The Dark One: Dark Knight (122 page)

     Gaston did not hesitate. He dismounted
Taran and dropped his sword to the ground. His shield went clattering and he
marched in through the inner gate as if there was no war going on around him.
Keith was astonished at the fearlessness demonstrated.

     Hastily, Botmore descended the wall and met
Gaston at the castle entrance, a safe distance between the two men. Even though
Keith was armed, he had no doubt that the weapon was meaningless against the
Dark One. Gazing at the most feared man in the realm made his knees quiver.

     “Are my sons whole?” Gaston demanded.

     Keith looked puzzled. “We have but one. Trenton.”

     “What of Dane?”

     “Guy's son is whole, too.”

     “He is
my
son,” Gaston repeated in a
tone that would tolerate no contradiction. “Where is Stoneley?”

     “In the grand foyer,” Keith replied.

     Gaston did not wait for anymore talk or
instruction. Purposely, he marched forward into the cool bowels of Mt. Holyoak.

     The corridor leading to the foyer was dark
and musty. Gaston’s footfalls sounded like hammer blows as he stormed toward
the designated area. Ahead at the end of the hall he could see the faint glow from
the foyer torches and he focused on the light, trying to fight down his anger
and apprehension. He could not predict that Guy had not harmed either boy; Guy
had proven he was highly unpredictable and intelligent. There was absolutely no
telling what he had done.

     Gaston stomped to the threshold of the
foyer, preparing to seek out Stoneley's form. Yet the very moment he stepped
from the corridor, something heavy and massive slammed into his face and he was
reeling, crashing to the floor with the force of the blow. He thought he heard
yelling, Dane and Trenton's voices, but he could not be sure of anything. His
ears were ringing and the world was spinning recklessly as he tried to regain
his footing.

     Another blow caught him on the back of the
head, not so severe as the blow to the face, but even with his helm protecting
him he was nearly knocked unconscious. The world dimmed and he saw stars
threatening to swallow him up, but he fought against the rocking floor and
rolled away from the source of the attack, trying desperately to regain his
feet. He had to get to his feet and face his accoster, although he knew exactly
who it was.

     “Stay down, de Russe,” Guy said behind him
somewhere. “Stay down and I shall not strike you again.”

     His instincts told him to get to his feet,
but his common sense told him to do as he was told. Dazed, he rolled onto his
back and raised a shaking hand to his dented visor. It took quite of bit of
effort to raise the visor, for it was badly misshapen from the heavy hit, but
eventually he was able to work it up.

     Stoneley stood several feet away, smiling
at his handiwork. “Consider that revenge for the beating you dealt me last
year, de Russe. Now we’re even, although I doubt you lost any teeth.”

     Gaston was grunting with his pain and
shock. He raised a mailed finger to his bloodied nose. “No teeth, but you broke
my nose. And you probably fracture my skull with that blow from behind.”

     Guy laughed, a hollowed snort. “Good. And
now, my lord, we come to the purpose of your visit. By what right do you invade
my fortress?”

     “It is my fortress,” Gaston said, propping
himself up on an elbow so he was not flat on his back. “And I came to kill
you!”

     “Is that so? And why is that? Because I
tried to reclaim my wife? Because I managed to take back what was rightfully
mine?”

     In spite of the order to stay down, Gaston
pushed himself into a sitting position. The world was still swaying
sickeningly. “The fortress is rightfully mine by order of our king. And by what
right do you execute all of my soldiers?”

     “They are my enemy and are to be shown no
mercy.”

     Gaston closed his eyes a moment, shaking
off the ringing in his head. “Where are the boys?”

     “Do not you even want to know where Remi
is?” Guy asked, surprised he should ask for his son first.

     “I know where she is,” Gaston said. “I
asked where my boys are.”

     Guy looked perplexed and faltered a moment.
“You….you found Remi? Then I suppose she told you what happened.”

