Keepers of the Moon

Chapter 15. Who am I?

Indigo

With an agonising scream I slammed my shoulder into the heavy wooden door. It whined and creaked, but did not budge. I hadn’t even scratched it. I grabbed a chair and with all my might I threw it, but even this wouldn’t do a thing. It just remained there, unwavering and unrelenting. Sunlight poured through the window while the world outside had turned completely white. The snow blanketed the large, walled garden. Yet there was nothing peaceful about the view. Heavy, black and dark green armoured trucks were parked everywhere. Soldiers were marching down the road, all armed to the teeth. The flags with the Caledonian moon were gone and had been replaced by banners dawning the howling wolf of Nordlys. The deep red colour reminded me of blood.

I didn’t know where I was. I knew it wasn’t Gaeilaí castle, the Cuillin were missing. But it was definitely a mansion or castle of sorts. The walls were build out of light, natural rocks and the ceilings were high. Heavy, expensive rugs were placed over the cold, smooth floor and the bed was covered in warm woollen blankets. It reminded me of Gaeilaí castle, but it felt different. Less cosy.

Though my current situation was most likely the cause for this.

Because this room was nothing short of a prison.

I had been in a haze when Tane took me. All I remembered was the utter destruction left in the enemies wake. The castle was almost completely destroyed and new fires had been spreading during the night. I could still see the pile of bodies out in the grounds. So many green uniforms. I had not recognised any faces, but I knew that Sean would end up on that pile.

And Ben.

I was locked in the back of a truck, with blinded windows. The drive had been long and arduous. I was jolted from left to right as the truck sped through corners. I remembered the painful strain on my wrists, where the handcuffs cut into my skin and I could see Tane’s smile. It was burned inside my skull.

That twisted, maddening smile.

It was almost as if he was mocking me. As if he knew something about me that I didn’t. He hadn’t said a word, all he did was stare at me. He looked perfectly fine, not a hair out of place. His arms were clean, his clothing untouched. He hadn’t been fighting alongside his men. He had waited for the turn of events and then just came straight for me.

That was the most disconcerting thought of all day and night. They were actively looking for me. Now they would bring me before their King. I would have to face Einar again. My fear for him was all encompassing, yet the vengeful fire inside my chest were looking forward to the confrontation. Because maybe, just maybe, I had a chance to finish him. To end this war for once and for all.

I knew that I would never get that far. I would never get close enough. Yet even thinking about it made me feel better. It gave me a break from dealing with Sir Macintosh’s dead and Ben’s demise. The vivid ways in how I wanted to take revenge passed the time and distracted me from Tane.

After what seemed hours we finally arrived at our destination, yet I was blindfolded before I was loaded out of the truck. Without any further explanation I was locked inside this room on what looked like the third floor. Time had passed slowly and I was tempted to lay down onto the soft bed. The blankets were soft and my body ached. But my head wasn’t giving me any rest and I was pacing up and down until I nearly lost my mind. Then I started looking for a way out, but the walls were too thick and the windows were barbed. The door wouldn’t budge. I was truly stuck.

I ran at it again and dislocated my shoulder on impact. The pain was sudden and send me sliding down the wall with a frustrated scream. I covered my face with my shaking hands and started sobbing. Though it was only for a few seconds, before the tears ceased.

I couldn’t even cry.

There was a hole in my heart. It felt cold and empty. My mind strayed off to Hlér for a while, almost as if I tried to feel something. But there was no place for him anymore. Whatever we had shared was now long gone. I could never forgive him for what he did to me, to us. I could never again see him separate from his father. He knew what was about to happen and he didn’t tell me. He knew that my friends were most probably going to die, but he didn’t care about that. To him I was nothing more than a trophy, something he could show of. I was merely a way for him to enjoy himself. He knew that it would never work out, I was his enemy. He used me.

Hatred filled every vein in my body and poisoned my mind until it had completely erased me. If Mere could see me now…

But Mere wasn’t here. She had been wiped from existence by the man who wanted to meet me. The man who had destroyed my life.

Twice.

The renewed feeling of anger pulled me back on my feet. My shoulder was throbbing like crazy and I couldn’t move my arm. I could see that it was hanging in an odd angle from the shoulder down. I put my dusty sleeve into my mouth and bit down hard. With a muffled scream I slammed my shoulder into the wall again and to my relief it plopped back in its place. The pain immediately subsided yet the muscles felt like they had been torn. Even though the feeling was familiar, I had dislocated it many times before, it was still very uncomfortable. I removed the foul tasting fabric from my mouth and blew out a shaky breath.

