The Legend (57 page)

Thia scratched her neck
nervously, avoiding Peyton's gaze. She could barely speak on the subject that
had been a part of her life for so many years. "No one knows. At least I
thought no one knew," she met Peyton's gaze guiltily. "Did you ever
tell Alec the real reason behind our fight?"

Peyton's smile faded.
"No," she said without hesitation. So what if it was a lie. She could
see that Thia was terrified of her brother discovering her true lifestyle and
had no desire to damage their fragile peace. Later, Alec himself could explain
to Thia that her choice in lovers made no difference to him.

Thia lowered her gaze, moving
toward the stalls and drawing Peyton's attention away from the shadow lingering
in the recesses. Colin had been with them since they had first entered the
livery, but the longer they conversed, the more Thia was in favor of telling
Peyton to run for her life. The violent internal struggle increased rapidly.

"Alec was betrothed once
before," Thia said, diverting the subject in an attempt to mask her
anxiety. "A very powerful family; the de Courtenays. But after he killed
Peter and refused to bear arms, the family petitioned the church and had the
contract dissolved. 'Twould seem that they did not want a coward in the
family."

Peyton looked surprised. "He
never told me."

Thia shrugged. "It was a
long time ago."

Peyton examined her hands
thoughtfully. "Was he... did he care for his betrothed?"

Thia pursed her lips,
remembering. "I was only seven or eight years old at the time. As I
recall, Lady Genisa de Courtenay was a very pretty girl who was mad about my
brother, but he showed little interest in her. In fact, I have never known him
to show much interest in a woman until he met you."

Peyton was fortified by the
reassurance that Alec had never possessed feelings for another woman.  Slowly,
she rose from the bale of hay and wandered near the stable door, gazing out across
the compound.

Behind her, the shadow moved
closer. Thia saw Colin moving toward Peyton and was seized with panic; God, how
she wanted to tell the woman to run! Colin made eye contact with her and she
nearly swallowed her own tongue, biting off the scream that rose within her
throat.

Run, Peyton, Run!

"Have you spoken with Alec
since our arrival?" Peyton asked softly, unaware of the lurking danger
behind her.

"Nay."
Run, Peyton,
Run!

Peyton smiled, gazing up at the
three-quarter moon. "We are expecting a child late spring. He is convinced
it is a boy. I think all men want boys. Personally, I think a girl would be a
lot less trouble."

Dear God,
Thia thought wildly.
She is
pregnant
! How can I allow this to happen...?"The world would be a far
better place without men in it," she stammered. "I am pleased to hear
of your fortune."

Run, Peyton, Run!

Colin loomed closer. Thia saw
with horror that he clutched a large club, or blade; she couldn't tell in the
dim light. Terror swept her as she wondered if he was intent on killing the
woman before her very eyes.

"I prefer to think of it as
a gift from God," Peyton replied softly, feeling the soft autumn breeze
caress her face. "With the expectation of the child, I would like to hope
that Alec will completely recover his grief and his dignity. He has suffered
so."

Thia closed her eyes tightly as
the image of Colin passed before her. She knew, mayhap better than anyone, just
how deeply her brother had suffered. He had agonized and died a thousand times
over since Peter's death. She had to admit that Peyton had healed her brother
tremendously, returning him to the man that had existed only in Legend. If Alec
were to lose the very reason for his existence, the Legend would die forever.

Her struggle ended as her
conscience emerged the victor. She could remain silent no longer.

"Run, Peyton!" she
suddenly screamed. "
Run
!"

Peyton started violently. She
gave in to her first reaction, which was to turn questioningly to Thia. As her
eyes beheld the rotund woman, she saw a shrouded figure raise an arm high into
the air. There was something clutched in the dark hand, something she couldn't
see. But in a sickening instant, the arm came down and Thia went crashing to
the dusty, chaff-covered floor of the stable.

Peyton did not think. She whirled
on her heel, fully preparing to run for her life. But she never had the chance;
in a flash of searing pain and bone-jarring force, her world dimmed, danced,
and finally vanished.

