Bernard had gone with them, like he'd planned all along. No wonder he hadn't cared what she wore to the wedding. He'd never intended to attend.
The men returned within the hour, bringing word that the army was less than a hundred strong, with only a couple of knights. The camp showed signs of settling down for the night, talking loudly about their plans to attack in the morning.
Pan nodded. "Then tonight we hide, and tomorrow we fight. A hundred of them is nothing. As long as we can field ten men, strengthened by Lady Ursula's Gift, we cannot do anything but win." He pointed at four men. "You take turns, keep watch on the camp. If they look like moving, sound the alarm. We will be ready."
Ursula found her voice. "But they have armour, and weapons. Even as bears, you are vulnerable to attack. Better for us all to hide, until they are gone."
"With all respect, my lady, we're done hiding. We have arms and armour, and now we have you, we can't lose."
She stared at the baker. "How? Who makes armour big enough for bears? And where would you keep it?"
Pan grinned. "Why, Bear's Head Rock, my lady. My great-grandfather was made armour master after that last glorious battle, and the job passed down to me. You won't find a speck of rust on my watch, I promise you."
Ursula watched in a daze as she was shepherded up to the caves with the other women, and the men returned with the fabled armour that lived up to Pan's claims. She passed the night in restless sleep with everyone else, waiting for a call to arms that never came.
Dawn sneaked into the cave slowly, washing the sleeping people in its grey light as they woke and started breaking their fast with the supplies someone had brought from the castle kitchens.
The sun had barely cleared the cliffs before Pan stood up and stretched. "They're coming. It's time," he said.
The stretch seemed to go on and on, and his body grew in size. Double…triple…until the man's furry head nearly touched the ceiling. Pan as a man was imposing enough, but as a bear…he would have weighed half a ton, able to take off a man's head with one swipe of his mighty paw.
Ursula let out a breath she hadn't been holding. The spell she'd cast worked, better than she'd believed possible.
All around her, men were following Pan's example, turning into bears, then buckling on armour for all the world like they were just particularly hairy men.
"Can you understand me?" Ursula asked Pan.
The huge bear grinned, flashing a mouth full of fangs, and nodded. Then he growled something that sounded like a question, but she didn't understand any of it.
Another bear grinned and nodded at Pan. All the bears were nodding at whatever Pan had said.
"I don't know what you said," Ursula said.
One of the smaller bears shrank back into a man Ursula recognised as the stable boy who'd broken his leg. So he wasn't dead, after all. "He said he intends to smash his great-grandfather's record, mistress, and kill even more men with Pek's axe." His face vanished behind a furry muzzle once more.
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. This was their home, and they chose to fight for it, with the best weapons and armour she and their ancestors could provide. Ursula only hoped it would be enough.
When the army – her army – marched out, she went with them. Pan tried to tell her, with much pointing and waving, to go back to the other women and children, but he was not the only one who was done hiding.
She flashed her teeth in a snarl as fierce as any bear's, though probably not as frightening. "If you can understand me, Pan, then know this: the Gift that turns you into bears works in many ways. I don't just do bears. I turned my brothers into mice once, and if the battle turns bad, you will need me. This is my fight, too."
The bear considered her words, then bowed deeply. No one tried to send her back after that.
When the army reached the fork that led to the castle and the pass, they stopped. Ursula, who had fallen behind, had to push her way through furry, steel-strapped bodies to reach the front line. "What is it?" she asked.
She needn't have bothered. She could see Lord Vauquelin's camp now, blocking the road to the pass. His troops were spilling out of the camp, forming up into orderly lines for battle. A battle her men…no, her bears, would give them.
"Where is Lord Vauquelin?" she asked.
Pan turned and pointed, not at the camp, but at the castle.
Fury exploded in Ursula's chest as she saw Lord Vauquelin standing on the battlements of her castle, peering out over the gate. On either side of him were four men in total. Three armoured knights, and Bernard wearing the same clothes he'd left the tower room in yesterday.
