Knowing Yourself - A Medieval Romance

by C.M. Owens

  * * *

  The sound of her plaintive howl echoed in her ears. And then he was there, holding her, wrapping her in musk and warmth and shelter and tenderness. He held her tightly against him, soothing her.

  “I am here, I am here,” he murmured in her ear.

  She clung to him, her face wet with tears, sitting up on the couch, slowly returning to awareness from her vivid dream. It was several long minutes before her breathing slowed and she felt willing to pull back slightly, to look up into his face.

  “I dreamt you were leaving me,” she explained weakly, dragging a sleeve across her cheeks. “I called and called, but you could not hear me.”

  He brought a hand up to gently stroke her hair, a tender smile drawing on his lips. “I am here,” he repeated again, his eyes full on hers. “I am right by your side. I am not leaving.”

  Em gave her sister a fond pat on the head. “No one is leaving,” she reminded the pair, moving to take a seat by the window. “Not as long as we have our friendly invaders camped outside. Speaking of which, Kay,” she added, motioning with her head toward the darkening sky, “it is about time for you to stop lollygagging around and get ready with those toasty arrows of yours. I think our friends might finally be coming within range.”

  A frisson of fear rippled through Kay as the situation swept back into her mind. “Let me up,” she murmured to Reese, pressing him back.

  He stood at once, putting out a hand to her, but she ignored it, springing to her feet. Or so she attempted - her leg immediately buckled beneath her, searing in pain. It was only Reese’s arm sweeping around her waist which kept her from crashing hard to the floor.

  “Easy there,” he chided, hauling her back up to a standing position. “You only ripped that one open earlier today, remember?”

  Leland, coming in through the main door, shook his head in amusement as Kay warily settled herself on her feet. “And the other leg is still healing up from - what was that, four days ago?”

  Kay put her hands to her head to fight off the miasma of pain which swirled around her forehead. “Just give me a few minutes,” she muttered in exasperation.

  A hand offered a tankard of mead to her, and she downed it in relief. The aches faded and her vision settled into focus.

  “So,” she offered, turning carefully and moving to the window, “They are almost within range now?”

  Em nodded from the bench alongside her position. “Take a look.”

  Kay settled herself on the cushion, giving her eyes time to adjust to the darkness beyond. The sun had just sunk below the horizon and tendrils of orange glow were fading into twinkling stars. There was no moon out; the landscape was barely distinguished by a series of darker blotches.

  “Put out the candles,” she asked softly.

  There was movement behind her, and in a moment the room plunged into darkness. Only a soft glow flickered from the fireplace, the lowest of fires nibbling on a half-gone log.

  Kay moved her gaze methodically along the ring of trees, starting from the far left. The carts had been near the ridge of Lover’s Lane earlier in the day, and during the hours of light they would have stayed well clear of the castle’s arrow distance. That would have meant traversing, at great effort and little gain, the marshy swamps and bogs of the outer area. She had every sense that, now that they had the cover of darkness, the enemies would attempt to move in closer, to take advantage of the far better terrain.

  “There,” she whispered, pointing toward the first tree on the left. “I think they are just passing it now.”

  Three other sets of eyes came to the windows, peering into the darkness, seeking to make out a hint of movement, a shadow against a shadow.

  Reese’s voice was low. “I do not see anything, but I trust in your judgment. Shall we begin?”

  Kay nodded.

  In a moment Leland had brought over the four unstrung bows. He set up banks of arrows against each window. Kay’s pitch-soaked arrows waited, ready, in their pail by the fireplace.

  Leland then stood by the mantle and picked up one of Kay’s arrows in his hand, waiting.

  Kay reached down and lifted the bow. Reese made to come over, and she held up a hand. “If I cannot even string my own bow, I am truly done for.”

  She pressed herself to her feet, biting down on a grunt of pain. Her leg ached as if someone had dragged a red hot poker along its length. She pushed the feeling away with effort. Then she stepped through the string, pulled the bow’s bottom hard against her foot, and threw her weight down on the top of the arc. The bow resisted, but she wrestled it down, in, and secured the loop of the bowstring on the top end of the bow. She turned to kneel on the bench with her better leg, took in a deep breath, and held out her hand.

  “I am ready. When the arrow hits, hopefully the men there will scramble to put it out, and you will have your targets.”

