Black Rose (36 page)

A
murmur rose and fell among those gathered. “They have also taken by force a
young woman, who walked as a guest inside these walls. Another insult to the
Black Rose and all it stands for. And last…” It was here that she found herself
fighting to steady her voice. Edward wanted nothing more than to offer comfort,
but feared making her appear weak in the full view of her guard. “Members of
Arum Guard have killed Brendan, your Sub-Captain and my second-in-command. He
died bravely, a death of honor and valor. A death that makes me proud to have
called him my fellow guardsman and Captain.”

She
forced herself to draw another breath. “These threats and attacks upon our
sacred grounds will not go unanswered. And the death of our Captain must be
avenged.”

Here
she paused, unsure how to continue, when a voice called from the crowd, “May
the Black Rose protect you in life!”

Mara
stared down and nodded.  “And avenge you in death,” she finished the
ancient vow.

Mara
then walked down the long stairwell with Edward mirroring her steps from the
opposite side. The crowd parted before them as they stepped forward. “Follow
us.”

Mara
and Edward led the crowd along an old dirt path and into the ancient rose
garden. They approached to find that the violet associated with Sandra’s
appearance had vanished and the roses were now a mixture of deep crimsons and
the familiar black. Gasps were heard from among the crowd at the splash of
color that had entered the garden, some pausing in their steps as though they
could not believe it to be true.

Brendan’s
body had been arranged upon a large funeral pyre, dressed in a clean uniform.
His arms were folded upon his chest, his hands clasped around the hilt of his
silver blade. His expression seemed peaceful, a harsh contrast to the agony of
his final moments. Mara moved closer to the pyre while the men spread around in
a circle that extended to the garden walls. She walked to the body and placed a
single black rose upon his chest and watched it turn crimson before her eyes.
She turned and gazed out over the faces of those sworn to serve her when
Garreth suddenly appeared by her side holding a large torch. “My Lady.”

Mara
lowered her head, and forced herself to breathe before giving a single nod.
Garreth turned and lit the pyre. Covered in specially selected oils, the flames
quickly cascaded over the wood upon which he lay to ignite the shell that was
all that remained of the young man Mara had once laid down her blood and flesh
to protect from harm. She turned, heat and smoke from the flames burning her
eyes as she watched them rise. While behind her yet another yelled, “May the
Black Rose protect you in life and avenge you in death!” The cry was repeated
by another voice and then another until it became a deafening chant with the
twisting flames. The chant did not die until the last of the flames were mere
embers blown by the powerful mountain winds. 

“Rosa
Nigra te in vita tueatur teque in morte ulciscatur.” She spoke the ancient
words.
May the Black Rose protect you in life and avenge you in death
.
“Goodbye, my friend. May you walk with her upon the sacred ocean waves and know
peace forevermore.”

This story will continue in:

Blood Rose

900
AD

Mara
entered the room without bothering to knock. Edward lay upon the large bed
draped in layers of dark furs. Bared to the waist, his shoulder length black
hair unkempt, he turned towards her. “Mara?” he asked as he struggled to
disentangle himself from the furs surrounding him.

She
did not speak, but instead walked towards the bed, falling to her knees before
it. “Take me with you.” The words escaped her lips before she could stop them.
“I know we decided I would stay away, but…please, Edward. I cannot bear it.
Please, take me with you.”

He
slid to the edge of the bed and stared down at the young woman kneeling before
him. “Mara.” She was staring intensely at the stone floor, her body trembling
in the cold night air. He moved his hand and traced a finger down her cheek
before gently raising her gaze to stare into his dark eyes. He leaned down
slowly, the pain in her expression making his heart ache deep inside his chest.
“Mara,” he again spoke her name before his lips claimed her in a deep,
passionate kiss. Her eyes closed at his touch, and she fought back a flurry of
emotions which threatened to overwhelm her. Then he pulled back and pressed his
palm gently against her cheek. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I am so sorry.”

Her
eyes opened at his words and she drew several sharp breaths. “I know,” she
said. “It’s just…it’s…”

“Come
here.” He pulled her from her knees and gently guided her to a seated position
on the edge of the bed.

“I’m
sorry,” she said again. “I am so sorry. I know we decided to stay away. I
just…I couldn’t.”

“I
know, Mara. It is okay. I am glad you are here.”

“I
didn’t mean to. I was trying to be strong. I…” She felt like she was being
strangled by her words. “I do not want to make this any harder. I could not
stay away. It’s your last night. I could not stand it. Please…”

“Mara,”
Edward cut her off, raising his hand to brush a long strand of her dark hair
from her eyes. “I want you here. I wanted you here so badly.”

“Let
me stay. Please, please don’t send me away.”

“I
won’t,” he soothed her. “I don’t want to be alone tonight.” He moved to the
center of the bed and laid down upon the blankets, his pale skin standing in
contrast to the dark furs beneath him. He held out his arms and Mara moved into
their offered embrace, laying her head against his chest as his arms engulfed her.
He ran his fingers down her back, holding her closely against him. “My love,
you are the strongest, most beautiful woman I know. I wish to the Gods that I
did not have to leave you this way.” She buried her face against his chest,
listening to the steady rhythm of his heart. “ignosce mihi, mea rosa, mi amor.
ignosce mihi. mea rosa immortalis. mi amor. te amo, rosa, mea rosa immortalis.”
He murmured softly to her until well after her breathing had begun to
steady. 