She'd never seen Bernard look so miserable.
"Keep the army busy. Their commander is mine," she hissed, heading back the way she'd come. "And if any man harms the unarmed man standing at Lord Vauquelin's side, he will answer to me."
Pan nodded, then issued a growling order to his men.
Ursula didn't need to understand. War was not something she knew, but betrayal and justice? The only decision she had to make was whether to turn Lord Vauquelin into a rat or a cockroach. Or perhaps a slug. She had a long walk through the secret passages into the castle to decide, but when she did…the man would regret ever setting foot in Berehaven.
And Bernard? She wasn't entirely sure. She would have to wait and see.
Chapter 43
What kind of army is that? Farm boys with pitchforks, just like I told you, with armour that doesn't fit," Gosse scoffed as the men of Berehaven marched into position.
Bernard had to admit the man was right. Ursula's men moved slowly in armour far too big and heavy for them, carrying weapons they could barely lift. More axes than pitchforks, with a couple of swords. Even the troops lined up on the road below burst into loud laughter. It would be a slaughter. His only consolation was that Ursula was nowhere to be seen – she must be hiding somewhere.
Good. Whatever happened today, she should have no part in it. She had seen enough blood and death in her life. Better that she didn't see the last of her people cut down.
Father shouted an order and his archers sent a volley of arrows into flight.
With near miraculous speed, the farm boys lifted their shields to block every one. But the shields kept rising…and rising…and as they brought them down, Bernard saw that Ursula's army had transformed. The giant-sized armour fitted the bears perfectly, their massive weapons seeming small in those enormous paws.
Father ordered the archers to fire again, and they did, but the bears moved like men, taking the missiles on their shields. Incensed, he shouted for his infantry to charge, and they did.
Bernard has seen battles, and the aftermath, but he'd never seen anything like this. The biggest bear simply waded into Father's troops and swung his axe, taking out a swathe of them like a reaper did wheat. Three times the size of a man? This bear was easily five times his size. Heads flew, blood spurted, and the bear bared his teeth in an unholy grin as he lifted his axe to collect another dozen heads.
Bernard couldn't help it. He doubled up and vomited his breakfast on the flagstones at his feet.
An armoured hand dug into his hair and dragged him upright. "This is your fault, you puking ninny, and you will watch it. You should have just shut your mouth and been content with your life as the King's lover while I reaped the benefits, but you wanted to be a man. A man doesn't flinch at blood or battle. If you look away again, I'll send you down there to be slaughtered with them."
Fury burned in Bernard's blood. He'd never liked his father, but now…knowing his father had deliberately sent him to be the King's bedwarmer when he was a child…he hated the man. He ripped his dagger out of its sheath and raised it, ready to stab his father in the heart he didn't have.
Armoured arms seized him, prying the dagger from his fingers as they held him. "None of that, boy," said one of the knights in his ear.
Bernard turned his head. It had to be Sir Ivor, for Sir Shani's armour was enamelled in red, while I
vor's gleamed silver.
Father held Bernard's dagger to his son's throat. "I should just kill you now," he hissed. "I never should have let you live."
"Harm him, and you won't leave this valley alive," a female voice snarled.
Chapter 44
Ursula made her way up the steps to the battlements. No one heard her over the sounds of battle below.
Four men, and Bernard.
She heard the words that could only have come from Lord Vauquelin, and her heart broke for Bernard. His own father had sold him to a cruel king, and now Bernard was old enough and man enough to object, the heartless lord intended to kill him.
Whatever his faults, Bernard was hers now. Hers to defend, or kill, as the desire took her.
"Harm him, and you won't leave this valley alive," Ursula said, stepping forward.
One of the knights laughed. "Oh, look, it's the boy's whore. The kitchenmaid who sucked his cock, hoping he might make her a lady for it. He lied to you, slut – the only inheritance his father will ever give him is a quick death. I told you you'd be better off with me. If you suck my cock right now, I might let you warm my bed for a while, instead of killing you with your boyfriend here."
