The Shadow of a King (Shadowland Book 2) (35 page)

Lifting the bar, Uther slipped past the door and into the hall, instantly feeling the warmth of the large room; he could smell the fragrant aromas of food cooking reminding him that he was hungry. It was meat and bread and… a blow hit him on the back of his head sending him stumbling forward towards the ground, which rushed up to meet him.

He must have lost consciousness for a moment or two, for the next thing he was aware of was lying face down upon the fortress floor, breathing in the dusty smell of old floor reeds and hay. His head hurt, and he couldn't see properly, pushing against the ground he tried to rise, but soon realised it wasn't the best idea.

'Who are you?'

Uther tried to turn his head and look up, but it wasn't going to happen, he managed to roll onto his side.

'I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hit you so hard… Uther? Oh, spirits…Uther, it's you…'

Someone was crouching beside him, hands upon his face, as he tried to wipe his eyes.

'I thought you were Gerlois, Oh, Uther. How could I have thought… oh, spirits, we have to move you, someone will come.'

'Igraine, is that you?' He tried to focus on her face.

'Please, you have to get up. What are you doing here? Quick, we have to hide you.' She pulled him to his feet and helped him as they moved past the crackling central fire to an area that was curtained off from the rest of the hall.

'Where is everyone? I thought your daughters were here, servants… others?' Uther looked around the room, his eyes slowly focusing.

'I sent them away to one of the other halls so that I might… Well, I thought Gerlois was coming to visit and…'

'And you thought you should give him a proper welcome?' Uther smiled and stood without the need for her support as his vision cleared.

'I was worried he had come. I saw chariots, and I was worried that we would be called to join him, at Isca or Dimilioc… I don't think I could do that. This place is like another world, a place where nothing can intrude, nothing can reach me here, or so I had thought until you tumbled in.'

'I had to come, Igraine, I had…' she put a finger to his lips and rose up to kiss him, her lips lingering softly upon his.' Uther closed his eyes and felt his whole body tense and his mind open in a way that he had never felt before, his heart pounded wildly in his chest. It felt unreal. Without breaking the kiss, he gazed down at her. Her eyes were closed, her body achingly close to his, the sound of her breathing softly filling his world. She drew away and took his hands, pulling him towards a pile of sleeping furs.

'Will the others be returning? Igraine, we should leave… or hide until the storm passes. I fear for your safety; we should…' But she kissed him again and drew him down upon the warm, soft furs and without doubt there was no other place he wanted to be as she smelt of spice and herbs and all things good, her skin was soft and perfect, and the furs they retired to were so comfortable. He gazed into her eyes, such a perfect blue.

'Gerlois' time is over; he will never hurt you again. I shall make you my Queen, Igraine. I shall honour you and love you and do my very best to make you happy… will you leave with me, Igraine?'

'Shhh.' She smoothed the damp hair from his temple and stroked his face exploring every curve and contour before kissing him again. If I am to be your Queen, Uther, I need to know how we would live, if I would be allowed my freedom. I have so little as the bought and paid for wife of Gerlois, who demands I am always within his sight. This is why I enjoy my time here upon Tintagel, away from him.' She smiled. 'But most important, King Uther Pendragon, I want to know if we will dance? Gerlois would never allow me to dance. He said it was beneath a lady of my ranking, but I think I would like to dance. I think I would like it very much.'

Uther smiled and kissed her. 'We shall dance, Igraine, I will dance with you on our wedding night and every other possible night that we can. And you shall have your freedom; I ask only that you love me and allow me to love you in return.' They sank into the sleeping furs and lost themselves in one never-ending moment that war and storms could never tear away.

It was some time later when he was roused from an exhausted sleep by sounds coming from outside the hall. Opening his eyes, he saw Igraine was still sleeping, a fur wrapped around her naked body, her long dark hair spread out across the fur, framing her incredibly beautiful face, so lost in sleep. He reached out to brush a stray lock aside, but stopped as he heard the door pushed open, it was accompanied by a cold gust of air that rushed around the hall billowing the curtains to the sleeping area. Uther hurriedly searched for his clothes and managed to pull a few things on to cover his dignity before the sound of footsteps stopped the other side of the curtain.

'My Lady, are you there, is all well?'

Igraine awoke with a start, glanced at Uther and sat up clutching the furs to her chest. She was about to answer, but it was too late, the curtain was pulled roughly aside. There was a moment of hesitation on both sides, and then the warrior standing there stabbed his spear down towards Uther and cried out in alarm.

'
He is here! The intruder is here!
'

From out of the darkness a blade flashed in the moonlight before plunging towards Uther's heart accompanied by a hiss of expelled breath. Maude lunged forward and caught the wrist just as the point touched Uther's cloak, and punched the darkness where she suspected whatever had become of the Abbess was concealed. It was difficult in the near blackness to see where to hit, but to her satisfaction, her fist connected with something solid. There was a terrible screech of inhuman anger and then whatever it was, retreated into the gloom, the wrist dissolving within Maude's grip, the knife dropping to the forest floor with a small thud.

'She isn't human. Whatever that is, it isn't human,' hissed Maude. 'I never liked her, I told you she was poisoning you, but that thing is more than just the Abbess.' She glanced down to Uther, who had slumped again but was trying to get up. She helped him stand. 'We have to keep going, Lord. I think we're on the path to the settlement of Somerton. If we can keep moving, we will reach there before daybreak, and we'll be safe. Can you walk, Sire?'

