Italian Time Travel 02 - Time Enough for Love by Morgan O'Neill

Author:Morgan O'Neill [O'Neill, Morgan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Time's Arrow Productions TM
Published: 2014-10-08T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Holding her reins with one hand, Adelaide shielded her eyes against the sun’s afternoon glare. The twisted, eroded hills, chalky-white earth, and sparse vegetation of the Apennine foothills stood in stark contrast to the verdant valleys of Lombardy. Here, the land was barren and forbidding, seemingly as lonely as her heart.

She felt drained, realizing she desperately needed her daughter. How long had it been? Four months? Nearly five?

Oh, when would she see Emma again?

Adelaide cast a glance in Gwen’s direction, but her friend’s eyes were remote, as if she were also withdrawn into her thoughts.

Sighing, Adelaide let her gaze wander on. To her left lay an opening in the Enza Valley, a deep side canyon. Within, she spotted an advance-guard citadel built upon a sharp rise of red rock. She had heard of this place, the fortress named for its flaming stone, Rossena. Some of Alberto’s forces would bleed off here to protect their rear, the rest following him the last few miles to his keep.

Would she be safe, once there? Would someone have news of Emma? Surely, there would be dispatches from her allies. She forced herself to control her emotions. We are close, so close.

The battlements of Rossena threw long, slanting shadows across the valley floor. As Adelaide passed from brightness to shade, she saw a pinnacle of white rock in the distance. A castle was perched atop the rise, constructed from the same gleaming mineral.

Canossa.

Moving into the sunshine again, Adelaide was stunned. Canossa looked pure and bright, heavenly.

She swallowed, her thoughts once more verging on darkness. Was this the beginning, or the end? And what of King Otto? If Berengar was indeed on the march, would Otto arrive in time? He must arrive! He must!

“Halt,” Lord Alberto called out.

Adelaide watched as he wheeled his horse around and trotted back to them. He pulled off his helmet, his demeanor confident, easy. Was he attempting to bolster her spirits, or were his feelings genuine?

“Most Gracious Queen,” he managed a small bow from the waist, “my men secure us from behind, and the very mountains around us secure our flanks. In a short while, you shall be safely within the walls of Canossa.” Smiling, he winked at Gwen, then looked beyond them to his men and shouted, “We have prevailed!”

A roar erupted behind Adelaide, a heartening din. But she barely noticed the thunderous response. She shuddered. Gazing at Canossa, tears blurred her vision, and she realized it promised safe haven. Yet, she could not feel secure until her enemy was utterly defeated, until someone confirmed Emma was indeed out of harm’s way.

Oh, how she needed to kiss and hold Emma! Yet, she would take a crumb, any crumb that assured her daughter was in safe hands. Please, Lord, my security matters not. I beg You, I implore You, keep Emma in Your special care.

God, where, oh where, was she?

*

They’d made it! Gwen rode through a trio of massive gates, which allowed passage through the triple circuit of defensive walls surrounding the lower slopes of Canossa’s summit.

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