Never Let You Fall (The Prophecy of Tyalbrook) (33 page)

“Cillian was telling me about some of the people here; the ones who have left the King’s employment.  He said that many return with no memory of where they had been.”

My heart sped up instantly when Xander mentioned memory.  Was that what Griffin had alluded to?  Were there more sinister reasons why I didn’t have any memories of those early years?

“But I never went near anyone that night!  You had me run before we even came to the house.  Do you think I was followed?”

“No.  I don’t think it was anyone McClintock sent.  I think it was Selene.”

Surprised, I shouted, “Selene?”

“Listen - I don’t know anything for sure, but I suspect she had something to do with it.  Maybe she wove a spell to help you forget what you knew until we could find you.  It might have been best for your safety if you were found.”

“We need to talk to her, Xander, if you think she can help with my memory.  But why wouldn’t she have said something before now?”

“I don’t know.  I just wanted you to know that I suspect something is up with her.  Now let’s try to get some sleep, and in the morning we can talk to her about it.”

I lay there and tried to process what he’d said.  Despite all of the questions swirling in my mind and the taste of Xander still on my lips, my eyes were heavy.  I needed sleep.

“Is it too much of a temptation to ask you to hold me while we sleep?”

His charming smile flashed as he pulled the blanket up, clearly giving me room to scoot into his side.

“Being in the same room with you is temptation enough, baby, but I can handle it.”

Once we had settled in and he’d blown the candle out, I quietly spoke into the darkness, “Thank you, Xander, for always taking care of me.  I haven’t thanked you enough.”

“It’s my job.”

His job?  Yes, amazingly enough that was the truth.  His job as a Guardian was to take care of me.  I knew that he thought of me as more than just a job, but in the end, with or without our feelings for each other he would still have to do this job.

“That was a joke, Skye,” he finally added, chuckling.  “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere other than here with you.  Ever.”

He pressed a kiss on the top of my hair and softly whispered, “Good night, love.”

“Night.”

Hushed voices woke me from a deep sleep.  Discovering I was alone in bed, I tried to focus on the words that came from the other room.  I heard Xander’s deep voice along with that of another male.  I assumed it would be Cillian, and I listened until I heard the door shut.

I got up from the bed and tended to my personal needs before pulling off my gown.  Opening the armoire in the room, I spotted several clean dresses.  I silently cursed the time period and their lack of good pants and t-shirts, as I quickly pulled on two layers of dresses and clumsily tied the laces up the front of the bodice.

I brushed my fingers through my hair and made my way to the living room area of the home.  

Xander was nowhere to be found, and I figured that he must have left with Cillian.  Walking back into the bedroom, I pulled out some stockings and found a pair of brown leather boots I could slip on.  Intending to walk outside and see what was going on, I pulled my cape from the hook by the fireplace.

Once I stepped into the cool November air, it immediately became clear to me that it was actually closer to afternoon than it was to morning.  The sun had already angled up over the trees.  I raised my face to let the warm rays hit me; it felt so good after two days in the forest with rain.

I looked around the outskirts of the village and noted that there were a few people who had stopped to stare at me as they went about their day.  I could see just to the edge of the main street of the village down the road, and wondered if Xander had gone that way.  

I made my way towards a younger man who was standing guard at the corner of our temporary house.  When I recognized him as a member of the group of guards who had been with Cillian the night before and called out, “Excuse me sir, do you know where Cillian is?”

He bowed his head and nodded towards the large stable behind his shoulder.

“Yes, milady.  He took your Guardian into the stables to have a look at the horses.”

“Thank you.”  I smiled politely and breezed past him to the stables.  

I was eager to see Xander after our conversation the night before, and was still in a state of shock at the revelation that he wanted to marry me.

Allowing myself to daydream, I thought about that for just a moment.  I hadn’t really considered marriage before.  Growing up the way I had after my - or
Xander’s
parents - died, made me doubtful of ever living a ‘happily ever after’ type of life.  

Of course if I were honest with myself, I’d have to admit that deep in my heart, the idea of having someone like Xander love me and being able to love him in return struck a romantic chord.  

His smile flashed before my eyes.  The way he tugged and ran his fingers through his hair when he was deep in thought.  His soft lips pressing into mine.  Yes, I could see myself marrying Xander.  I loved him.  I loved the way warmth crept through my body and soul when I heard his voice. The tingling that would creep up when he was near.  

Tingling?  

As I stopped and paused in the dimly lit stable, I realized that I didn’t
feel
Xander around.

“Xander?  Are you in here?  Cillian?” I called out.  

I heard a shuffling sound behind me, but before I could spin around to see what it was, something struck me across the back and dragged me into the empty stall to my right.  Shocked, I stumbled to the ground; the weight of someone pressing me down.

“What the…?” I exclaimed, not realizing what had happened.

Someone was sitting on my back with their hands wrapped tightly around my neck.  Their strong grip began to squeeze.  I kicked my feet up and tried to twist and fight, but when I’d fallen, I landed on my arms; effectively trapping them.  My attacker was sitting firmly on top of me, holding me captive by digging one knee into my spine.

An eerie voice spat out at me, “You’re a pretty little thing, Princess.  Too bad you’re never going to get to rule this Kingdom!” he laughed menacingly.

