It took much of the day for Caleb to reach Castle Blackthorn. His horse, Hendrix, was an exceptional stallion, able to sprint for hours without tiring, and Caleb made good use of the beast, riding far in advance of the small detail that escorted him, telling himself he was simply eager to meet with David and discuss a new strategy for attempting to locate Matthew, not that he was running away from his own actions.
He did everything possible to block Rose from his mind. He knew that, if he allowed himself to think about her at all, regret would consume him. He didn’t have time to wallow in remorse. Rather than holding an internal debate as to what was right or wrong in this situation, he simply occupied his mind with thoughts of what his next steps needed to be. How would he go about locating Matthew? Where should he place his lines of defense if Leopold attacked? Should he destroy what was left of Blackthorn or try to hold it?
And how quickly could he return Princess Katherine to Nadoria?
Though he was able to distract himself to some degree, occasionally his mind would wander off to the small redhead in the dungeon. Despite the fact that he’d had his reasons, ones he felt fully justified in at the time, the nagging sensation in his mind was beginning to grow. The distance between himself and Castle Caine grew as well, but as the sun began to set, the realization of what he’d done settled in.
She would never forgive him, and he couldn’t blame her. While he attempted to tell himself it didn’t matter, that she had been dishonest with him from the beginning and deserved to be punished, part of him wondered if he hadn’t made a mistake. Was it possible she had been telling him the truth all along and the pain from the burn had been enough to elicit a scream when she truly could not produce one before?
The girl had lost her usefulness, he reasoned. She had told him everything she could, which was nothing. And as far as he knew, she was a spy sent there by Philip. Maybe she hadn’t even been the one to help his brother.
Or maybe she had been. Maybe she had comforted Matthew in a time of desperation and need, brought him food and clean water, and helped him escape. And Caleb had just dragged her to the dungeon and left her there in agony.
He was a horrible person, and he didn’t deserve God’s help or anyone else’s in finding his brother. He deserved to be dragged down a flight of stairs and left in an abysmal dungeon to die.
Hendrix continued to move away from Caine, and Caleb continued the battle over his own thoughts, knowing it was a war he could not win.
Matthew had walked for several hours that day and was about to find a place to rest as the sun was fading over the horizon. He had found some berries, and while that helped fight the hunger a bit, he was dreaming of a nice, thick slab of ribs. Just as his mouth began to water, he heard a noise in the ravine below him. He dropped to the ground, thankful that he was able to find cover.
Peering over the rocky hillside, he spotted Arterian cavalry approaching from his right. There was a group of four of them, riding slowly, and he knew at once they were looking for him. A wave of relief washed over him as he thought of going home at last. He was about to push up off of the ground and signal them when another noise caught his attention.
Matthew dropped back down. The sound of hooves approaching from his left, across another hill made him hold his breath and pray it was more Arterian cavalry. As they came into view, his hopes were shattered. “Son of a bitch,” he whispered. It was another group of cavalrymen, but these were not Arterians. No, these were Leopold’s men, more than a dozen of them. They were also clearly looking for him, too.
The Gradenians were closer to his location. There was no way that he could reach the Arterians without being taken captive by Leopold’s forces. Even if he was able to somehow gain the attention of his countrymen, the larger band of Gradenians would take notice as well, and a battle would ensue. The Arterians were outnumbered, and by the looks of things, the enemy had more weapons, larger weapons. He lay perfectly still, calculating his next move. Perhaps the Gradenians would see the Arterians and pull back. Or maybe they would ride on and pass him by before the Arterians were out of sight. However, the Arterians seemed to be changing directions, moving away from him. If he was going to get their attention, he had better do so quickly. He contemplated the possible risks, and ultimately concluded that he should wait, that there would be better, safer ways to reach Arterian forces.
Then he heard footsteps behind him.
