Knight of Swords by Astor Steele

Author:Astor Steele [Steele, Astor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wild Girl Publishing
Published: 2021-03-24T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

I held the reins of my horse as it dipped its head to the moonlit river to drink. We had made good progress across the rolling fields of the county of Hertfordshire despite the thick covering of snow. Travelling on into Buckinghamshire, we had crossed the Chiltern Hills, and entered Launden forest. I had found the trail of Juliet’s scent easier to follow than I first thought it would be. She was now travelling on foot. Her pace had slowed significantly and the pounding in my head had eased as a result. We were close, but I could not help wondering about her health.

I grew steadily more anxious for Juliet. She had been missing for hours. She was travelling unaccompanied in the countryside and woods at night, unprotected from vagrants and other men wishing to do harm to a lone woman. If she slept ... I put the disquieting thought from my mind and made to mount my horse again. One of the men gave me a shout.

It was Jason Dyer, the hybrid son born of a wealthy merchant in 1751. He was one hundred and forty-two. I would never get used to learning the staggering ages of these men. I could not help but eye him with marked suspicion as I approached. His thoughts betrayed him. He clearly intended to challenge me for Juliet’s hand in the future, but for now he was content to respect my leadership. He understood it was vital that we act together to locate Juliet’s whereabouts. Her safety was paramount to him and there would be no challenge until she was retrieved. I wondered how many more men would step forward to duel with me in the coming days. It was vital that I kept my guard up and my wits about me if I wished to possess Juliet as my own. I was determined. No one would be allowed the pleasure of taking her from me.

Jason held up a lantern in the darkness. He pointed towards the corpse of a stag whose prostrate form lay upon the shallow riverbank. Its scarlet lifeblood stained the crisp, white snow. I followed him as he walked towards it.

Jason knelt down next to the magnificent beast’s head and gestured to its throat. It had been torn out. “Juliet did this,” he told me. He shook his head. “We can’t drink the blood of an animal. It poisons us. There are only two ways we may be killed. By the removal of our heads or taking blood from an animal. Even a small amount makes us ill. Consuming more brings death.”

I looked at him quickly, filled with alarm.

“The corpse is still fresh, she can’t be far away from us. It explains why she has slowed down. We have to get to her, Nathan. The blood from one animal will not satisfy her, she will crave more. If she drinks from another, we will lose our Queen.”

My anxiety was acute. I was not the only one to feel such angst.

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