Page 48 of Keeper of the Flame: Orrick

“Aye, so you are.” He grinned and his eyes roamed downward to her chest. “Mayhap I should get to know you a little better since you are my betrothed.”

He tried to push the door open again, but she wouldn’t have it. Bravely, she stood up to him, all the while pushing back with her free hand.

“You are despicable and I’d rather die than marry you.” Her words came out brasher than she’d meant them to, but she couldn’t take them back now.

“How dare you speak to me in that manner.” His fist shot out and he punched her in the face. She stumbled backward into the room, almost dropping the candle. The flame fizzled and sputtered, almost as if it were as angry as she was right now. The coppery taste of blood from her split lip covered her lips and tongue.

“Leave me alone,” she cried. “Get out of the room anon before I call for a guard.”

“There are no guards near here,” he said, stepping into the room. “Besides, you are my betrothed so they won’t do anything to stop me from having you.”

“Having me?” she asked.

“That’s right. Before I give you up, I am going to get a taste of what I’d be missing if I didn’t marry you.” His hand shot out with his dagger in it and he used the blade to cut open the front of her night rail. She felt the scratch of the sharp edge as it grazed her flesh and drew blood.

Looking down at her exposed breasts, she grew even angrier. And when he next reached out for her, she bit his arm. He cried out in pain. With the courage of a warrior, she clenched her free hand into a fist, and punch him in the jaw. When she did, the hot wax of the candle spilled on his bare arm, making him cry out again.

“Aaaaah,” he shouted, jumping back and holding his arm.

“Stay out!” she spat, slamming the door in his face and sliding the cross bar to secure it.

“Hope?” came the soft, sleepy voice of Grace from the bed. “Is someone here?”

“Nay, everything is fine, Sister. Go back to sleep.”

Setting the candle down by the bed, Hope went over to the washstand to cleanse her wounds. But when she put the wet cloth against her lip, she could no longer taste the blood or feel the pain. Looking down at her chest, she saw the torn cloth of her night rail but didn’t see the scratch from Irwin’s blade anywhere. How odd.

Thinking it too dark to see it, she moved over to the bed and looked at her chest in the light of the candle. No scratch or blood at all. She must have imagined it. Then her hand went to her split lip, and her tongue shot out once more to taste the blood. There was no cut or blood at all. Mayhap it wasn’t as bad of a wound as she’d thought.

Spying the book on the bed, she felt excited to read it and find out everything she wanted to know about the Eternal Flame. After putting the candle on the table, she slipped under the coverlet and opened the book once again. After tonight, she would know everything about the Eternal Flame, the Keeper of the Flame, and possibly even where to find it.

* * *

“Noah’s not in the great hall sleeping and no one has even seen him,” reported Corbett, meeting with Orrick outside the kitchen. It was late by now and the storm still raged outside.

“The cook tells me he hasn’t been to the kitchen either. Wasn’t he in your solar?” asked Orrick.

“Nay,” said Corbett. “And Devon hasn’t seen the boy either. She is very worried.”

“I checked the tower room once again and he wasn’t hiding there either. Where do you think he went?”

“Knowing Noah, he’s curled up in a corner somewhere already sleeping,” Corbett told him. “Possibly out in the mews or mayhap the stable. We should check there.”

After checking and not finding him, Corbett noticed one of the horses missing.

“The horse I often let Noah ride is missing,” he pointed out. “I’m afraid he’s taken it somewhere.”

Rain pelted down as they looked out into the courtyard. A stray dog ran across the cobbled stones chasing a rodent. Lightning lit up the sky and thunder rumbled from above.

“He must have left before they closed the castle gate for the evening,” said Orrick.

“Corbett,” called out his wife, Devon, running into the stable holding her hood over her head. “Have you found Noah?”

“Nay. Not yet,” said Corbett. “We’ve been searching for him and think he’s taken the horse outside the castle walls.”

“Then we need to go after him,” said Devon, sounding frantic. “He’s afraid of thunderstorms.”

“He’ll be fine, Devon. Now please, go back to bed,” said Corbett, rubbing her back, trying to get his wife to calm down.