Chapter 56

 

This chapter has been copied from the original and may contain typos and grammatical errors.

~*~

The boat was at the dock just like Montoya said it would be, and they boarded without problem. Only the captain was on with them, and they didn’t talk much. He was a middle aged looking man, gruff but without a beard.

It only took about an hour to get to the island, and Anwyn was both relieved to reach land but also terrified to go any closer.

I can’t let him control me like this, she thought. If it comes to it- if things take a turn and we all die anyway, he’s dying with me. I will kill the king.

Liam looked at Anwyn, worried that she would freeze up, but she stepped off the boat in regular motions. He was having a hard time too, but the time he had felt helpless at the hand of the king had been shorter than hers, but he had felt more physical pain. He didn’t know who had it worse at the hand of the king, but he also knew he didn’t have to equate their pain. Her pain was hers, his was his, and they didn’t have to be the same.

Only Romeo could possibly be at ease. Briella had burned him, sure, but he felt anger towards her, not fear. She hadn’t harmed him the way the king had hurt Liam and Anwyn.

Liam looked over at his face to see if he could assess how Romeo was feeling, expecting him to be the most relieved, but instead he was looking between Anwyn and Liam, checking on them. They were in this together so that they may never have to do this again.

Montoya was there, waiting for them in simple clothes. His hair was pulled back, something he rarely did.

“Anwyn, Liam, Romeo, it’s good to see you. There’s much to say, but we should go to the cabin first.” he said. Anwyn looked at him with surprise that he would use their names so close to the palace, afraid that the ship captain would know who they were.

“Don’t worry, he’s loyal.” Montoya assured solemnly.

The trio turned and looked him over. “I’ll never forgive the king for what he did to my daughter.” he said gruffly. “Safe journey’s, Lady Anwyn.” With that he bowed, and went back to his ship, disembarking from shore.

The group fell in step behind Montoya. “Your daughter hasn’t arrived yet, and we’ve not heard word yet that they’ve found her yet. We can hope this is good news.”

“You said they were looking in the south for her, what’s in the south?”

“I assume you’ve heard that the Church and King had a falling out? The Church has a stronger hold on the south where the King’s reach doesn’t hold as steady. There’s been noise of a rebellion group down there for years, but nothing has come of it.”

“A rebellion?” Liam chuckled. “Where were these people 17 years ago when we needed them?”

“There were no such rumors then. It seems your affront to the king was enough to spark things that had previously been quiet. THough how news even reached the south, I’m not sure.”

“Why did the king and the Church get into a war anyway?” Anwyn asked.

“The king wanted a new queen, but the Church wouldn’t allow it. They were losing the war in the North, and the king wouldn’t fund them further, and when both parties didn’t get what they wanted from the other they started fighting. It’s been rather tense for a while now.”

They came over a small hill and walked towards one of the little cabins of the island. They weren’t used much even when Liam had been stationed here, and with the decline of the favorability of the king, they were even less so now.

Montoya opened the door, found a match to light the lamps, and went about doing so.

The furniture was dusty, the windows were fogged, and the cobwebs were large. All fixable, but uncomfortable for now. Well, perhaps the windows could stay fogged for an extra bit of concealment.

They took their seats and set down their things, and Romeo started a fire in the fireplace.

Montoya exhaled and rubbed his face. “I guess I should catch you all up to speed on what’s happened since you left. When you left, the king followed you to the Islands. It took him a while to get a ship that could pursue, and once he reached the Islands you were already safe in their borders. The king was outraged. He had to return home empty handed, but he still had Liam, as you know. I’m sorry, my friend, for everything that happened. I can’t believe I had to wait for the maid to take action to help you, please forgive me.”

“You’re forgiven,” Liam said sincerely.

“Once you were gone, he gave up hope for a while. He was angry, and sad. He broke several things. But the Duchess told him to get a new wife. But the Church said no, and he went back to being angry and tyrannical. He knew that his queen had to be somewhere, so he sent out scouts to every region. He suspected that she would be on the Islands, but he wasn’t sure, so he sent Lucian Blake, the Duchess’s son, to go and look there. The mission was to last 3 years, then he was to come back and report what he had learned. He didn’t return, but the men escorting him and your daughter did. They said that Lucian had found the heir he sought, and that you had three other children. Congratulations, by the way, on your family. I’m sorry you’re not with them now.”

