Carolyne Cathey (31 page)

Brigham glanced
back over his shoulder.  Despite the distance, Kyle saw his startled
expression.  Brigham obviously had not expected Kyle to come after him, or else
thought he had too great a start.

Stone-fenced
fields blurred in Kyle's vision as Valiant galloped at a pace that pushed him
to his limit.  Jerrod kept his steed in stride with Valiant's around the
curve.  The road ahead lay barren of life, except for the thick stand of trees
that bordered the land between Trystonwood and Hanley Hall.  The stand of trees
where Kyle had been ambushed.  Kyle slowed his mount.  Revenge shouted for Kyle
to storm into the woods and to hell with the consequences.  Reason cautioned a
more sane response.

"Familiar
territory, Jerrod."  He slowed Valiant to a walk, but Kyle's heart still
thundered.

"Aye.  Me
thinks the wolf has slipped into his lair.  "'Tis possible the rest of the
pack hides in wait, ready for a fresh kill."

Kyle gripped the
reins.  "Curse him!  For us to go on Hanley's land without an armed force
is like riding into a pack of wolves, unprotected.  And knowing Brigham, he
lures us into a trap.  But to do naught--" 

Kyle spun Valiant
toward the direction just traveled and raised his voice in case bandits
lurked.  "You don't win battles by taking foolish chances.  Nay, you
out-think the enemy.  'Tis time for action, Jerrod.  We return to Trystonwood
to make our plans." 

As soon as Kyle
reached the creek and knew Brigham could no longer see him from the shadow of
the trees, he nodded to Jerrod to follow him along the watery trail so as to
enter the woods from an unexpected direction.  Autumn tinged willows, hickories
and bramble bushes hid them from view of the open meadow that stretched between
the stream and the woods.  The clear creek frothed around Valiant's hooves as
Kyle followed the meandering stream around the edge of the field, then into the
trees. 

At the foot of a
mass of boulders that formed a small waterfall, Kyle drew his sword and slipped
out of the saddle, praying the crashing water would mask their footsteps.  With
Jerrod behind him, Kyle tread with caution among the fallen leaves, careful to
miss any twigs that might snap and betray their presence.

The sound of male
voices drifted through the trees, giving Kyle verification his instincts had
been on target.  He now knew that other vultures hid with Brigham, but Kyle had
to know how many so as to determine whether to attack now, or to wait.  Kyle
swept his gaze across the scene of tangled undergrowth, the trunks and lower
branches of the trees, and then a large outcropping of rocks, but he saw no
sentries.  Brigham must have only posted guards by the road, assuming no one
would sneak into the woods from the wilderness. 

Kyle willed his
heart to a less noisy beat as he gestured for Jerrod to move to one end of the
rocky outcropping while he crept to the other end.  Wind sighed, sending a rain
of colored leaves to layer on the ones already fallen.  A dank mustiness
permeated the air.  Kyle ignored the drizzle of nervous perspiration down his
back as he flattened against a mossy boulder and peered through the crack between
two wedged stones.

Several men
clustered around Brigham, but none wore any distinctive coat of arms.  Kyle
took a rapid count, and then his lungs tightened.  At least a score of
mercenaries visited with Brigham as he stood beside his steed.  Combined with
Hanley's army, Kyle's forces were outnumbered.

Brigham threw his
gauntlets on the ground in a fit of temper.  "Nay, William.  We won't go
after him until we meet with Hanley.  I won't risk losing all because of your
impatience for blood."

"But, Brigham,
he's not far away and you said his defenses at Trystonwood are weak, we
can--"

"Nay!  We
must wait for the king.  'Tis all prearranged."  Brigham laughed. 
"Kyle is sweating blood in playing the part of the honorable knight.  What
he doesn't know is that no matter what the king decides, Kyle loses."

No matter what
the king decides?

A burly man with
skin the color of raw meat shoved his face close to Brigham's.  "Ye
promised us Lord Kyle's wench.  Ye said we could all have our turn with her
afore ye took her fer yer twisted games."

Brigham shoved
him away.  "And you will--if she's not already dead.  Now do as you're
told."  Brigham swung onto his mount, then gestured to a giant of a man
with a scraggly beard.  "Dickon, if they don't follow orders, put them in
the pit to feed the rats and adders.  I'm going up to the keep to tell Hanley
what has happened and what I overheard." 

William grabbed
Brigham's reins.  "You threaten us with the pit?  That slimy hell hole? 
Only a demented man would collect vipers and rats just to watch them devour
each other.  Nay, you can find others to do your biddin'.  Ambushin' travelers
is easier than this."

