Hallam didn’t seem at all surprised to hear that. “What will you do?”
Caius shook his head. “I do not know yet,” he said. “Let us get through the conversation with her brother first. I am very curious to speak with the man, so pull your men back and let us begin this.”
Hallam nodded, spurring his horse towards the keep and shouting at the men who were there. Startled, they looked up at him, a few of them heading towards his horse. As Caius watched, he could see that there was a lively conversation going on, with Hallam pointing towards the keep and then waving his hand as if to wave it away.
“What is happening?”
Caius turned to see that Maxton had ridden up next to him. “Chadlington is clearing his men away from the keep so we can speak with the lady’s brother,” he said. “I suspect the man will not so much as open a window if he knows Winterhold troops are still around.”
Maxton nodded. Then, he looked around the place, shaking his head at the destruction. “What a mess,” he said. “If de Wrenville hoped to use Hawkstone as a garrison, he has all but ruined it. It will take a great deal to make this place habitable again. And all those dead? Christ…”
Caius shook his head, echoing Maxton’s revulsion. “That was completely unnecessary,” he said. “That kind of destruction speaks of de Wrenville’s unreasonableness. The man’s quest for destruction is something you’d see in a blood feud.”
Maxton grunted. “I am coming to think that de Wrenville has a touch of madness,” he said. “And I do mean that in all seriousness. He wants what he wants and believes his actions should have no consequences, not to mention the fact that he is truly at a loss when support is refused. Watching him speak with Edward was an experience that brought about those revelations. He truly believes he is beyond all reproach.”
Caius looked at Maxton. The man had seen much in his life, more than most men would see in a few lifetimes. He was wise beyond measure, but he also had little patience and even less tact when it came to stupidity.
“Then tell me what you think of all of this,” he said quietly. “And you should also know that the lady is not returning to Winterhold. She cannot remain here, clearly, but she is not going back.”
Maxton nodded. “I assumed as much,” he said. “Where will you send her?”
Caius shrugged. “I do not know,” he said. “Would you be willing to send her to your home? De Wrenville would never think to look for her at Chalford Hill.”
Surprisingly, Maxton didn’t deny him right away. “My wife would make her welcome, of course,” he said. “But you know if I send her to my home, Andressa will have something to say about what is to be done with her. My wife gets attached to everyone in her care, a trait that makes her a wonderful mother, but also a trait that can interfere if decisions are made about Lady Emelisse. My wife may hide her from us if we decide to send Lady Emelisse somewhere that she does not approve of, and she cannot remain at Chalford Hill forever.”
Caius grinned. “I’ve not yet met your wife but I look forward to the day,” he said. “Only a remarkable woman could have tamed the mighty Maxton of Loxbeare. But you do have a point. There needs to be more of a plan with Lady Emelisse than to simply send her away.”
“Have you spoken to her?”
Caius nodded. “A little,” he said. “She wants to hide out at Hawk Mountain until de Wrenville stops looking for her.”
“Hawk Mountain?”
Caius gestured to the big mountain behind the castle. “That is Hawk Mountain,” he said. “A magical and mystical place, I am told.”
Maxton eyed the white-capped mountain. “And no place for a lady,” he said. Then, something over by the keep caught his attention. “Look, Cai. The men are moving away from the keep. It is time.”
Caius watched Hallam as he shepherded his men away from the keep. “Max, do something for me,” he said. “Get an understanding of just how many Winterhold men are here and where they are positioned. I also want to know if there are any Hawkstone men remaining other than those in the keep.”
Maxton nodded sharply. “Of course.”
He was off, calling to Kevin for assistance. As he moved away, young William charged up beside Caius on that horse that was far too much for him. In fact, Caius had to rein his warhorse away from the excitable beast as William wrestled with it and tried to make it look like he wasn’t.
“Can I help, my lord?” William asked, grunting as the horse threw his head. “Is there something I can do?”
Caius eyed him as he fought with the steed. “Aye,” he said. “You can not get yourself killed while your father is taking his army home. I have no idea how I could explain to him that you fought a horse and the horse won.”
William grinned, slapping the horse affectionately on the side of the neck. “We are the best of friends, my lord,” he said. “This is how he shows his love for me.”
“By trying to throw you?”
William laughed. “If you have not met my horse yet, his name is Odin.”
Caius snorted. “It figures that you would name it after a wild Northman god,” he said. “Where did you come by him? I’m surprised your father would buy you such a powerful horse.”
William looked at him seriously. “My father did not buy him for me,” he said. “I won him in a dice game from one of the knights at Kenilworth. Now, can I do anything for you, my lord? Do you require anything?”
Caius just started chuckling at the big, bold squire who was so capable with his gambling games. No wonder the master knights of Kenilworth had sent him home for his father to discipline him, which was obviously not going to happen. To Edward, William could do no wrong.
Caius wondered what kind of knight William was going to grow up to be. It made for interesting speculation. He was either going to fail miserably or be the greatest knight England had yet to see. With that kind of brilliance and ingenuity, Caius suspected it might be the latter.
Time would tell.
“I do not know yet,” he said after a moment. “Stay with me and keep that horse under control.”
