Beneath a Midnight Moon - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,113
and then he hit her hard, his fist striking her on the side of the head. Bright lights danced before her eyes, and a sudden nausea rose in her throat.
Abruptly, the floor beneath her feet changed texture and she knew they were in the tunnel that led from Hardane’s bedchamber to the sea.
She began to struggle again, fear and desperation adding strength to her limbs. She lashed out with her feet and her fists, sobs racking her body. She had to get away. Her life, the lives of her children, depended on it.
She felt her fist strike flesh, and then a blinding pain exploded in her head and she felt herself falling, falling, into darkness blacker than the night. . . .
Hardane braced one hand against the wall of the keep, his forehead pressed to the cold stone. With the coming of night, Renick’s men had retreated. The glow of their campfires could be seen against the night sky.
With a sigh, he pushed away from the wall. The fighting was over for now, and he had only one thing on his mind, to see Kylene, to wrap himself in her arms and forget, at least for a little while, that the battle wasn’t over.
He’d just stepped into the Great Hall when his mother came running toward him.
“She’s gone!” Sharilyn cried. “Kylene’s gone!”
“Gone? Where?”
“I don’t know. I left her for a few minutes to make sure Nan had everything under control in the kitchen, and when I got back, she was gone. I’ve looked everywhere.”
Hardane frowned. Why would she leave? Where would she go? She’d promised to stay in his room until he came for her.
He took the stairs two at a time, his weariness forgotten in his concern for Kylene. He paused inside the door to their room, his gaze sweeping the chamber, and then, after taking several deep breaths, he closed his eyes and sent his tashada to find her.
Kylene, where are you?
The answer, when it came, was exactly what he’d feared.
Renick! She was on his ship, locked in a small cabin, her hands tied tightly behind her back. The left side of her face was swollen, her cheek badly bruised. He felt her pain and her fear, felt the nausea that churned in her stomach as the ship rocked at anchor in a small inlet west of the waterfall.
He fought down the rage that boiled up inside him, forcing his mind to be calm as he willed his thoughts to her.
I’m coming, lady. Don’t be afraid.
No! Her cry screamed in the back of his mind. It’s you he wants. Please, Hardane, if you love me, stay away.
Lady, you know I love you. I’ll see you soon.
No. She sobbed the word. No, please. He’ll kill you.
He’ll try. In his mind, Hardane reached out to caress her, his shade surrounding her, enfolding her, infusing her with his strength. We’ll be together soon, he promised, and regretfully withdrew his presence.
Sharilyn touched her son’s shoulder. “Hardane?”
“Renick has her. I’ve got to go.”
“You know that’s what he wants.”
“I know. I—”
He broke off as Jared burst into the room.
“This just came for you,” Jared said, handing Hardane a message written in Renick’s bold scrawl.
Hardane read the missive, then handed it to his mother.
“He wants you to come to his ship,” Sharilyn said, reading quickly. “Tonight, alone and unarmed.”
Hardane nodded.
“You’re not going?”
Hardane met his mother’s worried gaze. “What other choice do I have?”
“You know he won’t let her go.”
“I know.”
“By Minock’s beard,” Jared exclaimed, “the man wants you both dead!”
“You think I don’t know that?”
Sharilyn laid a comforting hand on her son’s arm. “Have you a plan?”
“I plan to kill him. That’s the only plan I have.”
Jared and Sharilyn exchanged glances. Before they could speak, Carrick stepped into the room. “Renick’s men are withdrawing.”
“What?”
“They’re marching toward the sea.”
“All of them?”
“As far as I can tell.” Carrick crossed the room and put his arm around Sharilyn’s shoulders. “What do you think it means?”
“It means he has what he came for,” Hardane replied curtly.
“He has Kylene,” Sharilyn explained. “He sent a message demanding Hardane’s presence at his ship tonight, alone.”
“I see.” Carrick dragged a hand across his jaw as he studied Hardane’s face. The man looked as though he’d been to Gehenna and back and was being asked to go again. “What are you going to do?”
Hardane stared at Carrick, his expression bleak. “What do you think?”
Carrick nodded. “It’s suicide to go alone.”
“He’s threatened to kill her if he sees anyone else,” Hardane said, his voice ragged.