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Chapter 14. Into Darkness |
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eleri curled in his arms as Pendaran sat on their blanket and numbly watched the dance continue without them. This was not how he had wanted to part from her and clearly she felt the same as her anger and humiliation gave way to tears. He kissed and nuzzled her apologetically only drawing further grief. Pendaran’s white hot rage was gone, leaving as suddenly as it had come. He did not rightfully remember all the details, but he did remember seeing the woman he loved struggling to break free from Belenus’ filthy advances. He did not regret what he had done and he hoped Teleri was not angry at him. Mog had come by to apologize multiple times for his brother, his anger and shame coloring his pale cheeks. He was sure to let Pendaran know that he had sent Belenus packing and he would not be troubling anyone again. Pendaran felt bad for Mog. He knew the big mesmer had a good heart and was not responsible for the vileness of his kin. “Speak to me, my love,” he whispered in Teleri’s ear, kissing her lightly upon her tear dampened cheek. “Why did this have to happen tonight?” she croaked, “This is not how I wanted to depart from you. I wanted to dance and rejoice and have your laughter in my ears until next we met.” “I’m sorry,” he soothed, caressing her face. Gods he loved her and it broke his heart to hear her speak those words. “Not your fault,” she wept, “I’m glad you laid Belenus out, I just wish there hadn’t been a reason to do so.” “He’s gone now, my love and I will never let him touch you again. Let’s dance again and forget this for the nonce.” To his surprise, she chuckled through her tears and kissed him before rising to her feet. “Oh Pen, you should have seen your face. I was just about to knee him hard and then I saw you pushing through the crowd. It was so sweet. I never realized you had it in you.” He smiled and ran his fingers along her cheek. “A scoundrel learns to survive and I wasn’t much of a magician. And I suppose seeing that slug crawling on my beautiful rose just brought out the beast in me. But enough of that, he has stolen too much of our attention for one night. Dance with me.” Teleri smiled back at him and he swept her into his arms, their feet tapping over the cobbles in time to the other dancers. In that moment there was only the two of them and by the second dance they were laughing again. But eventually the tempo of the songs began to slow and in ones and twos the crowd thinned. Pendaran was looking forward to bed and making love to Teleri on their last night together for many to come. “I’ll go talk to Murdi before I turn in,” he said as they walked arm in arm toward the great hall. He kissed her temple and then her lips as she turned to seek him. Heady and aroused, he held her tightly, silently praying she would stay awake until he returned. Hopefully, what Morisedd needed to say to him would take less than an hour, long enough for Teleri to nurse Sabina and make sure Mabane had gone to bed when he was supposed to. “I’ll warm up the bed,” she whispered, sensing his awakened lust. “I won’t be long.” He squeezed her hand a final time before turning toward the postern gate that overlooked the sea. There were round red paper lanterns scattered around the courtyard and he made a detour to pick one up, nodding to one of the servants as he did so. Dangling it on the end of a thin pole before him, he picked his way down into the darkness of the forest, the distant strains of the music fading at his back. The shadowy bulk of the Dunvael long house emerged on his left side and he continued past it shuffling through the leaf litter. The faint glow of candles emerged from the darkness below, defining the rounded wall of the shrine and vaguely illuminating Melandru’s winsome form. “Morisedd?” He did not raise his voice, deciding that if the man had gone to bed rather than wait up for him, he did not want to wake him. The leaf litter rustled near the shrine and his mind went reflexively into alert, the spells he had prepared ready to fly from his lips at a moment’s notice. He did not trust Morisedd, even now while Teleri had told him her brother sought to apologize. “Ah, it’s you. Come sit by the fountain.” The hair of his nape bristled. The voice was calm, but his mind detected something else, not simply the black wall of hatred he had come to associate with Murdi. No, something cold, almost gloating. He moved a few steps closer, but braced to run. Cold sweat emerged from his temples and his heart quickened its pace. Something was not right and he was alone and far from where anyone could hear him. Morisedd emerged into the candlelight, his bow strung and clutched in his hand, an envenomed arrow nocked to the string. “Murdi, I’m leaving now,” he croaked, aware of how feeble his words sounded. Trembling he backed away. He did not want to fight even though he was equipped to do so, had quietly planned for it in case it had come to this. “Don’t leave, Pen,” Morisedd replied quietly, “I was rather looking forward to you sticking around. “I don’t want to hurt you, Morisedd, please put your bow away and let me leave unscathed and I won’t mention this to Teleri.” Morisedd laughed bitterly. “How does it feel to be betrayed by her, incidentally?” Pendaran swallowed against the overwhelming loathing oozing from Morisedd’s psyche. He had to get out of there. The ranger was toying with him now. He made no attempt to hide how intensely he wished Pendaran dead. “How does it feel to use your sister?” he asked, hoping to shame the man into letting him go. He backed away now and prepared to use his hex. Morisedd could never accuse him of striking first, but if he were attacked, he would defend himself. “As if you don’t use her, you scum.” “I love her, Morisedd. I thought you did as well.” A backlash of rage stung Pendaran’s senses and he recoiled, knowing he had gone too far. He darted to one side as the bow twanged and the arrow came hissing toward him. Morisedd must have anticipated this, for the arrow hit true, digging into his heel and tearing through the supple suede of his boot to cripple him. Hissing in pain, he opened his mouth to utter the incantation only to feel the chilling noose of a hex draw down over his mind. “Go on, cast your spell, Master Caradec. I dare you,” Belenus said silkily, emerging from his hiding place amid the scrub on the slope above him. Pendaran froze, knowing only too well what had been done to him. He swore under his breath as the jaws of their trap tightened over him. He could not run, nor could he truly defend himself. He gasped in pain as a second arrow tore into his thigh, its venom crawling through his blood. His vision swam and his breath became harsh and agonized. The hex could not last forever and he waited feebly for it to fade only to be struck by another that prayed upon his inaction. He gasped in pain, sinking to his knees and summoning his last reserves of strength to cry out for help. “I don’t think anyone is coming,” Belenus laughed, approaching him now as he teetered on the brink of collapse. The poison boiled away, leaving him nauseous and weak. At last the hex that would punish his spell casting faded, but by then it was too late. The two men bore him harshly to the ground. Belenus had him in a choke hold while Morisedd wound cord around his wrists and ankles. “Don’t do this, Murdi,” Pendaran pleaded. He made a feeble attempt to escape, but the two men merely laughed before stuffing his mouth with a rag and binding it painfully in place. They rose, gloating as he writhed instinctively away from them, only to be flipped over onto his belly and dragged back by his ankles. Barely able to breathe, he made a desperate attempt to dislodge the gag. All he could do now was delay them and pray someone came looking for him or overheard his struggles on the way to the longhouse. Morisedd hauled him to his shins and grasped him around his chest and pinioned arms. Belenus loomed over him now, the bruises on his beared face clearly visible in the faint light of Pendaran’s fallen lantern and the shrine’s flickering candles. “Now you shall be repaid in full,” the man snarled, drawing back his fist. Pendaran bucked uselessly in Morisedd’s grasp, his world shattered with pain as Belenus’ fist connected with his jaw. The second blow was almost as vivid and for a moment he was blinded with flashes of red and gold, his head ringing with agony. The third sent him mercifully into darkness and he knew no more.
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