“Aye, my lord.”
“If you fall off and break your neck, I am going to kick dirt over you and leave you where you fell. Do you understand?”
“Aye, my lord.”
Together, they charged over to where Emelisse was patiently waiting, sitting on the small gray palfrey Lady de Wrenville had loaned her. Morgan was beside her, protecting her from any Winterhold men who might have a notion to try to harass her. As Caius rode up, he motioned to her.
“Come, my lady,” he said. “Let us speak with your brother.”
Eagerly, she followed. Caius led the way, with Morgan and William bringing up the rear. The Winterhold men were being forced to the gatehouse, leaving the entire keep free and clear from anyone at all. Caius reined his horse to a halt, dismounting as he gazed up at the very large keep. It could easily hold fifty men or more and given the state of the castle as a whole, it was relatively undamaged. But he took his focus off the keep and went to Emelisse, reaching up to help her dismount her horse.
The moment he touched her, something occurred to him.
It was the first time he’d felt her warmth.
Suddenly, the keep wasn’t as interesting as the lady he was lowering to the ground.
“What can you tell me about the keep, my lady?” he said, his big hands still on her arms as she got her footing. “Is that door the only entrance?”
Emelisse was concerned with picking the bottom of the too-long dress up out of the mud. “Aye,” she said. “There used to be a staircase, but my brother must have burned it when Winterhold breached the castle.”
Caius tore his gaze from her, looking at the piles of snow beneath the keep and seeing pieces of burned wood.
“I can see it,” he said. Then, he returned his attention to her. “Tell me about the keep. Where would your brother be right now?”
She shook her head faintly. Then, she gently pulled herself from his grip, g
athered up her skirts, and began to move towards the keep.
“I do not know,” she said. “But I am going to find out.”
Caius, Morgan, and William followed her as she marched up to the keep, right underneath the door.
“Caspian?” she called up. “Caspian, are you there? Please answer me!”
She was met by silence, but it didn’t deter her. She began to walk along the keep, where there were windows, and shouted up to them.
“Caspian!” she called. “Please answer me!”
Caius, Morgan, and William followed her all the way around the keep as she continued shouting up to it, calling for her brother. They ended up back at the entry door and she stood there, begging her brother to respond. She even took to throwing rocks at the closed entry door. William thought it might be a good idea, too, so he picked up a bigger rock and hurled it at the door, creating a loud thump. Between him and the lady throwing rocks, it was inevitable that there was an eventual answer.
There was a window next to the door, shuttered tightly, and the shutters suddenly began to move. Emelisse rushed up, standing directly beneath the window.
“Caspian?” she called eagerly. “Please open the window. It is me! I have returned with help!”
The shutters had been nailed shut because she could see someone trying to pry them apart. The four of them stood beneath the window, watching and waiting, until one of the shutters was finally pulled free and a grizzled, old head appeared.
Emelisse gasped.
“Harcourt!” she said. “You survived!”
The very old soldier seemed glad to see her. “I did, m’lady,” he said. “And you are well, also. Praise the saints. We were certain you had been taken away to your death.”
Emelisse shook her head. “Nay,” she said. Then, she sobered greatly. “But Papa did not survive. He is with God now. Where is Caspian? I must speak with him right away.”
The old soldier sighed heavily. “If you think to ask him to surrender the keep, he won’t. You should not waste your breath.”
“I did not come to ask him that,” she said. “I told you I have brought help with me. This is Sir Caius d’Avignon and he serves William Marshal. Harcourt, where is my brother?”
The old man eyed Caius before looking to Emelisse to see if she was being forced to say such things. He seemed confused, but finally, he shook his head.
“He has gone to be with your papa,” he said as gently as he could. “Your brother died from an arrow wound last night, but he told us that we aren’t to surrender the keep under any circumstances. We are to die here.”
Emelisse stared at him, her hands flying to her mouth to hold back the sobs that were struggling to burst forth. “Nay,” she breathed. “Not Caspian… God, please…”
That was as far as she could get before tears overwhelmed her and she hung her head, silently sobbing. Caius looked at her with concern, with sorrow, before stepping forward to take charge of the conversation.
“As the lady has explained, I serve William Marshal,” he said. “I am not siding with Winterhold, nor am I siding with Hawkstone, but I am here to see that the hostilities cease until this situation can be settled. Where is the lady’s brother?”
“In here, with us,” the old man said. “He did not die alone. We made sure he was comfortable. He feared greatly for the lady and their father, and we tried to be of some comfort.”
“Please,” Emelisse whispered hoarsely. “I must see him. Please let me see him.”
Caius heard her heartbreaking plea. He turned to the old soldier again.
“Please open the door,” he said. “I am not asking you to surrender the keep, but the lady has a right to see her brother.”
The old man hesitated a moment before nodding wearily. “And you’ll keep those Winterhold bastards away?”
“I will.” Caius leaned in Morgan’s direction and muttered. “Once Hallam has the Winterhold men out of the bailey, put our escort at the gatehouse to block them from entering again. And find Maxton; I want him on the gate, also. Keep them out while we are conducting our business.”