He took a breath, collecting his thoughts. “The group told the king that there had been an attempt on the heir’s life and that they had been captured by Templars, but there was a rumor that she was alive. Lucian slew all of the Templars that were guarding them, and then went in search of the heir. He’s going alone, and there hasn’t been any news in a month.”

“That’s good then!” Romeo said boisterously, trying to lighten the mood. “If there’s been no news, that’s good news!”

“There was an attempt on Gloria’s life?!” asked Anwyn.

“She was reportedly thrown into the river.” Montoya affirmed.

“But that’s a witch's death. The king doesn’t suspect she’s a spellcaster, does he?” Liam asked, concerned.

“I doubt it, or at least he hasn’t put that together in his head yet. And even if she were convicted of witchcraft, the king would simply believe it to be a lie to kill his heir.”

He moved to sit closer to them on the stool. “I should tell you about Lucian Blake. I’ve surmised that you’ve met him, but I doubt he’s shown you his true face. He’s a ruthless, cold young man who doesn’t care much for other people’s feelings or wellbeing. He will do what he has to to get what he or the king wants, and little will stand in his way. He wouldn’t blink an eye to kill the two of you-” he looked at Romeo and Liam, “And he would capture you if possible to bring back to the king,” he looked at Anwyn, making her shiver.

“Then we’re right where we need to be, aren’t we?” Romeo asked. “How often do patrols come this way?”

“Not often at all, perhaps once a week. We used to be better staffed, but people have a hard time staying around the king. The guards he does have he keeps near him. The two guards you knew when you were here have long moved on, and the present guards are very loyal to the king. They shouldn’t bother you this far away from the palace.”

“Good, because this place needs to be cleaned!” Romeo said, trying to boost the spirits of Anwyn and Liam. “We’re grateful for your help, Montoya. Let us know if anything develops.”

“Of course.”

~*~

Gloria tried to not move as she woke up, still lightly wrapped in Seneca’s grasp. His hand on her waist had relaxed, and his muscles had relaxed as he fell asleep. She gently, very carefully, tried to shift her hand from her waist to spark the flames. She couldn’t move her other hand, it could move his hand that rested on her arm. But raising her hand from her waist left a cold spot on his arm. She couldn’t get up, he’d get cold. They hadn’t thought to grab another blanket.

She couldn’t lay here, she would start to get stiff. She should get up and make breakfast. Best just to get it over with, she thought.

Fluidly, she sat up and sparked the fire, then walked to the bathroom. What time had she gotten to sleep last night? Not that time meant much anymore, there were no clocks on the island. How many hours had she lain there, feeling someone be so close as to touch her again? She had shared a hug with Seneca before, but that was brief. This- this was all night. She hadn’t been held like that since she had been with Blake back on the Islands, and even then he rarely held her. He didn’t like to cuddle.

Oh no- she thought. Did we- did we cuddle? I didn’t cuddle with Seneca, did I?

Finishing her business, she washed her hands, and went back to the main room. She stopped to rebraid her hair and saw Seneca standing in the kitchen, making breakfast. It was his turn after all.

“Good morning,” he said. He had a curve to his mouth this morning, as if a smile had been drafted there. “Did you sleep ok?”

“Yeah, I did.” she answered, hiding her nerves. “What about you?”

He tried not to smile as he remembered the smell of her hair. “I did.”

Gloria went to start the tea. “I-” she felt like she had a lump in her throat. “I think we should do it again.”

She felt a bubbling in her stomach. “That sounds like a good idea.” Seneca brushed his hair back. “It’s only going to get colder.”

Gloria nodded, got her cup of tea, and went off to get dressed.

Would it be a proper Tuesday if I didn't post a chapter? I honestly wanted this to be a bit longer, but it was already at 4 pages on google docs, and I thought I had finished Blake's scene but Whoops! I didn't. So that'll happen next time. As always, if any thoughts at all popped into your head while reading this, feel obligated to comment .