The Master and the Sorceress Read online

  Kat scanned the surrounding forest as she fetched her saddle and returned to Demon. No matter how this was resolved, they would depart quickly. She placed two handfuls of oats in his nosebag and attached it, then did the same for the other horses. The guard joined her and began saddling the animals, his eyes on his surroundings.

  “You work here.” Katrine said. “I’ll keep a look out.”

  His smirk faded as she grasped the bole of the nearest tree and shimmied up until she was the height of a ship’s mast above the forest floor. Damn him! Kat settled on a branch and methodically checked each quadrant of the forest. In the last, she spied movement. James! And the other guards. Carrying a bundle. Wait! There were only four guards with him. Fear struck her gut. It was a body they carried—a man’s body.

  Kat hastened from her lofty lookout and landed beside the horses. “They come!” she said. “I think they found Hendel. This way!” She pulled his sleeve and set off across the clearing into the trees on the other side. They had only gone a dozen yards when they spied the somber procession.

  Kat froze while the guard pushed past her. “Ho, Master Tomel!”

  James’s head snapped up. “Dael! Where is Katrine?”

  “I’m here,” she said.

  The wariness on his face turned to relief. He must care a little for her. “Get back to the clearing! Prepare your mounts for travel.”

  And then she saw Hendel—or what was left of him. One side of his face was gone, and there was a gaping hole in his chest as though his heart had been ripped out. She staggered back as the guards carrying him approached and would have fallen if not for James’s outstretched hand. Kat spun and emptied her stomach onto the pine needles while James held her hair back, his arm around her waist.

  “What happened?’ she asked, though she knew the answer.

  “By the prints around the body, I’d say it was the hounds, perhaps two or three. He never stood a chance. Wasn’t much of a struggle, so I don’t think he saw them until it was too late.”

  Kat looked up at him, noting the grayness of his skin. “Why? Why do they hunt us?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine.” His eyes searched her, drilled right into her soul. “Perhaps your guess may be better than mine. I never saw them until they were chasing you.”

  “You can’t seriously think I have anything to do with those hounds!”

  He gripped her upper arms. “Tell me why they are hunting you, Katrine!”

  “They aren’t hunting me,” she said through gritted teeth. I can’t reveal anything of my magic to this virtual stranger. Magic powers were a gift you hid, not held up as a banner for all to see. Besides, she wasn’t sure if her magic had anything to do with the hounds. Even Hetty wasn’t completely certain. Despite that, she would take care not to use sorcery again if she could possibly avoid it. And she would try to invert any spells she did need to use. It certainly appeared the hounds were dogging her steps and she would take no more risks—well, only calculated risks.

  James frowned, his eyes searching her face as if desperate to trust her. Huh! Master James Tomel is many things but desperate isn’t one of them.

  “There’s a man dead, Katrine!” he snapped. “You need to tell me if you have more information about these beasts.”

  She shook her head. “I’ve told you all I know. You have to believe me.”

  He let go of one of her arms and led her back to the clearing where Hendel’s body lay. Kat averted her eyes from the gore.

  “We need to get out of here,” James said. “Two of you take the body back to Costa. The rest of us will push on to Brightcastle.”

  There was a howl of protest from the five guards, demanding the expedition be aborted. Kat drew herself up and folded her arms across her chest. I am not afraid, and nothing will stop me from getting to Hetty!

  James turned to her. “Perhaps we should return to Costa while only one of us lies dead. As it is I have no idea how I will explain this to Hendel’s family.”

  Sorrow struck at Kat like a physical blow. She knew what it was like to lose a loved one—she missed her father every day—but that was a reason for continuing. She could never live with herself if Hetty passed away and she did nothing. “I understand how you must feel and my heart is heavy for Hendel and his folk. I don’t expect any of you to help me.” She deliberately addressed the last sentence to James. “However, I intend to push on to Brightcastle. There is an inn I can sleep in tonight and perhaps on my own I can pass undetected by the hounds.” She believed she could thwart any attack that came against her, but if her magic really drew them…She shuddered at the vision of the creatures chasing her all the way to Brightcastle.

  James was shaking his head. “I can’t let you go on alone. What kind of a man do you think I am?”

  Kat stared at him, wondering if he would really try to stop her from seeing Hetty. Over my dead body! She turned to the guards who eyed her with varying degrees of hostility.

  “Look,” she said to them all. “Each of you must make a choice. But know this: I don’t expect any of you to come with me. It was never my plan. You all have people depending on you.” She drew a deep breath. “And so do I. There is a sick old woman in Brightcastle who has no one to care for her. She needs me, and I will not let her down.”

  James sat on the seat of the dray, his thoughts drifting like a leaf in a stream. He blamed lack of sleep on his hare-brained decision to continue on with Katrine. She rode alongside, on Demon, also lost in her own thoughts. Two guards accompanied them—the rest had returned with Hendel. He had to believe they would be safe.

  He was sure Katrine had something to do with the hounds even if she denied it. She seemed sincere in her rejection of the idea, but, as far as James was concerned, it was fact. Just as important was another question only he could answer. Why had he decided to continue on? The other men were swayed by his decision, and their devotion cut him.

