The Silken Cord (24 page)

Once again, he’d lost everything.

The king’s shoulders stiffened as he
gathered the reins in his fist. “Don’t harm her?” he thundered.
“You know Prince Dafydd will one day grow into a man. He’ll
conspire against me, Wulfgar. His men will fight me. Yet, you ask
me to let both him and his sister live?”

“Aye, sire.” Wulfgar nodded, meeting the
king’s gaze without flinching. “Though he’s young, Dafydd is an
honest boy and I believe he’ll do good for his people and ours. If
you kill the boy, the Welsh will fight even more. I don’t believe
Dafydd will give you trouble in the future, but rather bring you
peace and fortune.”

The king tilted his head. “Fortune? In what
way?”

“We can establish trade with the Welsh. When
their people are dependent upon trade, they’ll be more eager for
peace. I’ve spoken to Prince Dafydd about this and he’s amenable.
He’s agreed to meet with the Lord of Glyndwr to make plans.”

Edwin grinned at this news and Ariana almost
reached over to slap him. After what Edwin had done, she couldn’t
imagine Dafydd willingly meeting with the man about anything.

“All right,” the king acquiesced. “The
prince will return to his people. Actually, I think he’ll serve me
better as you say, though I’ll want him to give me his pledge of
loyalty first.”

Wulfgar nodded, but he didn’t smile. “Dafydd
has already agreed to this.”

“Good. The princess will stay with me for
the time being. Don’t worry. I’ll guarantee her safety. I’ll plan a
marriage for her. In return, you’ll relinquish Cynan and yourself
to my will.”

Marriage? She looked at Edwin, her skin
crawling. William had no right to force her to wed Carlinham or any
man.

“Aye, sire.” Wulfgar’s voice sounded
strained.

“Agreed,” roared the king and the horses
jerked.

Edwin laughed and turned to speak in a low
voice to Ariana. “You see? All your scheming did you no good.
Wulfgar will be taken and beheaded. It looks as though I’ll have
Glyndwr without a fight and you as my wife.”

“Never,” she hissed. Even if it meant
spending eternity in hell, she’d kill herself first.

“Sire,” she called to the king, daring to
speak out of turn once more. She must speak for her people.

He looked over his shoulder at her, his
heavy brows lowered in a disapproving frown.

She licked her lips and hardened her will.
“Prince Dafydd will agree to trade only if Wulfgar is Lord of
Glyndwr. Our people will make no more treaties with Edwin of
Carlinham. He can’t be trusted, not after what he’s done to my
people. No matter what you ask, we won’t agree to treat with Lord
Carlinham.”

Edwin glowered at her. “Hush, you foolish
woman.”

William’s mouth thinned. “Are the Welsh
prepared to fight?”

She tensed, forcing herself to answer him
bravely. “If you force us to it. You can see my men are here to
fight even now, but we prefer peace.”

The king pursed his lips together in an
irritated grimace. “I understand.”

Inclining his head, William indicated Ariana
should be taken into the castle. Ariana was aghast. He said he
understood, yet he wouldn’t heed her words.

Wulfgar would die. Edwin would continue as
Lord of Glyndwr.

“No! Wulfgar!” She tried to jerk the reins
away from the knight as her horse was led forward.

“It’s out of our hands, sweeting. All will
be well. Do as you’re bid,” Wulfgar ordered gently.

She stopped fighting, her soul filled with
defeat. Surely there must be something they could do. It wasn’t too
late. Not while they had breath in their bodies.

Wulfgar raised his hand and dropped the
white flag. It signaled the warriors standing guard along the
castle walls, who laid down their weapons.

The portcullis rattled as Raulf opened the
castle to William. A lump rose in Ariana’s throat and she trembled
with fear. All was forfeit, except Dafydd’s life. Both she and
Cynan were in the hands of the English king and Wulfgar would be
killed.

The situation couldn’t get much worse.

Raulf left the ramparts and appeared minutes
later at the gatehouse where he welcomed King William into Cynan.
Inside the bailey, Evan and the other Welshmen were allowed to take
Dafydd and leave Cynan.

Evan bid her farewell, his voice filled with
hope. “Jenkin wouldn’t want us to leave you here. We’ll fight to
get you back, princess.”

