While Angels Slept (33 page)

He was confused,
suspicious. “But they abducted you and killed two of my knights,” he said. “How
can you say they have not been cruel?”

Cantia’s
features paled; he could see it even in the moonlight. “Dear God,” she
breathed. “Val…?”

He shook his
head. “Val is alive,” he assured her. “I was referring to Dagan and Gavril. 
Val made it back to Rochester to tell us what happened. She is injured but she
will survive.”

Cantia breathed
a heavy sigh of relief. “Praise God,” she said sincerely. “I was so worried
about her. Dagan hit her very hard.”

Tevin’s brow furrowed.
“
Dagan
hit her?” he repeated. “What do you mean?”

Cantia’s
features hardened with anger and disgust. “Exactly that,” she said. “It was
Dagan who betrayed us, Tevin. He hit Val on the head and then killed his own
cousin so they could not interfere with his plans. It would seem that Charles
promised the knight my hand in marriage.  He was planning on taking me to the
nearest church to be married and then he was going to ransom Arabel to you in
exchange for Charles’ freedom. He had all manner of grand and terrible plans to
marry me and become a wealthy man, all thanks to Charles’ scheming.”

Tevin stared at
her. “What madness is this?” he could hardly believe what he was hearing. “You
are certain that is what Dagan told you?”

Cantia nodded. “He
threatened to hurt Hunt if I did not comply,” she said, thinking back on that
horrible moment in time. “Just as he was preparing to take us away, Gillywiss
and his people came out of the woods and put an arrow in him. Then they
spirited us away so, in a sense, they really saved us. You owe them much.”

Tevin was
furious, confused and overwhelmed by the entire story.  After a moment’s
hesitation, he turned to a couple of soldiers standing nearby and barked orders
for them to cease the raid. Those two men disbursed, calling out commands to
the group as a whole, and the entire force began to wind down their assault. 

Tevin watched
his men for a moment to make sure they were obeying before returning his
attention to Cantia.

“Who is
Gillywiss?” he asked. “Is he the leader?”

Cantia nodded.
“These people are all homeless, as you can see,” she gestured to the up-ended
camp. “Some are outlaws, but some have simply been displaced. They live here
because they have nowhere else to go and they were indeed following us with the
intention of robbing us as we rode south to Darland.  When Dagan attacked, they
killed him and took Hunt, Arabel and I back to their settlement.  Even if they
are thieves, they saved us that day. They truly did.”

Tevin was
astonished. He stared at Cantia for several long moments, digesting her story,
before feeling the familiar fury again. Only this time, it was at Charles.

“Penden,” he
growled. “Damn him… I can only imagine what tales he fed Sutton.  But I simply
cannot believe the man was fool enough to believe him.”

Cantia sighed
faintly, squeezing his hand. “He can be rather persuasive,” she said quietly.
“Who knows why men do what they do? Perhaps Dagan saw an easy way to riches.
Charles has a great deal of personal wealth as the Steward of Rochester.  He must
have promised Dagan a great deal.”

Tevin shook his
head, frustrated. “Sutton and de Reigate were bachelor knights when they came
to me, but they had served the Earl of Essex for some time prior and the man
gave them a strong recommendation.” His thoughts lingered on the rogue knight a
moment.  “It would seem that Charles Penden and I have much to discuss upon my
return to Rochester.  In fact, it makes me wonder who else the man has poisoned
with his lies. I do not want to spend my time at Rochester looking over my
shoulder or worrying over your safety.”

Cantia watched
him carefully. “What do you intend to do?”

Tevin merely
lifted an eyebrow but he would not look at her. His gaze moved out over the
compound, now settling into a brittle and harsh state of existence now that his
men had backed off from their raid.

“I would speak
with de Lohr and see what his thoughts are on the matter,” he replied. “He
knows Penden as well as anyone.  I will speak with Myles and make my decision.”

Cantia wasn’t
sure what more she could say.  She was afraid of what Charles was capable, too,
so she wrapped her arms around Tevin’s waist and hugged him tightly.  Tevin
swallowed her up in his big arms, his face buried in the top of her head as he
relished the feel of her.  She was safe, and alive, and he was deeply thankful,
but the information regarding Charles and Dagan had him gravely concerned.