***

Back in the dining hall, Jubil
suddenly let out a piercing cry and crumpled to the floor in the throes of
agony.

CHAPTER
NINETEEN

Alec retired to his chamber well
after mid-night. The room was dark and he did not bother to light the taper.
Silently removing his clothes, he eased himself into an empty bed.

"Peyton?" he reached
for the flint and lit the candle. As the room came into view, he could see that
he was quite alone.

Puzzled, he got out of bed and
glanced about the room curiously, as if expecting Peyton to be huddled under a
chair or in the wardrobe. Donning his hose and boots, he threw open the door.

The corridor was vacant, dimly
lit by dying torches and smelling heavily of smoke. He stormed down the hall,
turning the corner and coming to pause in front of the door to his mother's
bower. He rapped loudly on the door until a perturbed figure opened the panel.

"This had better be
important, Alec," she growled, smoothing at her mussed hair. Alec glanced
over her head, seeing his father lying innocently on bed. Normally, he would
have laughed himself ill. But at the moment, he was too preoccupied.

"You took Peyton to bed this
eve," he said shortly. "She is not in our chamber."

Celine's eyes widened and she
seemed to falter terribly. "She is not in your chamber?" she repeated
weakly.

Alec cocked an eyebrow. "I
have no time for this. Where's my wife, mother?"

Celine began to breathe rapidly
and a white hand clutched her throat in confusion. "I.... I do not
know," suddenly, her eyes filled with tears. "That was well over
three hours ago!"

"I realize that. Do you know
where she might be?"

Celine was seized with a budding
horror. She had been reluctant to leave Peyton in Thia's company simply for the
fact that the last time the women had met, they had managed to injure each
other substantially. She had put her faith in Thia's sincere manners, mayhap
too much faith. Mayhap she had believed only what she wished to believe, that
Thia was intent on a reconciliation. Mayhap she had been wrong.

"I.... are you sure she is
not in your chamber? " she asked feebly. Her hands were beginning to
shake.

Alec cocked an eyebrow. "I
am not an idiot, Mother. I think I would have seen my own wife within the
confines of our bower."

Celine suddenly sobbed, a hand
flying to her mouth. "I do not know where she is. Oh, Alec, something must
be wrong!"

Alec sighed heavily; he hadn't
meant to upset his mother with his harsh manner. He had no idea that the tears
in Celine's eyes were the result of her guilt as his manner softened.
"Nothing is wrong, I am sure. Return to bed, mother. I shall see if Ivy
knows where she is. Mayhap she couldn't sleep and is simply walking
about."

Celine watched her son turn down
the hall. After the briefest hesitation, she called out to him.

"Alec?" she moved
toward him timidly. "I lied to you, dear. I did not take your wife to bed
as I said. I.... I left her with Thia."

"You
what
?" Alec
roared. Even as Brian bound from the bed and made haste to his wife's side,
Alec was descending on her with a fury neither parent had seen before.
"How could you have left her with Thia when you know... oh,
Christ.
..."

He spun on his heel, racing the
length of the corridor and disappearing around the corner. Celine, her eyes
spilling over with tears, yelled after him. "Thia wanted to apologize to
her, Alec! I saw no harm in...," she suddenly clutched her husband.
"Go after him, Brian. Rouse Ali and Toby. If Thia has done something to
Peyton, I fear..!"

Brian was already lumbering after
his son as fast as he could go.

Thia wasn't in her chamber,
either. Alec turned the entire fortress inside-out in search of his wife, never
thinking to search the Warrington rooms. Edward, Toby, Ali, and the rest of the
household joined in the search for the two women and Alec's panic was
increasing by the moment. When they searched the wine cellar and still found
nothing, he began to border on hysteria.

Ali remained his rock. Alec was
virtually incapable of forming a rational idea beyond his thoughts of Peyton
and it was Ali who organized the soldiers and sent them on a search of the
grounds. Two hours before sunrise, several of Edward's guard came jogging into
the grand hall where most of the searchers had congregated before proceeding on
to other areas.