She shook her head, knowing it was futile.
She couldn’t bear to see her men killed. “No, take Dafydd home.
King William won’t harm me. You must return to our people. Keep
them safe.”

“I’ll guard Dafydd with my life,” Evan
vowed.

And what would become of her? Would she ever
see her homeland again?

Hugging Dafydd tight, she bid him farewell
as a lump formed in her throat.

“I won’t leave you, Ariana. I won’t,” the
boy cried as Evan pulled him away. “Let me go. Ariana!”

She put her hands over her ears to muffle
the sound of his voice. It took supreme effort not to melt into a
puddle of tears. Evan picked the boy up and carried him to a horse.
The boy fought Evan and his shrill cries filled the air. She
watched him stoically and finally lifted a hand to bid him and her
men farewell.

Standing in the yard, the king turned his
back, ignoring the scene.

“Such a touching sight.” Edwin chuckled with
delight.

Ariana blinked tears from her eyes and wiped
her nose. Why had God abandoned her? She’d been so certain He would
stand beside her. She’d kept her faith. She didn’t fight for wealth
or position, but for the well being of her loved ones. Surely God
would justify her in this mission. Surely He would help her.

But He hadn’t. He’d forsaken her and she
felt almost hopeless. Almost. Until Wulfgar died, she hoped to sway
King William to change his mind.

Raulf and Wulfgar’s other knights were taken
prisoner. No doubt they also would be executed for supporting
Wulfgar’s cause. Yet they surrendered their weapons without a
fight.

“Why?” King William asked when Raulf handed
him his double-headed battle-ax.

Raulf met the king’s gaze without flinching.
“Wulfgar demanded that we honor our oath to you, sire. Never have
we betrayed you.”

Edwin snorted, but William frowned
thoughtfully.

“Get in there,” a guard ordered as he shoved
Wulfgar into a cell in the dungeon.

The same cell with the secret passage.

With his hands bound in front of him,
Wulfgar stepped into the dank room, ducking his head as he passed
through the threshold. Three guards surrounded him, brandishing
swords. One guard held a lighted torch. With Wulfgar inside, the
guards stepped out, slammed the iron door closed, and locked
it.

Darkness engulfed Wulfgar, with only the dim
light from the small window above to invade his dreary world.

He knew Raulf and his other knights had been
placed in another cell. The king had warned the guards to keep
Wulfgar separate from his men, so they wouldn’t plot an escape.

If the king only knew.

Lifting his head, Wulfgar peered through the
shadows, wondering what they’d done with Vachel. He stared at the
wall above, his gaze shifting to the smooth stone where the key to
the door was hidden. It’d be so simple to free his men and flee.
All he had to do was open the cell doors. Then, he could lift the
iron grille and go through the oubliette, swim through the moat,
and gain his freedom.

No. He would stay and face his king. Never
would he abandon Ariana to save his own life.

Strange how he’d fought so hard to gain his
freedom, to prove his innocence to his king and have his lands and
titles restored. And now, none of that seemed to matter. Not while
Ariana was in danger. His only desire was to see her returned to
her people. To know she was safe.

The king would wed her to one of his barons.
It was what Wulfgar would do if he were king.

His blood ran cold when he thought of
another man touching her. What if the king wed her to Edwin?

Wulfgar clenched his hands with fury. He’d
kill Carlinham if he laid one finger on Ariana. Any other man would
be preferable to Edwin.

Wulfgar hardened his jaw. Even locked in a
cell, he was still determined to find a way to convince the king of
his innocence. It was the only way to save Ariana.

The hollow sound of voices reached his ears
and the flicker of light permeated his cell as someone came down
the stairs.

“Open the door.”

The unmistakable rasp of King William’s
voice was followed by the clinking of the key as a guard inserted
it into the lock. The door groaned as the guard pushed it open and
King William stepped into the cell. Three guards followed him,
hanging lighted flares from iron rings in the walls.

“Leave us,” William ordered, fingering the
hilt of his sword.

Although Wulfgar’s hands were chained, he
was still dangerous. But the king was also a formidable master of
arms. The guards were used to obeying William and they left without
hesitation, closing the door behind them.

Wulfgar stood still while the king circled
him, looking him up and down. Finally, William faced him once more
and leaned near. “Why? Why did you return, Wulfgar?”

