Echoes of Magic Read online

  It didn’t go unnoticed by him that the entire bailey was silent, watching as he and Adrianna walked to the castle steps. His mother took a deep breath and erased all emotion from her face.

  Grayson wanted to shake her, to make her tell him why she hadn’t come looking for him? All along she’d been at Hawksbridge. All those years he had suffered, starving and alone until he had found a home at Drogan’s.

  His legs felt stiff, as if he bent them, he would fall on his face.

  “We can leave.”

  He looked down at Adrianna. Her pale blue eyes held a wealth of worry. For him. It humbled him, how she stood beside him no matter what. No other woman ever had.

  “Nay,” he said as they began to climb the stairs. He stopped about mid way and waited.

  There was no welcoming smile from his mother, no warm hug. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.

  Grayson was so taken aback that he couldn’t answer. Didn’t she know why he was here? He was looking for her.

  Fortunately, Adrianna answered for him. “We’ve been traveling and seek your hospitality as we rest ourselves and our mounts.”

  “You’d be better served leaving here immediately,” his mother answered in a hushed tone.

  “Be that as it may, we cannot,” Adrianna said in the same quiet tone. Then she smiled and raised her voice. “Why thank you, my lady. We would love to dine with you.”

  Grayson might have laughed if he hadn’t been so shocked. He glanced over his shoulder as he followed Adrianna and his mother to find the knights watching him with interest. He knew then he wouldn’t be able to leave Hawksbridge without a fight.

  Once inside the castle, he closed the door behind him and surveyed the great hall. Several tapestries hung on the walls depicting battle scenes from history. The frayed edges of the tapestries told Grayson just how old they were.

  Candelabras hung from hooks on the walls where wax from the candles dripped around them. As ill cared for as the people of Hawksbridge were, he had expected the castle to be in the same disarray.

  Instead, the rushes were new and clean. Even the few hounds lying near the hearth and staring at him with baleful black eyes looked clean. They had nearly reached the dais when his mother whirled around, the skirts of her gown getting caught in his legs.

  “We haven’t much time,” she whispered. “There is a secret door I can take you to. If you leave now, you can get far enough away.”

  “For what?” Grayson asked.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, there was worry and fear in their dark depths. “You know what, or you would never have come.”

  “I’m not leaving.”

  “Grayson, please.”

  He snorted. “So you do remember your own son.”

  She took a step back at his harsh tone. “Don’t.”

  “Don’t what?” he asked. “Don’t wonder why my mother let me wander alone and starving? Don’t wonder why you never tried to find me? Don’t wonder why you never loved me.”

  “That isn’t fair.”

  “It’s more than fair. What do you expect me to think? Give me some answers.”

  She shook her head.

  “Then give me some,” Adrianna said. “What are you doing with Nigel? You know what he is.”

  His mother’s gaze shifted to Adrianna. “There are so few of us left. What’s your name?”

  “Adrianna.”

  “I’m Leoma.”

  Grayson ran a hand down his face and sank onto the nearest stool. His heart ached. How could he have remembered things so wrong? His mother hadn’t been taken from him. She hadn’t wanted him.

  Adrianna watched the anger and resignation pass over Grayson’s face. She wanted to go to him, to wrap her arms and legs around him and make him forget everything but her.

  “Why have you come?” Leoma asked.

  Adrianna faced Grayson’s mother. Grayson had her large, expressive eyes. Even his long, thick lashes resembled his mother’s, as did his midnight locks.

  “Why do you think?” Adrianna answered. “He came seeking answers about you.”

  “He shouldn’t have. It’ll bring his death.”

  “I know,” Grayson ground out. “I was prepared to die as long as I could gain my answers.”

  Leoma turned her back to them. “You don’t want those answers.”

  “How long until Nigel returns?”

  “He’ll be here by nightfall.”

  “That gives us plenty of time then,” Adrianna said.