  Reese and Em strung their bows, and Reese set up Leland’s as well. Then all eyes went to Leland.

  “Here we go,” he called out in a low voice. He put the tip of the arrow down into the coals of the fire.

  The pitch blazed into sparkling life, and in a moment he had run the arrow across to Kay, handing it over to her in a smooth pass. She nocked it, sighted it, and let the arrow fly.

  In the onyx black of the night the missile arced like an earthbound meteor, leaving a trail of stardust behind it. It soared down and across and into the murk …

  THUNK.

  The blaze suddenly stopped, impaling itself into the tree. In the splash of the hit they could clearly see, for a long moment, a large wagon pulled by two black horses. At least four soldiers moved alongside it, helping to push and steer it in the inky blackness.

  Three bows twanged into life. The whistling arrows rose high, then raced down with gravity and pent up energy. They slammed into a chest, an arm, and the rump of one of the horses.

  The flaming arrow was yanked from the tree and thrown to the ground.

  The night, again, went pitch black.

  Kay found the experience to be almost surreal. There had been no noise at all beyond the singing of the strings and the clean sound the arrows made leaving the solar. No call of alarm from the soldiers had reached their high, distant location. No screams of pain nor cries of the wounded animal. It was as if the events below were part of a dream.

  Another blazing arrow was handed to her, and again she sent her missile down. Again the three siblings followed in hot pursuit, seeking out their targets. The fresh light illuminated the men huddling on the other side of the wagon, dragging one of their fallen comrades to safety, and snapping the arrow’s shaft from the horse’s side.

  Darkness.

  A blaze of light by her side.

  Kay fell into the routine; followed the wagons along as they moved from tree to tree. The archers’ first few volleys caught the invaders off guard, but soon those below realized what was happening. They hung leather over the sides of the horses to protect their flanks, kept to the safe side of the wagons, and darted out only in-between shots to pull a flaming arrow free or to push the cart out of a rut.

  The hours twisted through the night, the rhythm inexorably moving along, the wagons inching steadily forward.

  Then the gentle fingers of dawn stretched out against the sky. The wagons had reached the front of the keep, pulling back into the field to join with the mounted troop there.

  Kay fell against the window, exhausted.

  Reese looked at Leland. “Perhaps fifteen slain, another twenty injured?”

  Leland nodded in agreement. “I put the numbers in that range. With the odds being so close, we may have tipped the scales in our favor. As long as they do not attack before late afternoon, our reinforcements will arrive and the worst of the danger will have passed.”

  Em looked between the two men, her face serious. “What do you think the chances are that they will attack sometime today?”

  Reese stared back out the window. The besieging soldiers were in busy mo
tion, pulling long sheets of fabric out of the wagons and erecting a pair of large tents. “It looks like they are settling in. Perhaps they, too, are expecting fresh arrivals in the coming days. This might be a preparation for a long, drawn out siege, rather than anything immediate. I would guess that we have little to fear today.”

  Leland looked over the tents with a sharp eye. “Those are fairly large,” he mused. “Maybe twenty feet on a side? Perhaps they are planning a substantial meeting between the two families, although for what purpose I cannot guess.”

  Kay gazed at the activity with growing curiosity. “I want a closer look,” she murmured, drawing to her feet.

  Immediately, stabbing pain lanced through her, causing her leg to crumple. She fell hard against the sill.

  Reese was at her side, holding her up.

  “You need to stay here and heal up,” he insisted. “You are no good to anyone if that wound becomes infected.”

  Kay shook her head, willing the pain to subside. “I will just stand on the curtain wall,” she promised. “I can get a far better look from there than from this window.” She turned to Em. “Just in case, you stay here, and I will send Anne and Jessica up to wait on you.”

  “You be safe,” replied Em with a frown. “You are injured, you know.”

  Kay glared in frustration at her throbbing leg. “Maybe a stop by the infirmary would be a good idea first,” she amended with a reluctant sigh. “I need these legs in working order.”

  Reese didn’t hesitate. “I will give you a hand,” he offered. “You must be in agonizing pain if you are agreeing to get some medical help.”

  Leland chuckled. “You are getting to know our favorite patient,” he teased with a wry smile. “I will get everyone up and out on the walls who can hold a sword. We need every show of strength for today.” He glanced back out the window. “Galeron might have documented every last member of our staff, but the people with him can still be impressed by a show of force. We need to take advantage of every opportunity we have.” He nodded at the trio and headed down the stairs.

