The Master and the Sorceress Page 18

  Kat sighed. “I’ll unpack and take a bath” She left before Esta could continue the conversation.

  Kat climbed from the bath and wrapped a towel around her. She sat before the fire in her sitting room, toweling her long hair dry. The flames mesmerized her. They all meant well—her family. They wanted her to be as happy as they were. She wanted it too, but perhaps a man and a family weren’t in the cards for her. James would find a wife and have children. The thought sent a sharp pang of jealousy through her. She had her hounds and her magic. There were causes she could fight. Solving the mystery of the dragon would be the first. The hounds could be her children. And there might be men along the way.

  At the thought, James’s face and body appeared in her mind’s eye. He leant over her, speared her with his rod, and took her to paradise. Her belly tightened at the memory. She groaned. How could she manage the years ahead without him to slake her desire?

  As Kat recalled the day in the wintery meadow, a face formed in the flames—an old, whiskery face.

  “Hetty,” Kat whispered. “How are you?” Her first fear was that her old friend was ill again.

  “Fighting fit, girl. What of you? Still lifting your skirts for that man?”

  Kat sucked in a breath. “I…no…I don’t know.”

  “You sound like a young maid, not a woman in control of her own mind.”

  “Perhaps it’s because I...oh, never mind. What is the news of Brightcastle?”

  “Strange tidings indeed. It seems there might be a dragon tormenting these parts. I wondered if your hounds had told you anything.”

  Kat sighed. “I’ve seen the thing. It attacked James in Costa. He only just escaped with his life. The hounds knew it was coming, and I dreamed of it.”

  Hetty hissed and leaned closer. “Then it’s true. I thought it might be the drunken ramblings of soldiers and guards.”

  “It’s true. I intend to find it and discover what it wants.”

  “This makes what I have to say even more important.” Hetty paused, and her image wavered as if her concentration faltered. Then she became clearer. “I’m handing my power and position to you, girl. My illness has shown me I’m vulnerable. I could have died, and all this knowledge stored in my head would have perished with me. Alecia can help, but she doesn’t have the magic—the ability to be a powerful witch. You must come to Brightcastle and step into my shoes. I’ll guide you while I can.”

  Kat pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead on them. Stacked on top of James’s proposal and the heavy-handed advice of her family, this last ultimatum felt unfair. She was no child to be directed by those who thought they knew better.

  “I don’t know, Hetty,” she said, raising her head. “I’m not ready to take on such a huge task.” She didn’t even understand what it might entail. Her magic had always been about fighting, not focused on intrigue. “How do you foresee this occurring?”

  “You must move to Brightcastle and live with me while you complete your training and become familiar with all the skills you need to operate in my world. The duration of this training would be at least a year, and I assure you, by then, you’ll be stronger than any witch I have ever encountered–including me.” She fixed Kat with her unblinking stare, and it was as if Hetty sat in the same room. “You haven’t encumbered yourself with that man, have you, child?”

  Kat’s hackles rose. Who the hell did Hetty think she was? “I have not.”

  “Good. Then you should make plans to move as soon as possible. There is no time to lose.”

  Hetty didn’t wait for an answer but ended the conversation by fading out of the fire. Kat blew a breath through her teeth. She toweled her hair with greater vigor to let off some of the steam built up by Hetty’s ultimatum. Leave her family and move to Brightcastle, indeed! Have you encumbered yourself with a man, indeed! And what if she had? What if she welcomed James into her life? Did it mean Hetty wouldn’t want her, might refuse to teach her? Was Hetty’s way the only way? Or could Kat map out her own future, create her own destiny, her own plan that may be equally or even more successful?

  She thought of James and his determination to follow his own calling rather than the one set by his parents. Perhaps they weren’t so different after all. Perhaps he might understand her predicament.

  She dressed in her breeches and tunic and threw a cloak around her shoulders. It had been days since she rode Demon, and it might be what she needed to clear the cobwebs from her cluttered mind.

