The Men of Anderas I: Jardan, the King Read online

  “You have to make everything difficult, don’t you? You’ve ruined my life, turned everyone against me, and you still aren’t satisfied.”

  Melodie stared at the sudden change in Tiana. A snarl twisted the girl’s features and hatred blazed in her narrowed emerald eyes. A cold, hard fear gripped Melodie when Tiana pulled a fully-charged slaughter wand from beneath her cloak and pointed it at the mound of her unborn child.

  “What are you doing? Put that down before you hurt someone.” She backed away from Tiana and the deadly instrument humming with leashed power.

  “Have you seen what a slaughter wand does to an animal, Melodie?” Tiana’s sing-song voice frightened Melodie as much as the deadly weapon in her hand. “The electrical charge stops the heart -- instantly, but there’s no damage to the flesh. That’s why the butcher likes it. The animal dies -- quickly and with no loss of usable meat. They’re against the law down here, which is a true waste of technology. No one would ever suspect me of bringing a few with me from the space station. It makes a sword so -- old fashioned, don’t you agree? Think about your precious daughter. Do you think she would survive a jolt from this?”

  With a careless flip of her wrist, Tiana touched the tip of the two-foot long rod against the pristine white blanket. Melodie jerked when a beam of electrical energy, sizzling and crackling with deadly static, exploded from the tip and burned a narrow path across the material.

  She racked her brain for a way to escape the room and Tiana’s threats. Were the guards still outside her door? Would they arrive in time to prevent her death or the death of her baby? She couldn’t take the chance. Tiana was desperate and dangerous.

  “What do you want?” Melodie asked quietly, fighting the urge to run. She didn’t stand a chance against the slaughter wand Tiana slowly waved through the air between them.

  “It’s not what I want. If the choice were mine, I’d kill you right here. Instead, I’m to bring you to him, unharmed.”

  “Him?” Melodie asked, stalling for time. “Whose orders are you following?”

  “No more questions! Get dressed or freeze to death in your nightgown.”

  Melodie caught the bundle of clothing Tiana tossed in her direction. As quickly as her unwieldy body would allow, she changed into the dress, struggling with the awkward process of lacing the sides without ArDell’s assistance. “You won’t get away with this. JarDan will find me.”

  “I know.” Tiana’s beaming smile did nothing to calm Melodie’s fears. “I have a special message for him.”

  Without taking her eyes off Melodie, Tiana slipped a single black rose from beneath the folds of her cape and placed it in the middle of Melodie’s pillow. A small roll of white paper, tied with a blood-red ribbon lay nestled against the leaves.

  “JarDan will know exactly where you are and will come to rescue you. Of course, it will be too late, but don’t worry; I’ll be there to offer him all the sympathy he’ll every need to get over your loss. Now, let’s go. Remember, one sound to alert anyone and I’ll discharge the wand’s full blast and kill you and the baby.”

  Melodie’s fear for JarDan equaled her fear for the safety of her baby. Could she risk her daughter’s life at the expense of her husband’s? Did she really have a choice? Melodie donned her matching fur-lined boots and cape, a gift from JarDan on the day of the first snowfall.

  Slipping quietly from the room, Tiana followed Melodie through the silent castle. Her guards were gone. No one stirred, not even when the energy stone illuminated their passing.

  Once in the kitchen, Tiana stopped long enough to slip a loaf of bread and some sliced meat into a cloth bag and grab a flagon of water. With a quick check of the kitchen yard to make sure no one saw them, she motioned Melodie forward. Within minutes, Melodie settled against the padded seat of Tiana’s sleigh and wrapped herself with additional furs.

  “It will be late morning before we reach our destination.”

  Melodie held her breath when Tiana flicked the reins and the horse started forward with a shake of his head. Tiana couldn’t drive and hold the wand at the same time and she relaxed when the girl tossed the instrument aside. She thought about escape, but already the sleigh was moving much too fast for her to risk jumping. Shaking her head in silent misery, Melodie strained to hear any sound that would mean their discovery. Other than the muffled plodding of the horse and shoos of the sleigh’s runners through the snow, she heard only the silence of the cold winter night. No one knew she was gone.