  Kay allowed Reese to help her up, and then slowly made her way over to the stairs. The narrow, twisting spiral made it challenging for him to assist her down the flight, but at a slow, steady pace they made it down to the main hall. Anne was moving across the room with a pitcher of mead, and Kay flagged her down with a wave.

  “Could you and Jessica spend the afternoon with M’Lady today?” she asked, making sure she used the title for Em. It still felt funny on her tongue to say that, and her cheeks pinkened, lying in front of Reese like that. Surely the deception had gone on long enough …

  She shook her head, resolutely plowing forward. “I need to go out and keep an eye on our new friends,” she added.

  Anne smiled with pleasure. “Yes of course. I will fetch Jessica immediately. She is down in the storeroom.” She turned and headed off through the tables at a trot toward the back of the room, to the small spiral staircase there that the keep staff used during meal service.

  Reese offered his arm. “One more flight,” he smiled. Then they were in motion again, each step adding new pains to the previous one. By the time they had reached the infirmary Kay was exhausted. She fell back into the familiar bed with welcome relief.

  Reese’s eyes went to hers. “All right, then, we might as well take a look at both legs while we are here.” He drew back the dress to her mid-thigh.

  Kay shifted on the bed in discomfort, and Reese immediately looked up. “Oh, did you want a woman present as a chaperone? I had not thought to ask if -”

  Kay stared at him as if he were daft. “After everything we have gone through this week? The thought had not even crossed my mind!” She winced, stretching her body to be more straight. “It is just that this leg of mine is not doing well.”

  Reese bent over it, slowly unwinding the bandage from the skin and pulling the cloth free of the wound. “Ah, here is the problem - it was wrapped too tightly,” he commented, prodding gently at the flesh. He took a rag, dipped it in the nearby pail of water, and began wiping away at the medicine layer. “We can freshen this up as well.”

  Kay eased back against the pillow, closing her eyes against the pain caused by his movements. “The herbs are over there, in the -”

  “Yes, in the third drawer,” agreed Reese with a smile. “I have become quite familiar with your infirmary over the past week.”

  Kay kept her eyes closed as Reese moved about the room, mixed up the paste, rebandaged the leg, and then moved to redo the salve and bandage of her other leg. It seemed that the entire week had been a long series of her injuries, of Reese getting her out of one jam after another.

  Her chest tightened with angst. The thought came to her again, vividly, the image crystal clear in her mind.

  He had been leaving her.

  “I suppose I am not the image of a proper woman,” she whispered, half to herself.

  Reese’s hands suddenly stopped moving.

  She reluctantly opened her eyes. He was staring down at her in incredulous surprise.

  “What do you mean? Because you are allowing me to help your legs to heal?”

  Kay shook her head, suddenly trembling, a sense of vulnerability sweeping through her. “I mean, because …” Her shoulders hunched, and she wrapped her arms around her torso for a long moment. Finally she waved a hand down at the injuries on her legs. “Just look at me.”

  Reese gazed down at the wounds, finished the wrap on the second bandage with a tug, and then pulled her dress back down over the pair. His eyes came up to meet hers, to hold them with steady regard.

  “I see a woman who stands up for what she believes in. A woman who not only can talk about what is right, but is willing to back her words up with action.”

  Kay moved to sit up, and a sharp twinge wrenched her abdomen where the small hoof-mark still troubled her. She chuckled wryly. “Leland and Em would say my actions are sometimes foolish at best.”

  Reese tilted his head in confusion. “Em?”

  Heat flushed through her face, and she looked down at her hands for a moment to cover her slip. Her mind raced to find a suitable lie. “I … I call M’Lady ‘M’ sometimes, as a nickname,” she stumbled. “I guess we have been together so long -”

  Reese knelt at her side, raising her chin with his hand. “Kay, you do not have to justify yourself to me,” he soothed. “You are the most honest, the most trustworthy woman I have ever met. If anyone is above blame in their actions or words, you are she.”

  The bottom dropped out of Kay’s world. Everything was a lie. Her entire relationship with Reese was built on lies. Even as he praised her for being honest, he was doing so as the result of a falsehood. It was simply too much to bear.

