Serpent (43 page)

“What’s this?” the soldier demanded. “
Meam, legatum meum, quia Deus
. What does that mean?”

“That is Latin,”
a man said as he pushed into the tent. He yanked the armor out of the soldier’s hand and looked at it closely. He read the passage over a couple of times. “My honor, my legacy, for God. That is what it says. And I have seen this crest before; it is the de Shera crest.”

On his knees, Kevin was watching
the man quite closely. He was very tall, with graying blond hair, and from the moment he had stepped into the tent, the atmosphere seemed to change. Men nearly cowered at his feet, which led Kevin to believe that the man standing before him was none other than Edward the First.

He had only met the man once, when he had been quite young, but had not seen him in at least twenty years
. When the man finally looked at him, Kevin waited for the inevitable recognition but the man continued to gaze at him with no remembrance in his face. The eyes were dark and hollow.

“This is Coventry’s coat of arms,”
the man pointed out, “and you were the only raider we saw that was wearing any armor.”

“Welsh
do not typically wear armor,” Kevin replied.

“They do if their father was the Earl of Coventry. If
you
are, in fact, the Earl of Coventry.”

Kevin gazed steadily at the man; he knew he was in grave danger with either path he chose – if he admitted he was de Shera or if he told the truth, that he was an English knight
. He wasn’t yet willing to provide all of the answers to their questions because he wasn’t willing to hasten his demise. After a moment, he looked away.

“I borrowed the armor,” he said. It was not a lie.

The man was not amused. “You may as well confess your identity,” he said. “The armor and the name of de Shera inscribed on the broadsword tell me the entire story. It is unfortunate that you and I could not meet under better circumstances, de Shera.”

Kevin could hear the hisses going up all around, like ripples in a pond, rippling out of the tent to the men beyond and spreading through the camp like
wildfire.
De Shera
! They were saying. He, too, had noticed the name de Shera inscribed on the broadsword he had borrowed and it was like a calling card, announcing his identity. Or, at least, his stolen identity. He looked up at the tall man.

“I suppose it would not do any good to tell you that I am not Bhrodi de Shera, would it?” he asked rather drolly.

Edward lifted his eyebrows in feigned interest. “Who else could you possibly be?” he asked mockingly. “Another Welsh prince I do not know about yet?”

“There could be more who
are in hiding,” Kevin replied, “like Dafydd.”

The man’s expression tightened. “What do you know about Dafydd?”

Kevin shook his head. “I wish I knew more than I did,” he said. “If I knew where he was, I would be with him now and not in the middle of an English camp.”

The man regarded him closely. “You speak English extremely well,” he said. “In fact, I cannot detect a Welsh accent at all. That is
a surprise, de Shera. But, then again, you did foster in England so I suppose your mastery of the language would be impeccable.”

“May I know who I am speaking with?”

The glimmer returned to the man’s eyes. “I am called Edward,” he said, somewhat casually. “I will soon be your king so I suppose introductions are in order. It was foolish to leave Anglesey, de Shera. You were safe there. Why did you leave?”

So his suspicions were correct; the King of England was standing before him. Kevin knew he could not have been in a worse position had he deliberately tried. Kneeling before Edward was like kneeling before a viper; it was only a matter of time before the man would strike. But he faced the question without fear.

“If your countrymen were in peril, would you not heed the call?” he asked.

Edward shrugged. “Mayhap,” he replied, “but you have put yourself in grave danger. Mayhap it will be enough to pry Dafydd out of his hiding place in an attempt to rescue you
. You have made a valuable prisoner, you know.”

Kevin caught movement out of the corner of his eye, aiming for his head, and he lashed out
a hand, grabbing a booted foot and twisting hard. Bones snapped and the man who had been kicking at Kevin’s head screamed in pain as he went down in a heap. Kevin maintained his composure as he continued to face the king.

