The Lady Of The Storm Part 22

She tried every one of them on Giles, to little affect.

He was determined to sink into a misery of silence and self-pity, and she could find no way around that barrier. Not even by enticing him with her body, which she tried as a last resort.

Although he trembled with need, although his body quickly responded to her invitations, the stubborn man managed to rebuff all of her advances.

And now she had run out of time, for even through the downpour, she could see the glow of the fiery walls of Firehame Palace in the distance. Their return journey seemed much shorter. Panic curled in her breast and threatened to rob her of the ability to think clearly. She might never see him again.

"Giles, I can go on no farther. I must rest."

He gave her a measured look, as if he could see into her mind and knew what she planned to do. "You will manage."

"But I can't go to Sir Robert's looking like this. Can we not stop at an inn so I can tidy my appearance?"

He sighed. "Cecily. You cannot change my mind. You cannot weaken my resolve."

Had he read her mind? "Even if I were to fling myself at you bodily without a st.i.tch of clothing on?"

He would have smiled at that, but a day ago. But this new Giles did not smile. Instead he reached up and pulled the hood of his cloak farther down his head until shadow covered his features.

"You do not love me enough," snapped Cecily, suddenly furious at his stubborn resolve. His self-pity. His inability to understand she loved him for more than his beautiful face. "If you did, you would not let something so small come between us."

He did not answer for a long time. She heard nothing but the sound of the rain pelting their cloaks, the squelch of the horses' hooves through mud, and then the clack of them across the cobblestones as they entered the city.

When he finally spoke his voice sounded deep and sorrowful. "It is because my love for you is so strong that I will not allow you to marry a monster."

"You are not..."

But he hunched his shoulders and she knew-like so many times in the past hours-he would not listen to her reply. The understanding that she had truly lost him, after barely having gained his love, struck Cecily like a blow, and she stared at the city around them with blind eyes.

They rode past hovels and then tall brownstone buildings, down a wide street lined with elegant shops, clubs, and coffeehouses. Finally turning down a narrow lane that backed grand mansions, until Giles pulled up the reins next to a stable. He swung down from Apollo and fetched a boy to care for the horses, and then escorted her through the back entrance of Sir Robert's manse.

The grandeur of the home no longer made her feel small and insignificant. Cecily had been through too much to ever feel that way again. But she couldn't bear soiling the plush carpets, so dispersed the rainwater from their clothing and hair with a quick wave of her hand. Giles did not acknowledge the gesture.

When they entered the library and Sir Robert rose to greet them, he studied Cecily with a frown and then nodded, his gaze quickly traveling to Giles. "Report," he demanded.

Giles threw back his hood and the older man gasped.

"Egads, man, what happened to you? No, no wait. I have specific instructions that I am to call them first before I hear of your journey." Sir Robert strode over to the fireplace, the skirts of his coat swis.h.i.+ng with his steps, and pulled upon a sconce set within the stone.

Cecily removed her cloak and took a seat next to the fireplace, allowing the warmth to erase some of the chill from her bones. If not her heart.

The fire lord and his lover must have been eagerly awaiting word of Cecily's arrival, because the hidden panel soon swung open, and they stepped into the room.

Lady Ca.s.sandra quickly made her way to Cecily's side and crouched, the lace of her skirts piling one atop the other as she looked up into Cecily's face. "Thomas?"

Cecily shook her head, refusing to allow the tears to come to her eyes.

Lady Ca.s.sandra made a choking sound and rose, crossing the room to stare out the window. Rain streaked the panes and hid the view, but Cecily knew the lady had blind eyes at the moment. Mor'ded of Firehame followed his lady, placing an arm gently around her waist.

Cecily glanced over at Giles. He stood near the doorway where they had entered the room, his gaze fixed upon the crackling flames of the fire. She missed his habit of standing at her side. Missed the warmth of his hand upon her shoulder.

"Report," Sir Robert demanded again, and Giles began to speak. He told every detail of their journey with remarkable accuracy, although he left out the most important parts. How he had discovered his love for Cecily. How they had planned to marry. How Giles had ultimately broken her heart.

