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Chapter Nine
On the fifth day, Crispincould no longer tolerate the strained silence drawn tight like a bowstring between himself and Ivy. His compulsion to keep her within his sights at all times intensified his intense distrust of the mysterious woman.
She pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders and shivered. They both wore several layers in anticipation of remaining exposed to the elements for an uncertain amount of time. But even Crispin had hoped to uncover the master behind Ivy’s specific orders and return to the castle within a day or two.
Ivy’s gaze remained fixed on the gap in the forest overlooking the meadow. The gnarled tree reached up into the canopy of trees.
Crispin snatched the bag with their food rations and rooted around, ensuring they had enough to last them another day at least. If their quarry did not reveal themselves by the morning, they would return to the castle. He could send a small band of soldiers to keep watch over the old oak.
He sighed heavily and tossed the bag aside, leaning his head against the elm tree that served as his throne for the past few days.
“Is it empty?” Ivy’s question broke the stillness. While her voice remained low, it disconcerted him to hear it after days of complete silence. Other than the occasional request to relieve herself, Ivy spoke not a word. Which suited him just perfectly. He had no intention of listening to any more of her deceptions.
“Nearly.” He grunted and crossed his arms, willing the warmth to remain trapped within his heavy doublet and beneath his cloak. “If he does not appear by morning, we shall return.”
“Admitting defeat?” Her mesmerizing green eyes fixed on his face with one delicate brow raised. Even after nigh on a sennight spent in the open air, hair tousled and pulling free from her braid, mud smeared across her cheek, she looked refreshed and ready for whatever may come.
“Never.” Crispin scoffed. “But I cannot waste my time chasing ghosts in the forest when my queen is still missing. Unless you lied, in which case I shall take great pleasure in eviscerating you and feeding your entrails to the crows.” His glare bore into her soul, and yet she did not flinch.
“He will come.” Her statement rang with assurance.
Crispin regarded her silently for a long moment. How could such a woman come into the service of the Guild? What secrets she must hold in that pretty head? Rumors of the Guild floated through the kingdom for generations. They became legends, superstitions. The hooded phantasms parents used to terrify their children into compliance. In all his travels, he never met a soul connected to the Guild. At least not that he knew anyway.
Ivy’s resilience impressed him. She never complained, never begged. Not so much as a whimper. The only other woman he knew with such a spirit was his Ruby. He could see how Henry would be drawn to her. Even without speaking, she carried herself with a charisma that drew attention to her without revealing her for who she truly was.
“You truly love her.”
The statement pulled Crispin from his thoughts. He snorted at the ridiculousness of her observation and dropped his gaze to the old oak through the trees. Her words lingered in his mind. Of course, he loved her. His chest ached at the thought of spending another moment parted from her, wondering where she was, if she were injured, suffering...dead. He pinched his eyes closed and shook his head. There would be none of those thoughts. He banished them from his mind.
“You have never truly loved anyone but yourself.” Ivy shifted against the tree and stretched her arms out, making the chain clink against her bound wrists.
“Do not speak further if you wish to keep your tongue,” Crispin snapped.
“I have watched from the shadows.” Ivy shrugged. “Your behavior does not lie.”
“What would a traitorous rat like you know about love?” He rounded on her unable to remain quiet. She roused a beast inside him with her mention of his affection for Ruby.
“Nothing.” Her simple response lay void of all emotion.
He watched silently as she leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes. Guilt stabbed him somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. He did not trust her and with all probability, he would have her put to death for her role in these events, but he could not deny the similarity binding them. They knew nothing of love.
In truth, it terrified him. The thought of loving Ruby with this intensity. It disarmed him at moments where he could not afford to show weakness. The knowledge devastated what remained of his ego. For years he built the walls around his heart, protecting himself from the pain of rejection and heartbreak. He relied solely on himself and no one else.
Love was a dangerous emotion reserved for poets and fools. He indulged in the more pleasurable delights the world offered but never had he allowed himself the caprice of love. It brought only ruin, shame, and torment.
“Do you love him?” The question burst forth without thought. He cursed himself the moment it filled the air between them.
Her heavy exhale was the only indication she heard him. An eerie stillness settled on the hillside once more. Crispin relaxed once more thinking the conversation reached its conclusion.
“I care about him, more than anyone else. He fills my thoughts in moments of quiet. I long for his companionship. His touch.” Ivy’s melodic response startled him. “If that is love, then yes.”
Crispin shifted uncomfortably. “Then why betray him?”