“All warfare has risks,” he said
as if nothing violent had just occurred. “I am equally sure Dafydd will not come out of hiding to attempt to rescue me. What will you do then?”

Edward had a hint of a smile on his lips. “What would
you
do?”

Kevin shrugged. “I suppose traitors cannot be tolerated, so I would kill
the traitor. Is that what you intend to do?”

Edward stared at him; it was an appraising sort of stare, calculating, as if he was weighing his options. The man whose leg Kevin had broken was still lying on the ground groaning and Edward watched as a pair of men carried him out. After a moment, the king averted his gaze thoughtfully.

“You broke poor Hubert’s leg,” he commented.

“The man was going to kick me in the head.”

“Your reflexes are impressive,” Edward said as he pulled up a three-legged stool with an embroidered leather sling-like seat. He sat heavily. “You are a man of great breeding and skill, de Shera. I shouldn’t like to kill you but you have left me little choice. I wed you to the daughter of England’s greatest knight yet still you rebelled against me. What am I to do now?”

Kevin tried to put himself in Bhrodi’s shoes
. It was an odd experience, really, pretending to be a man who should have very well been his mortal enemy. Not only was the man Welsh, but he had married the only woman Kevin had ever loved. This entire fiasco was because of Penelope and still, Kevin found himself defending her, now with his life at risk. He was either very stupid of very loyal; he wasn’t sure which.

“The marriage contract was for peace,” Kevin said after a moment. “That goes both ways. That means you must be peaceful as well, and clearly you were not. Your presence in Wales demonstrates that.”

Surprisingly, Edward didn’t become angry. He actually appeared thoughtful. “Wales cannot rule itself, de Shera,” he said after a moment. “There are several different kingdoms and many different princes, or at least there were, but there has never been one man able to bring them all together.”

“So you intend to be that man?”

“Would you prefer that Wales tears itself apart from in-fighting?”

It was a good argument, but Kevin shook his head. “You are using that excuse to mask your greed,” he said. “Wales does not need English rule.”

“Wales cannot survive by Welsh rule.”

Kevin was opening his mouth to reply when the tent flap snapped back and armored men were charging in
. He turned around to see his father standing there, his face pale with shock, and Paris standing right behind him. Both men looked at Kevin with expressions of great astonishment and the ambiance in the air instantly changed; there was grief there as well. It became moody and heavy as Kevin regarded the pair. It was Edward who spoke first.

“Ah,” he said, extending a hand at Kevin. “I believe you know Bhrodi de Shera. He married de Wolfe’s daughter. Did you not tell him that he was no longer supposed to fight for Wales once he married her?”

Kieran was in no mood for jokes or cryptic statements. He looked at Kevin as if everyone in the tent had gone mad.

“De Shera?” he repeated
, baffled.

Kevin couldn’t have his father reveal the truth, not now when Edward believed
him to be Bhrodi. To reveal that he was, in fact, a son of Hage would only convolute the issue. Moreover, it would embarrass his father greatly and perhaps even land him in trouble. In order to protect his father, and everyone else associated, Kevin had to make sure the man understood what was happening.

“My lord,” he nodded at his father. “So we meet again but in
not so festive an occasion as a wedding. Did your lady wife make it safely home to Castle Questing?”

Kieran was at a loss.
He stared at Kevin, shaking his head in pure bewilderment. “What madness is this?” he hissed. “What are you doing here?”

“He led the raid tonight, of course,” Edward said. “Someone should have really told him he was
supposed to fight for me now. He has voided his marriage contract with his treacherous behavior.”

Kevin’s head snapped to Edward. “You voided that contract when you refused to cease your conquest of Wales,” he said. “It was already broken when I took up arms to protect Wales so if anyone is to blame, it is you.”

Harsh words against the king. Edward’s amiability fled and he stood up, his expression harsh on Kevin. “If you think to….”