"My lord!" the sergeant
called to Alec. "We have found one of the women in the stable and she is
badly injured."

Alec nearly vomited from sheer
nerves. "Which lady? What color is her hair?"

"Brown, my lord," the
soldier said, breathing heavily as a result of his run. "One of your men
has sent for the castle surgeon."

Alec thundered out of the room
with the rest of the search party on his heels. Barreling across the bailey and
into the stableyard, he did not slow his pace until he reached the indicated
stable wing.            The same stable where he had first made love to his
wife.

At the end of the livery he could
make out a few figures illuminated by an oil lamp. He stormed up on Pauly and
several soldiers as they huddled over the still form of Thia.

Alec did not stop there; he
shoved one of the soldiers aside and knelt beside his sister.

"Moppet," he whispered.
"What happened? Where's Peyton?"

Thia twitched and moaned, rolling
her eyes open. "Alec?"

In spite of his wildly surging
nerves and shaking hands, he touched her head tenderly. "I am here, love.
Where's Peyton?"

Thia closed her eyes and swallowed
hard. Her entire head was sticky with blood and Alec wondered horrifically if
his wife had had a hand in her injury. He simply wasn't thinking rationally.

"He.... he was going to kill
her," she whispered. "I couldn't let him do it."

Alec clenched his teeth so hard
that he bit his cheek. "Who, love? Where is she?"

She opened her eyes again, her
expression dazed and open. Pauly waved a hand in the midst of her line of
sight; her eyes refused to focus. He did it once more and still received no
reaction. Passing a glance at Alec's ashen face, he moved toward his medicament
bag.

"Answer me, Thia."

Thia swallowed again. "Where
are you, Alec?"

Consuming grief and anguish
clutched at him, claws of pain ripping his soul to pieces. Brian, his massive
body quivering with the agony of his child's fate, knelt beside Alec and placed
a hand on his daughter's bloodied head.

"Alec is here, darling, as
am I," Brian murmured through his tears. "Where's Peyton?"

She closed her eyes wearily.
"C....Colin was going to kill her. I tried to warn her."

Alec was visibly jolted. He
rocked back on his heels and leapt to unsteady feet. Before he could issue
commands, Ali was already in motion and within seconds, Toby and several
soldiers were racing for the castle.

"Colin is under guard,"
Alec mumbled, like a man losing his mind.

Ali's gaze was full of concern.
He'd never seen Alec come remotely close to an emotional breakdown and was
deeply distress. Thia was dying, Peyton was missing, and Alec was on the brink
of collapse.  Edward, exhausted and unkempt, put his hand on Alec's shoulder.

"We will find her,
Alec," he mumbled. "Have faith."

Alec did not have any faith left.
Nor did he possess hope, or joy, or feeling of any kind. He was only able to
feel a degree of grief he hadn't felt since the very moment he realized that he
had killed his brother. Deeper, even.

Colin was gone. The soldier on
guard informed them that Thia had escorted her betrothed to the grand dining
hall earlier in the evening and, considering the man wasn't technically under
house arrest, the soldier had no choice but to let him go. Thia had assured the
man the Edward had requested Colin's company.

Alec was nearly overwhelmed with
the growing clues that, mayhap, Thia had been a party in Peyton's disappearance
and not simply an innocent victim. But he couldn't dwell on the growing
evidence, not yet; he had a wife to find.

Before he could draw another
breath, Alec was at Nigel's door, into the room, putting his massive hands
around the man's neck as Edward and Ali attempted to pull him free. The
grunting, the sounds of struggling emanating from the chamber, filled the
castle.

Nigel was turning blue as Alec
hovered over him, not the least bit concerned with the man's discomfort.
"Your son has abducted my wife. Tell me where he has taken her."

Nigel could barely breathe much
less speak. "I.... I do not know! I wasn't aw.... aware of his
p-plans!"

