BOOK 3 of The Ostler's Boy Series
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Love. Duty. Valor.
Court & Class.
A pseudo-medieval romance through the eyes of a reckless princess.
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After Svana and her Knight, there was a Princess and her love of adventure.
Eliza Rose, the wildes...
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"Mom," I tried.
She didn't answer me. She watched Elías lie in a puddle of his blood, and all there was to hear was her breathing and mine.
"Mom, I'm so sorry," I said.
"He loved you very much," she whispered.
She closed his eyes. Then she stood, lifting the sword with her. She raised it in front of her, praying him.
"On but faith, it was your vow; your sword was mine to wield. No other fealty, just the Lord's and mine. It is your oath, my honor, your duty, our pain of death."
She was crying.
A sound from the yard breathed life into her thoughts; she looked at the fence. "We'll need to bar this," she said. "It's easier from outside."
"It's just the latch, right?" I asked. "Pointless if it only works outside?"
She shrugged. "The gargoyle is loose," she told me. "Elías was going to shelter us with it, by pushing it down. Give us time to react if needed."
"I see. Which one is it?" I asked.
"It doesn't matter now. We'll have to improvise. We could...." Mom wandered in her thoughts. "I'll push it," she said.
"But then you're stuck outside," I said.
The sounds of mechanical beasts, of people grunting, of my friends dying drowned us out. I listened to the castle burn. I listened to the horses scream. I listened for any sign of life, any sign of hope, any chance of anything.
Mother was in a daze. She didn't notice when I stepped ahead of her, until I had gone beyond the bars again and shut the gate.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "No, you'll–"
I twisted the latch.
She scowled. "Unlock it. Now," she ordered.
I shook my head. "Go back inside," I told her.
"Are you crazy!?" she yelled. "Open this gate right now!" Her hands wrapped around a bar each and shook it. Then she started reaching for the handle.
I hurried to try one of the gargoyles. It didn't move.
"Now, Eliza!" she called. "Open this right now!"
"I'm sorry!" I said. I tried the other; it creaked. "Go to the others. I'll be alright," I said.
"What do you think you'll accomplish out there!?" she cried. "It isn't safe!"
"I don't know!" I said.
"You're mad with grief!" she said.
I used my weight to shift the block; the sentry came crashing into splinters, breaking apart and piling in front of the metal, forming a tiny wall. "I have to go, Mom," I said. "I love you so much."