Matthew rolled over to see the cusp of a bonnet coming in to view below the ridge. The young woman didn’t see him at first; she was watching her steps on the uneven surface of the hill. When she finally looked up, her eyes grew large with fear. Matthew put his finger over his mouth, signaling for her not to scream, but he could tell by her expression that he was too late.
Just as the shriek began to exit her mouth, he leapt at her, catching her around the shoulders, placing his hand over her mouth to stifle the scream, and knocking them both down the hill. This side was not as steep as the other, but they rolled several times before coming to a stop on the side where the Arterians had disappeared
Matthew found himself on top of a beautiful blonde woman, his hand still securely over her mouth. She was sprawled beneath him, her clothes and bonnet disheveled and her hair strung out in every direction. The basket she had been carrying had lost its contents, which now littered the side of the hill.
He could tell by the absolute look of terror in her eyes that she was either going to scream or cry once he released his hand. Even with the firm pressure of his palm against her open mouth, tears were streaming from the corners of her eyes. He didn’t know if the Gradenians had heard the commotion or not, but he didn’t hear the noise of hoofbeats ascending the other side of the hill, so he believed they had been undetected. Not wanting to take any chances, he kept his hand securely in place.
“Shhh!” he whispered. “Listen, I’m so sorry if I hurt or frightened you. There’s enemy cavalry just on the other side of that crest. I was afraid for both of us. Please, be still.”
The look of horror did not subside from her eyes, but she nodded her head, as if she understood. Her eyes darted from the top of the ravine to his face and back several times, as if she weren’t sure which was more dangerous.
After a few moments, he loosened his grip. She did not call out, so he thought it might be safe to let go. The woman nodded her head again, signaling that she would not make a sound. Eventually, he removed his hand, rolling off of her.
“There. Are you all right?” he said quietly. She was even more beautiful than he’d initially thought now that he could see her entire face. Dressed in a simple frock, with leaves in her long blonde hair, her clothing was still in disarray, but she looked less frightened.
The girl sat up, righting her dress and cloak, glancing around at her belongings. “Yes, I’m well, though I can’t say the same for the contents of my basket.” She stood and went about collecting her things, mostly foodstuffs and herbs, the kind one used for medicinal purposes.
After staring after her for a long moment, Matthew remembered himself and leapt up. “Here, let me help you,” he whispered. He crawled up the hillside, trying to stay as low as possible, collecting the items that she was not able to reach. He placed them back into her basket, and she made one more quick look around to make sure she had everything before securing the lid.
“Thank you,” she whispered, a small smile brightening her face. She had a sharp nose and chin, and her eyes were almost gray. Despite the oddness of her features, he still thought she was lovely. He smiled at her politely, holding her gaze for a moment before she blushed and looked away.
“Let me see if we are safe to continue on our ways,” he said after a moment. Stooping low, he crawled back to the top of the hill. He could see the Gradenian cavalry far in the distance riding the other direction. The Arterians had disappeared completely. He was disappointed to have missed out on this opportunity, but at least he had not been recaptured, and no one had been injured. He stood and made his way back down the slope.
“It looks like they are gone. Again, I’m so sorry for having startled you.” At least no serious harm had been done.
“You certainly did startle me,” she said, giggling. “My goodness, I was terrified!”
He joined in her laughter. “A thousand pardons, my lady.” Matthew bowed low to the ground inciting more amusement from her.
While it was good to have a few pleasant moments, it didn’t last. Soon, she said, “Well, I must be going.” She paused, and after a moment, he realized she was waiting for his name.
“Andrew,” he replied. “My name is Andrew.” He wanted to trust her but knew it was not a good idea. She needn’t ever know she had met the King of Zurconia. “And you are?”
She smiled shyly, and giving a little curtsey, replied, “Rebecca.”
He reached for her hand, and she gave it to him, both continuing the amusing charade of formality. He kissed the back of her hand gently. “Lovely to meet you, my lady.”
“The pleasure is all mine, kind sir,” she giggled.
