Midnight Shadow (35 page)

Kenric dashed into the Great Hall, and she sped after him. He was halfway through the empty hall when she reached the doorway. “You won’t make it out of here alive,” she called, making no attempt to disguise her voice.

Kenric halted and whirled.

She approached him purposefully. “Even if you do, where will you go? Word will spread of your betrayal, and you will not be trusted anywhere.”

“Take off your mask,” he commanded.

She shook her head. “Your reign of fear is over,” she proclaimed. “You’ve given your last command.” Bria halted an arm’s reach away from him.

“I would have been lord here,” he said, “if it weren’t for you.”

“No,” Bria said. “Evil never triumphs. Terran would have defeated you with or without my help.”

A crooked smile crossed his lips and he raised his weapon, attacking with a ferocity and strength Bria was hard put to fend off. She had a moment’s triumph as he grimaced under her defense. He hadn’t known how good she was.

They crossed swords and Kenric grabbed her wrist.

“I know who you are,” he chortled. “No one addresses Lord Knowles as Terran except his wife.”

Bria struggled to push off, but he held her firm.

“Remove your mask so when I put my sword through you, I can see your face.”

“I’ll remove my mask when you are banished from here and there is no more need for my services,” Bria grit out.

Kenric shoved her back roughly and hooked his foot beneath her ankle. She stumbled back and fell to the floor hard. Kenric arced his sword down toward her head. Bria quickly rolled out of the way, but the tip of his blade sank into her cloak, trapping her.

Bria moved to raise her sword, but Kenric stepped on her wrist, pinning her hand to the ground.

Kenric loomed above her, a foot on either side of her body. He bent down to her, his booted foot digging into her wrist. Agony shot up her arm. “Let’s see how much of a woman you really are.” He ran a hand over her chest, grabbing at her breasts.

Bria backhanded him with her free arm.

His head rocked back from her blow, but when he recovered, anger burned in his black eyes. He grabbed her neck. “Bound your breasts to look more like a man. Ingenious.” He squeezed tightly. “But you will die anyway.”

Kenric’s hand tightened around her throat and she struggled for a breath, gasping for any air she could get into her lungs. She refused to give in to him. The Midnight Shadow would not be defeated so easily. She brought her knees up behind him, pushing him forward. He tumbled over her head, releasing her. Bria tore her cloak free from Kenric’s blade and climbed to her feet, whirling on him.

He lurched forward, reaching for his blade. His hand closed around the hilt just as Bria put the tip of her sword to his neck.

Kenric straightened slowly.

Triumph crested in Bria as she pushed the tip of her blade against Kenric’s throat, forcing his chin higher. “You will never be lord here,” the Midnight Shadow announced.

“Don’t be so sure,” Kenric said. “As soon as my men defeat the pathetic few knights who remain loyal to your husband, I will be lord of this castle.”

“They may defeat Terran’s brave men, but they will not defeat the army my father has brought with him today,” Bria assured him.

Bria saw the uncertainty flash across Kenric’s eyes. He didn’t know whether to believe her or not, but his gaze still darted about as though he were an animal that knew it was trapped. An animal that suddenly became even more dangerous.

Suddenly, Terran skidded into the room. “Bria!”

Bria turned at the sound of his voice.

Without warning, Kenric lashed out, shoving her blade away from his neck and plowing a fist into her stomach. Bria doubled over, gasping for breath as pain exploded across her abdomen. Kenric locked one arm around her neck, holding her sword arm at bay.

Terran lurched forward, but came to an abrupt halt as Kenric tightened his grip on her throat. “Let her go,” Terran commanded. “Your battle is with me.”

“If only it were that easy,” Kenric said.

“She means nothing to you!” Terran cried out.

“But she means the world to you -- your one weakness. How ironic that your weakness is the enemy you sought so diligently to destroy.” Kenric cackled darkly.

“You can have the damned castle, just let her go,” Terran said.

