Alex Sinclair

Under The Midnight Sky Excerpt

‘God damn it,’ Arthur cursed at the world in general.

The tips of his fingers fumbled with the cord around his waist. It was practically impossible to tie it around him with only one hand. ‘No,’ he snapped angrily, as the front of his gown fell open to reveal his little round tummy. He had just about managed to keep both sides of the robes in place by pinning them to his body with his forearm. It had been a mistake to remove his trousers, but a getting into a robe was no easier. A cloud of depression seemed to rumble overhead, as he looked down at his stomach. It had once been a rippling mass of muscles. He had trained so hard that his body truly had become a temple, but now he was a podgy old man that couldn’t even dress himself.

‘Are you okay?’ asked Clarissa from the doorway.

He couldn’t even bring himself to look at her.

It was simply too embarrassing.

He had once been a feared warrior and now he was as weak as a child.

Clarissa walked into the bedroom, but instinctively Arthur tried to walk away. This wasn’t something he meant to do. It seemed natural these days. Whenever the woman of his dreams got to close he attempted to place a certain amount of distance between them. Nevertheless she hurried forward and quickly stepped in front of him.

‘Stop trying to get away from me,’ she told him.

‘I-I...’ he stuttered nervously, but decided to stop what he was saying.

He turned his eyes up towards hers.

Clarissa smiled the most heart warming smile. He could see through the windows of her soul that all she wanted to do was help him, but it wasn’t that easy. How could he go from being someone so powerful to someone so weak? This wasn’t him. This wasn’t in his nature. He quickly turned his eyes back towards the floor.

‘I have made you some breakfast,’ she slowly stepped closer towards him.

Arthur swallowed down the lump in his throat.

She had entered his personal space.

How long had it been since he had been this close to her?

‘It is your favourite.’

He glanced nervously back up towards her. Her eyes were filled with love.

Suddenly he was aware of her fingertips stroking across his stomach. Arthur unconsciously looked down at her soft delicate hand. It was travelling south. His heart was practically in his mouth. Butterflies fluttered wildly in his stomach. His entire mind and consciousness was drawn to the tingling sensation of her fingertips moving downwards across his stomach.

Disappointment stuck like a thunderbolt.

Clarissa pulled both sides of the robes together and tied the cord around his mid-section. She looked up with a satisfied, job done, type of smile.

‘Thank you,’ said Arthur.

‘Let’s run away,’ Clarissa suddenly blurted out.

Where had that come from?

‘What do you mean?’

‘I want us to run away from here. Let’s leave this place behind and start a new life someplace else. We have done it before. We owe more money than we can get our hands on. Let’s run away whilst we still can. We will be happy as long as we have each other, right?’

‘We can’t do that again,’ replied Arthur.

‘But if we don’t repay the money we owe then god knows what will happen to us. If we run now they will never find us. It will be just you and me.’ She reached up and gently cupped his face within the palms of her hands. ‘All I need to be happy is you to love me.’ She smiled.

A sickening thought tugged at Arthur’s stomach.

Could he love her anymore?

Did he love her anymore?

If he did he would have turned down the deal last night. Instead he had spent most of the night thinking about it. He couldn’t believe it himself, but he was actually considering the deal. He was going to let the Demon Brother’s have Clarissa in exchange for clearing the debt.

‘No matter where we go it will be the same. I cannot work. No one will hire a one armed man. I have enemies all over the country that would love to take my head in revenge to the people I have cut down in my time. We are safe here. I like it here. This is a good place to live.’

‘But the debt...’

He waved his good hand in the air to silence her.

‘I have a way of clearing the debt once and for all.’

‘You do?’ she looked slightly puzzled.

‘Yes,’

Her smile was so wide that it was practically consuming her entire face. ‘That is amazing news,’ she pulled his head down towards her and leaned in to kiss him. Arthur found himself tensing up at the feel of her lips pressing softly against his. It was a bad sign that a kiss from his wife felt so foreign. Perhaps he didn’t love her anymore. Clarissa pulled back from the kiss and danced backwards out of the bedroom. ‘I am so happy, Arthur. Come and eat your breakfast.’

‘Okay....’ he sighed.

She was only happy because she didn’t know how they were going to clear the debt.

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