  Leoma laughed, the sound mirthless, as she faced Adrianna. “You don’t understand. Once you came through those gates, there is no leaving. Nigel has had his men scouring the country for Grayson.”

  Grayson rose to his feet and walked away. Adrianna ached to comfort him in some way. She narrowed her gaze on his mother. “How can you be so hateful? He’s your son.”

  “Why do you think I let him go? It was either watch Nigel kill him or give him up.”

  Adrianna gripped the edge of the table near her. “Dear God.”

  “Nigel makes sure he gets what he wants.”

  Adrianna glanced at Grayson to find him pacing the solar. They couldn’t leave, and he couldn’t battle Nigel’s knights on his own. They were as good as dead.

  “Make him leave,” Leoma begged her. “Grayson needs to leave now.”

  Adrianna shook her head. “He won’t. All he’s ever wanted was answers as to what happened to you.”

  “I’d rather not share those answers.”

  Somehow, Adrianna wasn’t surprised. At least she knew where Grayson got his stubbornness from. There was so much she wanted to ask Leoma, but she didn’t know if she was on Nigel’s side or not.

  Leoma handed her a goblet of wine. “You look as though you need this.”

  She accepted the goblet with a nod. Everything was unraveling at such a fast pace, Adrianna didn’t know what to do. If she had made Grayson stop so she could look into the future, she might have seen what was to come. Even then, she knew he would have demanded they come.

  “You know of the curse?” Leoma asked her.

  “I do.”

  “And still you chose to be with Grayson?”

  Adrianna thought of the beautiful, pleasure‐filled night she and Grayson had shared and nodded. “Without a doubt. He’s an amazing man.”

  “He’s like his father,” Leoma said softly. “The same strength, the same power. The same determination. Even the way he moves is like his father.”

  “What happened to your husband?”

  Leoma shrugged and looked away. “He rode out one day to battle and never returned. Nigel taunts me that he killed William.”

  “You don’t care about my father either,” Grayson stated flatly.

  Adrianna jumped, not realizing Grayson had approached. “Grayson.”

  “Nay, Drina. Don’t. She’s proven how cold hearted she is.”

  “She hasn’t proven anything other than the fact she’s alive,” Adrianna argued. “You need answers before you condemn her.”

  His jaw clenched. “Her actions condemn her.”

  “Maybe,” Leoma said. “Maybe not.”

  “Then tell me, Mother, what are you doing at Hawksbridge?”

  “It’s my home,” she answered. “It’s yours as well. It has been in your father’s family for generations. At least until Nigel took over.”

  Adrianna had to sit down. “You willingly stayed?”

  “I had no choice,” the older woman answered. “My husband hadn’t returned, and I had a small child who Nigel threatened to gut in front of me. What would you have done?”

  “Found another way.”

  “I saved him!” Leoma shouted.

  Adrianna fisted her hands in an attempt to remain calm. “Aye, but at what cost? He could have died.”

  “I used my magic. It was the only thing Nigel couldn’t control. I shielded Grayson as best I could until I sensed he was safe and no longer ne
eded me.”

  Grayson let out a deep breath. “You almost sound believable. Almost.”

  The pain and anger in his voice brought tears to Adrianna’s eyes. “Maybe we should go, Grayson. We cannot do this alone.”

  His silver gaze swung to her. “I’m tired of running. If this bastard wants me, I’ll be waiting here for him.”

  Before he could tell her to leave, Adrianna stepped toward him, her hand on his chest. “You’re going to need me.”

  “I’ll always need you,” he whispered near her ear.

  Chills raced over her skin. She wished they were alone so she could explore him at her leisure. “What do we do?”

  “There’s nothing else to do but wait. And prepare.”

  “Against so many? There has to be at least two dozen knights.”

  He shrugged. “There’s more, but it matters not.”

  “Matters not,” she mumbled and turned away from him, her arms folded over her chest. “Of course it matters. How can you think to fight so many?”

  “They won’t be expecting me.”