Morgan nodded and rushed off. Meanwhile, the old man had disappeared and Caius went to Emelisse, who was standing there with her head down, trying desperately not to collapse. First her father, now her brother… Caius could only imagine what she was feeling. Gently, he reached out and took her by the elbow.
“Come, my lady,” he said softly. “Let us see your brother.”
Emelisse nodded and looked up at him, trying very hard to be brave. He’d called her brave, once, and somehow, she didn’t want to disappoint him. She would be brave. But the moment she looked into his sympathetic face, a man she was coming to view as her savior, her features crumpled and she ended up burying her face against his chest.
Shocked, Caius wasn’t sure what to do. With Morgan gone and William now beneath the keep door as those inside labored to open it, he was virtually alone with Emelisse. The woman was seeking comfort, perhaps from him personally because she felt safe with him. He gave her a sense of security, of hope, things she desperately needed at the moment.
It wasn’t as if she had anyone else to turn to.
Throwing caution to the wind, Caius put his arms around her and held her tightly in one of the better moments of his life. She was so sweet and soft and warm.
His heart began to race, just a little.
“Be brave just a while longer, please,” he murmured into the top of her head. “Caspian is waiting.”
She was pressed up against him, burrowing deep as her body shook with sobs. But his soothing words had her pulling away, taking deep breaths to force away the tears. She wiped furiously at her wet face.
“Of course,” she said. “Forgive me. I mustn’t keep him waiting.”
Caius was sorry she’d pulled away, but he was glad at the same time. He’d very much liked the feeling of her in his arms, but he also did not want anyone to think he was sympathetic towards her, considering that he was trying to maintain a mostly neutral position in all of this.
But that was a lie.
He wasn’t neutral at all.
With a grip on her elbow, Caius gently led her to the spot where William was standing just as those inside managed to free the entry door and yank it open. Dust and bits of snow and wood rained down upon them, and Emelisse brushed the debris from her shoulders and from her carefully coifed head. She looked up, seeing the old soldier standing in the entry. As she watched, a worn ladder was lowered from the doorway.
She stepped back as the ladder found its footing at the base of the keep. Caius helped steady the ladder to make sure it did not slip out from underneath whoever might be climbing it, because in this case, it would be Emelisse. When she moved to mount the ladder first, he held her back.
“For safety’s sake, I will enter first,” he said. “Come up after me.”
Emelisse didn’t argue with him. She stood back, watching his big frame mount the ladder and climb lithely to the top. As he came off the ladder, he crouched down next to it and held it steady for her.
“Come along, my lady,” he said.
Emelisse obeyed, taking the rungs of the ladder cautiously because her dress was so long. She was afraid she was going to step on it and end up falling back into the muddy snow. She was just nearing the top when Caius reached out and grasped her, helping her up the last two rungs.
Finally, she was home.
Emelisse took a moment, simply breathing it all in. This was the place where she had spent most of her time, as a child and even as an adult. This was where she had most of her fondest memories and the smell of the keep flooded into her senses, filling her with memories of the family she no longer had. The memories were both beautiful and taunting, causing her to be terribly torn now that she was finally here. This had once been the place of her greatest comfort and now it was the source of her greatest pain.
Pain for everything she had lost.
Her gaze fell on the old soldier and she
went to him, forcing a smile as she reached out to touch his arm.
“Harcourt,” she said appreciatively. “I am glad to see that you are well.”
The old man’s eyes crinkled, happy to see his young mistress. “And you, my lady.”
“Where is my brother?”
“In his chamber.”
Taking a deep breath for courage, Emelisse headed towards the spiral stairs that were built into the corner of the keep. One staircase went between all floors and this was the only access. Mounting the stone stairs, her pace slowed the nearer she drew to the top, knowing what would be waiting for her when she got there.
It was like a bad dream she would never awaken from.
The top floor of the keep had two large chambers. Her brother had one and she had the other, the larger chamber of the two. Memories came back to her as she came off the stairwell, seeing the narrow landing that separated the two chambers. As children, she and her brother would fight over why she had the larger chamber. A smile came to her lips as she remembered her brother, quite young, and his determination to confiscate her chamber on behalf of his greedy little heart.
Caspian always thought he should have had the larger of the two since he was not only the male of the family, but the eldest. It had been a source of contention when they were younger, and he had seen the need to try and lay siege to her chamber door many times, but her father would always beat him back.
Funny how she remembered that now.
She found it ironic that the smaller chamber he felt so beneath him had now become his final resting place, and more than likely, that was where he had died. But she could not think about that now. When she was feeling stronger, she would ask for the details of his passing.
But not now.
Now, she simply needed to see him.
Caspian’s chamber was dark and cold. As the old chamber door creaked open, Emelisse felt a chill of despair run through her. It did not seem right to her that her brother should be laying in such a cold and dismal chamber, with the shutters nailed closed against the Winterhold siege. Caspian had always been such a vital man, always so full of life and so full of opinions. To see that vital life ended in such a dark and dreary place simply did not seem fitting.
Winter of Solace (The Executioner Knights Book 5) Page 18