Just as my vision started to get blurry, he loosened his hands just enough so that I was able to get a large gulp of air in my lungs.  Two seconds later he cracked my forehead against the ground and I was out.

As I walked out of the darkness and into the blinding light, I shaded my eyes and inspected my surroundings.  The scent of flowers tickled my nose.  Strong and sweet.  

I could see something dancing ahead of me in the bright light, but I couldn’t make out what it was.  Everything was overwhelmingly white.  Suddenly the sound of bells sounded in the air and the dancing stopped.  

In a flash, the white glow moved towards me.  I tried to step back, but my feet were planted firmly to the ground.  As the white came closer I caught images in my mind of flowers and crystal blue eyes on the most delicate face I had ever seen.

The face looked up and smiled at me as more bells sounded.  The dreamlike quality of what I was seeing was unreal.  The instant my eyes registered what they thought they were seeing, my brain was telling me I wasn’t actually seeing it.

“Be careful, my Princess…you will lose all you love before you can win what you want.”

The warning was sung into my ear.  I turned to question whoever was speaking, but no one was there.  I cried out, but couldn’t hear my own voice.  Panic gripped me as I started to spin around faster and faster.  My feet skimmed over the ground as if I were floating.

Again I heard a childlike voice whisper into my ear, “He is the key.”  Laughter chimed in as I began to whirl around and around.  Suddenly, I dropped to the ground and all was black again.

Xander

“Damn it, Cillian!  How could you let her
leave
?”  I stood in the bedroom of Cillian’s small home and surveyed the empty bed; looking for signs of Selene.

“She must have left in the night.  I can’t believe I didn’t hear anything!  Why would she have left secretly?”

Hitting the wall in frustration, I turned to face Cillian.  “I have no idea.  I don’t know her very well.  We just met,” I admitted.

Cillian gave me a confused look as we made our way back outside and looked around the area.  

“Let’s see if she took a horse.  Maybe she just went for a long walk early this morning.  She could have run into trouble.”

Realizing that he was right, I marched across the road and into the barn.  Cillian went one way and I the other as we checked each stall.

“All of my guards are still here, so each stall should still have a horse.  We have more horses than stalls right now.”

Surveying each stall, I noted one and sometimes two heads peeking at me and whinnying for a treat or attention.

“Aw, hell!” I heard Cillian holler.  “Xander, hurry!”

I raced towards the sound of Cillian’s voice, expecting to find a horseless stall.  I found the stall.  However, instead of finding it void of a horse, I found Cillian leaning over Skye.

Fear propelled me to the ground where Cillian was slowly rolling Skye over.  My heart stopped beating as her raw red neck came into view.  Someone had strangled her.

“Oh my God…” I faltered, as I took in her pale complexion.  Her forehead had a large lump protruding from it, and her dress was ripped and dirty from the floor of the horse stall she was laying in.

I sat frozen as Cillian tested for a pulse. My brain screamed for her to be alive.  Anger began to burn up inside of me.  

Visibly sighing, Cillian finally spoke, “She’s alive.  Her pulse is strong.”

He jumped up and scanned the area as I pulled Skye into my lap and examined her neck closely.

“Someone tried to choke her with their hands, but they must have been scared off.”

I scooped Skye off the ground and carried her gently back to the house, leaving Cillian to look for clues.  

I had left her alone.  

I had left her to look for Selene, so that I could get some answers.  

I’d failed her.

TWENTY SEVEN - UNFORGIVABLE

Xander

“Damn it!”  I cursed myself under my breath as I kicked open the door to the hut we were staying in.

A young woman ran into the house behind me with a bucket that sloshed water on the floorboards.  Sitting the bucket on a table, she opened a cabinet and pulled out some clothes.

“Can I help you clean her up, Xander?” she asked, her voice sounding soft and helpful.

I turned my back from the concerned voice without even answering the question and laid Skye down on the bed.  I quickly swiped at my wet eyes before turning back to the young woman who had offered assistance.

“I am Emeline, Cillian is my older brother.  I promise that I’ll be gentle.”

She was a pretty girl, about the same age as Skye.  Her dark blonde hair hung in waves around her face, and her eyes looked gray as they watched me for permission to proceed.

“Um, yes.  Thank you Emeline.”

She nodded and dipped a clean cloth into the water.  

“Xander?” Cillian called from the front door.  His footsteps echoed as he entered the bedroom.  “Anything?”

“She’s out cold.  What the hell happened, Cillian?  I want to know who attacked her!”

“So far no one saw anything.  A few of my men said they saw her leave the house and walk toward the stables, but that’s it.”

“Are they all on alert?  Could McClintock be behind this?”  I asked, as I watched Emeline gently wipe the dirt from Skye’s face and arms.  She’d placed a soft, damp cloth on her neck as well.

“I don’t know, Xander.  How would he even know she’s here?” he pointed out.  

I paced the length of the room and tried to contain my anger.  Selene was missing.  Skye had been attacked.  We’d been there all of two days, and already things had started to go to hell in a hand basket.

“Cillian?” called someone from the outer room.

“I’ll be right back,” he assured me, and walked from the room.