Her thoughts turned to Alexander. He wasn’t safe in Kharav. As much as she wanted to hide away from the world, she couldn’t leave him to the consequence of her fallout with the king. She had to see him and make sure he was all right. Although her stomach dipped at the thought of facing him now. She hadn’t spoken to him since the wedding. Since…
Her chest tightened. It had been two days. He’d be sick with worry. She should have gone to him sooner, to let him know she was okay. Except she wasn’t okay. It didn’t matter; she had to see him. She unlatched the door and slipped out into the hall.
Norah paused to see a small tray of food by the door. The commander certainly hadn’t left it. Vitalia must have dropped it off. And even though it called to her hungry stomach, she’d eat later. She had more important things to tend to.
Norah moved cautiously, wary of seeing the commander again, but as she neared the end of the hall, a broad smile broke across her face.
Titus and another Northman guard stood on duty. When they saw her, they gave small bows of their heads. But her smile fell as she got a closer look. Titus bore a cut on the side of his cheek and under his chin. His left eye seemed slightly swollen, with bruising over his brow. Blood stained the left shoulder of his tunic, but she wasn’t sure if it was his or someone else’s. The Northman beside him held similar injuries, and a glance at the Crest guards standing on the opposite side showed they weren’t better off. A hallway brawl?
Wonderful. Something else to manage.
When she reached them, Vitalia jumped up from a side chair she’d been sitting in.
“Salara!”
“Hello, Vitalia,” she said, pulling her eyes from the guards. She was glad to see her maid, but Vitalia knew about her ignorance of the marriages, and Norah still felt the shame of it.
“I’m so sorry I haven’t come,” her maid told her. “They wouldn’t let me disturb you in your sanctuary, even to see if you needed anything.”
Norah forced a small smile. “That’s perfectly all right. I appreciate you bringing a tray by, though.”
“I’m happy to take the thanks, but that wasn’t me. Salar ordered food to be brought to you for every meal.”
Well, that was… kind.
“Are you going to see the Northmen off?”
Norah didn’t know what she meant. “For what?”
“Salar’s given them provisions to take to the North. He’s also arranged horses in the valley from the Tribelands. He’s given your captain men to help, and they leave later today.”
“Oh,” Norah said. She’d never expected… Of course these allowances had been a part of their marriage arrangement—but it was an arrangement she’d threatened to not acknowledge. A seed of hope sprouted in her chest. “That’s good news,” she said.
“It is. Oh, and Serene has already moved to the villa. Would you like her to come here?”
Her stomach soured. If Serene was in the villa, that meant she knew about the wives. Norah wondered how long it would be before her grandmother knew. “No, she can tend to things there.” One less person to bear her shame in front of. “Could you bring a few more dresses, though? There’s only a couple in the sanctuary, and I’ll be staying there a while.”
“Yes, Salara. I’ll get those right away.” Vitalia started off and then stopped. “May I have your permission to wait on you there? In the sanctuary?”
“Of course,” Norah told her. “I’d like that.”
Vitalia gave a small smile with a bow and went to get Norah’s dresses from the villa.
Then Norah set her mind on her original intention: to find Alexander. She started down the hall, and Titus moved in behind her. The slide of steel came as a warning, and she spun to look back at the guards. The Crest guard stood coiled, daggers and spears in hand with their eyes on her Northmen, and Titus had his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Northmen with me,” she said. Her Mercian guard fell instep close behind her, and although the Crest guard gave some space, she gritted her teeth as they followed behind. Yes, she’d have to do something about this. Now wasn’t the time to discuss her guardsmen’s assignments with Mikael or the lord commander, but she also didn’t want a guard of both Northmen and the Crest with a small battle brewing behind her everywhere she went.
She pushed out a breath. One thing at a time. First, Alexander.
He paced his chamber, ready to topple this castle to the ground. It had been two days since the wedding, two days since he’d seen Norah or heard anything from her, and Alexander couldn’t wait any longer. He’d tried to focus on his work—communications with the council, seeing to his men, and assigning their stations to protect her as much as he could deep in an enemy kingdom—but a dark madness kept clawing into his mind, threatening his control. What had the Shadow King done with her? What had he done to her? For two days…
Caspian tried to take on more and give him space to calm and sort his mind. But there would be no calm until Alexander could see her.
A knock sounded on the door, and he nearly tore it off its hinges as he swung it open. One more Shadowman who—
He froze as blue eyes stared back at him. His nostrils flared and he forced a swallow. He couldn’t hold himself—he swept her into an embrace.
Norah clutched his tunic, sinking into him. He brought a hand to her head and held her to his chest. Just the scent of her settled him. She was here. In his arms. Safe. Unharmed. Or so he assumed. He quickly pulled back and cupped her face in his hands.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she replied. But she didn’t sound fine.
He held her tighter. “You’re not.” Her lip trembled. She was wed to the Shadow King. She wasn’t fine. He cursed under his breath as he pulled her back to him, forgetting all proprieties and kissing the top of her head. “I’m here,” he murmured.
He’d figure out a way to get her out and back to Mercia. It didn’t matter if she was wed if he could get her out before…
“The Witness?” he asked. “When will it be held?”
She didn’t answer, and his blood ran cold. His heart stopped. Was it too late? A crippling nausea rolled through him. He forced himself to pull back from her; he needed her to answer him. “Norah?”
Her lips parted, and his stomach twisted. She swallowed, then said, “There will be no Witness.”
Alexander let out a quaking breath. There would be no Witness. Had the Shadow King intended this marriage to be in name only? His eyes stung as he pulled her back to him, and he breathed his undying thanks to the gods. All he could do was hold her and breathe her in.
When he found his voice again, it came hoarse and thick with emotion. “I couldn’t bear it, Norah. My mind’s been filled with madness these past days.” He held her tighter. Now he could breathe again, focus again. And he only needed to focus on getting her home.
“I’m all right,” she whispered, but there was a strangeness to her voice, something not all right.
He pulled back again and clasped the side of her neck, brushing her cheek with his thumb and looking over her.