Whispers of a Throne Read online

  Peace was a dream of old men and fools. I rocked on my feet, taking a deep breath, and the smoke-filled air caught in my lungs. I coughed, but then clarity washed through me. I had one hope. If Mother found a way to escape her destiny, so could I. I refused to be anyone's queen.

  I have lived all my life in the outskirts of society. If I had to, I'd survive on my own. If people wanted to join me, they could, but there would be no war. The cinders of the fire blew in the wind and I brushed the ash off my dress as he dragged me on. "You took Mother. We came here. Nothing has to change."

  The hilt of his sword dug into my side when I stepped too close.

  "Your mother ensured you were born naturally. She took no drugs. We stayed off the grid, but there is no place left to hide."

  Sure there was, I thought desperately. There were mountains out west. Rumors of houses that blended into rocks in the desert. That day in the white-walled city of Avalon changed everything.

  My father clasped my wrists behind my back and led me farther away from our gate and toward the soldier's camp.

  I twisted to glare at him. Father used to be kind and love me. He used to protect me and watch out for me. Until today, I never thought he'd sell me.

  "Mother wouldn't have done this."

  "You're wrong about that. Your mother was smarter than all of us." At a campfire he stopped. "Today you meet Thor."

  The smoke flew into my lungs and eyes. I lost my ability to see. I coughed as my vision misted. Nothing blocked out the blackness that surrounded me.

  Both kings could rot for all I cared. I rolled my eyes as I curtsied. "Then next week you present me to Rex himself?"

  "Caesar Rex and his men have mass-murdered millions."

  Father had picked a side. I guess everyone eventually did. Tears formed in my eyes. "So you want me to marry the rebel king instead? That's your choice?"

  With his hands, he covered his lips with his hands and signaled to me to silence my tongue. I bit my lips to stop a scream.

  "No, but there is nothing left. All the remaining outposts are disappearing."

  There had to be a silver lining. I slipped out one of my hands. I refused to believe this was the end of everything. My dress became dirtier from the smoke, and I tried to blot out the stains with my own tears.

  "So I get to look the devil in the eye?"

  A voice cracked across the wind, deep and thundering. "In a manner of speaking."

  The air crackled like lightning.

  My eyes widened. Life was over. This was it. Someone else, someone with bulky muscles and taller than most, joined us at the fire. He kept a hood over his face, but whoever he was, it didn't matter. I knew.

  I whispered, desperate to run away. "What does that mean?"

  My father put his hands behind his back and nodded at the huge man. "No more time for questions. Thor is here."

  My eyes didn't blink. I couldn't. The man in front of me was huge, much like a mythical horse. But Thor was all hard-muscled man. As he took off his hood, I stared at his blond hair, pale blue eyes, and pale white skin. Rounded symbols mixed with lines were painted on his neck.

  The moment he stared at me, my knees went weak and my senses reeled.

  This was Thor.

  I'm so dead.

  Chapter 3

  As I stared at the massive shoulders of Thor, I stepped backward in disbelief. This was not happening. I refused to marry anyone, let alone this blond-haired guy with strange black markings from his neck to his ears. The kindness in his blue gaze could be an illusion. Who cared if his stare reminded me of the river? My body tensed and I took another step back. If I stayed quiet and no one saw me, maybe I could run.

  Thor shook my father's hand as if they'd struck a deal and I was the prized cow they'd traded. My lips curled. No one owned me.

  This would-be king wore leather pants chained with metal tunic to protect himself. With shoulders like his, the metal must be fitted right to him. My father's suit was a straight line. Thor's outfit showed off muscles. I wished I had studied the details of his face and not been lost in his blue eyes. The only part of his revealed body was his thick, muscular neck. Necks were not supposed to be thick. I glanced away, stayed still, and plucked at my dress. Even in a suit of armor, he appeared regal and I the peasant.

  Then the brute turned to me, nodded his head and placed his hand on my back. "This way."

  I jumped out of his grasp. Twice now someone touched me. I turned around ready to argue my way to an escape.