  Adrianna stopped and looked at him. The confident grin on his lips made her smile. “That sure of yourself, are you?”

  “Aye.”

  She turned to Leoma. “I think now is the time you decide what side you’re on.”

  “That’s never been a decision,” Leoma said. “I’ve never been on Nigel’s side.”

  Adrianna let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. “Good. Exactly how many knights are in the castle walls?”

  “Thirty, but they aren’t Nigel’s best,” Leoma said.

  Grayson leaned back against the table. “Nay, those men he sent the first time. They nearly succeeded in killing me. If it hadn’t of been for Adrianna, I wouldn’t be here now. Where are they now?”

  “I’m not sure. They normally ride together, but lately they’ve been split. Two rode out yesterday.”

  “I saw them,” he said. “Where were they headed?”

  His mother shrugged. “I’m never privy to that information.”

  “Well, we needn’t worry about two of them,” Adrianna said. “Grayson killed them a few nights back.”

  Leoma’s eyes widened as she looked at him. “You killed them?”

  Chapter Twenty‐Three

  “Aye,” Grayson said.

  “No one has been able to even wound those knights. They are Nigel’s most trusted men, men who are a part of him,” his mother said.

  “I got the better of them, I suppose.”

  She turned to Adrianna. “Do you understand the implications? Can you see what this means?”

  Grayson looked from his mother to Adrianna. “I’d appreciate it if someone told me.”

  Adrianna ignored him and rose to her feet. “You say those men are a part of Nigel? Do you mean he holds their souls?”

  “Aye,” Leoma said.

  “No wonder they smelled almost as evil as Nigel,” Adrianna said and tapped her chin with her finger.

  Grayson blew out a breath. “Drina. Don’t talk as if I’m not here.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said and faced him. “If what your mother says is true, you shouldn’t have been able to harm them. Much like Drogan was unable to really harm Nigel when they fought.”

  “Then how did I kill them?”

  She shrugged. “Magic.”

  “You used magic?”

  “Not me. You.”

  He chuckled, thinking she jested. But at her serious expression, he looked to his mother to find her staring at him with an odd expression of excitement and fear. It was then he realized in all the anger of discovering his mother, he had forgotten she was a witch, same as Adrianna.

  “You said males don’t inherit the magic,” he said.

  Adrianna lifted a shoulder. “That’s what we were told. We’re cursed, yet you said Drogan and Serena broke it for themselves. How can we discount that you do have magic.”

  “I think I would know.”

  “Maybe your body does. When I found you, you should have been dead, but you weren’t. Maybe your magic works differently than mine.”

  Grayson raked a hand down his face. “Whether I have magic matters not. What matters is making sure you’re gone before Nigel finds you.”

  “He’s right,” Leoma said. “Adrianna, if he discovers what you are, he’ll use you as he has used me.”

  The mere thought of Nigel touching Adrianna made Grayson’s blood boil. “He’ll die before I let him touch her.”

  A strange light came into his mother’s eyes. She stared at him for several moments before she gave him a brief nod. The anger inside of him wouldn’t diminish. He shouldn’t care why she never sought him, but he desperately wanted to know. Was he such a bad child that she didn’t want him?

  He reached for Adrianna’s hand before he realized what he was doing. She smiled and threaded her fingers with his. Just touching her settled his soul. He knew he should make her leave, but he feared what would happen if Nigel found her.

  How he regretted coming to Hawksbridge. He didn’t have answers, and now he had even more questions. Adrianna had spoken to his mother, maybe she learned something. He was sure she would tell him if she had, but he wondered if he really wanted to know.

  Sometimes it was best to be kept ignorant of such things. Yet, deep down, he knew if he was to fight Nigel and his knights, Grayson needed to know exactly what he faced.

  “Tell me how Nigel came to have Hawksbridge?” he demanded.

  Leoma sighed and folded her hands in her lap. “He coveted Hawksbridge for years. He had King Henry’s ear and, if it wasn’t for the close friendship between your father and the king, we would have lost Hawksbridge years ago.”