  But she had sworn to Em that she would maintain this charade, at least until her father had arrived. It was tearing her apart …

  Reese’s eyes clouded with concern. “Kay?”

  There were footsteps in the hall, and Stephen huffed into the room, his young, stout face flushed from the exertion. “Kay, there you are. Leland needs to see you up on the wall.”

  Kay pushed herself to her feet, wincing against the pain, but sturdy for the first time in a day. “We are on our way,” she responded. Reese stayed at her side as she moved slowly but steadily out to the hallway and then through the main doors.

  It seemed as if Leland was true to his word – every man and teenaged boy was lined up along the keep wall, spaced apart to present more of a show of force. Kay’s frustration with her injuries mounted as she trudged in cautious deliberation across the empty courtyard. It seemed as if every eye were on her as she made her way step by step up the narrow stair to the top level. Leland waited there for her, and he smiled with approval.

  “You are looking much better – your time spent with Reese was well worth it.”

  Reese came alongside them, looking out toward the pair of tents. “She is healing well; I am sure her legs will be as good as new in no time. Is the
re a change in the situation?”

  Kay crossed her arms on top of the wall and settled into place, staring with careful attention first at one tent, then the second. They were apparently made of rough, brown hemp, and about twenty feet on a side. The wagons were on their back side, hidden from view, and there was an occasional bump or movement to indicate activity within.

  “Any idea what is going on in there?” she asked, not taking her eyes from the tents.

  Leland shook his head. “They have been very careful to conceal any hint of what they are up to from us,” he observed, a trace of worry in his voice.

  Kay settled into place, her eyes seeking, evaluating, watching for the slightest indication of what was going on.

  Beside her, Reese was absolutely silent, and she almost held her breath, hoping he might use his own senses to add to the puzzle solving.

  Reese turned his head. “I do not like it,” he murmured. “I think I hear … woodworking noises?”

  A twist of danger speared her heart. What in the world was Galeron up to? She turned to Stephen, who hovered nearby. “Stephen, please go through the castle and gather up all the remaining folk – the women and children. Get them all up into the solar. It is just a precaution, but I would feel better knowing they are all together and safe.”

  Stephen did not hesitate. “Right away, Kay,” he agreed, and he was off running down the stairs, heading into the main doors.

  Leland did not take his eyes off the tent. “Do you have an idea of what is going on in there, Kay?”

  Kay shook her head in confusion. “I just have a sense of danger, and the knowledge that Galeron always had plans, backup plans, and tertiary plans. If any man had figured out a way to get into Serenor, it would be him. I do not want to leave anything to chance.”

  Leland’s voice was quiet. “Lord Weston should be here by late afternoon. We only have to hold out until then.”

  Kay drew her eyes from the tent, scanning the landscape beyond. Would it be her father who first rode to the rescue – or would it be an unknown set of reinforcements for Galeron? Just what did the man have up his sleeve?

  She was still staring in contemplation at the tents a half hour later when Stephen climbed the stairs again, his face red, but his smile speaking of satisfaction. “It is done, Kay,” he reported with pleasure. “Everyone is safely up in the solar, as you requested. They are well stocked with food and wine; they will be fine until Lord Weston arrives.”

  “Good,” replied Kay, her shoulders untensing, the tight bands around her heart easing. No matter what happened, Em would be protected and the innocents of the keep would be safe. Surely whatever fighting did ensue in the coming hours, they could hold on to their advantage until relief arrived.

  “Kay …” Reese’s voice held a note of warning, and she turned her head with a snap, scanning out toward the tents. But now there was only one tent. The other one had collapsed, revealing its contents – an odd wooden frame, about five feet on a side, with a long tongue leaning back. She stared at it in confusion. Just what was that thing …

  Leland’s voice came hard and sharp. “Get off the drawbridge section!” he shouted. Immediately men scrambled left and right to move toward the further parts of the wall. Reese grabbed her arm, pulling her to the left, and she stumbled as he dragged her to an area further from the drawbridge and gate.

  The catapult sprang into life. There was a sharp whistling noise, and a small, dark projectile flew through the air toward the drawbridge. The soldiers closer to the gates threw themselves at the walkway floor, shielding their heads, but Kay stood motionless, watching in abject horror as the missile seemed to focus its path, honing in, and then -

  THWACK!

  The rock slammed into the wall mere feet away from the corner of the drawbridge. The walkway shuddered violently beneath their feet, and she fell hard against Reese.