  In a deep voice he said, "Excuse me." Thor's hand fell back to his side. "We're leaving for Avalon right away."

  To his castle? My legs went weak as I stared into his gaze. I deserved more than two simple sentences, though I suppose it was better than two words, but this wasn't enough.

  My father needed me. I lifted my chin and hugged my stomach as I told Thor, "I won't leave my father."

  My father came beside me and brushed my arm. I winced. He sold me like I was a possession and not his daughter. I trembled as he whispered, "I will miss you, my princess, but this is for the best."

  If I was a child, none of this would be happening. I'd have been with Mother in the fire that killed her. I closed my eyes, hurting from the depths of my soul. "I will hate you forever, Father. Don't do this to me." My throat clogged. "Please don't."

  Father hugged me. At first I was startled, but then my arms wrapped around him in return. Before Mother died, he had hugged us all. He used to cradle me in his arms and I'd beg him to not let go. I closed my eyes. The smell of pines wafted through my nose. The moment passed and I pushed away. "Father?"

  "Go. For your mother's sake."

  He wore the same scowl that he used on strangers as they approached our home, crossing his arms. "Good-bye, Gwen. Now be nice to King Thor."

  No. This was not the end. Without care or thought of repercussion, I spit out my words, wanting to hurt him as badly as I hurt. "A king would have brought peace. Not claimed a crown, plunging the world into darkness."

  Thor's voice pierced through me like thunder. "If only it was that easy."

  My father turned white, but I lifted my chin. I knew the story. At Rex's home, Thor had taken Excalibur and claimed it as his own. Everyone knew how the boy started this war, bringing nothing but bloodshed and tears for his own glory. I turned toward him, keeping my arms crossed protectively over my body. "It is that easy."

  My father coughed. The gates to our home began to close. My muscles quivered. I'd never been locked outside. My skin felt raw as the wheels that closed the doors squeaked.

  All my clothes, everything I possessed was inside. He couldn't send me to a king without letting me pack. My voice cracked. "Father, Mother never would have done this to me."

  As the dust gathered around me, my eyes watered. I didn't look at my father as he went toward the closing door. As far as I was concerned, he was worse than a slaver. "Yes, she would have."

  Tears streamed from my eyes as all that stared back at me was the tree-lined wall and the closed gate. Anger was better than tears. I stretched out my fingers as if that would bring my father back and shouted at the cloudy sky. "This isn't right."

  A large hand pressed against my back and I cringed. The smell of metal and testosterone tickled my nose. Thor was a monster for buying me from my father. I was not a piece of meat. He then whispered like we were friends. "Let's go."

  My eyes narrowed to slits and if I knew how to shoot arrows, I would aim for his head the moment he took off his helmet. "Stop."

  He placed his palms in front of him, facing up, as if talking to a frightened animal. My humiliation was complete and I turned away from him. The rest of his riding party stared at us from a distance. I covered my face with my hands as Thor stopped next to me. "I will not harm you, Gwen."

  I threw my hands back to my sides and didn't care if my cheeks were wet. My face was hot now as I walked toward his men, their horses, and their small campfire. "Then don't force me into marrying you." />
  Thor walked with his hands behind his back, his posture upright. He kept his voice low. "I don't force anyone or anything unless there are lives on the line."

  A spark ignited in my fearful heart. "So you agree that you will not force me."

  He stopped in front of me and prevented me from taking one more step through the grass. "I agree, as long as no one else is in danger because we wait."

  I scanned the area. There was no place to run though I wished there was. My eye twitched. "Why should I believe you?"

  He turned. One of his men waved, and Thor nodded. The king must have something else to do besides argue with me. "I am leaving you in Avalon, Gwen. I am late for battle."

  Battle and war and destruction and death. Titles and boys who want to be ruler of the rest led England to this peril. In those slits of metal, Thor's eyes had almost been attractive until he said that, but he'd just shown his true colors. "Then you'd better get on your way and leave me here."