His face might be hidden inside his helm, but Ursula recognised the voice of the rat knight. She held up her hand, blood still oozing from where she'd grazed it in the dark. A drop was all it took. "This is for stealing my cheese."
The knight's armour collapsed. Out of the mess crawled a red-eyed rat. The crazed beast charged at her.
Only to be caught by one of the castle cats, who'd been sunning himself on the steps.
The other knights seemed to have been turned to stone, they stood so still.
But Vauquelin recovered more quickly than his men. He released Bernard, then ripped his sword out of its sheath and advanced on Ursula. "I don't know what sort of trick this is, but this ends now. This valley is mine, and I'm not about to let some slut stand in my way." He swung his sword back, ready to strike when he reached her, and Ursula knew she had only a moment to decide.
Cockroach or rat? A cockroach would be easier to step on…
Vauquelin gave a pained cry as he dropped his sword. No, he dropped his whole arm. How in heaven's name…?
Behind him loomed a bear that was easily twice the size of Pan. A monster as big as the ancient bears her grandfather had told tales about. His claws were tipped with blood. Vauquelin's blood, for he'd ripped the man's arm off.
Vauquelin backed away, holding up his remaining hand in an effort to placate the beast, who only advanced on him as he retreated. "What did that slut do to you?" Vauquelin whispered weakly.
The bear roared and swiped at Vauquelin again. Vauquelin threw himself back, but he'd reached the edge of the parapet, and the only thing behind him was the stairs to the courtyard below. He landed first on his severed shoulder, screaming like nothing Ursula had ever heard before. But he kept going, his legs flying up over his head as he rolled down the stairs to the flagstones.
A sickening crunch silenced the screaming, followed by several more, but still the man tumbled, until he landed in a crumpled heap in the yard.
"No man deserved his fate more," Bernard spat behind her.
Ursula whirled. The giant bear was gone, and Bernard stood in his place, his bloody hand shaking.
"How?" she whispered, but even as the word left her lips, she had her answer. "I cast a spell over all the men of the valley, that they might turn into bears to protect their home and family. But you…"
Bernard met her eyes. "This is my home, and you are my family." He turned to the two frozen knights. "And anyone who thinks to claim Berehaven had better think again. We are not defenceless, and we will not be defeated. What is your choice, men? You served my father well, and someone must carry word of his death home to my brothers. If you leave our lands right now, I will be merciful, and ask my wife not to turn you into rats like Gosse over there." He jerked his head at the cat's leavings, little more than a scaly tail and some bloody intestines.
The knights looked at each other, then turned and ran.
Shouts came from below, and Ursula forced herself to walk to the battlements and peer at the battle's aftermath.
So that's what a bloodbath looked like. She turned away, shuddering.
Bernard's arm curled around her shoulder, pressing her face against his chest.
"Unhand the Baroness of Berehaven!" came a shout from the gates.
"On whose order?" Bernard growled back.
In a moment, the wool against her cheek turned to thick fur, through which she felt the vibration of Bernard's roar, echoed down below by at least a score of her bear men, maybe more. His arm…or was it a paw? Whatever the appendage was, it curled around her as gently as before. A man in a bearskin, that's all, Ursula told herself, even as she covered her ears to shut out his bone-shaking roar.
Then the roaring stopped, and Bernard was a man again, but a man with a rather silly grin on his face.
"What did they say?" she asked.
"Hail the new Baron, apparently," he said. "As long as I meet with your approval, of course, because you can withdraw the Gift." He stared at his hands for a moment, turning them over as though he'd never seen them before. "They said you did this. Turned them into bears, and me, too, somehow. You're a witch. I don't know how I didn't see it, for you bewitched me from the moment we met."
Ursula slumped. "So you don't want to marry me any more."
