Chapter 20

Sunlight flooded the Royal Forest and blanketed Kalen of the Bloody Hawk, in a soft light. It warmed his face and gave him comfort, as he pressed a hand to the arrow still stuck in his side, the wound sticky with wet and dried blood. He winced as he tried to pull the arrow out and felt his right hand go limp at his side. Groaning as he tried to crawl back, he felt the wound burn like fire and fell on his stomach, exhausted. "There's no way, I'm staying here" he mumbled stubbornly. He tried to support himself on his arms and heave himself through the forest; blood slowly staining the green leaves a brownish-red. He had to take care of the damn arrow in his side first. Weakly he grasped the shaft with his hand and snapped it, the tip still in his side.

Dragging himself over to a strong tree, he hoisted himself to a standing position, grimacing as his legs stiffened under his weight but eventually held. Blessing the gods for his luck, Kalen cautiously took a step and felt his good leg could carry him far enough to get help, but with his bad leg he would have to limp-step, which was fine by him as long as he could get back to the castle. Glancing around, he saw the corpse of Velvet, her flanks caked with dried blood and infected with maggots and insects, "She was a good horse, right until the end." Kalen whispered.

When he had limped to a familiar pathway, he stopped to rest, panting and feeling beads of sweat slide down into his eyes. Leaning against a tree he wiped his brow and looked around, "Just a few more minutes would get me out of this forest. That's the last time I go riding alone!" he vowed.

Midori buried deeper into her warm covers as she heard a sharp knocking on her door. "Who is it?" she groaned.

"It's us" Amyl said.

"Come in, the doors open" Midori replied, finally getting from her bed and heading for the wardrobe for some clothes and hurried into the privy to change. She quickly stripped her white nightdress and slipped on the shirt and tunic. When she hopped around the privy, struggling into the legs of her breeches, she banged her thigh on the washtub. "Damn" she muttered, rubbing the spot on her thigh where a bruise was surely forming. Slipping on her breeches she remembered about her hosiery she had forgotten to grab from her wardrobe and the calf-high boots left under her bed.

Stepping from the privy, Midori met the faces of her friends, all except Kalen and Emrys. Reading the concern on their faces she asked the first question on her mind, "What's wrong?"

Sheba answered first, "Emrys came home earlier this morning but he brought bad news..." She trailed off waiting for the other two to continue.

Oriana continued, "Emrys told us he found this," she held up a silver dagger with a gold hilt and a single ruby. "Near a body in the Royal Forest"

Amyl's small voice held all the comfort Midori needed that moment as her friend spoke, "He's dead, Midori, we're sorry but the Hawk will never fly again"

The words trapped themselves in her mind and refused to let her go. It was a net she could not escape. Tears fell down her cheeks in a relentless stinging stream. "No, No he can't be" she shook her head, willing herself to believe that her lover had not died.

"It's true" Amyl nodded sadly, knowing her friend needed her sympathy.

He was dead.

Love was drowning her in emotion.

Choking her

Suffocating

Beating

Bruising

Stabbing

Spilling her blood

Cold steel ripping her apart

Love was slaying her...

She was dying.

Fading...

Flickering...

Gone.

Kalen was never to soar to knighthood

He had only flown to his death.

He was dead.

And he had taken a part with her.

Her heart.

She felt her breastbone burn beneath her skin and felt the token of the hawk at her throat grow heavy.

Vision blurry with tears, she heard Kalen's voice:

"If I don't survive, I want you to have this in your memory..." a soft--but cold--phantom kiss brushed her cheek and he chuckled resentfully, "You still wear that token around your neck, even in your sleep? I'll be with you anyway; we'll never truly be apart. Remember my dear: In blood we are bound, so mote it be."

"Rest in peace." She whispered, softly, tears still silently falling.

I know I'll wait for you lover, I'll keep on waiting until the suns stop setting and darkness banishes all…

"I'll wait for your coming, Midori...Lady Knight of Queenscove"

His presence faded as did his voice.

And Midori knew he had passed into a final death.

To wait for her.