By the time he had finished speaking, Lady Ca.s.sandra had returned to the fireplace, taking a seat upon the velvet settee as she had at their last meeting, the pretend Imperial Lord Mor'ded of Firehame settling close beside her.

When Cecily met her gaze, a moment of shared grief pa.s.sed between them, and then Lady Ca.s.sandra sighed. "I am so sorry, Lady Cecily. Had I suspected what awaited you at the end of this mission, I would never have allowed you to go."

Cecily swept the hair back from her face. "On the contrary, Lady Ca.s.sandra. I do not think you could have stopped me." And then she glanced across the room at Giles. "Nor do I regret the journey, for I have learned many things about myself."

Lady Ca.s.sandra and Lord Mor'ded followed her gaze, both of them squinting their eyes at the gloomy shadow Giles stood within. He stepped forward into the light cast by the candles and fire, revealing the full impact of his mark, turning his face so the light caught the green color of it and made it glow hideously, overshadowing his perfect features.

Giles took a breath, strode over to the elven lord, and withdrew the ring from his pocket. "I believe this is yours."

Mor'ded of Firehame stared at the jewel as if it were a snake. "I regret the price you had to pay for it, Mister Beaumont. England will never know the debt it owes you. But I shall never forget."

Giles placed the ring in the elven lord's hand and gave him a sweeping bow. The graceful movement of his body as he performed the gesture made Cecily's heart ache.

Sir Robert cleared his throat. "This new development... dare I say, Beaumont, that it will alter the missions I had in mind for you. I'd hoped to send you to several sovereignties to rescue children before their testing. But if a child vanishes every time a man with a green mark on his face appears..."

Giles did not shake the hair back from his face, as was his habit, but instead allowed those white-blond strands to lie across his cheeks, partially obscuring that blemish of wild magic. "I understand my life is forever changed, Sir Robert."

And Cecily lowered her gaze in empathy, knowing how devastating it would be for Giles to give up his plans. If the Rebellion had aided Giles's brother, perhaps John would never have been sent to Elfhame-which truly meant murdered. Cecily understood Giles would see every child he saved as his younger brother.

"But the Rebellion will surely find other missions for him," she said.

"But of course," interjected Mor'ded. "A man of Mister Beaumont's loyalty and skills is invaluable to us."

"Indeed," agreed Lady Ca.s.sandra. "Nothing is ever irreparable, Cecily. We are only challenged to find new ways of adapting to change."

Cecily glanced up to find everyone staring at her.

Yet she cared for the attention of only one man. She gave him a hopeful look of entreaty, but Giles only scowled and stalked across the room back into the shadows.

"Still," said Sir Robert, "that mark of his makes him easily distinguishable. We shall have to plan carefully, Beaumont, so your next mission will not be your last."

Silence from the shadows Giles stood within.

Although," continued Sir Robert, ignoring the silence and centering his attention on the rest of them, "I would not blame Mister Beaumont if he wanted to retire as a reward for the information he has brought us." The man rubbed his dry hands together, a sound that made Cecily want to grit her teeth.

Lady Ca.s.sandra frowned. "I believe that is the last thing he would wish for, Robert."

"Fie, Ca.s.s, I wished only to remark on the incredible findings of Lord Althorp. Thomas outdid himself this time."

"At the cost of his life," snapped Cecily.

"And we must focus on that which we have gained," replied Sir Robert. "Who would have known the Seven Corners of h.e.l.l harbored a doorway to Elfhame?"

"The black dragon of Firehame would have," said Mor'ded. "But apparently Ador thinks this is another piece of the puzzle that we humans must solve to be worthy of our freedom."

His voice held a curious mix of fondness and resentment that baffled Cecily. "I do not understand whose side the dragons are on."

"Ah." The pretend Lord Mor'ded of Firehame leaned back against the cus.h.i.+ons of the settee, his black velvet coat falling open at the unb.u.t.toned waist, exposing an embroidered waistcoat and the frills of his white cambric s.h.i.+rt. "I don't believe they are on anyone's side, other than the scepters they are bonded to. The dragon-steeds cannot act directly against the elven lords, but aid us however much they can in their quest to return home. But perhaps I speak too broadly, for I can vouch only for Ador. I do not know how much the other dragons would stir themselves to aid us. They may want to return to Elfhame but I think they have found our world quite... comfortable."