"What? No!" Bernard cupped her cheeks, tilting her face up so he could gaze into her eyes. "I love you, and the only thing keeping me from marrying you yesterday was my bastard of a father and his pet rat. If you can find your priest, I'll marry you now, and any man who objects…" He glanced down at the courtyard, where the two knights were carefully rolling his father's body into his cloak. "Well, they can take their chances with my monster paws."
Chapter 45
The only delay to their wedding was the townspeople's insistence on holding a wedding feast in their new Baron and Baroness's honour. They raided Vauquelin's camp, then took over the castle kitchens. Neither Bernard or Ursula uttered a protest.
Finally, as the sun set, Father Jacques led them in their marriage vows, and Ursula got to kiss her husband for the first time. She suspected from the whistles and catcalls that she might have gotten a little carried away, but she didn't care. These were her people, as much a part of Berehaven as she was. Or Bernard, now, who found himself the centre of attention at the feast. Everyone wanted to speak to the new Baron, and ask him how he'd managed to turn into a cave bear instead of the smaller brown bears the rest of them transformed into. Bernard didn't have an answer for them, and nor did Ursula.
Finally, when they could not eat any more, someone struck up a tune and the dancing began.
Bernard's hand closed around Ursula's. "I don't know about you, but I would like a private dance with you, for I'm sure you don't want to stand up with a cripple in front of all these people. A dance in your chamber, perhaps?"
She squeezed his fingers. "I've been waiting for you to take me back to bed since yesterday morning. Let's go upstairs."
The tower room smelled different. Someone had strewn the floor and the bed with sweet-smelling herbs, and a fire burned in the grate that neither of them had laid. A jug of mead sat on the table, beside two cups, a loaf of bread, and a pot of honey.
"It's the traditional wedding breakfast, for the first morning of a honeymoon," Ursula breathed, unable to believe what she was seeing. Not until now had she ever thought she'd be allowed the Berehaven bridal custom. Berehaven would always be her home.
She burst into tears.
A lesser man might have hesitated, but Bernard knew her well, and only held her tight until the tears stopped flowing. "What's wrong, Goldilocks?" he asked.
"Nothing. Nothing. Everything's just right," she said, and smiled so brightly her cheeks ached. It was a good feeling. "Now let's go to bed, for that feels just right, too."
&
nbsp; Chapter 46
A week of wedded bliss flew by, each night as pleasurable as the last. Aleka moved into the castle as the cook and housekeeper, ordering her new staff about and running the place with an efficiency that left Ursula breathless.
Or perhaps that was Bernard, who always knew how to take her breath away.
Ursula was in the kitchen, listening to Aleka's report of what remained of their stocks in the cellar, when Berger, the boy who'd sounded the alert of Vauquelin's arrival, came running in.
"There's a riding party coming through the pass!" he exclaimed breathlessly.
"How many?" Bernard asked, looking up from shelling some nuts Ursula had never seen before. Something he'd brought from the Holy Land that he wanted to share with her, was all he'd said.
"As many as my fingers," the boy said, before running off.
Ursula sighed. "The stocktake will have to wait, Aleka. We must greet our guests." She took Bernard's outstretched hand and together they strolled out to the bridge.
There was no sign of Berger's riding party, though. The road that had once been blocked by Vauquelin's camp was as clear as the spring sky above.
Bernard tapped her shoulder. "You are looking the wrong way."
Ursula turned. Sure enough, he was right. Ten riders, walking two abreast, came down the overgrown king's road that led from the other pass, the one to King Siward's kingdom.
"We're here to see the Baron," a lofty older gentleman announced.
Bernard spread his arms wide. "You see me."
The gentleman coughed. "Aren't you a bit young to be the Baron of Berehaven?"
"My father died on an assassin's blade before the start of winter. But he has been avenged," Ursula said. "My husband Bernard is the Baron here now."
The gentleman blinked. Finally, he said, "Well, then. I bring greetings from His Majesty, King Siward, and his deepest condolences on your father's death. His Majesty deeply regrets…"
20 Shades of Shifters_A Paranormal Romance Collection Page 13