After a moment, the laughter turned to awkward silence. “All right, then,” Matthew bemused, “Good day, miss. I am off to find a bite to eat!” He lingered for a second before starting to go, hoping she would offer some assistance.
She did. “Oh, are you hungry? I was just returning home to prepare the evening meal. Would you care to join us? My home is just over the ridge there, in those woods.”
Matthew was starving. Of course, he would love to join the sweet Rebecca. However, he had to proceed with caution. “I would hate to impose on your family,” he said, prying for more information.
“It’s no imposition,” she assured him. “My invalid mother awaits my return. My father enlisted in the royal army several months ago, and we have heard no word from him since he went off to fight the terrible Arterians. We would love the company.” She smiled at him, any fear she’d shown earlier long since faded. “After all, you saved me from walking right into the Arterian cavalry.”
Despite the fact that she seemed to think his people were the enemy, it did not take much to convince him, and Matthew heartily agreed to join her. “My lady,” he said, offering her his arm.
She giggled again and locked her arm in his, leading him off to the little cottage in the woods. The idea that he might sleep in a bed that night—in the home of a beautiful woman—with a full belly, made Matthew’s smile even brighter.
Pacing back and forth in front of Blackthorn, Caleb waited for David to return. He’d been told his friend was overseeing operations in the forest as they continued to search for Matthew, and after seeing the situation with the blocked tunnel himself, he understood why. There was simply no way of clearing the entryway without bringing all of Blackthorn down, and even then, it would take so long, Matthew would’ve died of old age.
Caleb had sent a rider out to fetch David. Realizing he could make better use of his time while he waited, the king headed over to the tents David had established as his headquarters. Since Blackthorn was unstable, David had chosen to keep the men out in the courtyard, rather than in the insecure structure, an intelligent move considering the new debris that littered the ground only two days since Caleb had last seen the structure.
David’s notes were sitting on the table next to a large map of the area. Caleb lost himself in them so deeply, he didn’t even hear David enter the tent until his lanky colleague said, “Your Highness.”
Caleb accepted the hand he offered but allowed David to pull him into an embrace. Though it had only been a few days since they had seen each other, the king was used to having David around and had missed him. Not to mention they were both under an enormous emotional strain.
“How are you?” Caleb asked, pausing from his examination of the paperwork to look his right-hand-man in the eye.
David shrugged. He looked almost as tired and bewildered as Caleb felt. “I just… I don’t understand why this is so difficult,” he replied. “I feel that our men have covered every nook and cranny of the entire territory from Blackthorn west and north. We’ve even started searching down here,” he said, pointing to a location on the map just south and west of the castle. “It’s almost as if Matthew is playing hide-and-seek with us.”
Caleb nodded. “How many men do we have in the field?”
Again, David gestured at the map. “I sent Williams’s division here, to hold this line, in case Leopold becomes serious about entering the fray. But Sandy and Hawkins are positioned here and here. Their men are spiraling out from these central locations. I’ve given them specific instructions to be extremely thorough as they comb the area. If there’s a trace of Matthew, we should be able to find it.”
Looking at the divisions and doing the math in his head, it appeared as if there were more than enough men to cover the ground thoroughly. “Perhaps,” Caleb considered, “perhaps we are moving too slowly. Is it possible that Matthew has traveled more quickly than our forces, and he is now out of the region we are searching in?”
David stroked his chin in consideration. “It’s possible, I suppose,” he agreed. “At this point, I haven’t the foggiest. It’s almost as if he’s traveling the wrong direction.”
Caleb ignored that remark, thinking that wasn’t possible. His brother wasn’t a gifted navigator, but he’d spent enough time in the woods near Castle Caine to know how to head east. “And where are the sentries?” Caleb returned his attention to the map.
Pointing to several positions, David indicated their location.
“What are the numbers?”
“Six separate stations, spread out across this area, fifty men at each station, covering all major roads and thoroughfares. Reinforcements behind them.”
