Ice Maiden (11 page)

The man’s death cry reached her ears, too
much for her gentle senses to accept, blessed darkness held the
only haven from her suffering.

* * * *

“Don’t leave her and keep her bound, I’ve no
time to waste chasing her about the countryside.”

Even through the haze in her mind Amy heard
the vicious orders and the woman’s muffled acceptance. Silently
groaning, Amy’s precarious existence came through sickly clear. No,
no one would have the courage to defy Humbolt to help her.

Fear didn’t diminish the dangerous presence
that moved closer. Using all the control in her possession Amy
forced her body not to respond to the icy fingers taking hold of
her chin. Hiding the fact she was conscious took over all her
facilities.

“When she wakes, clean her up. I abhor the
filth I see!”

“Yes my Lord.”

“Send for me the moment she wakes.”

The silence replacing his leave fell like a
shroud, allowing her the freedom to breathe. She resisted the urge
to pull her body up, fearing the remaining presence she sensed
would call him back. Tight as a bowstring she kept herself
still.

“He has gone back to the battle.”

Barely a whisper, Amy fought her indecision
to believe the compassion she heard in the small feminine
voice.

Her body gave an involuntary jerk to pull
away from the unexpected touch at the back of her head. As much as
she wanted to believe she could hide forever, cold honesty made
Amy’s eyes slowly open to see who pulled away the gag from her sore
lips.

Willow eyes all large and open in their lost
innocence, that held only the horrors rendered on such a young
girl, starred into her own.

“If we are lucky he will spend his energy on
the siege and seek his tent on returning.”

The hands righting her into a sitting
position held surprising strength for the thinness Amy couldn’t
help but notice. Sixteen or younger, not more than a child, but
even beneath the ragged garment hanging off her shoulders Amy’s
appraisal picked up the elfin like loveliness in the girl.

“They call me Wynon.”

“Amy.”

The girl’s laughter gentled the hardness in
her features, exposing the mischievous child that the girl had once
been.

“To call ye other than Lady Amelia would be a
sin, not even I could scoff away. Nay, for ye, I use your proper
title in honest regard.”

“Why?” Amy dearly wanted to know and keep the
girl called Wynon, now moving about the large tent, talking to
avoid facing where she’d come to be.

“I have many kin in your lands, they always
speak true praise of your kindness.”

Without thinking Amy’s eyes were too obvious
over her hope.

The sharp jerk of the girl’s head made her
lids lower in defeat--no, she’d not release her.

“He would kill me.”

Hearing the girl’s regret and fear made Amy
swallow her arguments. “I understand.”

“Will the other one come for ye?”

Taking a cautious look to see that she did
not mistake the hope in Wynon’s question. “Yes, Wynon, I pray he
will.”

“I saw your Lord. He is a fierce one, he
is.”

“Bern.” Speaking his name felt like a balm to
her fears. “When did you see him, Wynon?”

“The ambush two weeks back. I snuck out to
find my mother’s brother, but hid in the bushes when Humbolt and
his men came riding into the woods.”

Fascinated by the girl’s vivid retelling of
the men taking up their positions for the ambush while she hid in
their midst, Amy almost missed the revelation coming at her.

“They were no match for ye Lord or his fine
men, only the life of a squire nearly cost him his own. T’was glad
to hear he lived from his wound, made the almighty Lord Humbolt
reel in anger when he heard.”

“It wasn’t a boar…” Amy’s gaze came back from
her memory of that awful day. “He never told me about the
ambush.”

“He saved the boy’s life by stepping in and
taking the blade in his thigh.”

Amy closed her eyes over the tremor that
passed through her, knowing how close Bern came to nearly dying for
his heroic jester.

The sudden movement of the girl made Amy’s
knuckles tighten against the ropes binding her wrist. Biting her
lips Amy’s apprehension rose as Wynon raced out of the tent.
Concentrating pass the thunder of her heart Amy tried to hear what
caused the girl’s desertion.

Just as unexpectedly she reappeared. The
stark paleness in the shallow features beneath those large green
eyes made Amy moan.

“He is coming back. Your Lord is not waiting
for the siege to end. He comes to attack outside the castle!”