"Your Most High," said Sir Robert, "do you think it is wise to reveal so much to this girl?"

"Are you blind where she is concerned, Sir Robert? Do you not see that the girl before us is not the same one that left us but weeks ago?"

Cecily heard the shuffle of Giles's feet, but she did not turn her head in his direction. When she had not been thinking of ways to bring Giles back to his old arrogant self, she had been thinking about what Father had told her in Seven Corners. And with Giles's newfound gift for silence, she'd had perhaps too much time to think about it. And she realized Thomas had been right.

She had wanted only to be safe. And happy. She had considered only her own feelings.

Perhaps in much the same way Giles now thought only of his.

So and so. If she had the power to help the Rebellion free England, she could not deny the gift. And right now would be the time to test her newly found resolve. "Does the new information my father provided change the mission you had in mind for me, Sir Robert?"

His jowls wiggled with the force of his head swing. "I daresay..."

Imperial Lord Mor'ded leaned forward, his black eyes glittering like the faceted jewels they so resembled. "It makes it all the more important. We had always thought the scepters were the source of the elven lords' magic, but now that we know they are but a tool, we have the ability to weaken them even more."

Lady Ca.s.sandra plucked at the lace of her sleeves. "I'm not sure, love, if it would be wise to wrest the scepter away from an elven lord. Imagine the consequences when they tear England apart to hunt for it."

Mor'ded patted her hand. "I doubt we will ever agree on this matter, but I say again-what other choice do we have? We must make a bold move and I can see no other way to cause such a significant weakening of their hold upon England."

Cecily glanced between the two, sensing an old argument, swallowing at the import of their words. She would be diving headfirst into more dangerous waters than she had ever thought. "You want me to steal a scepter?" she whispered in disbelief.

"I'm afraid," said Sir Robert, his attention still focused on Lady Ca.s.sandra, "that recent events have only enforced Lord Mor'ded's argument. Without the scepters, the elven lords will not be able to tap into the greater magic-although their own powers would still be formidable, of course. But imagine, my lady, what would happen if we could-"

Cecily raised her voice, perhaps a bit too loudly, but she could only blame the sheer incredulity she felt as the reason. "You want me to steal a scepter?"

They all turned to her in surprise, but only Lord Mor'ded of Firehame reacted, pulling out the black rod from the sheath hooked to his waist. He held it up to the light, where Cecily could see the runes written across the surface. "As you can see, it is not impossible."

"Yes, yes, of course." Cecily's mind spun. "But it is said that only an elven pureblood can wield the scepter... that it would destroy any human foolish enough to touch it."

"I believe in most cases that may be true." Mor'ded's fingers tightened on the scepter until black smoke curled around the top of it. "But for a half-breed... we have discovered those with enough elven blood can wield it."

Cecily s.h.i.+vered.

"Cease, love," said Ca.s.sandra.

The elven lord blinked, and the smoke faded, and he slammed the thing back in its sheath.

"But how do you know I have enough?"

"Remember, Cecily. I was with you the night we fled Firehame Palace." Lady Ca.s.sandra gave her a gentle smile. "I saw the strength of your gifts. Only the Imperial Lord of Dewhame has the power of sea and sky... even his champion, General Owen Fletcher, can command only the waters of earth."

"Besides," interjected Sir Robert, "we aren't asking you to actually use the thing. Only to bring it to us."

Cecily stared at him in astonishment. Ah, well, that makes it so much better. She glanced over to the shadows, hoping that Giles would interfere, as he had before. That he would insist the task was too dangerous for her. His silence only made it clear he had severed any ties to her. Emotionally as well as physically.

And Cecily had vowed to make her father proud of her. Had decided to help England in whatever way she could. Just because she discovered she didn't like the manner in which she would serve, was no reason for her to go back into hiding. She quickly dispersed a brief vision of a little cottage on a hill by the sea.