  Leland’s voice rose up over the chaos. “His calculations were barely off,” he yelled, looking out over the troops. “Everyone, down to the courtyard! Immediately! Prepare for incoming attack!”

  The men scrambled for the stairs, and Stephen looked between Reese and Leland in confusion. “But if Galeron destroys the drawbridge, he cannot get in,” the lad objected. “The moat will become impassable, and we will be safe!”

  Reese glared out at the tents, his jaw tensing. “He is not trying to destroy the drawbridge,” he corrected with an angry snap. “He is going to pop the support chain that he knew was weak. The support chain that he refused to allow me to fix.”

  Leland’s shout carried across the keep. “Incoming!” There was another high whistle; another dark blob growing closer. This one crashed into its target with a slam which undulated the floor beneath them. Kay’s ears filled with a cacophony of wood and stone. Then half the drawbridge was listing, hanging all its weight on the one remaining chain.

  For a long minute it teetered, swinging, almost balancing.

  A long groan - the other chain’s anchor ruptured under the weight. The entire drawbridge gave a low moan as it plummeted, slammed into the earth, bounced heavily once, and lay open.

  Leland sprinted for the stairs. “Get her into the keep!” he shouted to Reese, drawing his sword. “You, men, with me!”

  Kay had not even drawn in a breath when Reese swept her up in his arms. He took two steps away from the stairs, turned - and leapt.

  They hung in the air. They soared. They floated. She was pressed close against his chest. For a moment it was as if the earth stood still, as if she and he were the only two people.

  She closed her eyes, wishing that time would stop, that the horror of events could be rewound and undone.

  They landed with a cascade of color in the dense pile of leaves. Reese rolled to his feet, hugging her close to him. He sprinted across the courtyard filled with men and shouts and activity, heading toward the large, open doors which fronted the keep.

  There was a thunderous crash from behind her. A large boulder skittered past, followed by stray bits of the main curtain wall doors.

  Leland’s cry was sharp with panic. “Reese! Watch out!”

  Reese turned mid-stride to look behind him – his breath blew out of him. He twisted and leapt sideways toward the stable, rotating so his back took the brunt of the fall, cradling Kay in his arms. Then a blur of black horses pulling a sturdy wagon blazed past them, heading on a direct collision course with the keep’s main stairs.

  Kay cried out in shock; it appeared the horses would run headlong into the entryway. They veered off at the last minute, suddenly free of their burden. The wagon, its nose shaped into a sharp point, plowed through its momentum into the still open doors, embedding itself there with a splintering crash.

  With a roar the men within leapt out through the timbers and raced into the keep proper.

  Kay could not breathe. Panic and hysteria warred within her, and she screamed, “Em!”

  Reese rolled to his feet beside her and raced toward the doors, Leland close on his heels. Kay spun to look back toward the shattered drawbridge, but to her surprise there were no waves of attackers following in after the wagon; no flood of troops seeking to challenge their foot soldiers. The sole tumult in the courtyard was her own troops running to the wagon, flinging away the wheels and wood supports in order to get back inside the keep.

  Leland scrambled on top of the wagon’s debris and turned to the men. “All of you, stay here and protect those gates!” He looked to Reese, and in a moment the two had leapt through the opening, disappearing into the darkness within.

  Kay drove herself to her feet, nearly falling back as her leg screamed in pain. She stumbled forward as quickly as she could, as the men around her sped in the opposite direction, racing to form a wall of bodies across the open gate. As she reached the keep’s doorway, the building’s foundation shuddered. The source of the tremor seemed high within the keep.

  Her heart thudded in wild panic. The solar door. The attacking soldiers were trying to breach her si
ster’s protective sanctuary! She clambered over the pile of timber and debris, pushing her way into the entry hall of Serenor.

  Shouts echoed from above, the sharp clash of swords rang out, and the floor shook with another heavy, resounding thud. She pressed herself harder, taking the stairs as quickly as her legs would allow. There was an ear-shattering CRACK, and then desperate screams. She wove for a moment, almost tumbling back down the stairs.

  It was all lost. Her sister, Anne, Jessica, young Molly, all was lost.