  “So Nigel lied?”

  She nodded. “Constantly. The king knew it but, because Nigel was a noble, Henry did nothing of it.”

  “My faith isn’t restored in the king,” Grayson muttered.

  “For years we lived content at Hawksbridge. Life was good. Then, a skirmish between two families erupted. William rode out with a group of his knights to help make peace.”

  “He never returned,” Adrianna finished.

  Leoma nodded. “A week after William left, Nigel sent me a letter stating the king had given him control of Hawksbridge until William could be found.”

  Grayson slammed his hand on the table. “You believed him?”

  “Of course not,” his mother replied as if she were talking to a simpleton. “I demanded to see the king’s correspondence. The next day, after you and I went for our walk, Nigel and his men stormed the castle. We didn’t have time for a defense.”

  “You had knights. They should have fought.”

  “Nigel was from the king,” she said. “No one dared to harm him. None of us knew at the time just what sort of hell he would bring here.”

  Grayson folded his arms over his chest. “So Nigel took over. Did no one look for my father?”

  “I sent several men unbeknownst to Nigel. William’s body was never found.”

  “And his men?”

  Leoma briefly closed her eyes. “The few that were found were dead, their bodies mutilated.”

  “Grayson,” Adrianna said and moved to his side. “It would be very foolish to stand against Nigel alone. We can leave, us three, and find Drogan. We’ll gather an army.”

  Grayson shook his head. “We’d never reach Drogan in time.”

  He dropped his arms and turned to lean on the table. A fool he wasn’t, but he saw no way out of their predicament. He would love nothing better than an army at his back, but it was impossible. They had precious few hours in which to plan before Nigel arrived.

  As much as Grayson wanted to kill the bastard, he would rather spend the time with Adrianna, kissing her, caressing her...loving her.

  He straightened and faced his mother, the woman he had searched years for. He had expected to find her dead, but she was living, breathing in front of him. Her warm, dark eyes watching him intently
.

  “Finish the story. Nigel came. Then what?”

  “He took me while another man jerked you out of my arms. Nigel said if I didn’t come willingly he would kill you right then. I couldn’t bear the thought.”

  Grayson snorted. “Death would have been kinder rather than what I have suffered.”

  “I had moments to make a decision,” she said, her gaze pleading with him. “If you had children you would understand.”

  He sliced his hand through the air. “That isn’t the point. I was allowed to live, aye?”

  “Aye, but only if you were sent from Hawksbridge. Nigel wouldn’t admit it, but I think he feared you.”

  “Then he should have killed me when he had the chance.”

  “Grayson,” Adrianna murmured.

  He glanced at her. She shook her head slowly at him, her disappointment evident. How could he explain to her that years of anger and fear and disappointment were now being set free? He couldn’t control those emotions anymore than he could control the moon.

  “I did the only thing I could do,” Leoma said. “Can you ever forgive me?”

  “Where is the armory? I’m going to need more weapons.”

  Leoma lowered her gaze and pointed. “Follow the corridor. It’s the sixth door on the left.”

  Grayson walked away. His head was a whirl of information and shock, and he needed some time to himself. To think and decide.

  He found the armory without any problems. Once inside, he took several deep breaths as he struggled to right his world. Facing certain death didn’t frighten him. Knowing he had brought Adrianna to her death sliced open his heart.

  With the heels of his hands, he rubbed his eyes. How had everything fallen apart so quickly? Or had it always been so? Had he been so caught up in his secrets and lies that he couldn’t see the chaos in front of him?

  He dropped his hands and looked at the weapons in front of him. Shields, swords, crossbows, flails, axes, and even suits of armor filled the chamber.

  “Grayson?”

  He turned at the sound of Adrianna’s voice. She was the calm of the storm, the one person who could keep him anchored. Grayson pulled her into his arms and held her against him, breathing in the fresh scent of her hair.