     “She told me you sold her to whore at an
inn,” Gaston replied, trying to control the furious quake in his voice.
“Fortunately for her, you sold her to a knight who serves my ally. Not a very
wise move, Stoneley.”

     “A small flaw in a brilliant scheme,” Guy
answered quietly.

     “Actually, it matters not where she is for
the moment. The point is, I will have her back. And you will deliver her.”

     Gaston grinned, a humorless gesture. “Are
you truly stupid or do you simply act the part?”

     Guy grinned in response. Slowly, he turned
away from Gaston and wandered over to the wall. Gaston's eyes followed him
hawk-like, wondering what he was up to. When Guy drew forth a dagger and
examined it closely, Gaston waited for it to come hurling at him. But no blade
was forthcoming and Guy leaned casually against the wall. Next to him was a
rope, secured to an iron bracket. The rope supported the massive chandelier
that hung twenty feet above the foyer, but Gaston wasn't paying any attention
to that. Not until Guy pointed to the ceiling.

     “And I say you will bring her to me, or
your boys will meet a most unpleasant end,” he toyed with the rope, running the
tip of the dagger along the fibers.

     Gaston's gaze jerked upward. Hanging from
the chandelier were Dane and Trenton, their legs dangling fifteen feet above
the hard stone floor. Although Gaston maintained his expression, inside he was
absolutely ill. Without taking his eyes off the boys, he rose unsteadily to his
feet.

     “Damn, Stoneley, this goes beyond what even
I thought you capable of,” he muttered, moving to stand directly underneath the
helpless young men. Two pairs of frightened young eyes met his gaze.

     “What say you, de Russe?” Guy asked
casually. “The boys or Remi. The choice is yours.”

     “You have given me no choice,” Gaston’s
voice was as low as thunder. He took his eyes off Dane and Trenton long enough
to turn to Guy. “Why in the hell do you want to make a trade? What good is
Remington to you?”    

     “She is my guarantee that you will leave me
in peace,” he replied, glancing up at the two boys. “Actually, I was planning
on using our young sons simply to chase you away from Mt. Holyoak. With Dane
and Trenton as my captives, it would be guaranteed that you would leave me in
peace. Henry, too, considering he will do what you ask. But 'twas your
misfortune to inform me that you knew of Remington's whereabouts. Being a quick
thinker, the game has changed.”

     “There is no game,” Gaston rumbled, wishing
he could make it to Stoneley before he slit the ropes. His hands were shaking
with want to strangle the man. “You cannot have her.”

     “Then you would forfeit the lives of two
young men? I find that particularly selfish.”

     “Nay, Stoneley. Selfish is using your own
son as a pawn in a game with high stakes. Selfish is threatening to kill your
own flesh and blood.”

     “Remington or the boys, de Russe. My
patience wears thin.”

     Gaston was caught. He knew Dane and Trenton
were terrified listening to the exchange and he so wanted to reassure them, but
he dare not look at the terrified faces. His mind was racing with
possibilities, forming solutions, trying to gain time and the advantage.

     “Lower them to the ground and we shall
talk,” he said.

     “No. There is nothing to talk about. Make
your decision.”

     “Do you truly think I would bring Remington
to you? Good God, man, you must be out of your mind. After everything you have
done to her and her sisters? 'Tis insanity to make such a request.”

     “Then you will watch the boys die,” Guy
said plainly.

     “You would kill your own son?” Gaston was
trying desperately to stall, all the while taking slow steps toward him. He
prayed that with enough talk and enough distraction, he could edge close enough
and reach Guy before the rope was completely severed.

     But Guy was not easily distracted. He saw
that Gaston was moving closer to him and he put the blade to the rope, sawing
hard a couple of times and releasing several strands of fibers. The rope
shifted and the boys screamed in terror, and Gaston froze.

     “Cease!” Gaston roared.

     “Your decision.”