His thoughts
were still lingering on Penden when Cantia lifted her head and caught sight of
Arabel upon her father’s charger.  She smiled thankfully at the young woman,
who smiled timidly in return, and then glanced around as if looking for
something more. It didn’t take a great intellect to figure out what she was
searching for.

“Where is Hunt?”
she asked.

Tevin passed a
glance at his daughter before replying. “My men are looking for him,” he said
evenly. “In fact, Myles is searching for him personally. We will find him.”

Cantia’s brow
furrowed. “But I left him with Arabel,” she said, looking to the young woman.
“He was with you, was he not?”

Arabel’s
features fell, feeling some panic and sorrow, but Tevin spoke before she could
spill her fears and terrify Cantia with tales of her missing son.

“Hunt apparently
decided to leave and go find help,” he told her as carefully as he could.  “He
cannot have gone far.  I have dozens of men searching for him right now, so do
not worry overly. We will find him.”

Cantia was
confused, now with a creeping sense of fear. “
Leave
to find help?” she
repeated. “But why would he do that? He would not even know where to go.”

Tevin could feel
her panic. He sought to soothe her before she could veer out of control.

“Sweetheart,
perhaps he got scared and ran off,” he said, not wanting to incriminate his
daughter as having a hand in Hunt’s departure. “He is a young boy and young
boys often do unpredictable things. What matters now is that I have many men
searching for him and we will find him. I do not want you to worry.”

Cantia would not
be soothed. She looked up at Arabel. “Where did he go?” she wanted to know. “Did
he say anything to you?”

Arabel was
tongue-tied, looking to her father for help.  Tevin opened his mouth to answer
for her when the thunder of chargers caught their attention. De Lohr was riding
towards them at break neck speed, pulling his excited charger to a halt several
feet from Tevin’s horse, who began to get excited as well.  Arabel shrieked as
the horse danced and Tevin ably calmed the excitable beast.

“What goes on,
Myles?” Tevin demanded. “Where is Hunt?”

Myles was edgy. 
He yanked off his helm in a frustrated gesture, propping it on the saddle in
front of him.

“We are
expanding the search,” he said, seeing Cantia and nodding his head in her
direction. “My lady, it is good to see you safe and whole”

Cantia ignored
the greeting. “Where is my son?”

Myles sighed
heavily, hesitance in his manner.  “I do not know… yet,” he said, trying not to
sound too discouraged. “But rest assured, Lady Penden, that I will find him.”

Cantia had tears
pooling in her eyes by the time he was finished, realizing that her son was
still missing and no one seemed to know where he was.  Tevin could see how
frightened she was and he rubbed her back soothingly, trying to ease her as the
search went on for her son.  Upon the saddle, Arabel watched Cantia and tried
not to feel too guilty.  She was verging on tears as well.

Myles wiped the
sweat off his brow and plopped his helm on again, turning his charger towards
the south with the intention of resuming his search when a shout filled the
air.  It was very loud, causing them all to look towards the source.  Out of
the darkness of the trees to the east came several figures, one of them
carrying a squirming little boy.  Cantia gasped when she realized it was Hunt
in the arms of Gillywiss. 

With a cry of
joy, she broke free from Tevin and started to run towards her son, but that joy
turned to horror when she realized that Gillywiss had a dirk pressed up against
Hunt’s pale little neck.  She came to a halt, her eyes wide.

“What are you
doing?” she asked as calmly as she could. “Why do you hold my son?”

Cantia could
hear broadswords unsheathing around her and she held out a quelling hand to
Tevin and Myles, silently asking them to be still.  She kept her focus on
Gillywiss, whose eyes had that familiar wild look about them.  She didn’t like
it in the least.

“I was rushing
to see what the trouble was and what do you think I found?”  Gillywiss was
being rather grandiose, like he had been the night they had been brought into
the camp and he had made a big show for his people. “Someone had caught this
little boy trying to escape from camp.  But, it seems that an escaping prisoner
was the least of my worries.”

Cantia sighed
heavily, trying not to look at her son as he struggled against Gillywiss’ grip.
She knew what the man meant without even asking.

