“Come, my dear,” the young man said as he extended his arm to the girl. “Just like all adventures, this one begins with but a single step.”
“I don’t see much hope for adventure in there, Bastin,” Sabina said, not moving. “Unless, of course, you mean for us to go ratting?”
Bastin chuckled. “Certainly not. I was being frivolous. Please, forgive me.” He swept his free hand toward the interior of the granary. “Come inside for just a moment so that we might talk. I promise it will be worth your while.”
I watched the girl as she thought it over, praying that she would refuse and they would leave, but after a moment, she smiled. “Very well. Since we have been cooped up for days by those horrible Sun worshipers, I suppose a little adventure of any sort would be welcome right about now. But only for a moment, I have to get back to my mother.”
“Excellent,” Bastin said as he ushered the girl inside. He closed the double doors behind them, then arm in arm, the two walked further into the granary.
I could see Baine peering at me with a question on his face as they drew closer. I shook my head. I had no wish to hurt either of these people if we didn’t have to. I still had hope that they would leave quickly without ever knowing that we were there.
“Ah, this looks like an ideal spot,” Bastin said as he paused two stalls away from where we were hidden. He seemed oblivious to the blood that stained the granary floor as he moved a sack of grain into the center aisle. He brushed it off dramatically and then bowed to the girl. “A throne fit for a queen, my lady.”
Sabina smiled politely and sat, turning her profile toward me with her hands lying in her lap. “So,” she said. “Now that I’m here, what’s all this fuss about?”
Bastin knelt in front of her with one knee on the dirt floor. He took the girl’s hands in his. “I have greatly enjoyed our time together, Sabina,” he began. “When my father told me his long-time acquaintance was coming to Springlight seeking a cure for his ill wife, I must confess that I didn’t give it much thought at the time.” I could see the girl’s face tighten at Bastin’s words. “But,” Bastin continued, not seeming to notice as he stroked her hands affectionately. “Had I known he would be bringing his charming daughter along with him, my attitude would have been decidedly different.”
“Lord Branton’s generosity knows no bounds,” Sabina said, not sounding that enthused, I thought. She tried to draw her hands away, but Bastin refused to let her go.
“My father never forgets a friend,” Bastin said. “Even a commoner such as your father.”
“I’m grateful for the care your family is providing for my mother,” Sabina responded.
I could tell by her body language that she was becoming uncomfortable with Bastin’s attention. I glanced over at Baine, who rolled his eyes back at me.
“Ah,” Bastin said, looking pleased. “That’s good to hear. Gratitude puts things in the proper perspective for everyone involved. We live in trying times, I’m afraid, and it’s good to have friends you can depend on. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Of course,” Sabina said dutifully.
“It’s unfortunate that your brother isn’t here to be with your family during this time of duress.”
“He had to stay behind to look after our house,” Sabina replied.
“Yes,” Bastin agreed thoughtfully. He rubbed a thumb lightly across the back of Sabina’s hand. “I imagine he must be beside himself with worry for you and your mother.”
“Undoubtedly,” Sabina agreed. “But he knows that my father is here to watch over us. There is no man that I feel safer around.”
“A fair point,” Bastin conceded. “Your father is indeed a formidable man. I’ve heard it said that no one knows the Southlands better than he does, and that he could track a mouse through the densest forest if need be. Yet, even with all his skill, he cannot change the fact that your mother barely clings to life. Without the care that my family provides for her, your mother will likely die, regardless of your father’s ability as a woodsman.”
“I’m well aware of that,” Sabina said, looking annoyed. “And I have already expressed my gratitude to your father.”
“To my father, yes,” Bastin said. “But not to me, and I am his heir.” He drew Sabina’s hand to his lips and kissed it, then stood, still holding her hand as he looked down at her. “Sometimes, there are better ways to show gratitude than mere words.” His face abruptly turned hard and dangerous, the true man finally revealing itself. “I require a more robust sign that you actually feel the gratitude that you claim.”
