Page 9 of Triumph at Pemberley

“Do I have a choice? I cannot live like this.”

Roderick seemed to steel himself. “You do. You could leave and never come back. Once you are outside your bond, you should feel like yourself again. I do not know how far the land bond of the old English kings stretched, but you were never uncomfortable in Derbyshire, so I doubt it goes that far. Scotland would certainly be safe.”

Jack opened his eyes. “Scotland? I could live in Scotland and leave this behind?” He sounded for a moment like the old Jack, full of energy, but then he slumped back, an eerie faint glow outlining his body. “I do not think it will let me go,” he said dully.

Roderick started shifting from one foot to the other, as if he were on a ship on a stormy sea. “It certainly does not like me making that suggestion. This land that has been without its holder for too long.”

“Then I supposed I must.”

“There is always a choice.” Roderick’s voice grew stronger. “You cannot allow the land to dictate to you. That way lies madness.”

Jack released a long breath. “Madness? I am already halfway there. What can you do to fix this?”

“Opening the Bond is not difficult, but it will also create a bond between the two of us. A powerful blood bond. It means we must be allies as long as we live, that you will come to my aid if needed – which would mean rather more if you were going to be king and had troops to rally, but still. A part of you will belong to Gwynedd.”

“And you? Does it bind you, too?”

“To a degree, but not as much, since I am the one providing you with assistance. I would not need to defend England with my life – a good thing, too, since that would be a step too far for me – but at the same time, I could not declare war on it. In medieval times, a king who inherited before his bond was awake would seek help from a neighboring ruler. When handing over that kind of power to another country, there had to be safeguards and rewards for the one who is sharing the ability.”

Jack raised his head. “Freddie, is he telling the truth?” he asked tiredly.

She stepped forward, carefully circling around Roderick. With an apologetic glance at her soon-to-be-husband – amazing thought! – she said, “As far as it goes, yes.” No matter how much she loved Roderick, Jack was family, too.

Jack’s head drooped again. “What else is there?”

“Frederica knows I have some reservations about this. Not on your account; I believe you can hold the King’s Bond as well as any, but England has been Gwynedd’s enemy for centuries. Our one advantage was that we still held the King’s Bond and England did not. Frederica tells me you can be trusted with that power, but what of whoever holds it next?”

“I hope no one ever has to face this again,” Jack said fiercely. “Let it die with me. In the meantime, I am willing to defend your Gwynedd if you can stop this noise.”

“Then let us get this done,” Roderick said. “You will need to be on your feet.”

Frederica asked, “What should I do?”

“Touch him as the transfer happens, and should he collapse, keep him from hitting his head on the way down.”

“Would it not make more sense to start with him sitting down?”

Roderick shook his head. “We meet the bond as men, and that means standing upright.”

Men and their impractical pride! Well, if she had to be able to catch Jack, she would need some leverage. She stepped behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. “Forgive the impropriety,” she said impertinently.

“I will happily forgive anything that fixes this,” he muttered.

“We start by mingling our blood in the land. You first; it will not accept mine otherwise.” Roderick pulled out a short knife and handed it to Jack. “A small amount will be enough.”

“After all those years of being told blood magic was mortal sin,” Jack grumbled, but he took the knife and sliced the skin of his palm. Dark red droplets fell into the grass.

Roderick followed suit, carefully holding his hand low so his blood would touch Jack’s.

Frederica watched, fascinated, as the small pool began to smoke. Then it vanished utterly into the ground. Astonishing!

Roderick placed one hand on Jack’s forehead and the other on his chest. “Close your eyes and clear your mind,” he instructed.

Jack must have obeyed, since something began to happen. All the light seemed to gather around the two men, leaving Frederica in shadow. She blinked hard as their figures blurred, but that did not fix it. The hair on her arms rose from all the magic in the air.

An enormous surge of power threatened to dislodge her, but she dug her fingers into Jack’s coat. The magic raced through her from her hands to the ground, burning as it went and spreading out into the earth. Frederica gritted her teeth and hung on.

“Ah!” Jack cried out wordlessly. “Ahhhh!” This time it was almost a scream.