  And Katrine! She was the most stubborn woman he had ever met but along with his frustration came a grudging respect for her. She was scared, but she wasn’t allowing her fear to defeat her. It certainly appeared she was made of better stuff than her sister! His eyes strayed to her shapely legs as they guided Demon and controlled the horse. Everything about the woman intrigued him—her beauty, her toughness, her heart, and her capability. And there was something else—a compelling, bewitching quality.

  His heart shuddered. Bewitching! Was that it? Was Katrine a practitioner of the magical arts? It would explain much—her eyes, the night hounds, and her strange vanquishing of the beast at the stream. Magical ability would lend her courage, for she clearly would be able to defend herself better than most women. She held herself apart from others, almost as if she walked upon a different world. Yes, if Katrine was a witch it would make sense of much that had transpired over the last four days.

  The thought should scare him, even repulse him, but James was surprised to discover it did not. If this woman was a practitioner of magic, it only added to her mystery, her attraction. He shook his head. Instead of escorting her to Brightcastle, he should be turning her into the King and running far in the other direction. The truth was he had never been drawn to anyone as he was to Katrine. A large part of him urged him to take a chance and see where his acquaintance with her might lead. He ignored it, of course. His future lay elsewhere than with this captivating but chaotic young woman.

  It was late in the day, and Katrine’s head pounded with questions she had no answers for. How would they make it unscathed to Brightcastle and Hetty? Why did James continue to keep her company, let alone his two men? When would the next hound attack them? How could they survive another three nights on the road?

  She shook her head and tried to focus on anything other than her predicament. She and James rode side by side on the seat of his dray. Demon had sensed her inner turmoil and started prancing, leading James to offer up a seat on his wagon. It had been a mistake to accept. His muscular thigh rubbed up against hers, and, each
time it did, something low in her belly squirmed and her nipples tingled. She had never felt anything like this before, despite having exchanged kisses with more than one willing man in the past. Oh, she had never taken a man to her bed, but Esta had described what happened. Might James be her first? Her body heated at the thought of him naked. Her mouth went dry imagining what he might look like under his clothes. And then his thigh bumped her again, and she almost jumped off the seat.

  “Are you well?” His deep voice vibrated through her all the way to her toes.

  She turned to him, bringing his mouth dangerously close to hers and forced her eyes up to his. That didn’t help as his dark stare reminded her of the black places in dangerously hot flames.

  Kat sighed and swallowed down the urge to press her lips against his. “I’m tired, that’s all.”

  “Are you sure? You’ve been so quiet.”

  “So have you.”

  He looked ahead. “I’ve been trying to understand what I’m doing here.”

  “You didn’t need to come with me, James.”

  “I realize that, but I couldn’t let you ride off on your own or even with a posse of armed guards.”

  She frowned at him. “I can take care of myself. I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone.”

  “Perhaps that’s what intrigues me about you.” His eyes were upon her again. “You are like a small island in a raging sea. Separate and self-contained.”

  “You make me sound horrible!”

  He placed his hand on her knee, and she jumped. He squeezed, and her cheeks heated—not to mention what her heart did. Damn him! She must stop reacting like this!

  “You aren’t horrible, but I suspect you are hiding more than one secret.” The silence between them stretched out. “Am I right?”

  “Wha…what do you mean?” He couldn’t know what she was. And, if he did, what then?

  “Your eyes…the night hounds…the second attack and the burned smell.” He took a deep breath and his eyes bored into her. “Are you a witch?”

  A chill ran through Kat as she scrambled to decide what to tell him. He was little more than a stranger. Did she trust him enough to reveal this secret part of herself? He had thrown his lot in with her, at least for a short while. Did that mean she owed him at least part of the truth? You don’t owe him this!

  The moment stretched until she realized she had missed her opportunity to deny his accusation. What would change if he knew the truth? What might he do with that information?

  Kat straightened her shoulders, refusing to meet his gaze, afraid of what she might find there—fear, disgust, revulsion? “I am.”

  She sensed him stiffen beside her, heard his indrawn breath.

  “What does that mean?” he asked.

  She sighed. “I have certain powers. Much of my magic relates to potions and spells but I can summon balls of fire, powerful ones. It was how I defeated the second night hound. I wish you would keep this to yourself, James.”

  He turned to her. “You think I would tell anyone this? I can barely accept what you are, let alone tell anyone and expect them to treat me the same afterward.” They traveled in uncomfortable silence for a time.

  Kat wondered if she might awake one morning to find him gone and was surprised to feel dread at the thought. She had always traveled alone before and thought nothing of it.

  “Why are those creatures following you?” he asked.

  Kat went cold at the question. “I don’t yet know if they are.”

  “How can you say that? I never saw them until you arrived in Costa, and, now, where you are, they are.”

  She went to speak then snapped her mouth shut. Were they hunting her? And if so, why? Hetty had said magic might attract the hounds but that didn’t explain everything.

  “I used magic before the first hound chased me.”

  “I knew it!”