Alec squeezed harder and Nigel
gurgled loudly. Ali had stopped trying to pry the man's hands free; it was an
impossible feat.

"If you kill him, you will
never have your answers," he murmured into Alec's ear. "Bargain with
him, man. Deal with his greed."

Alec's grip did not loosen. Then,
slowly, he relaxed and Nigel spilled to the floor in a coughing heap. Alec
loomed over him like the Angel of Death.

"I have no time for your
games," he growled. "You will tell me what I want to know and I, in
turn, will ask Edward for leniency for your case."

Nigel propped himself up on an
elbow, rubbing at his throat. "I told you, I did not know of his
plans," he eyed Alec. "But if you wish for me to help you, a pledge
for leniency will not be sufficient."

Alec glanced at Edward. The king
gazed emotionlessly at Nigel for a moment before turning away. "Grant him
his freedom if he will help you find your wife, Alec."

Nigel, wide-eyed, watched the
king lumber for the door, the characteristics of a weary man. When he should
have been asleep, he was in the midst of a critical crisis. Edward knew for a
fact that if something had happened to Lady Summerlin, he could completely
disregard Alec's pledge of service. He suspected, more than likely, that Alec
Summerlin would cease to exist and he was willing to do everything in his power
to prevent the probability.

"Tell me," Alec
diverted Nigel's attention away from the king. "Where would Colin take
her?"

Nigel rose to unsteady feet and
staggered to the nearest chair, still rubbing at his throat. As much as he
loved his son, he was a selfish man. He saw freedom looming before like water
before a thirsting man and he was drawn to it. Above all, he must preserve his
own life and he was not ashamed that he was about to betray his only son.

Above all, he must survive. The
battle against St. Cloven and Blackstone was already over, he would admit. But
it did not mean that he had to become a casualty. Arrogance vanished, he would
tell them everything he could.

"I truly do not know,"
he said hoarsely, thinking. "Certainly, he would not return her to
Wisseyham, knowing it would be the first place you would search. More than likely,
he has taken her someplace where you would never find her."

Alec's face was ashen, taut.
"He plans to kill her?"

Nigel met his gaze steadily.
"If she is already dead, he must find a suitable place to dispose of the
body. If she isn't dead, then he surely intends to kill her."

Alec's jaw ticked furiously.
"You are his father.  Where do you think he will take her?"

Nigel thought a moment; betraying
his son had been easier than he had anticipated and he felt no remorse. After
all, he hadn't told Colin to abduct that woman. If his son's foolishness got
him killed, Nigel certainly wasn't to blame. He cleared his throat, rubbed at
it.

"He is always held a
fascination for the Fens,” he said.

“The Fens?" Ali repeated
sharply. "North of Guyhirn?"

Nigel nodded slowly,
thoughtfully. "Once, when he was a lad, his old nurse used to weave a tale
of Druid priests dumping the bodies of sacrificial victims into Wicken Fen
because the ground absorbed the corpses and left no trace.  Colin always held a
strange interest in Wicken Fen because of it. If I were he, that is where I
would go."

"Wicken Fen is the other
direction, south of Ely," Ali said quietly. "We can make it there in
a few hours."

"He already has a four hour
lead on us," Alec murmured dully, his gaze lingering on Nigel one last
time. "Are you reasonably certain he would take her to Wicken Fen?"

"As sure as I can be,"
Nigel said. It was the truth.

Alec had no other choice but to
trust him. But, strangely, he did not feel the hopelessness he had felt only
moments earlier. Now, at least, he had a clue to Peyton's whereabouts.

"You will not be granted
your freedom until my wife or your son, or both, are found," he said,
turning for the door. "If your information proves to be false, you will
die on the block."

Edward had already quit the room,
with Alec close behind. Only Ali lingered a moment, his thoughtful gaze on
Nigel. Passing a glance into the empty corridor to make sure Edward and Alec
were well out of earshot, he closed the door softly.