Next Part of Knight of Swords

Hello,

Here is the next part of my New Adult Gothic Victorian Vampire Romance, Knight of Swords.  I hope you enjoy it.

Please note you can follow my new erotica BDSM novel on my sister blog, Arabella kingsley Erotic Novels.

Remember sleep well and don't have nightmares!

Sara






Knight of Swords

Chapter Ten

The silence that settled over the forest bore an echo of defeat around my knights.  I could not bear its weight or the intensity of my rage.  Juliet would not escape me so easily.  I would not allow that monster to defile her so she could keep me or any other safe.  Yet, I feared we had little time before Sebastian joined them both as mates.  I narrated all that had passed in the vision to my knights.  It caused much consternation and debate as to what should be done.  I voiced my intention that we should urgently continue our pursuit without further delay, but Gabriel spoke up, a note of caution in his tone.

‘Nathan, Juliet will be safe.  We have more time than you think.  She has been poisoned by animal blood.  Sebastian will not perform the ritual until the poison has left her body.  If he did, it would weaken his ailing health further.  He won’t take the risk.  The poison will take a few days, maybe longer, to clear from Juliet.’

He paused to rest his hand on my shoulder as I shook my head, ‘I will not wait.  I cannot.’

‘I understand Nathan, but Juliet is not just your mate, she is our Queen.  We have all been waiting for her for a long time, some of us since the last Queen was murdered in sixteen fifty-one.  We all feel the same as you, but she wants you to take care of the children.  Our Queen has given us an order.  We must obey it.  The children must come first and she second.’

I stared at him with distaste, but logic assured me his words were wise, his sense sound.  His tense features visibly relaxed when I slowly nodded.  I looked around at the branches of the trees heavily laden with snow, feeling the chill of a winter’s breeze on the air.  ‘We must hurry and find them before they become lost in the forest.  They are still human, and will die of the cold if we do not.  Let us leave the horses here.  We will make better haste running.’

Gabriel agreed and everyone prepared to leave.  I instructed the men to reach out with their minds in the hope that some of the children were open to being contacted mentally.  But it was not until we began running through the bare, cold forest, approaching towards the edge of the village where they had been callously left to freeze by Sebastian, that my call was answered.

I connected with two older girls who were shepherding the others through the forest.  They were confused, unsure as to why Sebastian had cast them out of their home.  Having been incarcerated in their dungeon since birth, they knew little of the outside world.  They did not know what to do, or where to go.  They were unsurprised that I could talk to them through their minds.  Their surrogate father, Sebastian, had told them many times of the powers they were to gain in future life.

It was an effort to remove the disgust from my mind at the way they proffered love upon Sebastian as their father despite his treatment of them.  They were afraid they had displeased him.   Why did he not want them anymore?  I calmly told the elder to remain where they were, telling her we were coming and I would see to it they received food, care and shelter.

Aware of their position now, I increased my speed.  It was exhilarating to be able to run so fast, although I could not maintain it for long.  I thought of Gabriel and the blurring speed with which he had carried Juliet up the stairs at his home.  I was faster.  As a consequence, I soon met up with the sobbing children.  They were huddled together, vainly attempting to generate warmth.  My men and I surrounded them in a circle to prevent any escape.  Some of them started to cry, fearful of our presence.  The older girls clutched the younger ones protectively to their sides, eyeing us with fear and suspicion.  I had never seen such ragged children since I ventured into the dark depths of London with my friends to visit the gin shops.  They were starved, their little bones almost poking through their pale translucent skin.  They wore no shoes on their dirt smeared feet which were turning blue from resting in the snow.  My heart was filled with pity as I stared at their bewildered, dirty faces.

I spoke directly to the oldest child, a girl of fourteen who stared at me indignantly, pulling the youngest next to her closely.  I sensed her courage and will to face me down to protect the others, and I could not help but admire her fortitude.  She reminded me of Juliet.  I spoke to her with respect, addressing her as the leader of the small band of urchins.

‘I wish you no harm, Josephine.  You must let me help you.  I have been sent by our Queen to ensure you are all safe and cared for.’  I could feel her distrust sting me with the sharpness of an arrow as I stood over her.  It was vital that I gained her trust.  The children were freezing and would soon become ill, perhaps even die.

‘I do not know who you are, how can I trust you?  We trusted our father to care for us, yet he has cast us out into the darkness.  We must return to the village and beg him to take us back.  I don’t understand . . . he has always taken care of us . . .’

‘He is not your father,’ I snapped, unable to contain my anger any longer.  I was unused to handling stubborn children.  ‘You must not call him that.  He does not deserve that honour.  He has deceived you all.  He took you from your mother’s arms and locked you up in a prison for all of these years.  You have gained your freedom thanks to the sacrifice of your noble Queen.  You must allow me to protect you or her sacrifice will be for nothing.’

She gave me a pout.  She was shivering uncontrollably from the severe chill.  I could sense weariness and confusion were threatening to overwhelm her.  The child’s green eyes had filled with tears when I had scolded her and I felt sorry for it.  I softened my voice and held her gaze.  ‘Josephine, look into my mind.  You will find I do not lie to you.’