  Those blue eyes of his almost sparkled with remorse, if that was possible. It was probably just my imagination, though he gentled his booming voice. "You are behaving like a child who refuses to face the truth. If I leave you here, Rex and his horde will destroy your father and your house."

  "I'm not a child!" I squared my shoulders as I thought about Rex. The other would-be king had the more murderous reputation, but then so did his father before him. I uncrossed my arms, hugging my waist. "I don't understand. Why does he want my father?"

  He urged me to walk and kept in step beside me. "Because myths and legends have power over our hearts and minds."

  I let my arms fall to my sides and pushed my brown hair behind my ears. Perhaps I misheard, but Thor had said something somewhat intelligent. "I don't care about hearts and minds and power and neither should you. Fighting is stupid."

  "I will win, Gwen."

  A dark-haired, dark-eyed man handed Thor a sword. In appearance, Thor's blond hair made him stand out like an avenging angel. Perhaps that was his power over the people. My leg muscles tightened like I might run, though I knew I couldn't. The blade Thor checked must be Excalibur. If that sword was real, then perhaps everything else about him that people whispered was true. He fastened his sword to his armor. "Thank you, Merlin. It's time to leave now."

  The dark-haired man fastened a metal helmet to the ribs of the metallic chains he wore. All trace of kindness dissipated as I lost sight of his eyes behind the helmet. I plucked at my simple rumpled dress. I was no queen. At least my hands didn't shake.

  Then the man Thor trusted placed his cold, unfeeling hands on me and turned me toward the horses. Thor crossed his arms, but didn't interfere. I jumped away from Merlin. "Get your hands off of me."

  He let me go and waited as a younger boy, also with black hair, brought over a white stallion. I dug my heels into the dirt. Thor held up two fingers and Merlin turned around. "Can you ride a horse, Gwen?"

  I'd not share a horse with Thor or any of his men. I lifted my chin. "I can do anything."

  Two horses were brought forward. Without warning Thor reached out for me and picked me up. I struggled and twisted, but then he dropped me down on one of the brown horses. I swallowed back my fight and rearranged myself so I could take the reins.

  "I bet you can."

  He took a bottle from his servant and then offered me the liquid. I would not take anything else from him. The sooner we stop somewhere, the sooner I would escape. I sniffed it and no scent came back. It must be water, but I turned my nose into the air. "No, thank you. Can we go?"

  He stepped back and mounted his stead. Men behind them shouted like they'd scare away everyone from one grunt with their war cries.

  My hands shook as Thor's voice rang deep and loud inside my soul so that I took every word to heart. "Ride this mare as if your life depends on it and do not stop. If you get tired or slow down, you will ride double with me."

  There was no choice. I kicked the mare into a sprint, and the wind tangled my hair in front of my face. I refused to slow down to braid it, but I called back over my shoulder, "That will never happen."

  Dirt grew as they all rode. Thor's stallion shot past me and he took the lead. As he passed, he reached out and brushed my arm. "You try my patience, girl. I don't want to marry a harpy any more than you want to marry me."

  Father will let me back in once he realized how stupid Thor was. "Then let me go home."

  "I can't. Protecting my people is more important than my own needs."

  He wasn't selfish. I gave him that.

  For the first time I grinned. At least he reacted. I lowered my head. Without the metal armor, I was the lighter one. So I lowered my body toward the horse and commanded her to go faster. As I passed Thor, the grin on my face grew. "You are impossible."

  "Say what you like..." His stallion came beside mine. I blinked. Thor's legend hadn't included magical horses, though it did include a magical man in his group. Then Thor told me, "I tend to do the impossible, Gwen. People believe the spectacle and if they believe then they act. It's all we have left."

  The evening sky turned red, though I didn't dare slow my pace. Thor appeared primed and ready for battle. "We're at the edge of the forest now."

  I wished he didn't have the metal helmet on, so that I could see his face. Next time I'd study every part of his face for recognition and not imagine an angel. I sighed, but said nothing. His deep voice soothed me, though it would scare away his enemies. "Soon, we will be safe on my land."

  I turned my face away. "I was safe in the woods."

  A sound of disbelief came out of his mouth.

