He touched her right shoulder again.
“By the heavens above, under this sacred roof, and before the eyes of the House of Arkadia, I pronounce you Vilhelmina Dragomir, only child of King Holland, the sovereign Queen of Arkadia.” He pounded the scepter with one heavy thwack upon the floor. “Hail, Queen Vilhelmina!”
Once more, joyous voices arose. Lord Rathbone lifted her to her feet. Friedrich was at her side, bowing deeply.
A rumble of marching feet could be heard coming up the outer steps. The sudden joy in the air was squelched by the rhythmic pounding of boots entering the double doors of the hall.
“Oh, hell,” Rathbone whispered, grabbing hold of Mina’s arm.
“Bloodguard!” Mikhail bellowed. “Front!”
But rather than ready themselves into attack mode, the two rows simply pivoted and faced one another, leaving the space between open as if they welcomed the army, which could only be the queen or king’s army stomping closer.
Through the archway and out of the shadowy vestibule marched three lines of black-clad men. Wait, and there was one woman on the front row. They weren’t Legionnaires. They were Bloodguard soldiers. Dmitri at the front of the line. And they just kept coming. Mina swiveled to Mikhail, who still had not once looked at her through this entire interlude.
They marched in their single file columns till the first row halted where Mikhail and Gregoravich made up the front of the line. Mina stared in awe. There had to be at least two hundred of them within the chamber, and she couldn’t see the end of them disappearing out of the forum archway.
That was when Mikhail stepped forward to stand directly in front of her. He knelt onto one knee.
“Queen Vilhelmina. As Captain of the Bloodguard, I hereby formally offer the services of our full force.”
As one, the Bloodguard knelt in perfect unison. Forty of the men had pledged their fealty in Silvane Forest, but that wasn’t nearly the full force.
She smiled down at Mikhail, “Captain, we need to talk.”
“Indeed.” He smiled back and stood, gazing down at her. “Your Majesty.” He gestured toward them. “Will you walk with me and examine your troops?”
She nodded. Hands clasped at his back, he led her toward the front row. They parted with a smooth movement, stepping aside, then pivoting to face inward. Dmitri winked as she passed. The female guardsman seemed familiar somehow. With a salute of their fists to their hearts, they bowed their heads in respect as she and Mikhail walked side by side, Rathbone, Friedrich, and Maksim behind them. As they exited through the archway and the vestibule then out through the open double-doors, Mina’s jaw fell open. The black-clad Bloodguard extended in a perfect quadruple line down the stone steps of the Grand Forum. Beyond the steps was a row of guardsmen on horseback, circling the forum and lengthening down the main cobblestone street of Arkadia.
Shopkeepers poked their heads out of their shops. Women of the aristocracy on their way somewhere had stopped in their tracks, pointing and whispering. One fanned herself furiously, sending her blond ringlets swinging.
“How many?” Mina asked, still in disbelief. Though why, she wasn’t sure. Mikhail continued to surprise her.
“Five hundred strong, Your Majesty.”
“Five hundred Bloodguard?” asked Friedrich at Mikhail’s side, incredulous. “Damn it, Mikhail. One guard is worth five regular soldiers. At the very least. This isn’t a secret you needed to keep from us.”
“On the contrary, Your Grace. Information is key to winning any battle. But it was time to assemble.” He turned away from the magnificent view of his Bloodguard force, gazing down at her with a look she’d seen before. A heady mix of need, adoration, and something stronger. “We are ready to face Queen Morgrid, Your Majesty.”
The tolling of bells from a distant tower drew all eyes toward the hills. It echoed into the square in a distinct repetition of gongs. Two short, one long. Mina turned to Lord Rathbone.
“How could the town know of the coronation?” she asked.
He stepped forward. “That’s not the toll for coronation.” His brow pinched into a frown.
They all followed his gaze. Beyond the hills to the north, the clouds coalesced into a dark, heavy mass, swirling violently.
“A snowstorm is coming.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Mikhail stood inside his tent, the map of the north spread across the table. Friedrich and Grant leaned over it with him. The duke wore a grim expression of both determination and of fear in equal measure. No one needed to say that everyone’s thoughts weighed heavily on finding Izzy safely. But none more than Friedrich.
Mikhail had successfully avoided private conversation with Mina since the coronation. He was in charge of organizing the full force of the Bloodguard for the journey to Izeling, all five hundred of them, so he kept busy. Lord Rathbone stayed behind to assemble the Arkadian army, including its elite force of equestrians. Now that word would spread of Mina’s coronation, Queen Morgrid and King Dominik would be acting swiftly. Mikhail had to push his forces to move at once in order to assemble what was left of the Black Lily army for the march north. The great battle was near.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to speak to her alone. It was that he wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t know he’d feel this way after his goal had been achieved, after she’d faced off the House of Arkadia and demanded they’d crown her. And then they did. He didn’t know he could love her more.
Damn it to hell.
Yes. He loved her. God, save him. He loved her with every fiber of his being. She’d won, after all. He could no more allow her to take another man to her bed or to her side than he could cut out his own heart. They’d be one and the same, really. And so he was trying to find a way to tell her this without sounding like an utter fool. How did a man confess his love? It was done every day all over the world, and he couldn’t find the words. What if she didn’t return his love? Yes. Captain of the Bloodguard, slayer of rogues, leader of mercenaries, hardened, battle-ready warrior was afraid…of love.
“Something funny, Captain?” asked Grant.
“No.” He cleared his throat and pointed down at the map. “There’s only one way in or out of Dragon’s Eye. That’s where their forces will be. Though we don’t know whether he’ll be holding Izzy there or in Izeling Tower.”
“This plain here will be ideal for battle,” said Friedrich. “The mountains of Belaya Noch won’t allow for any covert movement.”
“Hmph,” grunted Grant. “The king’s intention was to hide his fort from the rest of the world. While doing so, he effectively cut himself off from escape.”
Friedrich stared down, arms crossed. “That’s because he never intended to be caught there.”
“Which is exactly why it’s the best place of attack,” added Mikhail. “A separate force can sweep the castle at the same time and discover if Izzy is being held there.”
“I’ll be with that troop,” said Friedrich, his expression grim.