I felt her reach into my consciousness, nervously, tentatively brushing it with her own.  I showed her Juliet and Sebastian’s true identities.  She covered her mouth with a shriek at the discovery.  I felt her pain.  Her tears began to flow freely.  I placed my hand on her arm and squeezed.  ‘I am sorry to reveal everything to you, but I need your help to get the others to shelter.  They trust you more than they do me.  Will you help me, Josephine?’

The girl standing next to her, Katrina, was bewildered, annoyed.  ‘What is he talking about, Josephine.  We must return to our father.  We have displeased him in some way.  We must make him forgive us.  I won’t go . . .’

‘We must go with this man, Katrina.  You remember how our father showed us the Queen.  She has sent this man, her knight, to help us.  He speaks the truth.  I can feel it.  Our father is a murderer and a butcher.  We must never go back to him.  We can never go back.  Bring the others while I take the little ones.  Quickly, before we freeze to death  I will not talk of it anymore.’

I nodded at Josephine with approval.  The younger girl glared at me, her bright, violet eyes a vivid colour against my heightened vision in the dark.  But thankfully, she did as Josephine asked.

I felt a tug on my trouser leg.  Startled, I looked down to find a fair headed urchin standing next to me.  Her height rested just above my knee.  She pulled on my trouser leg once again, ignoring my frown.  Evidently, she was determined to gain my attention.  I peered down at her with raised eyebrows.

‘You love the pretty lady,’ she stated, smiled up at me.  She was clutching a small, battered china doll.  I remembered her from Juliet’s vision.  ‘You are sad and don’t know where she has gone.  I know where she’s gone.’

Surprised, I bent down to talk to her.  If she knew where Sebastian had taken Juliet, I must find it out.  But as I bent, she flung her arms around my neck and gestured for me to pick her up.  I had never held a child in my life.  I had never wished to, but her shivering body clung on to me so much I felt compelled.

I stood at my full height, finding it easier to hold her.  Wrapping my arms around her in case she might fall, I was at a loss as to what to do.  Much to the humour of some of the men, I held her awkwardly.  She pressed her small icy cold cheek against mine, seeking warmth.  But there was not much to be had from the body of a vampire.  Her small body was shivering in my arms.  I began to rub her back just as I had seen the nannies do with children in the park.  It had always seemed to provide a child with comfort.  I spoke softly to her, ‘Where is Juliet, little one?’

‘She is with the red ones.  I’m cold.’

I turned to her, giving her a confused look. 

She sat back off my shoulder, frowning at me.  ‘I don’t like the red ones.  They know how to hurt us when we are bad.  Our father threatens us with them when we are naughty children.  I don’t want to talk about them.  He says they can hurt our minds.’  The child flung herself across my chest and clung on to my neck tightly.  She began to cry.  I hushed her softly, rubbing her back again, hoping to bring comfort against the terrible memory.  As she wept, she buried her tiny face into my shoulder.

‘Shh, I will not let them near you.  I will protect you,’ I promised.

I felt Gabriel’s presence by my side.  ‘She means the Caratacos demons have Juliet.’

‘Demons exist?’

‘We are not the only ones cursed with existence, Nathan.  Sebastian must be in league with them.  They also want influence in the human world.  They know how to exert control over our kind.  They will be blocking her powers for him, thus preventing her from making contact with you.  Something he is unable to do himself.  I did not anticipate this turn of events.  We must get to her.  They will help her heal more quickly.  If he takes Juliet, we will never be able to retrieve her.’

I tightened my grip on the child feeling my own need for comfort.

‘You must save the pretty Queen from the red ones or they will help him take her body and soul,’ the child whispered in my ear.

‘What is your name, little one?’

‘Emily.’

I opened my mouth to ask her the meaning of her words when a black shadow suddenly crossed my vision.  It was followed by a breath of icy cold air swiping across the side of my face.  Gabriel swung around, his sword drawn.  The children screamed and pressed close together.  All of my men followed Gabriel’s example, drawing their swords.  We tightened the circle around the girls.  Emily buried her head against my shoulder once more and clung to me as though her life depended on it.  ‘They are coming for us.  I don’t want to go back.’

‘I will not let them have you,’ I assured her confidently in a whisper.  I had known Sebastian would not be true to his word.  He would never let the children go free.  It had all been a ruse to force Juliet into his arms.  Whoever or whatever now surrounded us had been sent by Sebastian to recapture the children.  I was certain of it.  I put Emily down, telling her to stay with Josephine.  I unsheathed my own sword to stand with my men, scanning between the snow laden bare trees of the silent woods.  But all I heard was the piercing shriek of a barn owl.  I watched its ghostly white form lift from a nearby tree and fly off deep into the wood.  I looked at Gabriel, confused.  He and the others stood tense, poised, ready to strike.  They seemed to know exactly what they were dealing with.

‘Hunter Demons,’ Gabriel whispered to me.  ‘You must have your wits about you.  They are fast.  I knew Sebastian would not let the children go so easily.’