  Once past the hamlet, Tiana increased the pace of the horse, sending stinging sprays of snow crystals into their faces. Burying her cold nose in the warm furs surrounding her, Melodie forced herself to relax. There was nothing she could until they reached him. Stealing a glance at the young girl beside her, she wondered at the change in her. A fierce determination worthy of any warrior replaced the petulant pout normally seen on her face. The hypnotic effect of the smoothly gliding vehicle soon had Melodie nodding, fighting the urge to sleep. Unable to keep her eyes open, she snuggled deeper into the furs and closed her eyes.

  A brilliant sunrise and the insistent kicking of her daughter brought Melodie out of a deep sleep. The snow had stopped during the night; the fresh layer glistened like diamond dust in the morning light.

  “How long before we reach this mysterious man?” Melodie stretched her cramped muscles, looking for someplace that might offer a little privacy. “Can you pull into the next gas station? I have to go.”

  “Go where?” Tiana snapped. “There’s nothing out here.”

  “Never mind.” Melodie sighed. “It was a bad joke, but I do need to stop for just a minute.”

  “We’re almost there. Can’t you wait?”

  “Not unless you want to ride the rest of the way sitting on a wet seat.” Some things happened, no matter how testy Tiana’s temperament became, but at least she was stopping the sleigh.

  “Hurry up. He won’t be happy if we’re late.”

  Melodie turned, one foot in the snow, the other still in the sleigh. Did Tiana really think she cared if he was unhappy? Shaking her head, she continued with her most immediate needs, scanning the countryside for any possible assistance. There was nothing but empty, open fields buried under a blanket of winter whiteness.

  Her increased girth made the process awkward but Melodie hurried as fast as she could. She was still standing on the floor of the sleigh when Tiana slapped the reins against the horse’s rump, sending them flying across the snow with a jerk.

  “We won’t get there at all if you dump us in a snow bank.” Melodie grumbled once she managed to get herself settled on the seat.

  The only answer she got from Tiana was that annoying sucking sound and a thin-lipped glare. Ignoring her sullen companion, Melodie pushed her troubling thoughts aside and filled her mind with images of JarDan. Looks like Raiwan was right after all, I do hold the power of life for Falcon Tor. She held it in her pocket. Unless the scrap of paper was as phony as Tiana’s concern. She wouldn’t think negative thoughts. Everything was going to be fine. JarDan would find her as soon as he finished with Morandoni and once Morandoni was history, he could stay home with her and wait for the arrival of their daughter.

  “We’re almost there.” Tiana’s voice vibrated with excitement, dispelling her earlier sour disposition.

  Melodie looked around but could see nothing but more the same flat, empty, windblown landscape in all directions, leading right to the edge of the sea. The only marks on the pristine whiteness of the fresh snow were the twin trails of the sleigh’s runners behind them. Not even the tracks of winter animals broke the surface of the surrounding area.

  “The caves are at the bottom of the cliff.” Tiana announced bringing the vehicle to a stop. “We’ll have to walk from here.”

  “Cliff?” Melodie squeaked. She could barely make it up the staircase of the castle. There was no way she could climb over the face of a cliff.

  “Don’t worry.” Tiana smiled thinly at Melodie. “I’ll
help you over the rough spots.”

  Leaning on the younger woman’s arm for balance, Melodie trudged through the knee-high snow. When they reached the edge of the cliff, she spotted a crude staircase built against the rock face, but it wasn’t relief that caused her heart to pound in her chest.

  Sea spray, whipped by the ferocious winds and frozen by the sub-zero temperatures, covered the steps and railing with a thick glaze. A narrow ledge dissected the face of the cliff about halfway between the top and the churning ocean below. Melodie focused on the dark entrance of the cave near the bottom of the staircase.

  “There is no way I’m going down there, Tiana.” Melodie argued, pulling back from the edge of the cliff. Without the slaughter wand, Tiana had no weapon so she figured she had about an even chance of winning if Tiana decided to attack. With that thought firmly in mind, she turned and started back toward the sleigh.

  “No!” Tiana screamed. “We have to go down the stairs.”