The man who
looked like a side of beef drew his dagger, but the giant knocked the weapon to
the ground. 

Brigham shoved William
in the chest with his foot, and the man landed on his back.  "You fools! 
Remember what you have to gain."  Then he turned his mount and rode into
the trees.

Sickened by what
he had heard, Kyle nodded to Jerrod, then used the noise of Brigham crashing
through the woods to his advantage and ran back to the waterfall.  He slid his
hand down Valiant's muzzle as a signal for silence, then swung up into the
saddle and guided his steed out of the creek.

Brigham's
declaration that no matter what King Edward decided, Kyle would lose, shook him
enough, as did the revolting news that he brought poisonous adders into their
snakeless region, but to hear that Brigham promised Eleanor to those filthy
bastards turned Kyle's stomach.  Any man who dared touch her would die.  The
information meant a change in plans.

Just in case one
of Brigham's mercenaries watched the road, Kyle traveled across the pastures
toward Trystonwood.  The sound of his destrier's hooves thundered Eleanor's
name and Kyle felt a frantic urgency to make certain of her safety.  Valiant
soared like a winged Pegasus over the low stone walls that divided the fields,
not slowing until he had clattered across the bridge and entered the bailey.

Kyle leapt to the
ground and ran to where Nurse visited with Peter in the entry.  "How is
Eleanor?"

Nurse smiled in
that way she always had when she thought he over-reacted.  "She's
sleepin', milord, in yer bed I hasten to add, so don't ye go up there and
bother the poor lass."

"Are you
certain she's still there?"

Peter nodded. 
"Milady was frettin' so much about ye that Kinnie gave her a dose of
poppies brew."

"Kinnie? 
Ah.  Nurse Kincaid."  Kyle remembered Eleanor's secret about Nurse and
Peter.  Fighting to stay away from Eleanor, for everything in him strained to
see her for himself, Kyle forced his feet to take him to the parapet.  He
gestured to Jerrod to follow him.  "Come.  Let's discuss this where only
God can hear us." 

As Kyle climbed
the stairs and moved to the battlement, he drew in deep breaths and struggled
to control the trembling that had started when he had overheard those foul
vultures fighting about Eleanor.

He braced his
arms against the stones and studied the fields that lay ripe and golden beneath
the sun.  Stacks of hay stood like relaxed sentries among the peasants as the
workers swished their scythes in rhythmic swings.  "I'll scorch in
hellfire before I let anyone steal what belongs to me--especially
Eleanor."

Jerrod leaned in
a casual pose on the wall, arms crossed.  "Your old age is slowing you
down, Kyle.  In times past you would have barged in like a lion to the kill. 
We had them outnumbered."

In spite of the
fury that burned in his body, Kyle quirked a grin.  "Ten for me and ten
for you?"

Jerrod displayed
mock horror.  "Nay.  One for me, the one already on his back from
Brigham's kick, of course.  The others were yours."

Kyle shook his
head at how Jerrod could always abate his anger for the moment.  "I
confess, all that held me back were visions of an unprotected Eleanor.  I
fought so hard to make myself stay in hiding, the stone where I stood must
still bear the imprints of my grip.  But If we had been overcome, Eleanor would
have been at their mercy."  Kyle shuddered at the gruesome images that
still haunted his mind.  "There is only one reason so many men would
follow Brigham when he has no title and no lands.  They anticipate he soon
will."

"Even though
he's a bastard?"

"So was a
man with the same name as that ugly brute we saw this day.  William, the
Bastard.  He became king of England, if you recall, and a tinge of his blood
now runs through King Edward.  Except that Brigham's goals are lower than
William's and are much more immediate.  He seeks to claim what he believes
stolen from him--Trystonwood.  And I stand in his way.  As does Eleanor."

"Surely he
knows the king would never tolerate Brigham’s overthrowing his most prized
knight."

Kyle scoffed and
met the ebony of Jerrod's gaze.  "Listen to the facts, Jerrod.  One, Lord
Hanley has promised war and has vowed to tell the king about my refusal to wed
Lady Mellisande.  Two, King Edward said he'd be here by All Souls' Day to
receive an answer I won't give.  Three, Brigham is too worshipful of Lady
Mellisande and her father, and at the first confrontation, 'tis the direction
he rides.  He even boasts that no matter which way the wind drifts, I lose.  I
know we can defeat Brigham's forces.  But joined with Hanley's, we're
outmanned.  And if the king throws his might with Hanley . . . "   Kyle
shook his head.  "I may not be the most brilliant of scholars, Jerrod, but
even I can smell danger when this stew of rot is stirred."