Amy tried to fight the wave of weakness the
thought of Humbolt brought to her. Bern must know she is gone!

“Lie back down, my lady, pretend to be
asleep!”

“If he touches me again--I can’t Wynon, he’ll
know.”

The girl stood as if torn by some great
decision before finally moving away from Amy.

Amy shook her head against the goblet of wine
Wynon poured. The small vile Wynon produced from her pocket held
Amy’s attention as the girl emptied it into the wine. When the girl
raised it to her lips Amy instinctively recoiled. Would the girl
poison her out of loyalty?

“Please, ‘tis a sleeping potion. I have used
it on him many times to avoid his attention during the long nights.
If ye cannot fake unconsciousness, then it would be best to truly
be such--he likes women to feel his cruelty--drink it!”

Amy’s stunned eyes dropped from Wynon’s
overly honest ones to the drink. Time for indecision ended, Amy
must trust this strange girl, the alternative became too horrible
to contemplate.

Nodding past her fear she let Wynon guide the
goblet to her lips until she drank it all. The drug, swift to act,
left Amy helpless as Wynon gently eased her back into the furs. “I
gave ye a strong dose, ye won’t come out of it for a least a
day--sleep my lady--he won’t touch ye, I swear.”

The gentle words guided her into the peaceful
darkness Amy gave herself over to.

“Dream of ye Lord and pray he comes in
time.”

Bern spurred his horse over to the next man.
With a regretful shake of his head Bern faced the dreaded answers.
“Damn him to hell!”

Humbolt escaped the attack, his carcass was
missing from the dead, deepening the lines of rage across Bern’s
face.

“Bern over here!”

Spinning about at Craig’s call from the next
hill Bern raced to join him. “‘Tis it him?”

“Nay Bern, the old man. He’s over there where
their camp used to be.”

Dismounting, Bern held his fierce rage intact
by a thread as he walked over to the body. With his foot he flipped
the old Captain over onto his back. “He deserved to die for
betraying her!”

“We found their tracks, he headed north.”

“Any survivors?”

“None that can tell us anything. Humbolt’s
land are west of here, why would he go North?”

After two days of battling Humbolt’s army,
since he first discovered her abduction, Bern didn’t like the
suspicion taking hold of him. “Barrington--the King’s nephew, he is
in the north.”

Craig couldn’t’ stand what he felt Bern was
contemplating. “Ye can’t go there man, it would be suicide.”

Did he have a life without her? Bern didn’t
need to hear what he felt in his heart. “Ready the men, Craig.”

“Damn it Bern, think what you are doing! That
bastard would like nothing better than to drive his blade through
your heart.”

“Aye, no more than my own wants to tear his
from that traitorous soul.”

“Let it go, Bern.”

He turned away from his friend. “We leave on
the hour.”

Craig called after him, but Bern took up his
mounts reins and walked away, needing solitude before their leave.
Each step he cursed the bastard that eluded his attack by leaving
his men to fight in his stead, while he ran away with Amy.

He thought of nothing else but her since
finding his men slain before her chamber. “I swear lass I will find
ye, so help me. I’ll come for ye.” His anguished vow went out
across the bloody battlefield. Bern’s body rocked under the fears
he held for her, his eyes squeezed shut against the pain he
realized she would suffer before he reached her. If he failed her
Bern knew he’d not survive, not when he felt every ounce of her
fear in every breath he drew. “I will kill him.”

* * * *

“You fool! Do you realize what you have
brought to my door? Do you?” Barrington walked around Humbolt and
wondered how much trouble he would get into if he killed him. “Bern
Randall, you are mad to think he won’t be on your heals.”

“Cousin…”

Richard held up his hand and stopped any
further pleading. “No, I will not fight your battle and certainly
not one over a woman. Bern’s woman! I have half a mind to toss your
ass out of the keep!”

“You cannot do that, Richard.”

“Can’t I? Better, I will let him take you off
my hands. I’ve always coveted your lands--cousin.”

For the first time Peter actual felt a shiver
race up his spine. His cousin looked enraged with him. He never saw
Richard turn away from a fight, but then this was Bern. “I will
leave at dawn.”