“You’ll
come back,” she whispered.

“promitto.
I promise, Mara. I am so sorry.” He continued to hold her securely in his arms
until exhaustion overcame her. A pain resided inside him that he feared would
never heal and with each breath she drew, his fear deepened. His mind wandered
back to that night many years ago when he found Mara kneeling over her mother’s
grave. 

He
left her alone and the isolation was unbearable
,
she had spoken of her mother’s suicide.
She knew she would never love again.
She was alone. Everyone leaves
.

I
won’t
, he had promised.
You will never be alone.

Yet,
here he was preparing to break the only promise she had ever asked of him. The
gravity threatened to overwhelm him. It took all of his strength not to break
down and take her with him. To throw all duty, all honor, all sanity to the
wind and take her away from the guard, the courts, the rules and threats of an
increasingly dangerous Queen. “Forgive me,” he whispered again to the woman in
his arms. He held her until the first rays of sunlight began to fully seep into
the room. He woke her with a heavy heart. 

“My
Lady,” he said gently as she slowly opened her violet eyes to reveal their
silver center. “I need you to listen to me now, my love.” She blinked several
times, clearing her vision. “Mara, I need you to swear to me, to promise me,
that no matter what happens or how hard this becomes, that you will be strong
for me. I will come back. I swear I will. But I need to know that without a
shadow of a doubt that you will make it through my absence. Please.” He reached
forward and ran his fingers through her long dark hair.
Everyone leaves
,
her words haunted him.
They always leave
.

“I
am so sorry to leave you this way, my Lady. Promise me, swear to me, that you
will be strong.”

“I
promise, Edward. And when you come back, I will be waiting.”

He
drew her into a tight embrace, clutching her close for what seemed a long time,
then finally forced himself to draw back and rise from the bed. He dressed
quickly and gathered the few things he was taking with him into a small bag. A
change of clothes, a warm blanket to fight off the cold night air and a few
scattered items already in the bag. He then removed his silver blade from its
place upon the wall encased in a long, black sheath. He tied the sword around
his waist with a thick, black belt which blended into his dark attire before
pulling a long woolen cloak over his shoulders. When it was securely in place,
he turned back towards Mara who had risen to stand beside the large bed.

He
tried to speak, but his voice arose tangled and strained. “Mara, I…”

She
walked towards him and grasped his hands in her own. “You have to go.” She
spoke the words which eluded him.

“Yes.”

She
fought heroically against threatening tears, refusing to make his departure any
harder than it already was. Instead she leaned down and kissed his hand. “May
the Gods protect you, my Lord, and see your swift return.” He reached forward
and touched the side of her face. She closed her eyes tightly to prevent her
tears from falling, but was unable to control the tremor which slid up her
spine. “I love you, Edward.”

He
leaned forward and kissed her then, molding his lips to hers. “Forgive me.”

“Gladly,”
she answered as he pulled her close and buried his face into the strands of her
long dark hair. “I love you,” she said again, “but you must go now, Captain.
You must go.”

He
pulled back and stared down into her violet eyes one last time as though trying
to memorize their depths, then he forced himself to turn towards the door. “I
will come back,” he said as he reached the large stone door. “I will always
come for you, Mara. Always.”

The
door closed behind him with a loud clap of stone, leaving Mara standing alone
in the dimly lit room. She stood frozen in place for a long time before she
found the strength to walk back toward the bed. She felt numb as she crawled
between the fur blankets. She closed her eyes but neither tears nor dreams
would come. She pulled her arms tightly around her body, clutching her sides as
she curled into a fetal position, knowing that her world would never be the
same.

           
I would like to offer a special thanks to a few people who both assisted and
supported me throughout the creation of this novel.

           
I would like to thank Scott of the Vancouver Taekwondo Academy for his
assistance in my research; both through an extensive interview and allowing me
to observe several of his classes. Second, to the instructors and students at
East West Martial Arts of West Vancouver for also allowing me to observe their
courses and for making themselves available to answer questions.

           
I would also like to thank my long time writing mentors, Kate and Mike, for
instilling within me a passion for writing and reminding me of that passion
when it was needed most.  Also, to my writing partner, Jonny, for all the
hours spent discussing the finer points of writing in that little coffee shop.
Also a thanks to the Watling Street Writers group of St. Albans, who helped
shape the direction of the beginning of this novel, offering both support and
critique along the way.

           
A big thank you to Sarah C. for assisting me with some promotional graphics
which turned out nothing short of amazing and for a ton of much appreciated
advice this journey towards publication!

Also to my
promotional team, and specifically Kim and Karen, who have walked me through
the media and promotional process from the beginning of this story.

           
To my family for their never-ending love and support. This never would have
been completed without them.

           
Finally, to my amazing cover designer, Skyla, who takes the jumbled pictures in
my head and consistently turns them into the beautiful covers you see upon the
books. Your work is nothing short of marvelous.

K.L. Bone has a Masters
degree in Modern Literary Cultures. She is American, but is currently living in
Ireland working towards her PhD with a focus in vampire and children’s
literature. She wrote her first short story at the age of 15 and grew up with
an equally great love of both classical literature and speculative fiction. She
has spent the last few years as a bit of a world traveler, living in
California, London and now Dublin in pursuit of her vampire studies.