Caleb knew his brother well. He knew he would be cautious, perhaps too cautious. “Let’s add some more men. In fact, let’s create a solid line, from this point to this point. I want a man every ten feet, within eyesight of each other. We’ll have two shifts so that they get enough rest. That way, if and when Matthew attempts to cross back through this area, here, west of the Lowetian Forest, we’ll be sure to see him." The line that the king indicated stretched from south of Blackthorn all the way down to the border of Clovington. The area south of Clovington was a region known as Desolatia. It made the swamps of Lowetia seem pleasant and not at all hindering. Desolatia was the northern most region of the Kingdom of Dawncee, a peaceful port kingdom that preferred isolation. There would be no reason for Matthew to cross into that kingdom, so Caleb knew they would not miss him by ending their line at the border.
“And what if, by chance, he is headed through this area?” David asked, gesturing at the area north of Blackthorn, the hilly region currently crawling with Gradenian Cavalry. “I have a few details actively searching, but from the map, it didn’t seem possible that he could be this far north.”
Caleb agreed. “Surely, he’s further south. But at this point, I cannot explain why we haven’t found him.” He considered the number of troops he had available both at home and in the area near the forest. “Let’s pull Owens from here and move him here,” he said pointing to the area between Blackthorn stretching east toward the Zurconian border. “We still have reserves at Caine. I will send them to replace Owens’s men. I would rather have the more experienced troops out in the field.”
David studied the plans and nodded his agreement. “Very well,” he said. “I will see to it.”
Caleb stepped back from the map, still staring at it, wishing that, if he stared intently enough, perhaps he would be able to see his brother appear on the parchment.
“No help from any of the prisoners then?” David asked curiously.
“No,” Caleb answered sharply, not wanting to think about any of the prisoners just now.
David pressed on. “What about Katherine?”
Snickering, Caleb replied, “Katherine offered her services, but not in a way that would have been beneficial to Matthew.”
Eyebrows raised, David asked, “What’s that now?” Caleb didn’t answer, but his expression was enough for David to understand what he was alluding to. “That’s surprising,” he muttered before changing the subject. “I had hoped she would be able to provide some sort of information, particularly since we found that map in her room.” Caleb hesitated, knowing David was able to read that expression as well. “What is it that you’re not telling me?” he asked.
Taking a step backward and turning his back to his longtime friend, Caleb attempted to answer the question as nonchalantly as possible, knowing that, if he were to tell David what he had done prior to leaving the castle, his friend would certainly give him a tongue-lashing. David had always been his voice of reason, and without him, perhaps, he had begun to act a bit unreasonably. “We were able to locate the girl who drew the map. She was of little help. She didn’t have any information that we were not already aware of.”
“Who is she?” David asked taking a step toward the king. It came as no surprise that his friend could tell by his tone that there was more to the story.
“Oh, no one,” Caleb said, turning back slightly toward him, attempting to meet David’s eyes but not quite able to. “Just a servant girl.”
“And?” David insisted.
“She… doesn’t speak,” Caleb said emphatically. “She’s a mute. We tried to coax her into relaying the conversations she’d had with Matthew, hopeful that we could glean some sort of information from them, but she was not able to tell us anything. Then, she wrote a note, also giving us no new information to go on. So, she was not helpful.” He could see from David’s face that he knew there was something more. Finally, he added, “And I don’t trust her.”
This last bit certainly caught David’s attention. “What do you mean you don’t trust her?” he asked.
Caleb sighed. “I just… I don’t trust her. She’s a harlot. I think. At least that’s what Katherine said. And she lied to me. So, I don’t trust her.”
David’s forehead wrinkled. “Are you sure Katherine’s not a harlot?” he asked, reminding Caleb of his earlier statement.