  She gripped on the handrail and put one foot in front of the other, pulling herself up more than walking, the pain nearly unbearable. It seemed an eternity before she had made it to the top floor landing. Her heart felt as if it would tear into pieces. The door lay in shattered remnants across the floor. A pair of heavy, metal maces were left to one side, undoubtedly the instruments of destruction. And within …

  An agonized moan escaped from Kay’s lip. A wall of soldiers stood, swords drawn, facing the door. Galeron held at their center, a satisfied smirk on his face. Beyond them the women and children of the keep huddled in fear. To the back was a couch, and on it lay …

  “Em!” Kay cried out, diving forward, all pain forgotten. A hand at the side of the door swiped to hold her back and missed. The enemy soldiers parted like a river to let her through, and she was falling to her knees by the sofa, her heart pounding in panic. Her hand moved to gently draw the blonde curls away from Em’s face.

  “Oh, Em … are you all right? Is the baby …?”

  “The baby is fine,” soothed Em, her voice steady, her hand patting Kay’s in reassurance. “It was a fright, to be sure, when the men came in. But this baby is born to be a fighter, be it male or female. Here, feel.”

  Em moved Kay’s hand to her distended abdomen, and indeed, Kay could feel a solid kick come through the skin. She smiled hesitantly.

  “I hope it is a girl, although I imagine Eric is dreaming of a son,” she offered with a smile.

  Em smiled fondly. “Eric simply wants us to both be happy and healthy,” she murmured.

  Kay leant forward to press her forehead against her sister’s. “He will be here soon for you,” she vowed, her voice soft but sure. “Then everything will be all right.”

  Reese’s cry echoed across the room, rough with concern. “Kay?”

  Kay turned, drawing back into the reality of the situation around her, of the muffled whimpers of the children, the steady line of men facing off against Reese and Leland. She stood carefully, the pain in her legs throbbing into fresh life. Her gaze moved down the row until she found Galeron. He smiled at her with rich satisfaction.

  Kay pitched her voice low and steady, her eyes flashing. “So, Galeron, you always have a plan in that codex of yours. What do you have arranged for us today?”

  Galeron’s grin grew wider. “I am glad to see you appreciate my talents, Kay! I must admit, while I was planning to take hostages, to discover this blonde, pregnant beauty in the solar was even more than I could even have hoped to imagine. It puts a whole new light on my possibilities.”

  Kay’s blood ran cold. “Lord Weston will ransom Keren-happuch, whatever price you set. But she must not be harmed.”

  Galeron spread his hands in innocence. “Of course, my dear. Harming Keren is the furthest thing from my mind. The core of my plan is to talk with her father, Lord Weston, and arrange for the truce conditions once he arrives.”

  Kay’s heart began to beat again. This was simply a business transaction for him. Everything could work out. “Keren needs quiet – we cannot risk the child,” she pressed.

  Galeron put a hand to his heart. “I concur exactly, my darling Kay. We must protect Keren from all excitement and noise. That is why I request that all troops leave the keep immediately, so that we can resume normal operations under my watchful eye. Solely until Lord Weston arrives for the truce talks, of course.”

  Leland snorted in anger. “Never, Galeron. I would never leave them in your hands, not even for one minute.”

  “Ahem,” came a voice from the left. Kay looked to follow the sound - and found her mouth hanging open. It was Jack, his blond hair almost white in the morning light, a smirk spreading across his face.

  “You,” she gasped, almost mute in shock.

  He took a step forward and drew Molly up in his arms. The girl’s red curls bobbed at the motion. With one arm wrapped around her tiny waist, he used his other hand to hold out her thumb, examining it carefully.

  “This little piggy went to market …”

  Kay’s throat constricted, and she staggered back against Em’s couch. “You would not hurt a child,” she choked.

  Jack raised an eyebrow, and the vision of Jack’s whip smashing down on the young boy’s arm enveloped her mind. With a slow motion, he drew out Molly’s index finger, twisting it slightly.

  “This little piggy went home …”

  Kay heard her sister moan behind her. “Oh, Kay …”

  Molly wriggled, and Jack snugged her up even more tightly. “This little piggy had roast beef …”

  “Enough!” cried Kay, her heart thundering against her chest. She turned her face away from Molly’s innocent eyes, staring hard at Galeron. “If we agree to your terms, I want you to swear that your men will withdraw from the solar and leave us completely alone in here until the conference begins.”