  A hard shove sent Melodie face down into the soft snow. When she managed to roll to a sitting position, Tiana stood over her with a dagger pointed at her breast. The lethally sharp blade wasn’t nearly as frightening as the light of insanity blazing in Tiana’s green eyes.

  “Get up!”

  Melodie rolled back to her hands and knees, struggling against the heavy burden of her baby and the deep snow until she managed to stand.

  “Morandoni’s waiting for us down there.” Tiana jerked her head in the direction of the cliff. “I want you to get that bag of sand under the seat of the sleigh. And don’t think about trying to escape. We need you to bring JarDan here.” She waved the glittering blade in the air for emphasis. “Morandoni said I couldn’t kill you but he didn’t say I couldn’t hurt you a little bit.”

  Melodie shuddered at the hatred pulsing in Tiana’s voice. She had no choice but to do as Tiana ordered, for now. There might be a chance of escape before JarDan stepped into the trap laid for him. Forcing her expression into a blank mask, Melodie struggled through the snow to the waiting sleigh with Tiana only half a step behind her. With the small bag of sand from the emergency supplies, she turned back toward the cliff, praying she survived long enough to attempt escape -- and stomp Tiana’s butt for putting her family through this nightmare!

  Scattering a handful of sand on the first few steps, Melodie started down, only to slip on the first step. Tiana jerked her back into the trampled snow before she fell.

  “I’ll go first.” After carefully taking of couple of steps and scattering the remaining sand over the rest of the staircase, Tiana turned back and offered Melodie the hand not holding the dagger.

  “I won’t let you fall,” she smiled. “Trust me.”

  Said the spider to the fly.

  “Not on your life.” Melodie grumbled. Seated on the frozen ground, she inched forward until she could grip the ice-encrusted railing. Sliding forward enough to drop from one step to another, she slowly followed Tiana down the steep incline. Not the most graceful descent in history, but certainly safer than putting her trust in Tiana.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The gusting wind swirled around the entrance to the cave, wailing like the demons of hell. Clinging to the rough rock wall, Melodie waited for strength to return to her trembling legs.

  “What is this place, Tiana?” She demanded, struggling to control her ragged breathing, stalling for time.

  “You ask too many questions. Now, come on.” She grabbed a torch from the wall and pushed her down the long tunnel.

  Melodie made slow progress through the tunnel, fighting her fears and her shaking limbs. Was Morandoni really waiting for them? She told herself she had little choice but to follow Tiana’s orders. With the dagger still in her hand and the perilous staircase outside, her only hope lay in the cavern at the end of the tunnel. Without rest, she knew she’d never make it up the ice encrusted staircase.

  “Can’t you walk any faster?”

  She ignored Tiana’s ill-tempered snarl. Concentrating on the task at hand, she placed one foot in front of the other, careful of the loose rocks and uneven flooring. The tunnel was more than tall enough for them to stand upright and two men could walk side-by-side without crowding. It reminded Melodie of the lava tubes she saw on a nature show about Hawaii years ago.

  The further they traveled from the cliff side entrance, the darker it became. The eerie wail of the winter wind was only an echo along the shaft and the light from Tiana’s torch a beckoning guide.

  “I think we’re almost there.” Tiana’s excited voice reverberated. “I can see light ahead.”

  Melodie was cold, tired, and hungry and the dull ache in her back worried her. She was too close to term for hiking and mountain climbing. Only positive thoughts, Melodie Anne. You will not deliver your daughter here. With dogged determination, she focused on the growing sphere of brightness ahead of them.

  Tiana pulled Melodie into the lighted cavern. The brightness of the room after the near darkness of the tunnel left her momentarily blinded. Afraid of what she would find when she opened her eyes; she prayed this was all a nightmare. She would wake up in her own bed with ArDell fussing. She opened her eyes and knew this nightmare was real.

  The glow of the energy stone brightened a cavern as large as the main hall of the castle. Huge tapestries hung around the stone walls, creating an illusion of hominess at odds with the rest of the décor. Cabinets of varying heights sat around the room, their open shelves filled with jars and bottles. Peering closely at the assortment, Melodie slowly scanned the strange room. The smell of dried herbs and pungent oils warred with the thousands of incense sticks burning throughout the room.

