My Mother's Eyes

My Mother’s Eyes

Book three of the Mangadarth Trilogy

Copyright © 2011 by Merri Hiatt

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Front cover art: Gordana Sermek/Shutterstock.com

For every daughter.

You hold a bit of your mother inside you always.

Chapter One

Lord Abingdon is here to see you, Lord Kensington, George Ashcroft said.

Show him in.

Lord Kensington, it is good to see you again.

Likewise, Lord Abingdon.

All is in readiness, I presume.

Yes, my lord.

A guard entered the library and Perceval asked, Are they secured?

Yes, Lord Kensington. Belinda and Jonathan are locked in the north tower. A guard stands outside the door, as well.

Very well.

We must act quickly, Lord Abingdon said. All men shall pull double duty as they keep a keen eye on all that moves in Mangadarth. Send men to infiltrate the city as spies. Make sure they know to speak ill of me and the Abingdon family so they will take them into their confidence. Perceval?

Yes, Lord Abingdon.

You will find yourself the target of the Banion family’s wrath. They will see you as a traitor for your deceit. They will not look upon you kindly, Marayah most of all. There is none more vengeful than a mother who believes her child has been wronged. The crone is a prime example of a woman’s heart turned to obsidian.

I am ready, my lord. My allegiance lies with you.

Lord Abingdon nodded. To the guardsman he said, Send for Eldrick’s winged horse and lock it in the paddock beyond the clearing. Guard it with many men. He will no doubt seek it out very soon. We will show him a taste of Abingdon hospitality with swords drawn.

Your will be done, Lord Abingdon, the guard replied.

It is time. Ask Harmony to join us, Perceval said.

Yes, m’lord. The guard found Harmony in the music room. Lord Kensington would like to see you in the library, Lady Harmony.

Thank you. Harmony made her way to the library as the guard headed to perform the duties he had been assigned.

I daresay you grow more beautiful every day, Harmony. Perceval said as he kissed her on the cheek.

Your words are sweet and make me blush.

It is a lovely hue. Perceval’s fingers brushed the tinted skin with his thumb tenderly. Today marks two months of wedded bliss and I have a surprise for you like none other.

Harmony’s eyes sparkled at the thought. Pray do not make me wait a minute longer, Perceval. What is this surprise you speak of?

Before I give it to you, let us drink a toast to the days ahead. Perceval poured the liquid into two goblets, handing one to Harmony. A new power is rising over Mangadarth this day. One that shall unite the people, as in the days of old, under one rule. They will be led as was decreed thousands of years ago.

To a new day, Harmony said, raising her goblet high in the air. Perceval lifted his goblet to his lips, but did not drink, watching as Harmony swallowed the elixir that would bring her body to rest.

We have a visitor, Lord Kensington, George informed them as if Lord Abingdon had just arrived. Perceval nodded and George stepped aside as Lord Abingdon entered the library.

Lord Abingdon.

Lord Kensington, Lady Kensington.

Harmony found her vision to be cloudy as she eyed Lord Abingdon and she shook her head to clear it. Welcome, Lord Abingdon, to what do we owe the honor of your company?

Harmony’s head felt heavy and she rested it on her hand for a moment, trying not to close her eyes.

Are you feeling ill, Lady Kensington? Lord Abingdon asked.

I seem to be caught in sleep, yet it is the middle of the day. Perceval, will you send for the healing woman. I… I have never felt this way before.

I am afraid I cannot, my lady.

Harmony heard Perceval’s words, but could not understand them. She tried to open her eyes once again, and found the men, nay the entire room, bent to the right and stretched fat in length.

The healing woman, Perceval. I need to see the healing woman.

"What you are experiencing, Lady Kensington, is an elixir of powerful origin. It will continue to make you increasingly drowsy until you fall asleep. Do not fight it, you cannot win.

As for you, Perceval, you have done your job well. The others have been detained and they will soon find themselves on the streets of Mangadarth, penniless and stripped of all power. Say goodbye to your lovely wife and take your position by my side as ruler of Mangadarth."