The king raised his eyebrows. No, he wasn’t sure about that. But it was beside the point. “Look, she told me she couldn’t make a single solitary sound, and then she did. And I don’t appreciate being lied to so… I just don’t trust her. I don’t think she has any more useful information for us anyway.”
“I see,” David said, though the way he stroked his chin let Caleb know he still didn’t think he had all of the information. “So, she indicated she was mute, but then you heard her talking?”
Sighing, Caleb admitted, “No, not talking.” Glancing at David, he knew he would have to say more. “Screaming.”
“Screaming?” David repeated. “In pleasure? So she is a whore?”
“No! No, in pain,” Caleb clarified, quickly pushing aside the mental image of Rose screaming in pleasure David had just created. “She burned herself in the kitchen, and she screamed. So, I knew she was lying.”
David’s eyebrows knitted even more closely together. He sat down on the edge of the table, and Caleb felt like a small child standing before a disapproving parent. “Let me make sure I understand, Your Majesty. A young, mute girl, the same one who helped your brother escape the clutches of an evil tyrant, was unable to give you any more information about his whereabouts, and you now think she is a lying whore because she was able to scream when she burned her finger? Doesn’t that sound a bit nonsensical to you, Your Highness?”
There was no arguing with David’s conclusion, especially when he worded it that way, and Caleb hadn’t even told him the worst of it. He’d been fighting the urge to admit what he’d done for hours, but now, looking at his friend’s stern expression, it all came rushing back to him. “Yes, I supposed it does.” David raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to say more, to admit he was wrong, but Caleb still had an urge to hold his defiant line. “You don’t understand, David. She’s infuriating. Have you ever attempted to communicate with someone who refuses to answer your questions? I just thought, if she knew something, anything at all, that could help us....” He trailed off. No matter how he tried to explain his actions, there was no way to justify them. He was wrong, and he knew it.
Then David asked the one question Caleb had been hoping to avoid. “And where is this young lady now?”
Caleb didn’t answer. David was attempting to force him to reckon with his atrocities, and the guilt he’d felt earlier, on the ride from Caine, began to eat at his soul once more. He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes, “God, what have I done?” he muttered, speaking to himself now and not to David. As king, he had often made difficult decisions, some without time to think. Generally speaking, he always tried to be fair, to do the right thing. He was aware that his father’s temper, the one that had driven a chasm between them before he’d passed away, coursed through his veins as well. Most of the time, he was able to control it to the point that he never lashed out irrationally. But not today. Today he had been brash, cruel, and heartless. Today he had embodied everything about his own father that he so very much loathed.
When Caleb dropped his hands, David was still staring at him, waiting for an explanation. The king did not offer him one. “I have to go back,” he said, already heading toward the flap in the tent.
Confused, David followed him. “What do you mean? You have to go back? Now? It’s past nightfall.” The king marched on, now driven by the guilt he’d been avoiding for hours. “Caleb? Caleb!” David caught up to him, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around. “What could you have possibly done that cannot wait until tomorrow?”
The words tumbled out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop them. “I put her in the dungeon.” He knew the judgment he received from his friend would be harsh, but it couldn’t possibly be as harsh as that he was currently inflicting upon himself.
David gasped, taking a step backward and withdrawing his hand. “You did what?” he was quiet and calm, as always, but clearly disappointed in his commander. “A poor, mute, injured girl?”
Caleb nodded and signaled for one of the soldiers to bring his horse. “Yes, I know. There’s nothing you can say that could possibly make me feel any worse than I already do. I made a mistake, David, an enormous, possibly unforgivable, mistake.”
As Caleb climbed up into the saddle, David said nothing, and the king was thankful for his silence. David knew him well enough to realize it wasn’t necessary. There was nothing he could say that Caleb didn’t already know.
David waved goodbye, and Caleb rode off headed east into the darkness, his attendants and squires pressing their horses to keep up. Caleb was not usually a praying man, but under these circumstances, he said a quick request to St. Leonard, patron saint of prisoners.