  Galeron tapped a finger against his chin. “We do have to set up a table in here for the meeting itself. As long as you allow for a half hour of preparation for the truce talks, then your terms are perfect.”

  Kay sighed in relief. There would be calm, and then her father would find a solution. She turned to Leland and Reese. “Then we are agreed. Move the men to the ring outside the keep; Lord Weston will be here soon enough to treat for our safe release.”

  Reese shook his head, taking a step forward. “Kay, we cannot leave you in here like this!”

  Jack calmly pulled on Molly’s ring finger, giving it an extra twist as he recited, “This little piggy had none …”

  Kay met Reese’s eyes and held them with her own. “Reese, do not send them down this path. I could not live with the consequences, and Em …”

  She turned to look at her sister, seeing the pain glowing in her eyes.

  Galeron’s eyes twinkled. “Em, is it?” he asked with a chuckle. His brought his gaze around to meet Reese’s. “Well, then, gentlemen, the choice is yours. What shall it be?”

  Reese hesitated, looked over at Leland, and then as one the two men lowered their swords. Reese’s voice was low and guttural. “If you harm one hair on these hostages’ heads, I swear to you, I will find you and kill you.”

  “Ah, threats, threats,” sighed Galeron with a smile. “Believe me, my plan does not call for any unnecessary harm to come to these most valuable possessions of mine. For now, see that you get the castle cleared out in record time. The presence of strife is upsetting the pregnant one. The sooner you get the courtyard cleared, the sooner we can remove these soldiers from her solar.”

  Reese brought his gaze back to meet Kay’s. She was warmed; strength flowed from him, filling her soul.

  Then he and Leland turned, heading down the stairs at a fast pace. She moved to the window. In only a few moments they were drawing in the men in the courtyard, talking in a huddle with them. In short order the group made their way across the drawbridge to the outer tree ring.

  Kay found herself astounded at how quickly the exchange took place. It seemed a mere swallow’s swoop before the keep’s troops were hunkered down by the now-empty tents, before Galeron’s forces were circling their wagons and supplies in the courtyard area, setting up workshop locations to the right side.

  Kay’s heart dropped as the keep became even more under the control of the black-curled enemy, but she kept her voice tight as she addressed him. “You have your wish, Galeron. The keep is yours for now. Hold up your side of the bargain and clear out this solar.”

  Galeron smiled with bright acceptan
ce. “Of course, my dear! All of you now have full run of the keep. You may go anywhere you wish, do anything besides, of course, interfere with our activities. Make yourselves at home!”

  With a wink, he turned, and Jack followed him down the stairs. In a moment the soldiers had followed suit. To Kay’s surprise and pleasure the women and children were left completely alone in the solar.

  Kay and Em stared at each other in exhausted relief. A hesitant smile grew on Em’s face. “See,” she offered, “it will all work out. This is a money making scheme for him. Father will pay up, and Galeron is not the type to risk his own skin. Father’s troops will vastly outnumber him. So we just need to settle in until evening.”

  Kay looked around the nervous crowd in the room and nodded. “Everyone – I know this was nerve-racking, but the worst should now be over. Lord Weston will arrive soon and sort this out. He is only a few hours away. In the meantime, we apparently have the run of the castle.”

  She glanced at her sister for a moment, then continued. “Feel free to stay here if you want, but I trust in Galeron’s logical side. I do believe that you should be safe to venture out into the keep proper. Let me know if anything seems dangerous to you, and we will address it.”

  She smiled slightly. “Of course, if you learn anything which seems like it might help our cause, I would be eager to hear that as well.”

  Anne and Jessica glanced at each other, then both headed for the stairs in a flash, their eyes bright with nervous curiosity. Slowly the rest of the group followed suit, and soon only a trio of young children, including the now-sleepy Molly, were left behind, tucked into Kay’s room for safety.

  Em’s voice took on a nervous edge. “What do we do now?”

  Kay took in a deep breath. She had to keep her sister’s mind off the coming discussion - to help her relax and avoid stress. “Why, my dear, your husband is coming to see you, and you have not freshened up!” she replied, forcing a smile onto her face. “Let us head into your room and see how more beautiful we can make you in the time we have available.”

  A hint of a twinkle shimmered in Em’s gaze. Together they moved their way into Em’s bedroom.

  From below, in the courtyard, came the sounds of carpenters carefully doing their craft.