     Above him, the rope slipped again and the
boys cried out. “No more, Stoneley, or I shall kill you where you stand!”
Gaston bellowed, wondering wildly if he could catch the chandelier and save his
sons.

     “Tell me you decision.”

     Guy was fully prepared to cut the rope the
rest of the way and Gaston put up his hands beseechingly. “Cease and I shall
agree to your terms.” He hated himself for uttering the words, but he felt he
had no other choice at the moment.

     Guy smiled genuinely. “Very good, de Russe.
I am pleased that you are finally seeing the truth of the matter. 'Tis not
right for a husband and wife to be separated, even if the wife did bear the
bastard of another man. She never did tell me if she bore you a son, though.
Another son to replace the one you are going to lose if you betray me.”

     Gaston was shaking with his injury and his
anger. “There will be no betrayal, Stoneley. But I do not leave until the boys
are lowered to the ground.”

     “You do not give me orders, de Russe!” Guy
flashed in a display of irritation. “I give them, so listen to me well. You
will call of your men and ride out of here. If you do not return with Remington
by nightfall, I shall kill Dane. If you still have not arrived by mid-night, I
shall kill Trenton. Do you understand me?”

     Gaston's face was emotionless. “If you kill
the boys, I can guarantee you will never know peace. I shall lay siege to Mt.
Holyoak and burn her to the ground, and you with it,” he crossed his massive
arms, although his stance still wasn't entirely steady. “I know your threat is
false because you would not thwart your advantage in such a manner.”

“Would not I?” Guy
looked thoughtful. “I tend to disagree.”

     Gaston believed him, but he would not allow
Guy to see just how unbalanced he was. Gaston uncrossed his arms and pulled his
demolished helm from his head, tossing it to the floor. The back of his hauberk
was stained red from the split on the back of his scalp, and the bridge of his
nose was swollen and bloodied. Even his mouth was bloodied, having bit his lip
on the second blow.

     “I have a counter proposal, Stoneley,” he
said quietly. “I will take the boys and keep Remington and on my oath as a
knight, I will promise to leave you in peace. I will convince Henry to leave
you alone and you can live at Mt. Holyoak without harassment from the crown.
You shall never see us again. Is that not satisfactory?”

     To his surprise, Guy actually looked
thoughtful. “I do not know if I can trust your word, de Russe. After all, if I
agree to those terms, who's to say that you won't go back on your word and
destroy me anyway?”

     “I swear it on my mother's grave,” Gaston
said steadily.  “What you seek most is peace, is it not? Give me what I want
and you shall have it.”

     Guy gazed back at him, shaking his head
slowly after a moment. “You cannot be trusted. You who betrayed Richard.”

     Gaston sighed heavily. “I wasn't the only one,
Stoneley. You and I fought for the king and you know what dissention there was
in his ranks. Good lord, there were more plots against him that could be
counted. And my actions against Richard were well thought out and calculated;
'twas no spur of the moment decision.”

     Guy was leaning against the wall again,
calmly, listening to Gaston. “I heard rumor that your wife slept with Richard.
Is that why you betrayed him? For revenge?”

     “My wife slept with anyone who caught her
eye,” Gaston said irritably. “Were I to seek revenge for her indiscretions, I'd
be killing half of France. There was far more to it than that.”

     Guy nodded and Gaston was surprised at the
civil tone the conversation had taken. “So you would take on another cheating
woman? Remi has never been remotely faithful to me, you know. She has slept
with Ingilsby, and Derek Botmore to name a few. She did not think I knew, but I
did.”

     Gaston cocked an eyebrow. “And just how do
you know that?”

     “I could tell from the way they looked at
her. A husband can tell these things,” his voice was quiet. “That is why I
punished her so often. She deserved it, the lying whore.”

     Gaston felt himself tensing again, the
banked rage taking on fuel. “Then let me have her. You obviously do not want
her.”

     “No, I do not want her, but I am stuck with
her,” Guy replied with disgust. “You shall never get the annulment, whether or
not I agree.”