“Please,” she
begged softly. “You must understand they did not know what they would find when
they came here.  For all they knew, we were being held in horrible conditions,
or worse.  They did not know that you have not been cruel to us, but I have
explained the situation and they will withdraw, I swear.”

Gillywiss’s
wild-eyed expression faded into a countenance that Cantia had never seen
before; it was hard and deadly. His gaze moved to the men behind Cantia,
hardened warriors in expensive armor and with expensive weapons. He fixed on
Tevin, standing slightly behind Cantia, and assumed it was the viscount because
he was standing so close to her.  His attention drifted over the enormous
warrior with the long hair.

“You are
Winterton,” he said, a statement and not a question.

Tevin was fixed
on the man. “I am the Earl of East Anglia,” he said in his deep, authoritative
voice. “If what the lady has told me is true, I owe you my thanks.  But that
mercy shall be at an end if you do not let the boy go immediately.  Release him
to his mother and I shall have no quarrel with you.”

Cantia was
watching her son squirm when Tevin’s words registered with her.
I am the
Earl of East Anglia
. Confused, she turned to the man questioningly, but his
dark eyes were riveted to Gillywiss.

“The earl?” he
repeated. “You are not Winterton?”

“I was. That
status has changed.”

 Gillywiss
thought on that a moment, as did Cantia.  Gillywiss seemed to be considering it
while Cantia’s sense of confusion only grew.

“So you are authority
personified,” Gillywiss said.

“I am.”

“I have never
met an earl before.”

“Now you have.”

“Then if that is
the truth and you want this boy returned, you will have to make some
concessions, Lord Earl.”

Tevin’s hard
expression didn’t waiver. “I do not negotiate with outlaws,” he said. “Return
the boy or we’ll burn this place to the ground.”

“If you do, the
boy will not survive.”

“If you kill
him, you will not survive, either.”

“Wait!” Cantia
threw up her arms, putting herself between Tevin and Gillywiss so they would
stop threatening each other. She turned to Gillywiss with pain in her
expression.

“Please give me
my son,” she begged softly. “Nothing more will happen to you or your people, I
swear. But if you must have a hostage, then I would rather you take me and let my
son go.”

Gillywiss wasn’t
finished posturing with Tevin yet but he forced himself to look at Cantia’s
frightened face.  The inherent compassion that the man kept so closely guarded
began to flicker, seeping through the cracks of his composure. Cantia somehow
had that ability over him, as she’d already proven.

“You are a lady
of great sacrifices,” he said after a moment.  “What has he ever done for you?”

Cantia knew he
meant Tevin. She sighed again, faintly, averting her gaze after a moment. “He
gave me the will to live again,” she murmured, daring to look at the dark-eyed
outlaw. “I tried to kill myself after the death of my husband.  No matter what
you may think of him, know he has given me my life back and for that, I am
grateful.  I am sorry that he raided your settlement, but you know why he did
it. He was looking for me. Now, please give me my son so we can return home. I
would consider it a personal favor.”

Gillywiss’ eyes
glittered at her.  Then, without another word, he released Hunt, who went
running to his mother.  Cantia threw her arms around the boy and picked him up,
cradling him.  She couldn’t help the tears in her eyes as she focused on
Gillywiss.

“Thank you,” she
whispered. “Your mercy is appreciated.”

Gillywiss
watched the mother and son cuddle, acutely aware of what else was going on
around him as Myles silently ordered the men to mount and retreat.  The earl’s
soldiers were clearing out. Tevin went over to Cantia and Hunt, putting an
enormous hand on Hunt’s back and peering at the child to make sure he was well.
Seeing that the boy was unharmed, merely shaken, he looked at Gillywiss.

“I will again
thank you for your service in saving the lady, her son, and my daughter,” he
said. “If ever you have need of something in the future, do not hesitate to
send word to me.  I consider myself indebted to you.”

Gillywiss eyed
the very big earl. He was a handsome devil with his piercing eyes and long
hair, and even though he’d only been confronted with the man for a few minutes,
he could already see the genuine emotion between him and the lady.  It was hard
to miss.  He scratched his head, his focus moving between Cantia and her son,
and Tevin.