Blizzard (Black Ice Trilogy Book 2) Page 11

  “What?”

  “I said get out. Get out of here now. Do not ever return, Pearl.” Eliza was boring holes into Pearl’s face, her hurt clear as the daylight illuminating the room. Eliza seemed an unreal specter before Pearl.

  “But I—” Pearl stuttered.

  “You are no friend of mine. I care not that you gave yourself to Reegan. You can have the bastard. What I cannot forgive, Pearl, is that you told him the very thing you knew I had wished to keep secret from him.”

  Pearl stared, stunned at the declaration, and then stammered out her own defense. “You were his wife, and Zachariah was…was… Reegan is your husband! He had every right to know. You cannot blame me for telling him what he already suspected!” Pearl lifted her chin in defiance but quivered when taking in Eliza’s gaze.

  “Zachariah could not stand you, he never could. I tried to warn you against pursuing him in any fashion, but here you are, married to a man you cannot stand to touch. A man who loves and dotes on you, who thinks you carry his child. Ah.” Eliza released a bitter laugh. “Worry not! I will inform him for you, so you will not spend months in dread of what is to come. I will return the favor in this way.” Her face was devoid of compassion, her voice hard and carrying the hate she felt, the pain she wished to inflict.

  “You can’t!” Pearl squealed out.

  While Eliza recognized Reegan may have forced Pearl to tell him by his dark arts, most likely she had willingly handed over that information, as well as willingly spread her legs for him. Eliza felt repulsed by Pearl’s mere presence.

  “Guards!” Eliza shouted, with almost no control over the volume of her command, and the two Heruvish men entered with their spears in hand. “Please escort Lady Edelberg out of the castle. One of you see to it she is mounted and on her way home presently.”

  The two men stepped forward, causing Pearl to scream in uncertain fear.

  Reegan peered into the room. “My dear, is there a problem? You shouldn’t strain yourself with the baby… Oh! Lady Edelberg, you are still here? You must hurry home. I gather you yourself are expecting, and I am told expectant mothers need much rest. Are you well? You look terribly worn down.” Reegan entered.

  Eliza’s frame became rigid with his intrusion. “It is being managed, Reegan. Leave, now.”

  Reegan stopped, pretending to be hurt by her words. “Your guests are mine as well, and I only have concern for her wellbeing.”

  “This guest is pregnant with your child.”

  Reegan’s façade fell away immediately as he straightened himself and refused to hide his anger. “Guards, remove this woman from the castle grounds now.” His eyes stayed fixed on Eliza, their gazes locked in a silent war.

  Pearl shot up from her seat and exited the room herself. “Both of you are evil. You belong together!” Pearl screamed the words as her brisk walk burst into a run.

  Reegan broke the gaze to turn a somewhat shocked expression to Pearl’s back. “Did you hear that? We belong together,” Reegan teased, feeling triumphant.

  In a feckless tone that riled Reegan’s ire, Eliza spoke to the back of his head. “I believe I will gain some of that rest you spoke of; it seems I have no desire to stay awake.” As Eliza stood to leave, Reegan gripped her arm, pulling her body tight against his own, leaving him to wonder if she was indeed pregnant. The words of the doctor were still clear: “With this being her first, you can believe she’ll stay slight as she is. Trust me when I tell you, she is with child, Lord Reegan.” He wanted to throttle her, scare the fire out of her, but he had his heir to consider and had other methods of reminding her of her place.

  “Then I shall accompany you, dear. I would hate for anything to happen to you.” Reegan sneered down at her beautiful face, and beautiful she was, as would this child be between them.

  “Why even bother pretending?” Remaining in her stolid mood, she provided only a blank expression, completely lacking the emotion he so desired. It only riled the unstable anger that had been jostled once already. Without another word, he dragged her out of the room, down the hallways and stairways to his bedchamber, slamming the door. Reegan would find no satisfaction, though. As soon as he had shut the door and thrust her inwards, a knock followed.

  “I am not to be disturbed!” Reegan yelled, his temper losing any relevance to the possible audience.

  “Yes, m’lord,” Francis’ voice responded, muffled, from the other side, catching Reegan before he stalked his way to where Eliza stood, dejectedly waiting.