  Within minutes, her horse was saddled, and Kat rode west through the forest bordering her estate. Demon was frisky–no, downright charged–so she gave him his head, delighted to have the wind in her face. They galloped along their favorite paths until her horse was a lather of foamy sweat over his neck and shoulders. She reined him in and walked him along the track until he stopped blowing. She kept the horse at a walk to prevent him getting cold and sore but watched the trees to either side.

  Soon Kat saw shapes moving through the forest and realized her hounds kept her company. She climbed a path then veered to the left off the main track and arrived at the top of a small hill that jutted from the forest canopy, allowing her a glorious view of the forest and the Aranati estate to the east. If she squinted, she could see the ocean. She loved this land, this kingdom.

  The hounds surrounded her, as much a part of the land as she was, perhaps more. She had no idea where they came from, but they were now essential to her and she to them. They might make the difference between keeping the kingdom and losing it to the enemy faction of the Sis Lenweri. Or perhaps it wasn’t even about the elves in the long run, but between the forces of magic, or even against magic as the King seemed to think.

  Kat dismounted. The hounds drew close. She placed her forehead on each one and feelings and images came to her—long runs through the grass and forest, savage teeth in hare and deer, rutting, the dragon, and a large black she-dog that, somehow, she understood was her. She longed to run with the hounds, but she could only do so in her dreams. It would have to be enough.

  Then she had an idea. Let them be her guide. Image by image, she constructed scenes in her mind of Brightcastle and Hetty. The old witch seemed to spook several of the hounds. She showed them the streets and buildings, Hetty’s house and kitchen, the palace and the people she knew in the town. Kat built more images of the trek to Brightcastle and what her life might be like if she lived there. Most of the beasts sat, their tongues lolling out, but the leaders growled at her and snapped at the air. Did it mean they wouldn’t come with her?

  She placed her forehead to these leader hounds and again read their thoughts. Dead and dying hounds lay in the streets, soldiers on horseback stabbing them repeatedly. The sharp metal pierced Kat again and again, and she wrenched herself away, her gut sick with the shared pain.

  Was that what might become of her hounds if she followed Hetty’s plan? Were they attempting to tell her they could die if she undertook the move? Night hounds were fighters, hunters. They must be ready to die, but she didn’t wish to cause them more suffering. And if she chose to move to Brightcastle, to sacrifice her chance at family life, she also must accept the cost, for herself, James, her family and her hounds.

  James had made his choice to spy for the King. Were they even on the same side? Or was it murkier than one side or another? Her head whirled with choices and possible consequences. One thing was certain. This decision of hers—to fall in with Hetty’s plan or accept James’s proposal—was a crossroads, a defining moment. Kat was sure, if she made the wrong choice, there would be disaster, not only for herself but for her hounds and the kingdom.

  She mounted Demon and made her way home, escorted by the hounds she once had feared.

  Chapter 18

  Kat needed no one’s help to make the biggest decision of her life. They all tried, of course, except for Hetty, who seemed to believe, since she had delivered her ultimatum, all she must do was to sit back and wait for Kat to arrive in Brightcastle. She w
as the only one who had not tried to speak with her over the past two days. Her mother, sister, and brother-in-law all cornered her at various times. Esta had a habit of popping up when least expected and found Kat even though she had a young child to keep track of. Kat had taken to mucking out the stable and completing tasks in the most far flung corners of the estate. She bolted her dinner, spent the evenings in her room, then rose early and breakfasted before the others were up. She had become so jumpy she felt like one of her hounds.

  Her dreams were full of them as if they had invaded her subconscious. Most of them were nightmares where all her beloved beasts were speared to death by armored soldiers. During the day, she couldn’t stop yawning and snapped at anyone who came near her. She kept drifting off, her thoughts turning to all her encounters with James, especially those where he had pleasured her. She lay in bed before sleep claimed her, touching herself to relieve the desperate desire she had for him. No matter how hard she tried, her body waited for James, and no false loving would do.