There was a soft knock on the door and I whipped around so fast that I nearly lost balance. I heard a lock slide out of place and then shuffling of footsteps followed by hushed voices. Then the door swayed open and two young, timid ladies walked in. They looked genuinely terrified. Behind them was a broad shouldered blond man, with those familiar piercing blue eyes, courtesy of Nordlys. Tane was leaning against the doorpost with a smirk plastered on his face. He almost looked amused and somehow my usual feeling of unease that I got whenever close to him didn’t stick. My body felt as numb as ever.

Both ladies made a small curtsy. Their hair was tied into a neat bun and they wore the same uniform. They fitted well, which meant that they most likely were already working at the mansion when Einar decided to take residence here.

I wondered if they lost someone they cared about. If he had done the same here as he had done at Gaeilaí castle. Another wave of anger washed over me and Tane pulled himself away from the door and looked at me. This was the first time he showed some basic interest and he raised one eyebrow. Now that I could look at him without the overwhelming feeling of something powerful he looked rather normal. He was easy on the eyes, but not overly handsome. He had high cheekbones and silky, curly black hair. His skin was dark, but still considerately lighter than Mere’s. He had changed and was now wearing a simple t-shirt. Besides the little turtle he had large, tribal tattoos going around his upper and lower arms. The patterns were mesmerising and beautiful. It was odd to see him like a human.

I realised only now, that I never truly saw him before.

He looked harmless.

But looks could be deceiving.

‘Get cleaned up. You have a meeting with King.’ The heavy voice of the guard boomed through the room. Both ladies winced in an instant and then lowered their gaze. I scoffed at him and wanted to pull the maids behind me. As if to shield them from whatever he’d done to them. But I remained standing frozen on the spot, one arm wrapped around the other to support the painful shoulder.

‘I’m not going anywhere.’ My voice was steady, almost cold. It was a clear representation of the empty feeling inside my heart. My head was clear.

‘You won’t have a choice. Either you dress with them, or I help.’ Even through his heavy accent I could hear the threat that he made. His eyes lingered on me with eager. I saw both ladies share a silent, almost invisible look with each other. I started clenching my fists and my nails were digging in my skins. I bit on my cheek to prevent myself from flying to his throat. I’d seen this look on men before, so many times. They preyed on every weak girl they could find, just to pleasure themselves, the mess they left in their wake was nothing they ever cared about.     

‘Does your King actually want you to do that?’ The girl on the left suddenly looked up in silent admiration and then very carefully shook her head. I was doing something I shouldn’t, but I didn’t care anymore. I wasn’t scared, Einar couldn’t take anything from me anymore. I was already broken.

Broken but not shattered.

The man stepped forward a smile now playing around his lips, though before he could speak Tane interrupted him. He strode forward with strong steps, but he kept his eyes fixed on me. There was something of admiration on his face.

‘The King demands your presence. Better not to leave him waiting, these girls will see to you. We’ll be picking you up in ten minutes. Ladies, make sure she’s ready.’ The words were so simple yet the threat was real. He made himself clear enough without telling me. If I didn’t cooperate he would hurt those ladies. I didn’t care about myself anymore, but I wasn’t willing to sacrifice someone else for my stupidity. Tane knew this and used it to his advantage.

I gave him a cold look and then nodded. Without another word he left the room and pulled a disgruntled guard along with him. The fact that he didn’t argue meant that Tane was higher up in the food chain. I was uncertain about whether this was a good thing or not.

After the door closed both ladies left out a shaky breath and their shoulders seemed to relax a little. The taller of the two looked back at the door with anxiety but then stepped closer. I wanted to say something, I wanted to comfort them, but it was no use. Words didn’t come, I couldn’t help them. So in utter and complete silence I let them clean me up and get me into warm, clean clothing. Unlike I had expected they gave me a warm woollen blouse and some flared, silky trousers. It was simple and comfortable but felt wrong. It was as if I was betraying Caledonia with these clothes. Unfortunately I didn’t have a choice.

They were just brushing out my hair when Tane came back in. He nodded curtly and the ladies rushed out without finishing my hair. I could feel their fear radiating off them. I really hoped that things would get better for them over time. They didn’t deserve this.

‘This’ll do. Too bad your face is bruised, he doesn’t like that.’

‘I don’t give a s**t about what your King likes.’ I looked down onto him. I was so much taller, yet there was nothing that gave me the impression that Tane couldn’t take care of himself. I might be taller, but not stronger. Or smarter for that matter.

‘You will.’ A cold hand clamped around my heart, but the fires inside were still burning.

Always burning.

Einar had to die.