She lifted her chin. "Let me make sure I understand. I a.s.sume you want me to steal my birth father's scepter, since each one is attuned to the elven lord's magic, and perhaps I will have a chance of touching Breden's scepter without it completely annihilating me. But you forget that I can't use the power of the sky."

"Won't. Not can't," grumbled Sir Robert.

Lady Ca.s.sandra shot him a quelling look. "Just the fact that you possess so much of the elven lord's magic may allow you to hold it."

Despite Lady Ca.s.sandra's initial reluctance for this mission, she appeared to now be supporting it. Cecily looked deep into those soft brown eyes and realized Ca.s.sandra looked a bit wistful. As if she wished she could be the one to go on this mission. "You would like to, wouldn't you?" murmured Cecily.

A quick nod of that elegantly coiffed head.

Of course the lady would not give her a task she wouldn't be willing to do herself. That realization brought Cecily more comfort than it should. "But Breden of Dewhame has been looking for me."

"Not you," said Sir Robert, "just a hint of the power you used when he invaded your village. Our sources tell us he has given it up for some vestige of one of his own spells. He can't be sure you even exist. And since he hasn't seen you since you were a babe, he would not recognize you either. Are you committed to this enough for me to give you the rest of the details?"

Cecily took a breath, glanced at the lord and lady, the hopeful looks on their faces. Cecily quaked at the thought she might have the power to make such a difference in the fight for England's freedom. What if she failed? But she wanted nothing more at that moment than to wipe the smug look of doubt off Sir Robert's face. "Yes. Yes, I am."

A choking sound from the shadows. Astonishment from the faces of those surrounding her. Lady Ca.s.sandra appeared proud and worried all at the same time.

Sir Robert leaned forward, the curls of his white wig falling over his shoulders. "You will go to Dewhame Palace as the servant of Lord Longhurst, a loyal spy of the Rebellion. This way you will avoid appearing in court and will have access to all the gossip of the servants... who know everything first anyway. You can be almost invisible in that role. We have also gained a map of many of the secret pa.s.sages within Dewhame Palace, so you can move about even more freely."

Cecily nodded. The man made it sound so easy. "And what is the plan for stealing it?"

"Err, I daresay that will be up to you. You must move when you have enough information and feel that the time is right."

Her amazement must have shown on her face, for Lord Mor'ded quickly interceded. "Breden of Dewhame will have no reason to suspect anyone would dare touch his scepter. Indeed, the elven lords' arrogance is the Rebellion's most powerful weapon. Within each of their chambers is a crystal stone that they use to communicate with one another. There is a cavity within the top of it that holds the scepter, and if Breden is anything like my fath-me, he will often leave it within the stone. Find a way into his chambers when he is not about and you may be able to take it without him even knowing."

For some reason Cecily doubted that, but when Mor'ded of Firehame gifted her with a smile, changing his beauty to nearly ethereal, she could only nod dreamily in agreement with him.

Lady Ca.s.sandra stood, a wondrous swirl of lace and ribbons, and faced the shadows where Giles silently listened. "There is still the matter of what to do after she gains the scepter."

Cecily appreciated that Lady Ca.s.sandra did not say if.

"The elven lords don't often work together," continued the lady. "But in this matter, I believe they will. They will combine their powers to hunt down the scepter and there is no place in England where Cecily will be safe."

"a.s.suming," said Mor'ded, "that Breden of Dewhame will admit to having it stolen. The elven lords will sense something amiss and try to contact him, but I'm counting on his arrogance to hide the matter."

"Still," replied Ca.s.sandra, "Breden himself will scour the countryside until he finds her."

Silence fell over the room for a moment. Cecily could hear the rain spattering against the windows, the crackle of the fire. Sir Robert's heavy breathing.

But not a sound from the shadows.

"Breden of Dewhame cannot find her if she's no longer here."

Lady Ca.s.sandra collapsed back down onto the settee. "What do you mean, Robert?"

"I had an epiphany, my dear. What about Wales?"