  After two days, Kat was desperate to take action of any kind to escape. And so she packed her saddle bags and set out for Costa. She would find him and settle this once and for all.

  That evening, she arrived at his manor house on dusk. The housekeeper told her James was not at home. Kat was overwhelmed by a desperation she had been fighting all day.

  “I must see him, Mistress Lary.”

  “Then you must find him, Lady Katrine. But let me tell you this. I care for Master Tomel as if he were my son, and if you will not give him what he needs then get up on your horse and ride back to where you came from.” She closed the door in Kat’s face.

  She stood, shocked at those words. How dare his housekeeper take her to task when it was James who had ruined everything? She had been ready to give herself to this man who made her body sing, and he spurned her. Did Mistress Lary know that? Of course not!

  Kat turned and mounted Demon, determined to do as James’s housekeeper suggested–ride back home. She let Demon amble back the way they had come and was almost at the town wall when she reined him in. What am I doing? I must see James.

  Kat turned Demon and searched Costa, beginning with James’s jewelry shop. She shivered as she recalled her first visit to the shop and their battle with the night hound. Had it all been a test? Had the hounds been waiting for a worthy person to lead them? If so, it appeared she had passed their initiation. The shop was locked up tight. He wasn’t in any of the other shops either.

  Next, she patrolled the inns and taverns, gathering more unwelcome interest from patrons as she moved from the more respectable to the seedy end of town. James was not to be found and desperation seized her. Was he even in Costa? His housekeeper would have told her if James was away. Or perhaps not. Had she missed her chance to be with him? A tiny piece of her worried she might never see him again though his actions demonstrated he wanted a life with her.

  It was growing dark. Soon it would be dangerous to be out and about. She had no wish to expose her magic or fight for her life. The only lit building near her was the temple. It drew her like a moth to the flame. A prayer to the Goddess would not hurt.

  Kat tied Demon around the side of the building out of the wind and paused on the threshold. She took a deep breath and stepped inside. Her whole body trembled, and she drew her cloak around her. She tried to soak in the peace of the sanctuary, but the day had been too long and fraught. A man stood near the front where the candles burned as tribute to the Goddess. He had just placed a lit candle on the shelf. Her foot scraped on the step.

  James turned as the sound of a footfall disturbed his prayer. Just his luck that even this small moment of peace should be denied him. A woman stood in the entry, seemingly poised for flight. Their eyes met. Katrine.

  He dared not speak or move for fear he might scare her like the wild animal she resembled. Her eyes glittered, swirled, and sparkled. Suddenly, glowing red eyes flanked her.

  “Katrine,” he said. “Your hounds.”

  She turned and sent the beasts into the night with a wave of her hand.

  She turned back to him, and it seemed some of her wildness subsided. She took a step forward, then another.

  “I thought I’d never find you,” she said.

  His heart leaped for joy. “You were looking for me?”

  “I find myself at a crossroads,” she said, her voice guarded. “I needed to speak to you before I could move on.”

  Was she here to say goodbye? “I won’t let you leave without a fight.”

  Her eyes flared, reflecting the candle light. “You want me still?”

  James chanced a step forward. “I thought the ring would have spoken eloquently of my desire to have you in my life. I love you, Katrine.”

  He took another step, and she held up her hand to make him stop.

  “I am yet to decide,” she said, “but I can’t get you out of my life, out of my head.” “Perhaps there’s a reason. Perhaps we are meant to be together.”

  She looked down at her boots, and, when she looked back up at him, her eyes had lost a little of their life. “Once I would have given anything to hear you say those words. I would have given anything to receive your ring and your promises. Indeed, I gave you something precious.”

  “I don’t know what came over me that day. I allowed my body to rule, but I can’t regret what happened, not honestly.”

  Katrine turned to leave, but he grasped her hand. “Stay and hear me out.” She didn’t turn, so he spoke his words to her profile, the silhouette he loved, the brave, brash, and most alive woman he had ever met.