“Why not now, he will probably be here at
dawn. Then I will have to lie for you, maybe fight for you and I do
not like you enough to die for you. Peter, did you bother to think
this through? They announced their vows over a month ago, my
father’s council attended their engagement party. You have stolen
the man’s bride.”

“They are not married.”

“That is a minor detail and you know it.”

“I can wed her before…”

“Before raping her? Is that your best plan,
Peter? Because right now even I will have to prevent you from doing
either.” Richard walked up and stood in the man’s face, “And so
help me, if you have harmed that woman in any way, I will see your
head on a post to greet Bern Randall.”

“I thought you hated that man.”

“Oh, I do, but when we meet in battle again,
and we will, it won’t be over his woman.”

Peter shut his mouth when Richard spun on him
again. “You better figure out a way to give her back and save my
reputation in the process. I will give you one hour to think it
through.” Richard stopped screaming at the man when his captain of
guards summoned him.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Randall’s troops are outside the gate.”

“What? Here, now?” When his man nodded,
Richard cursed them all. “Peter! Get your ass over here!” When the
man came within arm’s length Richard grabbed him by the collar.
“Guess who just arrived at MY gate?”

“How could he?”

“You tell me, he must have ridden them into
the ground to get here this fast and I bet he is foaming at the
mouth for a fight.”

“You can’t give me to him, you just can’t,
Richard.”

“Right now, I see no other answer for the
mess.”

Richard walked away and left the blubbering
idiot where he landed. “Guard him, he isn’t sneaking away from this
fight.”

* * * *

Amy paced with the confines of her room, even
though it was larger than her own she swore the walls were
swallowing her up. “What is going on?”

“Sometimes it is better not to have
answers.”

“In this case I think I need them, Wynon.”
Amy tried to smile at the girl who looked as nervous as she felt.
Cleaned up and in a pretty gown the girl glowed. “You look
beautiful, Wynon.”

The blush the young girl failed to hide made
Amy laugh for the first time. “It is true you know, now you are my
lady in waiting, so you will stay with me no matter what
happens.”

“I wish I could believe such a fantasy.”

Amy reached over and squeezed the girl’s thin
arm. “We will make it so.”

She didn’t have time to answer the question
in the girl’s eyes when the door crashed against the wall.

Richard Barrington, the king’s own son strode
into the room he declared as hers while in his care. Amy curtsied
before him.

Richard took the lady’s hand as she rose, he
could see why Peter would want her, but she belonged to only one
man. Oh yes, she informed him of that the moment she arrived,
pushed right pass Peter and just blurted it out and demanded
protection, that of course he granted.

Now Richard looked at the worry creasing her
brow and wonder how to save the mess brought to him. “It seems your
Laird has arrived at my gate.” He caught the checked smile she
almost gave into. “Yes, he is looking for a fight and I must say I
can’t blame him.”

“May I speak, sire?” Amy held her breath,
she, no, the whole castle probably heard him yelling at
Humbolt.

“By all means, Lady Morgan.”

“It seems to me that the only recourse is to
let me leave with him.”

“But dear Lady, the question still unanswered
is will he leave?”

“If I could speak with him, I am sure he will
leave. We do have our wedding waiting for us.”

“I am sorry this has spoiled your day, Lady
Morgan.”

“It was not you that set ruin upon my castle
and stole me out of my home.”

“True, but as you know Randall and I are not
on speaking terms.”

Amy couldn’t help but smile, “Aye, but I
am.”

Richard returned her smile and gave her a
formal bow feeling the best he had in days. “I will let you go to
him and do hope you can talk some sense into the man. You do know
that I cannot give him Peter, even though I would treasure the day
he stopped existing.”

“Mayhap, there is a war you could send the
man to fight.” She saw the man’s eyes light up, he out and hugged
her in his excitement.

“Please don’t think, Lady…”

“A spur of the moment lapse between
friends.”

He nodded, “Wonderful, I will send an escort
to you. I am sure Bern will be ecstatic to have you back before the
sun goes down. And you may tell him that Peter will be pounding the
sand of Jericho for the next couple years.”