So I Married a Sorcerer (The Embraced #2)(67)

It was cowardly. Unworthy. How could she ever love him if he treated her like that?

Dammit, he wanted her to love him. But did he want it enough to risk losing the throne? Or jeopardizing his plan for revenge?

The path veered left toward the coast, and Rupert quickened his pace.

“I’ve decided to marry,” Stefan announced.

“What?” Rupert glanced back. “You courted a nun that quickly?”

Stefan shot him an annoyed look. “All I can do is propose. It would be her decision whether she can accept me.”

Rupert nodded. “Then I’ll wish you luck.”

“I came to pick out a ring for her.”

Rupert snorted. They were headed to the secret cave where they hid most of the gold and jewels taken from Gunther’s naval ships. “I’m not sure she’ll appreciate a stolen ring.”

“Well, I could buy her one, but I’d be using stolen gold to pay for it, so what’s the difference?”

Rupert shrugged. He didn’t actually consider the gold stolen, not when the mines had originally belonged to his family. It was the House of Grian that was stealing the gold, and he was simply taking back what was rightfully his.

They reached the cliff. The ocean before them was a black pit with only a glimmer here and there where the stars were reflected on the dark surface. Waves crashed on the rocks below. To their right, a narrow path descended sharply to the beach. Rupert took the lead on the narrow trail. One false step here and he would plummet to the rocks below.

“Are you picking up a trinket for Brigitta?” Stefan asked.

“I hadn’t planned to.” Rupert frowned. Somehow he didn’t think a string of pearls was going to make it any easier to talk to Brigitta. Especially when he didn’t know what to say. “I’m going to the grotto for a swim. I need to think.”

*

The lantern was gone.

Brigitta stopped in dismay as it flickered out of view. What should she do now? She glanced back at the village. The fire on the beach and all the lanterns served as a beacon that would easily guide her back. But she’d come too far to give up.

She narrowed her eyes on the last spot where she’d seen the lantern. Nothing but darkness. Close by, the moonlight gleamed off the tall grass, painting it silver. The path was easy enough to detect, since it made a trail of black cutting through the grass. She moved forward slowly, for the ground would slope up, then suddenly dip without warning.

Behind her, the village grew smaller and smaller. Eventually, the land leveled out, and she realized she was on top of a plateau. The wind was much stronger here, and it whipped at her skirt and loosened her hair from its braid.

She slowed down even more as the path veered toward the coast. The sound of the ocean grew louder, and her heart pounded faster. In the dark, it would be hard to see where the land ended and the sea began.

The grass became shorter, the wind stronger. She crouched down to feel the path in front of her.

Rocks. She’d reached a cliff. To the right, she spotted a light down on the beach. It wasn’t bright, but between it and the moonlight, she could see the golden sand of the path leading down to the shore. She eased down the trail, keeping her shoulder pressed against the rock wall to her right. When a series of steps began, she sat and eased herself down on her rump.

The beach. She exhaled with relief as she stood on the narrow strip of sand between the cliff and the ocean. The light seemed to be coming from a cave.

She peeked inside. Several torches had been lit, illuminating a wide, rocky tunnel. No one in sight.

“Hello?” she called softly. No answer. But she could see boot prints in the sand. Rupert and Stefan had to be here somewhere.

She slipped inside. The walls of the cave shot straight up so high she couldn’t see the top. A narrow stream meandered toward the cave entrance. The water seemed to be trickling out to sea, although she assumed there were times when the sea would roll into the cave.

She gulped. Surely it was safe at the moment. Rupert and Stefan wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.

A crunching noise sounded in the distance. Footsteps.

She whirled around, wondering if she should hide. But she wasn’t doing anything wrong. Was she?

Stefan came around a bend, holding a brass candlestick with a lit candle. “My lady? What are you doing here?”

“I-I came to see Rupert.” She brushed back some tendrils of hair that the wind had whipped free from her braid. “He’s here, isn’t he?”

Stefan gave her an incredulous look. “How did you get here?”

“I could see your lantern in the distance.”

“Do you know how dangerous it is to be close to the cliffs at night? And this entire area is riddled with caves. The ground above us isn’t safe. There are holes in the surface where you can fall into a cave and break your neck.”

“I didn’t realize…”

He scoffed. “The villagers know it’s not safe. They should have stopped you.” He stuffed a ruby ring in his pocket. “I’ll take you back to the village.”

“No.” She lifted her chin. “I’m not leaving until I see Rupert. It’s important.”

Stefan hesitated. “I suppose you two have some talking to do.” He gave her a stern look. “You’ll have to follow my directions carefully. One wrong turn and you could be lost in the tunnels forever and never found.”