I would have been dead right now if it weren’t for you. So, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Kat didn’t know what else to say.

“You’re sure you don’t want to come with me?”

Kat looked at the ship gently resting in the coastal waters and shook her head. “No, I am more familiar with England than France. I will be able to find my way here, somehow.”

The men waiting in the dingy started waving frantically at them.  Shouts sounded in the distance and they both glanced back. Michael and around eight other men rode at full tilt towards them.

“We must go. Take care.” Magdalena jumped into the dingy and the men pushed off as Kat climbed back up onto her mount.  Their gazes met for a moment, then Kat whirled the stallion around and took off for the forest. She could lose herself among the brush and trees.

Her torn dress snagged on the tree branches as she passed, trying to get deep into the heart of the forest. Her hair picked up twigs and leaves. She didn’t care. She had to get away. If she could lose the men chasing her, then she would eventually make her way to the city where she could find employment as a seamstress or something. She wasn’t without skills.  Kat’s mind raced as she rode. 

Suddenly, a branch whacked her across the middle and she was knocked from her horse. Her breath gone, she gasped and held her middle where the tree branch had struck.  Her horse had stopped only a few feet away, well-trained to stay with his rider. She crawled to her knees and tried to move over to where he waited.

Kat coughed and her ribs felt as though they were broken. Sharp pain split her side. As she reached for the reins, something crashed through the brush at her side.

“I wouldn’t.”

It was him. Michael. He sat tall and imposing upon his charger. His sharp green gaze flashed with anger, and Kat knew she had nowhere to run. She was injured and he had men with him who would stop her if she tried to run. She had dropped the sword in the tumble from her horse. There was no way she could win.

She gave up. This was it  - the end. He would kill her for letting Magda out of jail. She’d helped her friend escape, and she would do it again if she had the chance. She rolled over defiantly and glared at him.

He jumped from his charger’s back and dropped to one knee beside her. “Why?”

Kat met his gaze. “She’s my friend.”

She prayed he would understand. It wasn’t about them, or anything else. Magda was her friend, and that demanded loyalty.

Michael closed his green eyes and leaned down, resting his forehead against hers.  “I knew you were too good to be true. You know what this means.”

Kat took a deep breath, but ignored the sharp pain in her ribs. It didn’t matter anymore. Death. She’d freed a heretic. That made her a heretic, and she would die.

“I must. Forgive me.” He lifted his handsome head and she met his gaze without flinching.

“I know.”

He helped her to her knees and stepped back grasping the hilt of his sword.

“Wait.” She reached out a hand to stop him. His hand stilled. “I want to give you something.”

She stood and closed the distance between them. Reaching up to her neck, she grasped the necklace Magdalena had given her. “Will you grant me a last request?”

“Of course.”

“Kiss me.”

His green eyes darkened and he placed a hand behind her head drawing her lips to his. Their mouths touched and she kissed him for all she was worth.  When they parted, they were both short of breath.

Kat yanked on the chain holding the heart-shaped pendant in place. She held it out to him. “Take this, and remember me.”  She reached for his palm and placed the pendant in his hand closing his fingers over the charm.

The fingers on his other hand were still tangled in her hair and he pulled her close again. “I wish it was different.”

“Me too.” Her voice sounded as though it were far off in the distance.

“Katerina?” Confusion laced his voice, and she could see him glancing around as though he couldn’t see her. “Kat?”

“Michael.”Kat reached out and her hand passed through him. She suddenly felt very sleepy and could no longer keep her eyes open.  She slumped to the ground.

Chapter Seven

“Michael,” she muttered as a hand caressed her cheek. “Are you still going to kill me?” Her lashes fluttered open. Michael’s deep green eyes met hers with surprise, and a slow smile spread across her face when she realized she was back in her own time.

“How could I possibly kill you?” His laughing eyes gazed down at her, “Or for that matter, why would I want to? I’ll ask you later how you know my name.”His mouth lifted in a crooked smile and a dimple appeared in his cheek.

Kat sighed in relief and a sharp pain gabbed at her side. “Ouch.”

He glanced down with concern. “Let me see.”

She shifted to stop him and he grasped her wrist.

“It’s okay, I’m a doctor.”

“A doctor?” She eyed him skeptically. He was dressed in Sixteenth Century clothing, with an emerald green doublet that matched his eyes, black leather pants, and a white linen shirt. He looked just as though he’d stepped out of history, but the florescent lights in the ceiling told her she was back in her own time. The re-creationist groups she played with had people from all walks of life, so she supposed it was possible.

“Yes. Now let me see.” He gently moved her hand to the side and she glanced away as he moved to touch her side.

She met the concerned gaze of her friend Magdalena. Frustration furrowed Kat’s brow. She didn’t know how she’d gotten back, but here she was.

“How could you?”

Magdalena didn’t even bother looking confused. “I had to.”

“What do you mean, ‘had too’?”

Magda held a finger to her lips and motioned to the man who looked so much like Michael.

Kat understood, Magdalena didn’t want anyone to know what had happened. She’d always known Magdalena was a witch, but she’d had no idea what power really meant. She reached up to grasp the necklace and felt only bare skin. Again, she met the gaze of her friend. Magdalena nodded. It had been real, not something Kat experienced only because she’d hit her head. Magda suddenly grinned and left the room.

The man’s fingers probed at her side, and Kat gasped. His other hand reached up to stroke her cheek and he stopped. “I’m not sure how, but it appears as though you have broken a few ribs in your fall. Not very lucky.” Their eyes locked. “I know it’s strange, but I feel as though I know you.”

“It’s not strange.”

“It’s not?”

“No.” Kat didn’t care if he thought she’d lost her mind. “Kiss me.”

His green eyes flashed and he gently placed both palms on either side of her face. “Gladly. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” She reached up and pulled his lips down to hers. And though she knew they’d only just met, she was where she belonged. In his arms.