The Dark

CHAPTER Five



Isabel


Arkarian doesn’t know who this six-year-old French girl is in relation to history, or where the danger is going to come from. And he doesn’t know why this girl’s life is so important that the Immortal commanded Arkarian be part of this mission right at the last minute. All we know is that this child won’t live past her sixteenth year. The year she falls pregnant and gives birth. Arkarian can’t find anything on the child she bears either. It’s as if the baby is raised by the pixies.

Well, I never did fully believe what Ethan takes as sacred – that Arkarian knows everything. And thankfully I’ve learned to mask my thoughts from him, even though sometimes it’s a struggle. If I didn’t, I would be in a fine mess. My thoughts have been anything but decent. And when our eyes meet, I swear, it’s like there’s no oxygen in the room. But something else is happening that I can’t quite figure out. It’s really weird. A seed has taken root in my stomach. A seed of fear. It’s like there’s a clock counting down the time we have together.

I put these thoughts aside while I concentrate on how best to protect this child. Her name is Charlotte, and she’s the only daughter (the only child in fact) of a Duke and Duchess. Unfortunately, last year the Duchess passed away with a wasting disease, and now the child is lonely and depressed. She has an aunt, her mother’s sister, Lady Eleanor, who greets me at the entrance to the keep. She takes a good look at me from head to toe, and then at Arkarian, who remains a little way behind me. With a tight nod, she invites me inside, shutting the door in Arkarian’s face.

‘What happened to your carriage? Why did you arrive on foot, with only that stable-hand for company?’ she snaps.

Behind us, the Duke himself appears. He makes a sarcastic scoffing sound. From what I learned earlier, the Duke spends a lot of time at court in the King’s company. Or on the battlefield leading the royal troops. And from the look Lady Eleanor gives him, I’m guessing it’s not just the Duke’s daughter who finds his absences lengthy.

‘Why do you have to be suspicious of everyone who wears a skirt in my company?’

I have to be careful not to laugh outright at the Duke’s words. Apparently I’m not the only one who’s aware of Lady Eleanor’s longings.

‘My carriage was set upon by thieves,’ I explain. ‘Everything except the clothes on my back was stolen or destroyed. That stable-hand helped me find my way. His name is Gascon.’

The Duke’s hand gestures towards me. ‘There you are, Eleanor. Are you satisfied?’

He’s bitter, but his attitude is not my concern. It’s the girl I’m here to worry about. ‘When shall I meet the young lady?’ I ask.

The Duke raises his eyebrows at Lady Eleanor, who runs up a nearby flight of stairs. Her departure fills the spacious hall with the most awkward silence, as the Duke stares out of a window to the courtyard beyond, content to say nothing.

‘Excuse me, my lord, may I ask where I shall be staying?’

He taps his finger repeatedly on the stone ledge before him. I wonder if he’s going to bother replying. Eventually he turns his head, ‘No doubt Eleanor will have organised a chamber for you.’ He waves dismissively at Arkarian outside. ‘The boy can go to the stables. Old François will show him where he can stay.’

He looks away, discouraging further conversation. Lady Eleanor returns with the Duke’s daughter and my attention quickly re-focuses. Charlotte seems small for her age, and thin, with pale skin, huge blue eyes, and a mop of blonde ringlets. I fall in love with her on sight, feeling drawn to this beautiful child with the sorrowful eyes and small down-turned mouth. I get on my knees to be at her height. ‘Hello, Miss Charlotte.’

She answers me with nothing but a drooping head and silence, her thumb tucked into her mouth. She rocks on her heels and looks to the stairway.

Take it slowly, I tell myself, and try again. ‘My name is Phillipa, and I’m going to be your—’ I don’t finish my words as my attention is seized by a series of thumping sounds coming from behind her. I look across and find myself staring straight into the eyes of a large dog, a Great Dane, easily the largest I’ve ever seen.

I jump up, my first instinct to run. But Charlotte calls to it excitedly, and the animal prances over, tail wagging. Charlotte then folds her body across the dog’s broad back, giving it a loving embrace and muttering sweet nothings into one of its rigid, upright ears. The dog turns its massive head and begins enthusiastically licking the girl’s face and arm.

‘Oh for pity’s sake, do something, Adrian,’ Lady Eleanor moans dramatically.

The Duke drags himself from the window, takes one look at the dog and his daughter embracing, then turns his palms outwards. ‘The animal makes her happy. God knows nothing else around here does.’

The Duke smiles at me sadly. ‘The beast accompanies my daughter everywhere. You’ll have to win him over before you get close to Charlotte.’

Minutes later Lady Eleanor shows me to my room upstairs, Charlotte and her dog trailing behind us. ‘I’m sure you’ll be comfortable in here, the likes of this chamber I doubt you’ve ever seen before.’