“I don’t understand,” Sabina said, though I could see by the growing apprehension on her face that she was beginning to.
“It’s quite simple, my dear,” Bastin replied. “You claim gratitude, but offer me nothing but empty words while feeding on the kindness of my family. What you seem to forget so brazenly is that your mother requires a physician’s constant care, which logically means that care also requires constant money. Money that would have one day been mine when I inherit this town.”
“Bastin,” Sabina began to protest.
“Be quiet!” Bastin snapped. “I’m not finished.” He looked to the ceiling far above his head. “Do you want your mother to die, Sabina?” he finally asked.
“Of course not!” Sabina said in a tightly controlled voice. I could see her cheeks turning the color of her hair in anger. I shifted where I crouched, prepared to leap forward if things got out of hand.
“Then, you have a simple choice to make,” Bastin said with a cold smile as he gripped her hand tighter. I noticed the skin where he held her was turning purple from the pressure. “Do what I ask, and I promise that your mother will continue to get the care that she requires for as long as it takes. Refuse me, and I’ll have your family removed from the manor house and sent to stay with the vermin who live on Beggar’s Way.”
“You can’t do that!” Sabina said in outrage. “Your father would never allow it.”
“My father is distracted with the assault on our walls, not to mention that bastard scholar we are protecting,” Bastin said. He grinned. “He has left the running of the manor to me. So, believe me when I say I can, and I will have you removed unless you give me what I want.”
Sabina glared up at Bastin bitterly. “And to think that I thought of you as a friend.”
“That was your first mistake,” Bastin said as he forced her hand between his legs.
“How dare you!” Sabina gasped in shock. She struck at Bastin with her free hand, but the young man easily grabbed her wrist.
“Now, let’s not pretend that you have never done this before,” Bastin said. “I imagine a common trollop like you must be well versed in the art of pleasuring a man.”
I could see the madness of lust dominating the young nobleman’s face and I growled low in my chest. I’d seen that same look in the reeve’s eyes as he’d raped my sister. I stood up, not caring if I was seen now as I hefted Wolf’s Head. I stalked toward the struggling pair. The girl continued to fight in the young man’s grip, but Bastin just laughed and ground his hips into her hand even more. I was only two paces away when Bastin finally sensed my presence. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw me, and he opened his mouth to say something. I didn’t give him the chance. I drew my sword back and rammed the hilt savagely into his open mouth. I heard several of Bastin’s teeth snap with a sharp crack, and he screamed as he fell on his back, where he lay with both of his hands covering his shattered face.
I turned to the girl. “Are you all right?” I asked.
Sabina stood, looking bewildered as she pressed her hands to her chest. “Yes, I think so,” she finally said. Her eyes were bright green, with small flecks of gold in them that seemed to glow. I felt myself becoming uncomfortable under her steady gaze. “Thank you,” she added.
“Well, I can’t say I blame you for that, Hadrack,” Jebido said as he approached. He spit at Bastin’s feet. “The problem with most noblemen is they don’t usual
ly spend much time worrying about the noble part.”
Bastin groaned and sat up, looking dazed as he stared in disbelief at his blood-stained hands. Finally, he glared up at me, his eyes filled with hatred. “I don’t know who you are, you bastard, but you are going to pay for this!”
“You’re not the first man to tell me that,” I said with a shrug. “Probably not the last, either.”
“Who are you people?” Sabina asked as the rest of my men stood and joined us.
“Friends,” I said vaguely. I glanced toward the corridor doorway. Where was Odiman?
