Chapter Eight
It was apparent Karina had fallen head over heels for Carmichael. He’d given her flowers that morning, a bouquet of wild honeysuckle and jasmine that hung from Tarron’s saddle as they rode. It had all but melted her heart. The feeling was short lived. They arrived at the castle just before sun down, as Karina had expected.
As they stood at the foot of the Queen’s castle, Carmichael helped her don her black tarnished plate armor. This was the reason they’d traveled so far together, yet he stared at her with tears in his golden eyes, a new found fear for his new found mate blossoming in his chest.
“My Lady, my dear... You will take care of yourself?” he asked, with his watery eyes. “I fear for you, as much as I believe in you.”
For once, Karina was the one that felt she could see straight into his soul. His love for her shone brightly in his eyes and it nearly broke her heart.
“Carmichael. This is why we came all this way,” she reminded gently, her helmet beneath her arm and her sword strapped down to her hip. “I won’t leave without defeating the Que-”
“Witch!”
“Witch...” she paused, glaring lightly at the interruption. “You’ll have your dragon form back, my love. Trust in me,”
“It isn’t you I don’t trust,” Carmichael murmured darkly.
“All the same,” Karina sighed, pressing a swift kiss to his cheek. “Believe in me. So long as you believe, I can do this. All will be well.”
Carmichael just shrugged and pulled her roughly forward into his arms. Together, they stood, locked in an embrace that both would have preferred to last forever. Couldn’t time simply freeze in that moment? The thought was wistful, though and all too soon, Karina pulled free of his arms with a loving smile on her face.
“Take the horses to the trees, love. Keep them close. We might need to make haste when we leave,” she said. Determination colored her voice and the warmth and love he’d come to know had been replaced with the warrior she appeared to be. Even still, unease flooded through him as she told him to leave her.
“I’m coming in with you!” he cried out, terror filling his golden eyes.
“Carmichael, no. I need you out here. If something goes wrong, I need you here to help,” Karina said, pulling on her helmet. Every inch of her was covered with her jousting armor once the helmet was on her head. Carmichael had to admit she looked foreboding and menacing. Still, worry ate at his heart.
“I will come to you if you don’t return by sundown,” he promised as he swept Karina into his arms. At first, he just held her, but as time wore on, he sighed and pressed a sweet, gentle kiss to her lips. “Go, my dear. My heart goes with you.”
As soon as Karina was free from Carmichael’s arms, she smiled at him. “My love, I shall return to you. For now, I must depart,” she said. He said nothing, but nodded his head while she turned with a wave and crossed the bridged moat. She could feel him watching her as she went.
Her armored boots clicked on the stone in even beats as she approached the castle gate. Her heart pounded in the familiar feeling of exhilaration with the prospect of the upcoming battle. This shall be no different than that of a joust, or a match between blades, she reminded herself softly as she approached the entrance to the castle. As expected, armed guards barred the way through the gate with scythes as long as her arm and as thick as her head.
“Hail! What purpose have you, Sir Knight?” the guard on the left called towards her as he crossed scythes with the right guard to bar her entrance to the castle grounds.
With the confrontation, a pang of longing for Tarron and Carmichael to be at her side rolled through her. But Karina pressed on. “Hail. I come seeking audience in the throne room with her majesty, Queen Danasi.”
“Under what order?” the left knight questioned.
“None but my own.”
“For what purpose have you to see her?”
“She is but a witch that has laid curse on my lover! I intend to force her into freeing my love.”
The left knight was silent as he looked over at his companion, who shook his head with a frown. “You are denied entrance.”
“Then you will perish under my blade,” Karina warned softly.
The guards exchanged uneasy glances with each other, but held their ground. “You wouldn’t dare!” shouted the guard on the right.
Karina pulled out her sword and pointed it toward them.
“You will let me see her or you will die,” she murmured once more, watching as the guards’ eyes widened as they realized she’d meant her words.
“You... You could be executed!” the man on the right sputtered, as he pushed her away with the head of his scythe. “You…” but before he finished the left knight sighed and dropped his scythe.
“Jerome, no blood needs be shed.”
“What sort of knights are you? So easily beaten?” Karina asked at this, though she sheathed her sword once more.
“We aren’t knights,” the right knight murmured. “She hasn’t a single true knight in her court, just peasants pretending. Peasants who are too poor to pay taxes! Please... Please don’t kill us, Lady Knight!” the left knight sighed, kneeling on the ground before her. “The Queen’s a witch, she is! She is powerful enough the castle doesn’t need actual guards! We just try to deter people from bothering her.”
His words fell heavily on Karina’s heart and slowly, she removed her helmet.
“What are your names, peasant men?” she asked, helping the kneeling left guard to stand. Eyes full of gratitude met hers and for a moment, she could almost imagine Carmichael’s golden eyes peering up at her. But these eyes were green, not gold and the peasant man’s face was far too large to be her lover.
“Jamison,” he said, bowing slightly. “I am grateful you spared my life. This is Jerome, my younger brother.”
Karina sighed and glanced towards Jamison and Jerome. “I am the Black Knight and I have a favor to ask, Jamison.”
Jamison nodded eagerly, more than ready to help. “Anything, Lady Knight.”
“I need you to get me into that throne room.”
Jamison stared at her for a brief moment before he turned to his brother. “Jerome, go home. This will take a long while.”