Beneath a Midnight Moon - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,83
coarse wool covered his nakedness. A plate of cold sliced mutton, vegetables, and a loaf of freshly baked bread were on the floor beside him, along with a large bowl filled with wine.
A wry smile tugged at Hardane’s features as he received Renick’s silent message.
You’re a wolf. Eat like one.
His pride, the only thing the Executioner hadn’t whipped to shreds, rebelled at the idea of eating off the floor like a dog, but his hunger soon overcame his self-esteem.
It was awkward, eating off the floor with his hands chained behind his back, but he managed it well enough to take the edge off his hunger.
After quenching his thirst, he sat back against the wall, closed his eyes, and summoned Kylene’s image to mind. He would die content, he thought, if he could only hold her one more time, inhale her warm womanly scent, touch the silk of her hair, taste the incredible sweetness of her lips.
Kylene. He ached for her in the depths of his soul; his heart feared for her safety.
Kylene. She was near. The Sea Dragon had been seen off the northern coast of Mouldour.
Perhaps she was here, even now.
“Ready?” Sharilyn asked.
“Ready,” Kylene replied firmly, though her hands were shaking and she wondered if her legs would support her.
“We’ll be right behind you,” Lord Kray said, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Sharilyn embraced her husband. “If anything goes wrong, remember how much I love you.”
Lord Kray nodded. “As I love you.” He gazed deep into his wife’s eyes. “Should it become necessary to make a choice, you know what to do.”
“Aye, my lord,” Sharilyn whispered. “Are you ready, Kylene?”
“Yes.”
“Jared?”
“Let’s go,” he replied tersely, and settled the helmet more firmly on his head.
There was a moment of silence, and then the four of them disappeared into the darkness that surrounded the Fortress.
Chapter 38
Hardane stirred restlessly on the cold stone floor. The pain in his thigh made it difficult to get comfortable; concern for Kylene made sleep impossible.
Through heavy-lidded eyes he stared at his right thigh. It was a mass of torn and swollen flesh, and he wondered absently if he would die from the Executioner’s whip or from the infection slowly spreading through him.
Steeped in despair, he gazed into the darkness, cursing Renick, cursing himself. If anything happened to Kylene . . .
He frowned as he saw a faint light illuminate the far end of the corridor. He heard footsteps, and then he saw Renick and Selene walking toward him, trailed by a guard bearing a torch.
Hardane’s hands curled into tight fists as he wondered what mischief had brought his enemies to the dungeon at such a late hour.
Abruptly, he stood up, the pain in his leg momentarily forgotten. As the three figures drew near, he leaned forward, his eyes narrowed, his instincts telling him that all was not as it seemed.
“Kylene!” he exclaimed softly.
And then he frowned as he took a closer look at the Interrogator and he knew that it wasn’t Renick at all, but Sharilyn in Renick’s form.
“Mother?” Hardane shook his head, wondering if he was dreaming.
“We’ll have you out of here soon, Hardane,” his mother promised. “Hurry, Jared.”
Hardane’s gaze moved over the guard. “Jared!”
The guard set the torch in the holder outside the cell, then lifted the visor on his helmet. “The same,” he said.
Slipping a fine piece of wire from his pocket, Jared inserted it into the lock.
A moment later, the door swung open and Kylene hurried into the cell.
“Hardane, Hardane,” she murmured, her hands fluttering over him like butterfly wings, “what have they done to you?”
She bit back a cry of dismay as she noted the raw skin on his wrists, the bloodstained bandage on his thigh, the hollows in his cheeks.
“I’m fine,” he mumbled, his gaze fixed on her face while Jared worked his magic on the shackles that bound him to the wall.
“Can you walk?” Kylene asked.
“I don’t know.”
“We’ll get you out of here if I have to carry you,” Jared muttered.
“Hurry, now,” Sharilyn urged.
“A moment, mother mine,” Hardane said, and bracing himself against the wall, he drew Kylene into his arms and kissed her.
The heat of her body against his, the warmth of her kiss, chased the ache from his thigh and filled him with hope.
“Hardane!” Sharilyn said impatiently. “We don’t have time for that now.”
Hardane gave Kylene one last kiss and then, with regret, let her go.
Immediately, Jared stepped forward. “Put your arm around my shoulders and let’s get out of here while we can.”