  “Francis?” Reegan spat out the man’s name in a question, a hint of confusion that caused Eliza to look to her husband. When no answer returned, Reegan turned and tore the door open, the hinges, wood, and knob all cracking and giving to the pressure of force he exerted.

  Just up the hall Francis stopped, turning to see Reegan staring at him with a look of surprise. Zachariah had been correct, Reegan certainly did not expect the old man to return, let alone return alive. Whomever he had hired to finish off Francis, Reegan had been certain the killer would eliminate Francis without fail. He felt a sort of pride for surviving.

  “I came to you directly as you said, Lord Reegan.” Francis proffered a slightly wicked grin, trying to make his portrayal of devious accomplishment believable.

  “Yes, so I see. Come in.” Reegan stepped aside, motioning for Francis to enter.

  Quickly obeying, Francis entered without hesitation until he saw Eliza waiting at the edge of the bed. All vitality was sapped from her gentle features, a hopeless effigy of the young girl she had been not so long ago.

  “Lady Eliza.” Francis offered his partial bow, uncertain of what was to occur in her presence.

  “Eliza, leave us.” Reegan was still waiting at the door when a thought struck him. “No wait!” Now his own wicked expression fixed itself upon her. “You will stay. I believe you need to hear this news.”

  Francis felt his confidence recoil within him, fearing what Reegan had planned. “You sure, m’lord Reegan?” Francis asked nervously.

  “Oh yes, if this is the news I expected, Lady Eliza is just as well to hear it here and now.” Reegan walked back into the room, shutting the door behind him. He stood a moment taking in the sight of Eliza, her uneasy stance shifting her weight from side to side as she looked from Francis to Reegan and back to Francis.

  “Out with it, man, tell us the news you come bearing,” Reegan prodded, his voice too delighted by what was to be shared.

  “Your cousin, Zachariah…he uh…” Francis found himself struggling as he had never done before. All he had to do was lie, a lie he had been planning to tell Reegan, though it was to be a vicious, detailed exploit of the purported murder of Zachariah.

  “Did you kill him or not, Francis? Is my cousin dead?” None of Reegan’s patience had returned, as he showed so clearly in his crassness.

  “He is dead, sir.”

  All the air in Eliza’s lungs rushed out, her voice shaking as she sucked oxygen back in. She wanted to scream, but nothing aside from the wheezing in and exhalations signaling the impact.

  “You brought the proof required?” Reegan raised his eyebrow.

  “I’m afraid I could not get the proof you asked for, sir. He did not have it on him.” Francis shrugged. “I searched every compartment on his body and bags.” Francis was rushing to explain as he saw the anger burning in Reegan’s cheeks, but he was not allowed a chance to finish.

  Eliza threw herself at Francis, her fists flying with full force, her scream finally unleashing itself. Reegan wasted no time in removing her from Francis, as he tried to defend himself from the assault without harming her.

  “Now, now, dear, I know this is too much, isn’t it?” Reegan’s arms were wrapped tightly over Eliza’s as she screamed louder for a moment. That dissipated to unruly sobs and quiet screams and ended with hoarse lamentations straining from her vocal cords. “You had that last sliver of hope—that is the truth you yourself did not want to accept—and look where that has left you. Now, there is
no one to save you from your destiny.” Reegan had been speaking just beyond her ear and above a whisper. “Francis, you may leave us now. Thank you for such wonderful news. Soon I will share this…tragedy with the rest of the castle. No doubt Eliza’s mental collapse has warranted fear and concern from anyone who can hear.”

  “Yessir.” Francis looked only to Reegan, avoiding all eye contact with Eliza. He feared her empty eyes would reflect the pain he felt in causing such distress. Reegan would know the slightest sign of such weakness, so Francis retained a scowl and left promptly.

  “We should get you back to bed, dear.” Reegan lifted Eliza completely, and she offered no resistance. The halls had filled with a few individuals who had been within earshot, concerned whispers arising from the crowd. “Do not be concerned. I will be speaking with you all shortly of what has caused such distress to Lady Eliza.” Reegan’s deep voice bellowed from his chest, echoing off the walls and burying Eliza in the terrible news.

  With her room prepared from the morning, everything was in order, waiting for her return as Reegan laid her down on her bed. “I will kill you,” she whispered, her heart embroiled in the twisting, bitter hatred that had finally overwhelmed her senses.

