The evening chill chased away all the lovely warmth of the unusually warm day, and Haldir took a sharp breath of bitterness into his nose as he rested against the castle wall beside the front door’s guards.
When the horse’s hooves’ click-clacks met the path below the castle, he pushed his foot into the stone fortress and catapulted himself down the stairs.
Little puffs of white steam huffed from his mouth as he jogged down the road, and every time his foot hit the ground, it was another kick to his pride. He promised Rosemary on her infirmary bed that he’d get the man who hurt her and letting him slip through his fingers yet again was just another insult to his manhood.
He dodged the riders leaving the stables to hurry to dinner and found Daniel and Agamori still tending to their horses. “Your Majesty, a word, please.”
“You never need permission, Haldir.” Daniel yanked off his cloak with a pull of his neck, and his eyes shot to Haldir. The fury was written all over the Viking’s face, and Daniel narrowed his eyes a bit as he tried to punch through the veil over his thoughts. “What is it?” The racing of his heartbeat caught Daniel’s attention, and his relief at being home became panic as he grabbed the old man’s shirt. “What? Where are my girls?”
“They’re fine. In your room waiting for you.” Haldir’s teary eyes begged for forgiveness as he shook his head at Daniel. “He was here.”
The King’s other hand went to the side of Haldir’s head, and he pressed his forehead to the human’s. “Show me.”
The warbly waves of Haldir’s memory floated across Daniel’s vision, and when the fake coughs burst across his face, the King’s knees gave in, and he stumbled back into his Lord Commander. “It’s him. Agi, it’s him.”
Agamori grasped Daniel’s shirt in his hands and steadied him as he turned to Haldir. “Did Rosemary see him?”
“Aye.” Haldir’s hand slid to his chest, and he inched closer. “I didn’t recognize him at first. He was acting strange, so I had Eason guard her. He asked her if she remembered him.”
The steamy breath shot from Daniel’s chest as if Fate itself had punched him in the gut, and he struggled to catch his breath as he lifted his shaking finger to Haldir. “Did she?”
“No!” His hands waved off the worry as he leaned into Daniel’s space. “She remembered nothing. As soon as Eason told me what he said, I realized who it was. I chased him to the road South, but he left on horseback before I could catch him.”
Daniel’s hands balled into fists as he struggled to find the words, then spat through his clenched teeth at Agamori. “Get their asses back here. We ride out tonight.”
He threw his cloak to the ground, and his shoulder bumped Haldir’s as he stormed past him. “Your Majesty?”
The warlock spun around, and his eyes glowed red while his black hair lifted from his shoulders. “What?”
Haldir tipped his head but never took his eyes off the sorcerer. “I wish to ride with you.”
Fiery smoke billowed from the footprints he left in the mud as Daniel made his way back to Haldir and stood before him, nose to nose. “No, you don’t. Trust me when I tell you this.”
“I do.” His blue eyes were glassy with his anger and regret as he nodded in the King’s face. “Whatever it is, you have my sword. I swore to Rosemary I would kill the fucker, and I wish to see the job through.”
The last scrap of humanity Daniel could scrounge together poured from his burning palms as he wrapped them around Haldir’s face, then slapped his cheek gently and nodded. “You’re a good man.” His head tilted toward the stable. “Get your horse.”
While Daniel’s footsteps faded into the darkness, the stench of brimstone and the heat of his anger splashed down over Haldir and Agamori. When the screeching whispers of Daniel’s mist consumed him, the white-haired wizard slapped his hand to Haldir’s back, and an audible shudder came from his throat as he spoke. “A husband will have his revenge this night.”
Haldir shook his head and glanced back over his shoulder at Agamori. “No, Agi. This isn’t for him. Nothing is ever about him.”
***
Even with her eyes closed, Rosemary knew Daniel was approaching. The waft of sulfur made her nose wrinkle, and her hands slid to the arms of the rocking chair in Sigrid’s room.
With the next rock, she pushed up with her legs and tied the belt of the silky white robe as the doors to her bedroom flung open.
Not since the day she tried to escape him had she seen such hysteria and anger in his eyes as they did when they pierced through the black mist. The rest of his body followed and grasped her so tight she had to push herself free to breathe. “Daniel, what’s going on? Haldir and Eason have kept us holed up here all day and won’t tell me anything.”
Although his head shook and he said, “nothing,” the tremor in his hands and the tears in his eyes told the truth. His fingers slid from her chest to the pulsing life in her belly, and he rubbed the tip of his nose against her cheek. “Are you alright?”
Her chest beat against his, and she nodded. “I’m fine. What’s happening?”
“My son.” His eyes met hers again, and a tear slid down his dirty face. “Sigrid. They’re alright?”
“Yes.” A terrified frown drew up on his face, and he sniffed back his tears then fell apart against her neck. Her soft lips kissed his ear, and she whispered against his hair while she rocked him back and forth. “Shh! All is well, my love.”
He slid his sleeve across his face, then brought his hands to her cheeks and pressed his lips against hers. “I have to leave again. Just for a little while.”
“No.” He backed her to the bed and yanked the blanket down. Her hand took his shirt, and she matched his movements as he readied the bed for her. “You just came back. Please don’t go; you’re scaring me.”
His hands slid to her shoulders, and he eased her down, then kneeled before her. “There’s nothing to fear.” His head rested against her thigh, and he traced the curve of it through the smooth fabric. “Do you trust me?”
The worry in his tone sent an icy chill through her back, and not even the heat of his touch could chase it away. “Yes. With my soul, Daniel.”
He took her fingers in his and kissed them, then wrapped his arms around her ankles and lifted her legs into bed. “Then you need to believe me now. I’ll be home before you wake again.”
Hovering above her face, Daniel swept the back of his fingers across her cheek. “I love you. Everything I do is for you.”
When his finger met her lips, Daniel whispered, “Shh!” Her eyes knitted shut, and he pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’m sorry. Forgive me.”