"I fear one
of King Edward's famous scowls looms in our future."

Kyle laughed. 
"An understatement."

Jerrod pretended
shock.  "Me?  An understatement?  Does my tongue rust from disuse?  You
wound me to my pride, Kyle."

Kyle inhaled a
deep breath and roused his thoughts to action.  "I have a request,
Jerrod.  I ask you to gather as many knights as will fight by my side, and time
is short.  The dragon's breath singes my neck."

"The
dragon?  But I thought you believed Eleanor--"

"Nay, not
Eleanor.  My heart tells me as much."

Jerrod lowered
his gaze to below Kyle's waist.  "Are you certain 'tis your heart that
assures you of her innocence?"

Kyle scowled,
daring Jerrod to pursue the topic, but Jerrod only shrugged.

"As to your
request, Kyle, I've already sent a rider ahead to gather allies.  We've agreed
to meet after I leave on my own pre-arranged route, then we'll all return in
one force.  I've only waited until you gave the word before I left, but I fear
the sand has drained from the hourglass.  Now or never, is rapidly dissolving
to never."

Gratitude warmed
the chill in Kyle's chest.  "Jerrod, I've been blessed."

Jerrod laughed. 
"Aye.  You're blessed with a stubborn mind."  Then he leveled his
gaze at Kyle.  "Which brings about another matter.  What about a certain
comely lass who in spite of her feminine weakness, holds prisoner the strongest
knight I know?"

Kyle studied
Jerrod's accusing glance.  "No more interference, friend."

"I could
take her, you know."

Kyle pushed away
from the wall.

"Nay,
listen, Kyle.  You know she cannot stay here, not with the king soon to swoop
through your door like death starved for a meal.  I only offer her harbor at my
keep.  You heard that prince of a fellow today--you know, the one who looked as
if he bashed his face against a tree for entertainment.  In case you weren't
paying heed, he drooled for a more raucous romp with Eleanor than mere sweet
songs and romantic lyrics."

"I know what
you seek to accomplish, but she's mine, Jerrod.  And not you, or Brigham, or
King Edward, or even Eleanor can divert me from my goal.  Do you
understand?"

Jerrod rubbed his
blackened eye.  "Do you think I want my handsomeness marred beyond
repair?  I may not agree, but I understand."

Kyle released a
heavy sigh.  "I know I should have you take her to the convent when you
leave on your mission, and yet every moment I would wonder if she were in
danger and needed me and I wouldn't be there to protect her."  Kyle
ignored the tightness in his chest when he thought of a future without
Eleanor.  And once the king decreed . . . Kyle lifted his gaze to his chamber
window where Eleanor slept.  "Nay, Jerrod.  I want her here a while
longer."

"Me thinks,
Kyle, that of a sudden your fingers itch to smooth poultices and tend to the
ill.  Am I correct?  Do you long to change your destiny from knight to
nurse?"

"Burn in
Hell, Jerrod."

Jerrod laughed,
then stretched.  "Most likely.  But I must warn you.  Beth aspires to a
grander title, from castle whore to lord's leman.  Quite a scenario, huh?  Why
do we desire most what is beyond our grasp?"  Jerrod slapped his gauntlets
against his thigh to cleanse them of dust, then slipped them again on his
hands.  "And what if the king sides with Hanley?  Do we take arms against
our liege lord?"

"Your
loyalty is humbling, Jerrod."  Kyle shook his head.  "Nay, I would
never fight my king." 

Jerrod paused,
his eyes downcast, then he sighed and sauntered toward the steps.  "Well,
I must be on my way." 

"Jerrod?"

His friend
hesitated and Kyle saw the concern in his eyes.

"As soon as
you return, I want you to take Eleanor to safety.  She must be away before King
Edward arrives."

Jerrod nodded and
took another step.

"I ask one
more favor."

Jerrod slanted
him a questioning look.

"If
something should happen to me, I want you to protect Eleanor.  She can't go
back to the convent on a permanent basis.  Things occurred there that . . .
"   Kyle drew in a painful breath to force the words from his tight
throat.  "I want you to take her with you, not to wed, mind you.  Perhaps
you could treat her as a ward or a newly discovered sister.  I plan to take her
as wife before King Edward arrives, but I know he won't allow her the land. 
I'll scramble to put something aside--"