jumped up on her again and again, until finally, laughing, she had to pat him down.
“Let’s leave this place,” Gwen said to Thor, being pressed from every side by the thick masses. She reached out and took his hand.
Thor reached out and took hers back, and was about to follow – when suddenly, several warriors of The Silver came up behind Thor and picked him up into the air, high above their heads, placing him on their shoulders. As Thor rose into the air, a great shout came from the crowd.
“THORGRIN!” the crowd cheered.
Thor was spun around and around, as a tankard of ale was thrust into his hand. He leaned back and drank, and the crowd cheered like wild.
Thor was set down roughly, and he stumbled, laughing, as the crowd embraced him.
“We head now to the victor’s feast,” said a warrior Thor did not know, a member of The Silver, who clapped him on the back with a beefy hand. “It is a feast for warriors only. For men. You will join us. There will be a spot reserved for you at the table. And you and you,” he said, turning to Reece, O’Connor and Thor’s friends. “You are men now. And you will join us.”
A cheer rose up as they were all grabbed by members of The Silver and dragged away; Thor broke free at the last second and turned to Gwen, feeling guilty and not wanting to let her down.
“Go with them,” she said, selflessly. “It is important that you do. Feast with your brothers. Celebrate with them. It is a tradition among The Silver. You cannot miss it. Later tonight, meet me at the back door of the Hall of Arms. Then we will be together.”
Thor leaned in and kissed her one last time, holding it as long as he could, until he was tugged away by his fellow soldiers.
“I love you,” she said to him.
“I love you too,” he said back, meaning it more than she would ever know.
All he could think of, as he was dragged away, as he watched those beautiful eyes, so filled with love for him, was that he wanted, more than anything, to propose to her, to make her his forever. Now was not the right time, but soon, he told himself.
Perhaps even tonight.
Chapter Twelve
Gareth stood in his chamber, looking out the window at the breaking light of dawn as it rose over King’s Court, watching the masses gather below – and felt sick to his stomach. On the horizon was his worst fear, the very picture of what he dreaded most: the king’s army returning, victorious, triumphant from its clash with the McClouds. Kendrick and Thor rode at its head, free, alive – heroes. His spies had already informed him of everything that had happened, that Thor had survived the ambush, that he was alive and well. Now these men were all emboldened, returning to King’s Court as a solidified force. All his plans had gone terribly awry and left a pit in his stomach. He felt the kingdom closing in on him.
Gareth heard a creaking noise in his room, and he spun and shut his eyes quickly at the sight before him, stricken with fear.
“Open your eyes, son!” came the booming voice.
Shaking, Gareth opened his eyes, and was aghast to see his father, standing there, a corpse, decomposing, a rusted crown on his head, a rusted scepter in his hand. He stared back with a reprimanding look, as he had in life.
“Blood will have blood,” his father proclaimed.
“I hate you!” Gareth screamed. “I HATE YOU!” he repeated, and pulled the dagger from his belt and charged forward for his father.
As he reached him, he sliced his dagger – hitting nothing but air – and stumbled through the room.
Gareth spun, but the apparition was gone. He was alone in the chamber. He had been alone the entire time. Was he losing his mind?
Gareth ran to the far corner of the chamber, rummaged through his dressing cabinet and extracted his opium pipe with trembling hands; he quickly lit it, and inhaled deeply, again and again. He felt the flush of drugs wash over his system, felt himself lost temporarily in the drug high. He had been turning to the opium more and more these past days – it seemed to be the only thing that helped chase away the image of his father. Gareth was tormented being here, and he was starting to wonder if his father’s ghost was trapped in these walls and if he should move his court somewhere else. He would like to raze this building anyway – this place held every memory of his childhood that he hated.
Gareth turned back to the window, covered in a cold sweat, and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He watched. The army neared, and Thor was visible even from here, the stupid masses flocking to him like a hero. It made Gareth livid, made him burn with envy. Every plan he had put into motion had fallen apart: Kendrick was freed; Thor was alive; even Godfrey had somehow managed to escape the poison – enough poison to kill a horse.
But then again, his other plans had worked: Firth, at least, was dead, and there was no witness left to prove he’d killed his father. Gareth took a deep breath, relieved, realizing things were not as bad as they seemed. After all, the convoy of Nevaruns was still en route to take away Gwendolyn, to drag her off to some horrible corner of the Ring and marry her off. He smiled at the thought, starting to feel better. Yes, at least she would be out of his hair soon enough.
Gareth had time. He would find other ways to deal with Kendrick and Thor and Godfrey – he had myriad schemes to kill them off. And he had all the time and all the power in the world to make it happen. Yes, they had won this round, but they would not win the next.
Gareth heard another groan, spun, and saw nothing in this chamber. He had to get out of here – he couldn’t stand it anymore.
He turned and stormed from the room, the door opening before he reached it, his attendants careful to anticipate his every move.
Gareth threw on his father’s mantle and crown, and picked up his scepter, as he marched down the hall. He turned down the corridors until he reached his private dining room, an elaborate stone chamber with high arched ceilings and stained-glass windows, lit up in the early morning light. Two attendants stood waiting at the open door, and another stood waiting behind the head of the table. It was a long banquet table, stretching fifty feet, with dozens of chairs lined up on either side of it; the attendant pulled Gareth’s out for him as he approached, an ancient, oak chair that his father had sat on countless times.
Gareth sat and realized how much he hated this room. He remembered being forced to sit in here as a child, his entire family lined up around it, being rebuked by his father and mother. Now the room was profoundly lonely. There was no one in here but him – not his brothers or sisters or parents or friends. Not even his advisors. Over the past days, he had managed to isolate everybody, and now he dined alone. He preferred it that way anyway – there were too many times he had seen the ghost of his father in here with him, and he had become embarrassed to cry out in front of others.
Gareth reached down and took a sip of his morning soup, then suddenly slammed his silver spoon down on the plate.
“The soup is not hot enough!” he shrieked.
It was hot, but not piping hot as he liked it, and Gareth would not tolerate one more mistake around him. An attendant ran over.
“I am sorry, my liege,” the attendant said, bowing his head as he rushed to take it away. But Gareth picked up the plate and threw the hot liquid in the attendant’s face.
The