  “You can’t, and you know you will not. I have bound your abilities, remember? This castle and the surrounding lands have been sealed with my powers. You are nothing more than a pretty face.” Reegan stroked a finger down her cheek, but Eliza wrenched away from his touch.

  “Then I will kill myself.” The words were foreign in both connection and tone, but Eliza knew she meant what she had said.

  “Oh, I doubt you will be so brash, Eliza. While that child is mine, without a doubt, that unborn child is also part of you. Could you so easily kill a part of yourself? I could not bring myself to believe you would punish an innocent life for your own selfish vengeance.” His voice was mocking in its reprimand, but the words were not wrong.

  Eliza questioned if she could kill herself knowing she bore the child, whether or not Reegan was the father. Her mind rang as a bell with all the impacts. If she killed herself, she could not find a way to kill Reegan and protect the people she had come to know. Her sobbing started again.

  Reegan turned to leave, before stopping and adding one final blow. “Decisions are still being made regarding your lost home, who is to take over that wonderful little fiefdom. Imagine all those people, all those innocent lives, and I have the power to determine their fate, too.”

  Eliza could only bury her face into the pillows, trying to suffocate herself before she heard any more of his threats.

  When Eliza awoke, it was late into the night. Her curtains had still been drawn back to reveal the pitch black of the night. Clouds passing provided small slivers of moonbeams to peek through to illuminate what lay beyond her windows. What had stirred her from sleep, however, was the subtle sound of feet moving across the floor in her room and dim candlelight bobbing about in the darkness. Squinting to adjust her eyes to the gentle light and dark figure, Eliza recognized immediately it was not Reegan, and for a moment she felt relief before recognizing it was still a man, a stranger, in her bedchambers.

  Quietly as she could, Eliza felt under her pillows, but her sword which she kept close at all times, regardless of the futility with Reegan, was missing. The dark figure moving about suddenly stiffened, keen senses recognizing a shift in the air.

  “I’m not here to harm ya, Lady Eliza.” The voice was alarmingly familiar, painfully familiar.

  “What are you doing in—” Eliza had taken to exclaiming her displeasure, loudly, before the figure of Francis was on the bed with her, covering her mouth to silence her. The candle had been set upon the window seat, his face and one good eye hidden in the darkness.

  “Shhhhh. Hear me out before you get us both caught.”

  She felt his hand firmly planted across her face, and part of Eliza wanted to scream instead, signal the intruder, but something in his urgent hushing stopped her. Something about them both being caught forced her to slow down her reactions, for the time being at least.

  “Master Zachariah ain’t dead, Lady Eliza.” Carefully, with the revelation presented, Francis removed his hand.

  Eliza swiftly wiped her own hand over where his had been. “You told…you verified that you had killed him yourself to Lord Reegan, though.” Eliza held no trust for the man; he had always been at Reegan’s side carrying out his dark deeds.

  “I am loyal to Master Zachariah. I once served his father.” Francis was suddenly off the bed. For looking as old as he did, the man was surprisingly spry, agile as any tomcat she had witnessed. “And his father did me good.”

  “But you have been in the service of Lord Reegan from some years now. Have you no loyalty to him?” Eliza was not apt to give up her caution for desirable words.

  “I found out the truth, something Master Zachariah had pressed for, though I did not believe it myself. Foolish, I know. I know how Lord Reegan is firsthand, and I…” Francis gave a slight huff. He was holding a satchel that he had stuffed a cloak into and was searching the room.

  “Whatever are you looking for?”

  “Your book, Lady Eliza.” Francis walked back to a stack of books sitting within the window seat. “We must leave at once. Lord Reegan is guaranteed passed out drunk; I ensured that myself. He was quite proud of his victory over you with Zachariah, played his own role well as the grief-stricken cousin…replacement father, ha!” Francis allowed himself the one raised outburst as Eliza slid from the bed and hurried over to where he stood, shuffling through books.

  “Let me.” Eliza lifted the seat and performed her small miracle of a spell, the wall opening and revealing her prized possession.

  Francis stood, mouth agape.

  “I can only manage the smallest of spells, nothing of use, truly. Reegan has stripped me of nearly all my strength.” Reaching for the bag, Eliza took it from Francis and set about going through her drawers. She collected her journal, spare socks, one gown, and the warmest gloves and cloak she had.