He was cut off when William burst into the tent. One look at Kevin on his knees in front of Edward and the man nearly lost his mind; or, at least it appeared that way. He swooped down on Kevin and grabbed the man by the neck.

“Get up,” he snarled. “How dare you disgrace everything you have sworn to respect. What in the hell are you doing here?”

Kevin was roughly pulled to his feet. Now, his father was in on it and between him and William, they had Kevin around the neck and shoulders. Paris, not to be left out, reached in and grabbed him by the hair. Edward put up his hands.

“Wait,” he stopped them. “You will not abuse him; not yet, anyway. De Wolfe, I realize you are angry with him, but I have more questions.”

William’s face was taut with rage. “Why? There is nothing more he can tell you that you probably haven’t already figured out.”

Edward shook his head firmly. “De Shera is a hereditary king,” he said. “You will not treat him with such disrespect.”

Now it was coming clear to William that Edward believed Kevin to be Bhrodi. Truthfully, when William had entered the tent, he hadn’t been sure
and that is why he had behaved as he had. Now, he wasn’t sure if he was more relieved or more horrified to know that Edward believed Kevin to be the Welsh warlord. One thing was certain, however; he had to get Kevin out of here before someone, somehow, revealed the truth. The king would not act kindly to Kevin Hage posing as Bhrodi de Shera. It would more than likely see Kevin executed before the day was out. Therefore, William went into aggression mode; he yanked on Kevin’s neck, pulling him in the direction of the tent flap.

“He is
my
son,” William spat. “He has dishonored
my
daughter and
my
family. I will deal with him and you will not stop me. He is
mine.
”

Truthfully, Edward ha
d never seen William so furious. It was intimidating. Therefore, he backed off because he had little choice. He was afraid William would do him great bodily harm if he intervened in what William was viewing as a family matter. In a way, it was, because Bhrodi had tarnished the de Wolfe name with his rebellion. No, Edward didn’t blame William in the least but he was surprised by the man’s ferocity.

“Very well,” he said. “Do what you must but I want him alive when you are done with him. Do you understand?”

William simply growled, pulling Kevin from the tent as Kieran slapped his son on the back of the skull. Paris still had him by the hair. Between the three of them, they dragged him from the tent.

The sun was rising now with shades of pink across the sky. It was surprisingly clear this morning except for the haze of smoke settled about the camp
. Kevin was literally being dragged by his father and both uncles across the camp, all the while being mildly abused by them. He knew it was for show but their anger genuinely concerned him. He was too old to be spanked but he wasn’t sure his father would remember that. William continued to drag and drag until they reached a clearing just south of the main encampment. William’s camp was several hundred feet off to the left. Once they reached the clearing, William let him go, but only for the moment. A massive fist to Kevin’s jaw sent the man to his knees.

“What in the hell were you thinking to pose as Bhrodi de Shera?” William growled. “Do you know the trouble you are in right now? Why did you do it, Kevin?”

Kevin was still on his knees, rubbing his jaw as he looked up at William. “You are not going to like my answer. “

“I already do not like it!”

Kevin sighed heavily as he moved his jaw around to make sure it wasn’t broken. “Penelope was coming to raid Edward’s camp,” he said. “We could not dissuade her. I could not let her come alone.”

William already knew the answer before Kevin confirmed it. Suddenly, he didn’t feel quite so angry. He felt weak and overwhelmed. With a grunt, he wiped wearily at his eyes.

“She is avenging de Shera; I understand that,” he said, his tone considerably less angry. “But why are you dressed as the man? I do not understand.”

Kevin’s manner softened. “She was not avenging him,” he said quietly. “She was taking up arms in his stead.
She is a knight, Uncle William; she must follow her instincts. I am wearing his armor because she was afraid the Welsh would not follow her unless they thought Bhrodi was riding at her side. She wanted the Welsh to see me, think it was Bhrodi, and be inspired. The man has been badly wounded doing what he believed in and she did not want his sacrifice to be in vain.”