“No!” Bria gasped, struggling. She still held her sword, but Kenric’s hard grip kept it dangling uselessly at her side.

“How generous to offer it to me,” Kenric sneered, “now that Delaney and his men have come.”

“Terran,” Bria began, but Kenric tightened his grip on her throat, cutting off her cry. He tried to pry her fingers free of her weapon, but Bria wouldn’t release it. Kenric’s chokehold intensified. Black dots swam before Bria’s eyes. The next thing she knew, Kenric had her sword.

As her vision cleared, she heard Terran say stoically, “Bria was right. You were the one overtaxing my people, starving them, stealing their gold -- and mine.”

“Had you taken more interest in your people, it wouldn’t have been so easy. But you were too interested in fighting in your beloved tournaments and impressing Odella.”

“But why kill her? She was an innocent.”

“She’d stumbled onto my plan. She’d gone over the ledgers and questioned the people, things you were too lazy to do. I couldn’t let her warn you.”

Terran’s gaze locked with Bria’s. Panic simmered just below the resolve in his eyes. For the first time, his eyes actually looked warmly brown, instead of black. Bria had to free herself and, in doing so, free Terran to right his wrongs.

“What do you want?” Terran demanded.

“Your life, cousin,” Kenric said gleefully. “Only then can I claim this castle as mine.”

“Release her.”

“I think not. This is, after all, your hated enemy.” A smile crossed his lips as he pushed the sword tighter against Bria’s throat. He looked at Terran. “There is very soft skin beneath this hood, as I think you know. Let’s find out how soft, shall we?”

“Noooo!” Terran yelled.

Bria lifted her elbow and rammed it into Kenric’s stomach.

Kenric lost his grip on her neck and she leaped forward, out of the way of his swing. She scrambled on all fours toward the door, glancing back over her shoulder to see Kenric looming over her with his weapon raised to strike her down.

Bria closed her eyes tightly, willing her hands and knees to move faster, but knowing she couldn’t outrun him. She waited for the stinging bite of his steel.

Instead, she heard the clang of metal against metal and opened her eyes, looking back over her shoulder. Inches from her, two swords were crossed, one intent on killing her, one determined to save her life. Terran stood protectively above her, his eyes glaring into Kenric’s.

His teeth clenched as he moved Kenric’s sword with the sheer strength of his forearm, his muscles bunched beneath his tunic. Kenric planted his feet, trying to force the weapons down. But in the end, Terran was stronger. He flung Kenric’s weapon up. Bria quickly rose and moved out of the way as Terran forced Kenric’s blade away from her.

Kenric stumbled back, but righted himself in time to block Terran’s swing. He stepped forward and shoved Terran back, pursuing with a flurry of hacking attacks.

Terran blocked his attack, each stroke of Kenric’s expertly deflected.

Bria bent to retrieve Kenric’s weapon, holding it tightly in her fist. She wanted to help, but she knew Terran had to defeat this foe by himself.

The two men crossed swords and Terran grabbed Kenric’s arm. “You will die for your treachery,” Terran promised.

Kenric tried to pull free, but Terran wouldn’t let him go. Kenric lunged forward and bit Terran’s fingers. Terran grimaced and released his grip on Kenric’s wrist, pulling his fingers from Kenric’s mouth.

Kenric immediately slashed at Terran, catching his tunic front.

Terran looked down at his tunic to see a clean cut right in the middle of his chest. When he lifted his eyes back to Kenric, they were narrowed and deadly. He moved forward, lunging after Kenric. When Kenric put up his sword to block one of Terran’s swings, Terran caught Kenric’s blade. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the sword flying through the air. As it clanged to the ground amidst the rushes, Terran stepped forward and put the tip of his sword to Kenric’s neck. They stared at each other for a long moment, Terran’s jaw tight with emotion.

Suddenly, Kenric dropped to his knees. “I yield,” he whispered.

“This is not a tournament,” Terran growled. “You have betrayed me. Die now, or die later.”