'Yes. I am feeling surprisingly well considering I just cheated death once again thanks to you.' Uther crouched stiffly and felt about in the mist for the fallen knife. After a few moments, he found it. 'Hah!' He smiled in the darkness. 'Well, if she comes back she faces two able and armed warriors, she doesn't stand a chance.'

'Yes, Lord, let's hope that's enough.' Maude took Uther's arm and guided him back towards the path, stumbling and tripping on unseen branches and brambles, until the vague outline of the path was revealed. They walked a few steps, listening intently to the sounds of the forest around them. The soft movement of the branches rustling overhead in the breeze, their footsteps crunching underfoot sounding unnaturally loud. An owl hooted in the distance and the sounds of small animals scurrying amongst the undergrowth were much closer, and all the time they were expecting something to leap out of the darkness towards them.

'She's watching us, from somewhere up in those trees,' whispered Uther. He had stopped and was looking up at the dark canopy of the forest overhead. 'Morgana,' he called, 'why don't you come talk with me.' Uther gazed around into the darkness, seeing nothing. 'Morgana. I rescued your mother from a brutal, terrible man. I know he was your father, but he was not a good man. Let me finish telling you my story. It's what you wanted from me after all; I have a need to finish.'

'Let's keep walking, Lord,' whispered Maude. She pulled on Uther's arm, and he allowed himself to be drawn along beside her whilst still gazing up into the trees.

'I told you how I entered Tintagel. I suppose I was a fool believing that Merlyn had disguised me, I was lucky that the storm had arrived to hide my entrance. It wasn't me who killed your father, but of course, it was my man who did, and I would have done so in his place if I'd had the chance. Your mother and your sisters joined me and lived happily as part of my household; we did not know where you had gone. I saw you last upon the wall at Isca, when I returned our token, this token.' Uther held up the stone first given to him on the beach by Morgana as a little girl before they had departed on Merlyn's quest. 'You returned it to me when last I left your Abbey.' What happened to you, Morgana? Where did you learn to hate with such passion?'

A loud
'caaawww'
filled the air, and then a voice screamed down at them.
'You all deserted me. My father took me and gave me to the sisters at Laherne. You stole my mother, had my father murdered, took my family from me, you took it all.'
A small shower of leaves and branches fell a few steps in front of them, and they stopped walking.

The shrill voice, much closer in the gloom this time, screamed out,
'I told you where I went.'
The voice continued more softly, tinged with a deep sadness. 'I told you of the sisters and their harsh new ways of the nailed God. Of how I longed to escape. Of my finally meeting the Morrigan and the Fey, who gave me hope, they taught me the old ways and of how things are and shall ever be. You forget so quickly. For a man about to die your senses are still rather dim.'

Uther began to walk again, shuffling along, knife held out in front of him, and Maude started after him, unwilling to be too far apart. She had her sword drawn and was turning so she might catch any sign of movement from the sides or behind them.

'I need to finish my tale,' called Uther, 'and so I shall keep on with the telling. I had managed to enter the fortress upon the Isle of Tintagel, under the cover of the storm without being seen, but they eventually found the bodies of the warriors set to watch the door and then found me rather quickly.'

More twigs and old leaves fell around them as the creature followed them through the branches above.

Her voice was now harsh again, dripping scorn and hatred. 'They found you because you are stupid. Like all men, even Kings are ruled by that which hangs between their legs; they knew you would be humping my mother.' More twigs fell, accompanied by a fluttering of wings, and both Uther and Maude jumped back as a large indistinct shadow landed in front of them then sprang up screeching loudly. They could see enough of it in the gloom to notice it bore what could be conceived as a parody of Morgana's face, twisted and animal in some unnatural way. Its lips drew back in a high-pitched scream, and the face thrust forward, contorted with anger and hatred, spraying both Uther and Maude in splatters of thick, slimy phlegm and breath so foul it made them recoil. The darkness seemed to gather around the creature forming into a cloak that pulsed and flowed in iridescent waves, and then a claw-like hand tipped with sharp talons snapped out and raked across Maude's face. The warrior shrieked and fell in agony, lost to the dark mist of the forest floor where she lay whimpering, unseen and forgotten.

Uther stared at what had become of Morgana, his mind trying to reason with what he was seeing. Whatever it was, its eyes weren't even close to being human. They shone from above a nose, long, black and sharp like a bird's beak, eyes glowing red with small coal-black pupils stared back at him with an evil that was palpable.

'Time to die, Pendragon.' The claw snapped out again with frightening speed, and Uther felt the skin of his cheek raked and split open, but his hand was still holding the knife, and it also moved, striking up into the darkness even as he fell back, more reflex than conscious effort to stab it. He felt the blade strike into something solid, and the creature screamed in anger and pain, and then the eyes drew back and whatever it was folded in on itself, the darkness becoming a small black indistinct creature that fell to writhe upon the ground, hissing, before lifting up and flapping away through the trees screeching one final,
'caaawwww.'

Uther gazed about him as he staggered a step or so, he noticed with the creature gone it wasn't so dark. The night was receding, and dawn was offering more light to the forest. The darkness, like the creature, was almost gone, the mist between the trees less ominous than it had seemed only moments before. He reached down and helped Maude to her feet, and they inspected each other's wounds. Tearing the sleeve from her chemise, they each took a bundle of cloth to staunch the bleeding before limping on their way through the trees.