  Tiana shoved her rudely into the center of the room. A wave of dizziness forced Melodie to grip the edge of a massive stone table for support. Towering candlesticks stood sentinel at either end of the table. Desperate to find a place to rest, she leaned against the cold stone. The same sense of dread that followed her through the tunnel was stronger than ever, urging her to flee while she still could.

  Melodie watched as Tiana bent to a low table sitting between two ornately carved chairs and straighten with a piece of crusty bread. She ground her teeth in frustration over Tiana’s actions. Why did she plot against her own family? What purpose did it serve to lure her from the castle? Was this Tiana’s way of becoming queen? Even if she died out here, JarDan would never marry anyone else -- especially a girl raised as his baby sister. No man could bond more than once. Tiana would never be Queen of Falcon Tor.

  A sudden wrenching pain in her lower abdomen drove all thought of Tiana’s betrayal from Melodie’s mind. She had to get back to the castle, quickly. Someone else could deal with Tiana. Her only thought was the safety of her daughter.

  Focusing on taking one careful step at a time and keeping her breathing slow, she started for the gaping mouth of the tunnel. Intent on reaching her goal, she didn’t see the man emerge from the shadows until she walked into his arms.

  “Leaving so soon, my Queen?” He asked, tightening his arms around her.

  Shock held Melodie immobile as she stared into the handsome face above her. “Morandoni.” She whispered, fighting the blackness threatening to engulf her. She couldn’t faint. Not now. Not here.

  Like most men of Anderas, Morandoni was powerfully built and strong, his body still heavily muscled despite his age. Unlike Zeth, Morandoni’s hair showed no trace of silver among the dark brown strands. He was devastatingly attractive. A fallen angel. Lucifer.

  “So good of you to accept my impromptu invitation.”

  One hand lifted to caress her cheek, fingertips trailing down the column of her neck. A shudder of revulsion racked her body, bringing a deep chuckle of amusement from Morandoni.

  “Tiana, my pet,” Morandoni drawled in a soft, voice, “I don’t think our guest likes me very much. What do you think?”

  “Why should she like you? You said you would kill her. Do it Morandoni. Do it now before JarDan discovers her absence.”


  Tiana’s hatred, no longer softened by the presence of Zeth and his family, burned out of control. Nausea roiled in Melodie’s stomach.

  “Ah,” Morandoni breathed, tracing the fullness of Melodie’s lower lip, “the impatience of youth. You must learn to savor revenge, my pet.” Morandoni spoke to Tiana but he never took his eyes off Melodie. “Like rare wine, the sweet promise of fulfillment grows even sweeter with restraint. A sip …”

  He kissed the corner of Melodie’s eye.

  “… instead of a gulp. A nibble …”

  He gently bit the lobe of her ear.

  “… is but a prelude to a feast.”

  “Let me go.” Melodie struggled in his arms. “You won’t get away with this. JarDan will find me.”

  Hampered by the child she carried and almost crippled with fear for the baby’s safety, she was no match for Morandoni’s strength. When her feeble attempts at escape failed, he lifted her unwieldy bulk in his arms and carried her back to the stone table. His laughter, the same laughter she remembered from the night Raiwan died, echoed through the chamber. Tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. JarDan, please find me.

  “Yes.” Morandoni grinned at Melodie. “I know. I’m counting on it. And, in case he’s a little slow in understanding the situation, Tiana left him a note telling him exactly where you are.”

  He suddenly turned to Tiana, his black robes swirling around him like a malevolent fog. “You did leave the note, did you not, my pet?”

  Tiana shrank against the padded back of the chair as Morandoni’s voice changed from enticing to deadly cold.

  “On her pillow, with a black rose.” Tiana whispered, nodding her head. “Just like you told me.”

  “Excellent, my pet.” He crooned in a soft voice. “I want you to sit here and be very quiet until I finish with the queen, then you’ll have everything I promised.”

  “What did he promise you, Tiana?” Melodie, hating the quiver in her voice. “What prize do you get for destroying your family?”