“Please,” Kenric whimpered. “Spare my life. Have mercy. I don’t want to die.”

Terran stared down at him, his lips twisting in contempt. Then he raised his gaze to Bria.

They locked eyes. Bria thought she saw the tension and the anger fade from Terran as they gazed at each other. His eyes softened.

“Then it shall be the dungeon,” he sentenced.

Kenric didn’t move. Reaching down, Terran pulled him to his feet and dragged him out of the Great Hall toward the dungeon. Bria followed.

They passed the first guard’s post and then the second, both empty. She waited while Terran proceeded down the dark hallway and opened the door to the same cell that had imprisoned Mary. He shoved Kenric forward, then slammed the door shut behind his cousin, throwing the lock into place. He returned to the lighted section of the guard’s post.

Behind them, Kenric pounded on the cell door, pleading for mercy.

“This place reeks of the doomed,” Terran muttered. “Let’s get out of here.”

When they had ascended back into the Great Hall, Terran lifted his gaze to Bria. “Is your friend well?”

Bria nodded. “Mary is fine. A bit scared, but I think she will recover.”

Terran nodded. “Can you forgive me? I should have listened to you from the beginning.”

A smile crossed Bria’s lips. She raised her hands to slide the cloak from her hair and untie the mask. “Yes,” she admitted as the mask slid from her face. “You should have. But you’re a stubborn lout at times.”

Terran nodded. “That I am. But I promise to change.” He stepped closer to her. “If...”

“If?” She turned her head up to see the perfect smile easing across his lips.

“If the Midnight Shadow returns to whence she came.”

“The Midnight Shadow will always be near. She is the defender of the people, Lord Knowles, the righter of wrongs, the guardian of the innocent. She is –”

“I don’t care who she is, as long as she isn’t my wife.” He cupped her chin. “You’ll have more important things to do, like bear me an army of knights.”

Bria’s eyebrows rose in disbelief. “An army, you say?”

“At least,” he whispered against her lips before claiming them in a passionate kiss. When he pulled away, he looked deep into her eyes and said solemnly, “No one knows the identity of the Midnight Shadow. Let him return to legend.”

Bria nodded her head.

Terran swept her into a tight embrace, kissing her with all the gratitude and love in his heart.

The Midnight Shadow’s cape tumbled from Bria’s shoulders to pool on the ground.

Epilogue

Five years later

“...and he brandished his sword above his head, declaring, ‘Tyranny will not be tolerated! All people will be treated fairly!’ With that, the Midnight Shadow whirled away on his horse and disappeared over the horizon.”

The small boy lifted his head to Harry. “The Midnight Shadow beat the evil lord?” he asked, a strand of dark hair falling into his bright blue eyes.

“He most certainly did.” Harry squeezed the boy in a tight hug, kissing the top of his head.

Bria exchanged a smile with Mary, who knelt on the floor and picked up the boy’s toys, placing them into a chest. Her friend had come to live with them after her rescue by the Midnight Shadows and had quickly become part of the family, helping her keep an eye on her adventurous son. Bria sighed. It seemed just yesterday her grandfather had first told her of the wondrous deeds of the Midnight Shadow.

Strong arms wrapped around Bria from behind as a gentle but possessive kiss pressed against her neck. She turned to see Terran’s strong profile.

“We really should set history straight on this
evil lord,
” Terran murmured.

Bria chuckled as she turned to embrace her husband. “Surely m’lord does not take such tales seriously?” she teased.

Terran didn’t smile. “Someday my son will discover the Midnight Shadow rode in his lands. I don’t want him to think I was the evil lord.”

“But you were. A tyrannical, unjust lord,” Bria said with a wry smile.

Terran pulled her closer. “Neither tyrannical nor unjust. Just unaware. It took the threat of the Midnight Shadow for me to take an interest in my people and my lands.” He pressed his lips against hers. “And thank the Lord she did.”