Page 42 of An Enchanted Knight

“The hell with this,” she muttered. If Tristan didn’t want to see her, too bad. He’d just have to deal with it. She’d confront him and find out the truth.

The hallway was empty as she made her way toward Tristan’s room. She stopped hearing the men inside in a heated conversation.

“You’re deciding all our fates based on something Meliot showed you!” Padraig shouted. “What the fuck did he do that would make you decide to keep us all here?”

Liam spoke now. “You are aware the wizard will use any and all manners of deception to keep us here, aren’t you? If you tell us what he said, or showed you, we can help.”

“Our entire existence is an illusion, the enchantment, nothing is real. What does it matter?” Gavin’s voice was full of bitterness, he seemed to be on Tristan’s side. “Let’s just resign ourselves to the truth. We’ll never leave.”

“At least tell us the reason our fate is sealed.” Padraig asked.

Gwen slid down to the floor. She’d learn more by remaining out of the room right now.

Tristan’s entire world was upside down. He hated everything at this moment. Hated the faces of his best friends that registered everything from panic to sadness. He hated himself most of all.

He’d brought this upon them. From that fateful day when he’d summoned them to go with him to meet with the council of knights.

The years of imprisonment, losing their families, their entire lives. It was all his fault.

Gwen remained in the keep. He sensed her presence. How he wished to find comfort with her right now. Needed her more than ever but didn’t deserve to be comforted. He deserved nothing but the stabs of pain shooting through him when looking at the men who’d been through so much, and revealing to them that they were never leaving.

Flashbacks of the torture assailed him, and he fell back, covering his face. When the shaking began, he tried to force it away. It only got worse.

“Leave!” he yelled past chattering teeth. “Go and leave me be.”

“It will pass.” Liam spoke from experience. No one left the room.

Niall came to him and placing his hands on his shoulders. Heat engulfed Tristan and he gulped air, trying to stabilize. Niall had to be weak by now.

Regaining some semblance of normalcy, he pushed Niall’s hands away gently, owing the Scot a great deal.

“Thank you,” he told Niall, “I don’t deserve your help. You are right, Paddy. You deserve to know.” Tristan took a deep breath.

“Meliot has my daughter. He will never release her if I leave.”

“It has to be an illusion,” Padraig yelled. “Don’t fall for his tricks, Tristan.”

“If he’d held her prisoner for this long, he would have used her against you before now,” Liam said.

Tristan let out a weary sigh. “It has to be true. Clara disappeared right after our enchantment began. I heard talk about it in the house.” Tristan shook with anger. “I was nae aware of having a daughter until after the enchantment. There was talk about it. My family sent out men who searched for her for days without success.”

The men remained silent seeming unsure how to respond.

“I have a recurring dream she’s being chased through the woods. I don’t see who or what chases her. It always ends the same, with her scream of terror. I’ve always suspected Meliot’s involvement in her disappearance.” He leaned over and rubbed his hands over his face. “I cannot imagine what she has gone through all these years.”

The men were silent. Padraig shook his head. “I don’t know what it’s like to have a child, but I understand why you are reluctant to test him in this. I pledged my fidelity to you from the beginning. I agree to remain. If she is there, we must find her and free her.”

Niall glanced around the room, meeting each of their gazes. “Are all in agreement that we will stay?”

Everyone nodded and replied together. “Aye.”

“It’s decided then,” Niall told them. “We stay.”

“I’ll take Gwyneth back,” Gavin told them.

Gwen burst into the room. Ignoring the other men, she went straight to Tristan and planted herself in front of him, hands on her hips. “This is bullshit and you know it. We haven’t come this far only for you to allow that wizard to trip you up with a trick. Because that is all this is.” She glared at him, not allowing the agony in his eyes to affect her. “I had the same dream not that long ago. Don’t you see, it’s one of his many ways to get you to stop trying.”

“You cannot possibly understand.” Tristan covered his face with both hands and rolled to his side. The defeated posture tore through her. She placed her hand on his shoulder.