Harmony tried as she might to comprehend what was happening. Her world seemed to have shifted beneath her feet. She felt her body being lifted and then carried outside the castle. She saw the small scar on Perceval’s face through almost closed eyes.

She would be fine, as long as Perceval was nearby. She had nothing to concern herself with. He would take care of her. He would make sure the healing woman was found and brought back to the castle.

Harmony closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Lord Abingdon ascended the stairs until he was in the room with the highest window. He waved a white handkerchief out the window until he saw the healing man come forward by the edge of the forest and head for the entrance to the underground passageways, the altered ones followed close behind.

Guard after guard received a sword in their side or across their throat as Lord Abingdon’s army descended upon the castle. Those that tried to leave through the underground passageways were unpleasantly surprised to be greeted by the altered ones; hungry and all too willing to feed on humankind flesh. Screams echoed down the tunnels, embedding themselves in the walls.

Several of the servants tried to fight and were met with fists and swords in their back or belly. Other workers kept to their tasks, heads down, fearing even eye contact might mean death.

When things quieted down, Lord Abingdon sent a guard to bring Celeste to the castle as the men began to share stories of how many guardsmen they had killed. They availed themselves of the Banion family wine closet and began to eye the maids in a lascivious manner.

Lord Banion would never have allowed such behavior, the cook said to a nearby maid, her voice barely a whisper.

The maid glanced at the guardsmen. That was the only invitation they needed. One of the men came over to her and grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward the group. If you have time to be staring at us, why not come in for a closer look.

He threw her body onto the table and the men began to pull at her clothing and taste her flesh with their lips and tongue.

The cook grabbed the largest cast iron skillet in the castle. It was heavy and she wheezed with the effort of raising it above her head. You leave her be. She is married and with child.

A man stepped forward and said, I believe you are jealous. When was the last time a man touched your flesh in desire?

The cook brought the skillet down hard against the man’s skull and he fell to the floor, blood streaming from his wound.

While she thought the men would be angry and she would receive a blade in her belly for her actions, the men howled with laughter.

She took him out with one blow!

As soon as the men’s attention had been diverted, the maid slid from the table to the floor and crawled toward the dining hall. She found a hiding place in a low cupboard and while it was dark and cramped, she believed she would be safe there.

The cook threatened to hit any man who stepped near. While they were not afraid of the woman, they would rather have another drink and canoodle with the young maid.

Where did she go? one of the men asked.

She was here a minute ago, another said.

"As the men searched under the table and in nearby cupboards, the cook made her way quietly out of the room and down the corridor to the secret staircase. She knew not where the maid had gone, but she hoped she was safe.

When the men turned their gaze back to where the cook had been standing, one man said, Now she has up and gone, too.

Forget them. Let us have another drink, another man said.

Yes! Pour another drink. To Lord Abingdon’s army!

To Lord Abingdon’s army!

While the men drank among themselves, Lord Abingdon celebrated his victory with a private toast in the library as he waited for Celeste to arrive. Within two hour’s time, Celeste Abingdon joined her husband.

I am proud of you, Jameson. It has been a long road for the Abingdon family, and now we have resumed our rightful place as rulers of Mangadarth.

Jameson pulled his wife close to him and kissed her hard on the mouth. It is not your pride I desire.

He ran his fingers through her hair and pulled at the strands close to her neck. Celeste gasped as pain shot down her spine. Lord Abingdon continued his assault, ramming his tongue deeper into her mouth. He pulled at the top of her gown until her breasts were exposed and began suckling and biting the fleshy mounds.

Celeste wished she had not responded so quickly to Lord Abingdon’s decree for her to join him. She knew he enjoyed the feeling of power and dominance surging through his body at her submission.

Let us go to the master bedroom and consecrate it in the name of the Abingdon family, Celeste said, needing a break from Jameson’s tormenting hands.

Lord Abingdon’s eyes narrowed with suspicion and paranoia. Why Lady Abingdon, I have no need to lie on a bed of comfort when I have your body to cushion the floor. Jameson shoved her hard and she fell to the library floor, catching herself with her hands just before she would have received considerable bruising.

He began to untie the laces that wrapped around his pelvis and Celeste moved in her mind to the meadow that led to the