second with loving concern.
“He killed my mother,” she whispered, refu sing to whisper Leuric’s name. “As I watched.” That had been the reason for the blackness inundating her mind at the times she least expected it.
“Guards! Guards!” Leuric shouted. “Take this vermin away!”
“Where are your minions now?” Kerrich jeered.
“I can answer that.”
Celestine gasped as her maid stepped out from a thick tree trunk. Where had she disappeared to after she had led her out of the dungeon? There was something different about her now – a hardness she had never known her to display before.
Leuric whirled around. His eyes bulged and he breathed, “You,” for the second time.
“Who were you expecting?” the maid sneered.
Celestine watched as Leuric gave her a puzzled look and then turned his gaze back to Angelet. “You promised me.”
“Odo got to it before you did,” she stated flatly.
“Got to what?” Kerrich demanded.
Laboriously, Celestine got to her feet. Kerrich aided her up even as he kept an eye on Leuric and Angelet. He gripped her elbow, helping her to stand to one side of him. “Stay here,” he said gently. The green flecks in his eyes sparked like hungry embers.
Leuric raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t understand. We had a deal.”
Angelet gave a bitter laugh.
“Angelet, what are you doing?” Celestine asked in a hushed whisper.
A mist shrouded them. She could clearly smell the damp earth and something old rising up like a tendril of smoke. Celestine sucked in a deep breath when the mist cleared. An old woman, as thin as a straw of hay, stood in Angelet’s place.
To Celestine’s surprise, Leuric turned into a mass of quivering flesh. His eyes bulged outwards and his cheeks turned ruddy. “Where is the elixir?” he ground out from between gritted teeth.
“What a man won’t do for eternal life,” the old woman snickered.
Leuric rushed forward and grabbed her by the throat with two powerful hands. “Bitch! You promised me!”
The old woman laughed. “Odo overheard your conversation with me one day, not long ago. He cut me a deal, although I have no need for them.”
“I knew you were up to no good,” Kerrich said to Angelet, his voice matter-of-fact. “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”
Angelet laughed as he stared into Kerrich’s bold eyes. “How can you kill me? I’m of the old ways, a goddess who goes where she pleases. You have no power to harm me.”
“You forget something, you old hag,” Leuric interrupted. “I have my hands around your scrawny neck.”
The old woman showed no fear. “Mark my words. If you harm me, you will pay for the deed. The land will become as dry as a mother’s breast without milk and the people will learn to kill without a second thought.”
“I care not what happens to these beggars. Where’s my elixir?” Leuric shouted, shaking her so her eyes rolled back in her head.
Shocked by his lack of concern for those he ostensibly ruled, Celestine looked to Kerrich, who motioned ‘no’ with a barely perceptible moment of his head.
“You should watch your back, Leuric,” Angelet continued. “There’s nothing like a servant taking your place.”
“Where is Odo?”
“Didn’t you see he had the power you thought would be yours?”
Leuric tilted his head to the sky and roared. “How dare you cheat me?” Without further warning, he squeezed the old woman’s neck.
Celestine heard bone crunch against bone. Leuric kept shaking her and shouting, “You cheated me! You cheated me!”
Kerrich strode up to him and disentangled the lord’s hands from Angelet’s neck, who sank to the earth in a heap of skirts.
With a low growl, Leuric turned on him. “Who are you to interfere in my affairs?”
The pieces of the puzzle slid together more forcefully as Celestine watched the exchange. Kerrich was a noble knight, not a poorly-dressed serf. That meant that if he had told her the truth in the
“He killed my mother,” she whispered, refu sing to whisper Leuric’s name. “As I watched.” That had been the reason for the blackness inundating her mind at the times she least expected it.
“Guards! Guards!” Leuric shouted. “Take this vermin away!”
“Where are your minions now?” Kerrich jeered.
“I can answer that.”
Celestine gasped as her maid stepped out from a thick tree trunk. Where had she disappeared to after she had led her out of the dungeon? There was something different about her now – a hardness she had never known her to display before.
Leuric whirled around. His eyes bulged and he breathed, “You,” for the second time.
“Who were you expecting?” the maid sneered.
Celestine watched as Leuric gave her a puzzled look and then turned his gaze back to Angelet. “You promised me.”
“Odo got to it before you did,” she stated flatly.
“Got to what?” Kerrich demanded.
Laboriously, Celestine got to her feet. Kerrich aided her up even as he kept an eye on Leuric and Angelet. He gripped her elbow, helping her to stand to one side of him. “Stay here,” he said gently. The green flecks in his eyes sparked like hungry embers.
Leuric raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t understand. We had a deal.”
Angelet gave a bitter laugh.
“Angelet, what are you doing?” Celestine asked in a hushed whisper.
A mist shrouded them. She could clearly smell the damp earth and something old rising up like a tendril of smoke. Celestine sucked in a deep breath when the mist cleared. An old woman, as thin as a straw of hay, stood in Angelet’s place.
To Celestine’s surprise, Leuric turned into a mass of quivering flesh. His eyes bulged outwards and his cheeks turned ruddy. “Where is the elixir?” he ground out from between gritted teeth.
“What a man won’t do for eternal life,” the old woman snickered.
Leuric rushed forward and grabbed her by the throat with two powerful hands. “Bitch! You promised me!”
The old woman laughed. “Odo overheard your conversation with me one day, not long ago. He cut me a deal, although I have no need for them.”
“I knew you were up to no good,” Kerrich said to Angelet, his voice matter-of-fact. “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”
Angelet laughed as he stared into Kerrich’s bold eyes. “How can you kill me? I’m of the old ways, a goddess who goes where she pleases. You have no power to harm me.”
“You forget something, you old hag,” Leuric interrupted. “I have my hands around your scrawny neck.”
The old woman showed no fear. “Mark my words. If you harm me, you will pay for the deed. The land will become as dry as a mother’s breast without milk and the people will learn to kill without a second thought.”
“I care not what happens to these beggars. Where’s my elixir?” Leuric shouted, shaking her so her eyes rolled back in her head.
Shocked by his lack of concern for those he ostensibly ruled, Celestine looked to Kerrich, who motioned ‘no’ with a barely perceptible moment of his head.
“You should watch your back, Leuric,” Angelet continued. “There’s nothing like a servant taking your place.”
“Where is Odo?”
“Didn’t you see he had the power you thought would be yours?”
Leuric tilted his head to the sky and roared. “How dare you cheat me?” Without further warning, he squeezed the old woman’s neck.
Celestine heard bone crunch against bone. Leuric kept shaking her and shouting, “You cheated me! You cheated me!”
Kerrich strode up to him and disentangled the lord’s hands from Angelet’s neck, who sank to the earth in a heap of skirts.
With a low growl, Leuric turned on him. “Who are you to interfere in my affairs?”
The pieces of the puzzle slid together more forcefully as Celestine watched the exchange. Kerrich was a noble knight, not a poorly-dressed serf. That meant that if he had told her the truth in the
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