  “Stop jumping to conclusions! I’ve never seen one before. Why now is it my fault?”

  “We have to assume your magic is the source of our trouble. I forbid you to use it again until we reach Brightcastle.”

  How dare he? This was exactly why she avoided relationships. “My magic might be the only thing standing between us and death, Master High and Mighty. What will you say then?”

  James looked away to the west where the sun was setting behind the trees. “Truthfully? I don’t know what to say. You’re right. We can’t discount the possibility we might need sorcery against those beasts. However, I don’t approve.” He fell into a brooding silence, focused on the road ahead.

  “I’m a normal woman, you know,” she said, her voice barely a whisper on the wind.

  James laughed. “Oh, lady. You are so much more than a normal woman.” His voice dwindled into contemplation.

  Kat wished he would just say what was eating at him. She was sick of wondering what he wasn’t saying. But did it matter? Once they reached Brightcastle, they would go their separate ways, never to meet again. The thought made her sadder than ever.

  Two hours later, with the full moon lighting their way, they arrived at a small roadside inn. The guards stabled the horses and secured the dray while Kat and James entered the establishment’s bar. It was crowded with woodsmen and smelled of sweat and ale. Kat took a seat at the only vacant table while James spoke with the innkeeper. The speculative stares of several rough-looking men made Kat wish she had remained outside.

  James joined her with four ales. “There is only one proper room left,” he said. “You must take it, and I will share the loft with the guards.”

  She clutched his hand. “Stay with me, James. I don’t like the looks those men are sending my way.”

  James surveyed the room and turned back to her. “I see what you mean, but what of your reputation if I share your room?”

  “Do you think I care about that when I am being drooled over by them?” She licked lips which had gone dry and his eyes followed the movement. “Stay with me tonight.”

  “When you put it like that, how can I refuse?”

  Kat drew her hand away from his as their companions joined them, and she passed an uncomfortable half hour eating dinner under the speculative stares of the desperate men in the inn. The tension within built until she could stand it no longer. She pushed her chair back and stood. The room hushed as her chair scraped across the floor boards.

  “I’m going up,” she said. “Please bring my things.”

  James stood too. “It’s the second room on the right from the top of the stairs. I need to check the horses. I won’t be long.”

  She pushed through the men between her and the stairs, expecting their fingers to grope her at any moment, and glad when she avoided molestation. However relieved she was, the sex-starved stares of the men bore into her back as she ascended the steps to the upper rooms. She found her door and pushed it open, stepped through and slammed it behind her. She rested against the inside of the door and waited for her heart to stop its thumping, her hands to quit their shaking.

  There was warmish water in the jug, so she shed her outer clothes and washed the dirt of the road from her skin. A knock at the door made her blood pump again.

  “It’s James. Let me in.”

  Kat whimpered in relief and flew to the door. She opened it just enough to admit him and slammed it closed. “Thank the Goddess!” she said, facing him in the flickering light of the single candle. It was only then Kat remembered she was half-dressed. James stared at her like a thirsty man at a glass of cold ale.

  “Oh!” She took her bag from him and held it to her chest. His heated gaze swept over her, leaving her feeling naked. Heat pooled between her legs and her nipples tightened. Kat couldn’t think of anything to say, so withdrew her hairbrush and sat on the end of the bed. She pulled the brush through her hair in long, soothing strokes, counting as she went.

  “We should discuss sleeping arrangements.” His voice sounded shaky, not his usual controlled self.

  She drew a deep breath. “I hope y
ou don’t think less of me because I want you with me tonight. Those men looked at me as though they wished to …Well, you know.”

  “You’re a…” He cleared his throat. “You’re a beautiful woman. What man wouldn’t want to, ah, spend time with you?”

  Kat swiveled to face him. “You.” His eyes dropped to her breasts and she realized the candle sat behind her. He could probably see her shape beneath the thin fabric of her chemise.

  James took a step forward, and his Adam’s apple bobbed once, twice. “I am not unmoved in your presence, Katrine. You shine like a beacon wherever you go. I’d be stone not to notice and want you.”

  He took another step toward her, yet it seemed to her as if he moved against his will. Of course it was against his will! She was nothing to him but a nuisance—a trap into which he had fallen and from which he must now extricate himself.

  But his words traveled straight to her core, made her want things she had never yearned for. Like a man’s strong arms around her, his lips on hers, his hard body pounding into her soft core. Kat almost blushed to admit it. Perhaps she could entice James to have his way with her this night and help her forget her melancholy.

  Kat stood, placed the brush on the bed, and turned to him. She gathered her hair and tossed it over her shoulder. He followed the movement of her breasts like he was mesmerized. This strong, uptight, proper businessman was in her thrall! Kat had never held such power, but should she act on it? Could this be the night she lost her virginity and moved into womanhood? Would that be enough for her with James? It must be.

  He took a step toward her and then another until she could have reached out and touched him if she desired. However, she instinctively knew James must make the first move. He caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers, sliding them down to her throat where her pulse pounded like a mountain stream in full flood! Heavens, her head felt like it could float away, yet he had barely touched her.