  My nostrils flared as I flipped my hair to stare at him. "What?"

  "Your home was safe enough because it does not border Rex's land, only mine. All he had to do was land a ship at the shore and make his way through the unsecured forest."

  A smirk spread across my face. His words didn't frighten me. "Then he'd be gearing up to battle you."

  His hand brushed against me again, and this time I didn't cringe. "So you admit your little hammock was safe because of me?"

  I loosened the reins and gave a quick kick to sped up. The fire in my blood caused by him renewed my strength. "I admit nothing."

  His voice thundered at my back. "You will."

  Until I met the-would-be-king, I never thought anyone's voice would be that soul-crushing deep. I held myself together and cantered ahead until one of the men behind us made a strange sort of whistle. I stopped and turned to see Thor nod for the man to approach him, flanking his left side. I rode on the other and craned my neck to watch whatever exchange would take place.

  The man nodded his helmeted head toward me. "My lady."

  If men get to hide behind a mask then I needed one too. I turned my nose to stare at the distance and not at them. "Don't call me that."

  Thor's voice pierced through all that metal he wore. "Merlin, always call her that."

  The man, clad in a more grayish-black metal, answered, "Yes, Sire."

  Sire was another word for king. Kings don't get to run away into the woods and disappear. I was too tired to even try, but I refused to ask for a rest. He'd not get me on his horse.

  "Merlin is one of the smartest people you'll ever meet, Gwen. His genius makes people think him a legend."

  I didn't comment. I sat on my horse and stared at the trees we rode past.

  Thor turned his attention to Merlin then asked, "What brought you from riding in the rear, my friend?"

  Merlin's gray metal struck me as odd. He kept his voice low, probably so I wouldn't listen. I tilted my head so I could hear every word as he told his king, "We should return to her hideaway."

  I grinned. Finally, someone agreed with me. "Yes. Go fight your war. I'll be safe at my father's while you battle."

  Thor kept their slow pace toward the sunset. He ignored me, and directed his attention to Merlin. My throat felt like it had ice in it as Thor asked, "What's back there that has you worried?"

  I slowe
d down so I could hear. My horse seemed friendly with Thor's white steed. If there was any chance at all that I could go home, then I'd have to find it.

  Merlin told Thor, "I can feel the earth as we ride. It moves."

  Dark clouds gathered above us, but I didn't care. I had to hear as Thor asked, "What are you thinking?"

  "Soldiers." Merlin nodded in that huge helmet of his. "Rex has a small force in these woods. We are in danger, sire."

  Thor tugged on his reins and asked, "Is Gwen's father not safe?"

  Nothing could happen to my father. I called out, "What?"

  I shouldn't have said anything. Thor affected me in such a way that I said the stupidest thing possible. Next time I'd be silent, that is, if there was a next time. With luck my father would be fine.

  Merlin turned his helmeted face toward me. "Should I speak in front of your lady?"

  "I'm no one's anything." I winced. The words just poured out of my mouth around Thor.

  Thor then told his friend, though he probably wasn't a friend. Kings aren't supposed to have friends. "You can speak in front of her."

  Merlin's low rumble took a moment to understand. "The ground rumbles between us and the forest camp we just left. I fear riders from Rex's army, perhaps looking for the lady."

  Thor didn't look my way. "I promised her father protection if he spoke the truth in the castle."

  Merlin nodded. "I know, Arthur, and you always keep your promises. It's why I rode ahead to tell you of my suspicion."

  My father had gone to see Thor the day of my blood test, and I'd never forgive him. I'd scream at him, after I saved him from Rex's knights. I pressed my knees against my mare's sides.

  Thor then pulled the reins of his horse and slowed down. "Your hunches are usually more accurate than someone else's facts."

  Merlin and the thunderous hooves of the men behind them also stopped. I did the same.

  Thor's thumb beat against his chest as he spoke to the other man, dismounting. Now the men stood like they were in a deep discussion, next to their horses. "How can that be?" Thor asked. "We came as soon as the blood test was confirmed."