  He took a deep breath, praying he could find the right words. “I regret not saving that moment for this day. Giving in to my desires was wrong. I can never truly make you believe I didn’t intend to use you. But I will try.” He took another long breath, but she still refused to look at him. “I love you, Katrine Aranati. It has taken me months to accept my feelings for you. Now I understand I can’t live without you. I’ve tried and failed. The day in that snowy meadow is one I will never forget. The Goddess knows I tried to put you out of my head and out of my heart. I could not. The intensity of my feelings terrified me. I had tried so hard to control my destiny. I thought I had it all planned out.”

  Katrine turned to him and tears shimmered in her blue eyes.

  “And then you came along, and my heart took over,” he said. “My body betrayed me, and I acted without regard for you and your reputation. But now I realize I love you, I can’t be sorry I was your first. I’ve lain with no one else since. You ruined me for all other women, and I’m glad. Katrine, you may not need me anymore, there may be many hurdles for us to jump, life may often be difficult. But I can’t live without you. Please put me out of my misery and do me the honor of becoming my wife.”

  James dropped to one knee and looked up at the only woman he would ever want, could ever want. Might she put aside the hurt he had delivered her and agree to love him forever?

  Katrine grasped both his hands. James closed his eyes to gather courage before fixing his gaze on hers.

  “I am not the girl you took in the meadow, James, and I will never be that girl again. Too much has happened–the hounds, my dreams, Hetty—” She swallowed and started again. “Hetty has asked me to move to Brightcastle and take over from her. She is too old to continue her work. I’m considering her request, even though it was more an order.”

  “And what is your decision?”

  “I’m yet to choose. But back to us. It broke my heart the day I saw your wedding banns posted. You can’t imagine how angry and hurt I was. Not only had you left me, but all the time you were committed to another. I had no concern for my safety and that enabled me to control the hounds because I had lost all fear of them. Losing you was devastating at the time, but now I realize it was all part of my coming into power. No doubt there will be other days when I must rise like a phoenix from the ashes.”

  James couldn’t decide where this was going. She s
ounded so strong, so capable of living without him. Goddess, please let her have mercy on me! She pulled a chain from her bosom and lifted it over her head. Upon it was threaded the ring he had given her. As he watched her remove the ring from the chain, a cold hand gripped his heart. Time slowed as he waited for Katrine to walk out of his life forever.

  “Hetty’s ultimatum made me examine what the future might hold for me if I take the path of the sorceress.”

  She handed the ring to James, forced him to fold his fingers around it. His world shrank to the cold metal in his palm. He thought he had prepared himself for her rejection, but this moment proved he had not. He couldn’t even look at her as she drew breath to continue.

  “I don’t want Hetty’s life. I want to be a wife and mother. I want to dwell in the bosom of my family. And the only man I wish to have by my side is you, James.”

  It was only then that he looked into her eyes and what he saw there told him she truly wanted him. He stood and threw his arms around her, crushing her to him.

  “Yes, James, I say ‘yes’ to becoming your wife!”

  “You are more than I have ever wished for, Katrine. I will love you and treasure you all of our days. You will never be sorry you said ‘yes’.” He reached for her hand, slid the ring onto her finger and covered her hands with his

  She stepped back from him. “We still have much to decide. Somehow, we must fit your life with mine, for I won’t give up my magic. I want children, and I want to help my kingdom as well. I’ll track down the dragon and find those responsible for it. And I won’t hide away like Hetty does, a spider spinning her web from the shadows.”

  His heart swelled with pride at this fierce woman who had agreed to be his. He pulled her close again, and her arms crept inside his cloak. They stood in the center of the temple, amidst candles signifying tribute and hope, a beacon of light in the darkness.

  “I love you, Katrine, and you shall have all you desire and more. Together we will fight the evil in this kingdom. Never fear I will deny you again. I have cast off the fear of old and am ready to adore you for the rest of my life.”