  When she turned, Francis saw hope had completely reinvigorated her complexion. He asked, “Is that all you need?” He looked around, uncertain of what such a young lady would need.

  “Yes, now how do we escape?” Eagerness was a trait they shared.

  Francis smiled and walked to one of the windows over the seat, quietly pushing it open fully to reveal a rope that dangled down from the second level to the grassy patch below.

  “Not ideal for a lady in your condition, I know, but—” Francis could not contain his shock as Eliza had already set to grabbing hold of the rope, nearly jumping out the window. “Do…or…why…want help?” Francis knew she was pregnant and feared any harm coming to her as it would certainly cease their plans to escape.

  Those facts, however, either were not considered or were completely disregarded by Eliza as she shimmied her way down the rope in such haste that Francis considered flinging himself from the window to catch up. Eliza waited below, impatient and eager to be gone from the gilded cage of the castle. When Francis reached the ground, he spared no time in leading her along to the bushes that lined the path to the stables, around back, and helping her mount her horse swiftly. Just as they both mounted, they heard voices shouting from the window they had just absconded through. The Heruvish guards had discovered her absence, far sooner than Francis had anticipated.

  Eliza took her reins, preparing to bolt, but Francis grabbed her hands and reins, steadying her while shaking his head, forcing them both to wait. A few more moments of muted voices carried across the yard and then silence. Those sluggish seconds between the noise to silence were nearly unbearable for Eliza, her fears mounting that they had seen the rope, or worse yet, that they were hurrying to inform Reegan. Finally, Francis turned his horse, and hers, and led them away in a full-speed gallop. Though the night was overcast, the moon still gave its spotlight between the clouds, and to Eliza’s shock they headed straight towards the mountains and forest nort
h.

  Even in the darkness, snow that had capped the mountains and some of the trees along its base glittered in the distance; the clouds seemed to end just at the end of the fields they were racing across. Eliza knew of nothing that lay in that direction. Only the forest, mountains, and a river that was in a constant state of rage, churning up anything unfortunate enough to fall in. Her constant studies had revealed nothing more than ruins and lands promised to Zachariah, and that thought sparked a belief she had not yet entertained. Though she had left with hope, she had not fully believed what Francis claimed to be true. Her hope had only been the prospect of escaping and finding a way to stop the madness outside Reegan’s control.

  Francis kept looking behind them, too frequently for Eliza’s comfort, and to her horror she found they were indeed being pursued. Although the distance was great enough for Eliza to believe they would make it to the forest’s edge, the lights told her the party that followed was large enough to cover the majority of the woods. She feared, as she watched, the distance might be closing a little too quickly.

  She nearly lost her balance, but Francis reached across and helped her upright, slowing their pace briefly.

  “Listen closely.” His gravelly voice resonated an unfamiliar strength to Eliza. “Zachariah is waiting at the cliffs on the other side of the river. I’ll get you there, and then I’ll take care of the rest.” Eliza nodded, feeling fatigue and the excitement wearing her down. Pregnancy was an unforgiving experience, and the jostling of riding the horse hard and the wind that was buffeting her drained her of what little strength she held.

  Reaching the forest’s edge occurred quickly enough; navigating through its rooted maze was another challenge that slowed them all the more. “Almost there,” Francis reassured Eliza, but nervous anticipation was escalating quickly to panic as they could hear the voices of their pursuers.

  “What if they get to us first?” Eliza whispered, but the words seemed lost and muffled between the evergreens and cedars.

  “They won’t.” This time Zachariah’s voice answered from just ahead of her. It was too dark for clear sight, but a shadow moved and Harriet did not jump or pull away as the figure extended its arms and caught hold of the reins hanging loosely by its neck. Making his way to the side, Zachariah’s hands grabbed Eliza’s waist and tugged gently. Relieving her foot from the left stirrup and moving it up and over, she felt Zachariah carefully guide her to the ground. Eliza turned immediately, throwing her arms around his neck and heaving a relieved sigh. Zachariah returned the embrace before gently pushing her away just as moonlight slipped between the cloud coverage, filtering through the needled branches to reveal shadowed expressions. Their emotions mixed with hurt and relief.