I turned back to the girl just as Baine shouted to me in warning. I’d only taken my eyes off Bastin for a moment, but in that time, he’d managed to rise and draw his sword. Now he was swinging it at me with a look of rage twisting his bloodied face. I instinctively shoved Sabina with my right hand to get her out of harm's way as I lifted my shield. Sabina cried out in surprise and fell backward over the grain sack just as Bastin’s sword clanged against my shield. I twisted sideways, absorbing the blow easily as I let the young lord’s momentum carry him past me. For good measure, I gave him a hearty kick in the backside as he went past, sending him reeling toward Jebido. My friend stepped nimbly aside and stuck his leg out, sending Bastin sprawling into the dirt. The young lord lay in a cloud of dust for a moment, and then he pounded his fists on the floor in fury before he flipped over onto his back.
Jebido put the tip of his sword to the boy’s throat. “I suggest you stay right there, lad,” he growled as he looked over at me.
One flick of Jebido’s wrist and the problem of Bastin would be over for good, but was it necessary? What Bastin had been about to do to Sabina warranted killing, that couldn’t be disputed. But so had what the reeve had done to my sister all those years ago, and look how that had turned out. The death of Lord Corwick’s brother—as deserved as it had been—had cost me everything that I had held dear as a boy. I was old enough now to understand that every decision a man makes has unforeseen consequences, even the smallest of them. I was reluctant to make the same mistake today that I’d made then. I glanced at Sabina as she rose and brushed off her dress, looking no worse for her fall. Perhaps the choice of whether Bastin should live or not wasn’t mine to make.
“Do you want us to kill this bastard?” I asked the girl. I gestured toward Jebido. “Just say the word.”
Sabina fixed her gaze on Bastin, studying him with cold eyes. Finally, she shook her head. “No, he’s not worth it.”
Bastin laughed at that, the sound harsh and strangled as he turned his head and spat, sending a broken tooth and blood spraying out from his shattered mouth. I shook my head at Jebido and he stepped back as Bastin fumbled for his fallen sword. He finally grasped it and used the weapon to help push himself to his feet, where he swayed almost drunkenly. Finally, Bastin lifted the sword and gestured with his other hand toward me. I glanced at Jebido, who just shrugged. I sighed. I’d never worked so hard at keeping someone alive.
“There’s no need for this,” I said, impressed despite myself at the boy’s resolve. The young lord might be a raping bastard, but he was no coward.
“Oh, there is a need,” Bastin grunted. He sniffed, dabbing at the blood running from his nose. “Now fight me, unless you are afraid.”
I grinned back at him. I’d tried to be nice. I brought Wolf’s Head up so fast that the young nobleman didn’t have time to react as I struck at his sword, which flew from his grasp and landed five feet away. Bastin stared at me, his mouth hanging open in surprise, then he stubbornly limped over to the fallen weapon, groaning as he stooped to pick it up.
“Enough!” I snapped in irritation. “Or the next time I’ll take your hand too.”
Bastin straightened wearily, nodding to me in defeat. I could hear his ragged breathing as he pointed his sword unsteadily at Sabina. “Your mother is dead, bitch!” he rasped. Sabina’s face turned pale as Bastin smiled at her, revealing a line of broken teeth and torn lips. He spat blood toward the girl, then turned to me and spread his arms. “I know when I’m overmatched. I yield.”
I lowered my sword just as Bastin shouted something unintelligible and threw his weapon at me. I instinctively ducked as the sword spun wildly over my head and then clattered off one of the columns. Bastin was already running for the doors.
“Baine!” I grunted in annoyance. I pointed after the fleeing man. “Stop him, but don’t kill the fool.”
My friend nodded and nocked an arrow to his bow, barely pausing to aim before he loosed the shaft. Bastin cried out as the bolt pierced his upper thigh and he wobbled, almost falling, but somehow he managed to stay on his feet.
“Baine?” I grunted, glaring at him as Bastin limped painfully toward the doors. “Are you losing your touch?”
Baine grimaced and nocked another arrow. This time the shaft caught Bastin in the shoulder and he staggered and pitched forward. The young nobleman crashed heavily into the granary's double doors, bursting them open as he collapsed face down on the ground in a cloud of dust. A chicken that had been scratching at the dirt outside squawked in surprise and hopped into the air, flapping its wings in fright before landing clumsily and running away, clucking angrily.