My eyes do a broad take of the room. It certainly is spacious and elegantly furnished, with beautiful oak panelling. Two sets of mullioned windows overlook a courtyard below, an exquisitely hand-carved desk separating them. A door leads to Charlotte’s bedchamber, while a painted bench adorns the wall to the right. A king-size bed, with four posts that are fixed to the ceiling, sits on a raised platform jutting out from the opposite wall. A beautiful tapestry hangs above it. I go over for a closer look.

‘Mama made it,’ a little voice informs me from behind. ‘She loved to stitch.’

When I turn around Lady Eleanor is walking out of the door, leaving me alone with Charlotte. I point to the dog. ‘What’s his name?’

‘Papa says it should be Horse.’

‘Hmm, I wonder why?’ I mutter beneath my breath.

Charlotte drops to her knees and gives the dog another of her trusting embraces. She rests her head on its massive chest. ‘But I call him King Charles, in honour of our king. Don’t you think he looks like a monarch?’

‘He does indeed.’ But thoughts of King Charles, or any king, soon disappear as Arkarian – or I should say, Gascon – walks in and stands by the door. He addresses me politely.

‘Pardon, my lady. Lady Eleanor says it is time for your ride.’ Charlotte nods happily and begins looking for her gloves and riding whip. The dog follows her like a shadow.

‘What do you think we should do with him?’ I whisper.

‘Well, his instincts would be to protect the girl. That can’t be bad.’ Arkarian walks over to the dog, bends down and strokes it behind one of its pointy ears. ‘He seems friendly enough.’

‘The Duke says I’ll need permission from him to get close to Charlotte.’

Charlotte hears and giggles, giving Arkarian a sideways glance. I introduce him as Gascon. The dog suddenly moves and, instinctively, I step back.

Arkarian laughs. ‘You don’t look comfortable. Is your sixth sense telling you something?’ he adds in a whisper. ‘Or are you just not good with animals?’

I think about this for a minute. At my Initiation last year I was endowed with many gifts from the Lords and Ladies of the Tribunal. But it was the head of the Tribunal – Lorian – who gave me the gift of enlightenment of my sixth sense. I shrug, because sometimes it’s not clear whether it’s my sixth sense, or simply fear. ‘The only thing I’m sure of, is that I’m not good with animals with sharp teeth.’

Arkarian looks around the room. ‘Is that her bedroom over there?’ he says softly.

I nod and Arkarian frowns thoughtfully. ‘We’re going to have to take shifts watching her,’ he explains, but his attention is soon drawn to King Charles, who is now sitting up with Charlotte on his back. She clasps her hands about his neck, and starts rocking backwards and forwards. Suddenly Charlotte slides off the dog’s back, runs round and kisses it between its eyes, accidentally poking her finger in one of them.

‘Oh sorry, Charlie,’ the girl says affectionately, then gives Charlie’s ears a stroke as she takes off with a giggle.

When Charlotte has finished playing with the dog, she comes over to Arkarian. Surprising me, she takes his hand without any sign of shyness. ‘Will you lead my pony, Gascon?’

We go to the stableyard, where François has the pony saddled and ready. We are given instructions to take Charlotte to her favourite place – a waterfall near a bend in the river that runs through the Duke’s lands. As we walk, we keep an eye out for anything that looks suspicious.

‘We’re going to have to be very careful,’ Arkarian says softly. ‘I’ve been talking with a few servants. Apparently there have been no new members to the household recently, or for the last few months, so the Order hasn’t made an appearance yet. And I’m starting to get the feeling they’re waiting for a specific reason before showing themselves – like our arrival.’

‘Do you think they’re after us, and not the child?’

‘If they’re not after the child, then you know what this is, don’t you?’

It hits me, and a shiver passes from my head straight down to my toes. ‘A trap?’

‘It’s possible.’

‘Oh great!’ Words fail me for a moment, giving my brain time to think. I drop my voice to a whisper. ‘You were only switched with Ethan at the last minute. So if the Order have finally figured out who Ethan is, they’re probably expecting him to be on this mission instead of you.’

‘Well – ’

‘This is a trap to kill Ethan!’

‘Look, we can’t jump to conclusions. Not yet. There could be other reasons Lorian substituted me in Ethan’s place. But I have to wonder why not Shaun or Marcus?’

To me the answer is easy: Lorian has a great belief in Arkarian’s ability. But I don’t air my thoughts. Arkarian would only deny it. While he is by far the most talented, powerful member of the Guard, he would never acknowledge it. ‘So do you think Charlotte is safe after all?’

‘We can’t take anything for granted. Who knows the mind of an immortal?’

‘Well, it’s been a year since Marduke’s murder. The Goddess’s patience must be exhausted by now.’

‘Yes, which means she may act out of character. That’s why we must be prepared for anything.’