“You knew I would, sire. You also know my
reasons.”

William clenched his jaw. “I gave you life
instead of death. Why are you forcing me to kill you?”

Wulfgar met his gaze. “Life as a slave is
death.”

Blowing out a harsh breath, William moved to
the other side of the cell, just beneath the small window. His gaze
never wavered from Wulfgar, nor did he turn his back. “Do you know
how I’ve cared for you, Wulfgar? Do you know how much I loved your
father? He was one of my best friends and advisors. He gave his
life for my cause.”

A lump lodged in Wulfgar’s chest. “I loved
him, too.”

A hoarse laugh slipped from William’s
throat. “Then why have you betrayed his memory with treason?”

“I have never betrayed you.”

“How can I believe you? You were gathering
an army, Wulfgar. You met with Lord Huntingdon on numerous
occasions. He testified it was you who conspired with him. The
evidence was damming against you.”

“He lied.”

William’s tensed shoulders relaxed. “I gave
you a chance at life and you’ve returned. Imagine my surprise when
a half-starved Welshman came to Winchester and asked for gold in
return for telling me you’d returned. He saw you at Lake Elan with
the princess. I could hardly believe it. Yet, it was true. I find
you here at Cynan, gathering another army to come against me.”

Wulfgar shook his head. “Nay, sire, I went
to Alnwick and met with Huntingdon at his request. He asked for my
aid against Malcolm Caennmore, to hold the Scottish border. That
was why I had gathered a large army, nothing more.”

“Hmm.” The king folded his arms and cupped
his chin with one beefy hand. “There are many things I don’t
understand, Wulfgar. You were convicted of treason, yet you
returned to English soil at peril of your life. You set about
helping Princess Ariana recover her brother and took your castle
back through cunning. Your men reported to me that you immediately
set about restoring order to Cynan, cleaning up the mess Carlinham
had made of the place. Your men are loyal to you. They love you.
That’s a sign of a good leader. The people of the town would
welcome you back. They gave your men all their silver to purchase
you at the slave auction, though I understand it wasn’t enough. All
of this makes me wonder. Are these the actions of a true
traitor?”

Wulfgar remained silent. It’d do no good to
plead his innocence again. The king must make up his own mind.

“You’re too powerful for me to ignore the
evidence against you,” the king continued.

The two men stared at each other for several
moments. Wulfgar held his breath, praying for a miracle. Ariana had
said God loved all His children and answered their prayers. Wulfgar
needed the Lord’s help now more than ever. He needed God to hear
his plea.

The king locked his jaw. “Guards!”

A clinking sounded and a guard opened the
door. William stepped out of the cell, then turned to look once
more at Wulfgar. “I’ll get to the bottom of this conspiracy once
and for all.”

And then he was gone.

* * *

After the king left him, Wulfgar slumped
against the stone wall, his mind filled with unease. There was
nothing left for him to do but wait.

And hope.

The king had left the lighted flares for him
and he was relieved. The darkness of his cell only added to the
gloominess weighting his heart.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs again.
Wulfgar came to his feet and stood in the center of the room,
waiting.

“You’re certain King William gave you the
order?” the guard named Robert asked.

“You dare question my word? I’m Lord of
Glyndwr. Open the door. Now.”

Edwin of Carlinham!

Wulfgar stepped back as Edwin entered with
four guards. Wulfgar’s gaze swept them all, noticing each man
brandished a heavy club. Wulfgar didn’t believe Carlinham had the
king’s permission to visit, but it didn’t matter now.

“What do you want?” Wulfgar asked in a
lethal tone.

“I want you dead,” Edwin sneered. “Chain
him.”

The guards swarmed Wulfgar. He fought them,
but his hands were bound and he did little damage as they hammered
him with their clubs. He soon found his hands pulled high above his
head, the chains looped over an iron hook set high in the stone
wall. His chest faced the wall, his back to Carlinham. Then the
guards left Carlinham alone with him and Wulfgar wrapped his hands
around his bindings, jerking at the chains.

Spitting blood, Wulfgar turned his face to
the side. The cold stone felt rough against his cheek. How he
wished he could look at Carlinham so he could spit in the man’s
face.