Two soldiers standing across the street talking to a woman with a basket on her hip turned to stare in amazement at Bastin as he tried to push himself to his feet. The young nobleman saw the soldiers and called out to them as they ran toward the granary. One of the men knelt by Bastin’s side, and I saw his face register his surprise when he saw the arrows. He leaned down as Bastin said something to him, then his head shot up in alarm. He peered into the granary, where we stood in the shadows while his companion shouted for help. A moment later, the watchtower bells began to ring.
“Damn,” Jebido said, his face turning grim.
I glanced at the sober faces of my men. “It looks like things are about to get interesting.”
3: The Granary
In less than the time that it takes to tell about it, the street outside the granary began to fill with soldiers. Baine and Tyris raised their bows to take down the two men who were half-dragging, half-carrying Bastin to safety, but I stopped them with a wave of my hand.
“Let them go,” I said in resignation. “There will be blood spilled soon enough as it is.” I turned to Sabina. “You had better hide somewhere until this is over.”
“Why should I hide?” Sabina demanded, her eyes flashing. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Jebido chuckled. “That’s true enough, little lady. But that won’t matter much if you are dead. Hadrack is right. If you try to walk out of here now, they will kill you.”
Sabina lifted her chin in defiance and I sighed inwardly, beginning to regret my decision to let Bastin live. It seemed my fate was always to make the wrong choices and be saddled with stubborn women and stubborn horses.
“Don’t be stupid,” I said to Sabina harshly, trying to knock that stubbornness from her with cold fact. “After what just happened, do you think that bastard is going to welcome you with open arms? Trust me, a man like that won’t forget that he didn’t get what he wanted.”
“He wouldn’t dare do anything,” Sabina said.
I could see a hint of uncertainty on her face despite her brave words. I glanced at Jebido, knowing he would have the words to convince her.
“Yes, he would,” Jebido said, his face serious now. He gestured toward the street filling with soldiers. “Do any of those men out there answer directly to him?”
Sabina hesitated, then she nodded reluctantly. “Yes, I think so.”
“Then trust me. The moment you walk out that door, you will get an arrow through your heart. There will be apologies for it later, of course. An accident in the heat of battle, they will say. But that won’t do you much good, now will it?”
I could see Sabina thinking it over as the soldiers outside formed into a shield wall three ranks deep near the doors. I was surprised they hadn’t rushed in, but assumed they had orders
to wait in hopes the girl might come out.
“We better fall back to the tunnel while we still can,” Jebido muttered as he ran his eyes over the granary. “There’s too much space in here to handle them all at once.”
“If we go back now, they will block the door and we’ll never get through again,” I said bitterly.
“At least we’ll be alive,” Niko muttered under his breath. I glanced at him crossly. “My lord,” he added, coloring slightly.
Jebido and Niko were both right, of course. There were at least thirty men out there and probably more coming. I knew going back now would be the smart thing to do, even though it would probably mean losing the only way into the town. But a part of me was loath to give up an advantage like this one, as my gut told me Odiman just needed a little more time. Besides, I’d never been a man who liked to run. Horses and women weren’t the only ones who could be stubborn, I thought with a shake of my head.
“This is what we are going to do,” I said, coming to a decision. “While they wring their hands working up the courage to come in here, we’ll build a wall of sacks on both sides of the columns near the back. That will force the bastards to come at us right down the middle. We should be able to hold them there until Odiman gets here.”
Jebido looked at the grain sacks critically. “That’s going to be bloody and nasty,” he warned. “And I doubt we can last for long that way.”
“We won’t need to,” I said as I took hold of a heavy sack of barley and began dragging it across the floor. I glanced at Jebido and grinned. “Besides, bloody and nasty has a certain appeal to it, don’t you think?”
The Wolf On The Run (The Wolf of Corwick Castle Book 3) Page 5