A Walk in the Black Forest

by K. A. M'Lady

  “You would know more if you came to court more often, dear cousin,” he sneered. “But that is right, the King’s champion must be out in the countryside, saving the Saxon vermin, killing rebels and procuring beautiful prisoners. As you have read, the King wishes me to report back to him the updates on your hunting abilities.”

  “The King is well aware of my abilities, Cousin,” he replied scornfully.

  “Aye, ‘tis true. But an update he wishes nonetheless.”

  Damon glared at his cousin, turned and left the hall. The riders were entering the inner bailey as Damon stepped off the steps. “Sir Richard,” he greeted, extending his hand.

  Richard dismounted and clasped his friend’s hand in his own.

  Damon noted the haggard look of Sir Richard and his men. Their clothes were grimy, and each looked as though they’d not slept in days. “What brings you so early, my friend?”

  “Rebels, what else? ‘Tis sure ‘tis not to see your lovely face,” he replied, his good humor showing through the tiredness of his eyes.

  “Come, food and drink await you. Then you can tell me what has brought you so urgently.”

  Sir Richard and his closest guards followed him into the great hall, the others were sent to the soldiers’ barracks to get food and rest.

  Damon settled into his chair as Richard and his men ate and drank their fill.

  “We have ridden nonstop from Woodmir,” he told Damon. “Every village between there and here has been razed. Burned to the ground. Very few managed to escape, but those that had were in the process of burying the dead and gathering their things. Some will go to Woodmir and the others have been sent this way.”

  “The rebels had a good two day head start on us, but we started to catch up to them as we neared Blackmoor. It seems to be the same rebels we fought at Baldock, their leader, a grizzled man with a battle-axe the size of my leg.”

  “Aye, I know of this man. He attacked us near the Black Forest. He and his men tried to capture Gabriella and then shot her in the back with an arrow as she escaped and warned us.”

  Sir Richard’s eyes rose as he took in that bit of information. “And did she survive?”

  “Aye,” Damon stated, a look of possession stealing over him.

  Sir Richard laughed and held up his hands. “Do not worry, my friend. The wild cat is yours, and you are welcome to her. I just hope that she does not scratch too deeply.”

  Damon nodded his response. “So where are these rebels now?”

  “We lost them in the Black Forest.”

  “Then you must rest and we will prepare in the morning for the hunt. Come, I will see that rooms are made for you and your men.”

  “Thank you,” Sir Richard replied, rising from the table.

  Damon stood and looked around the hall. It was pointless to yell for Rosalynn, for he knew she was there in the shadows, waiting. At his glance, she came from the darkness near the kitchens.

  “If you would follow me, milord, a room has been prepared.”

  Sir Richard nodded to Damon and followed Rosalynn towards the guest rooms. He had stayed many times at Blackmoor, and he had his own room here at any time.

  “Sir Weasel stays to your right, milord,” Rosalynn told him as she led him forward.

  “And what is that viper up to?” he asked.

  “One never knows, milord. One never knows.”

  “Thank you, Rosalynn, I’ll be sure to watch my back.”

  The keep was returning to the quiet of the night, but Damon felt restless. Deception niggled at the back of his neck, but he was unsure of its cause. “Where has my spineless cousin gone off to?” he asked Tanak.

  “He did not follow us into the hall. Let us hope that he does not get too out of line during his stay.”

  “Let us hope,” Damon agreed.

  “Go to bed, my friend,” Tanak advised. “You have a woman growing chilled in your bed. I shall remain on watch this night, and see if I can roust out your wretched cousin.”

  “Aye, my friend,” Damon stood. He slapped him on his shoulder and headed towards the stairs, thoughts of Gabriella quickly filling his mind.

  * * * * * *

  In the darkness along the wall of the garden, the small side gate stood ajar. The bright silver moon now hung suspended in a skirt of blackness as the keep fell back into its evening slumber.

  “You have done well,” the shrill voice whispered in the darkness.

  “Now tell me of my final plans. The course has been set into motion and the end is near. I do not wish for anything to go wrong. Do you understand me?”

  “Aye,” replied the darkness. “Nothing will go wrong. All is ready.”

  “Good, because if it does, I will have your head myself, and you will watch as I rip the heart from your chest. He suspects nothing of the arrival, and that is how it shall remain.”

  The darkness made no response, simply nodded and stepped further into the shadows of the night.

  “So now the great Dragon of Blackmoor shall see what transpires on the morrow,” the man whispered. “My man inside is in place. Make sure that you handle your task well, my friend, and we shall all enjoy our just rewards. Do not fail me,” he ordered, turning and silently blending back into the night.

  * * * * * *

  In the darkness of the great hall, Tanak sat hidden from view. His eyes sharpened in the darkness as he watched Pasquel slip in the door and shut it quietly behind him. It seems the rat is indeed up to no good, Tanak thought and watched Pasquel return to his room.

  This one will need to be watched even more closely. He rose to find Sedrick. The young pup will have to follow him as a bloodhound follows the fox. Let us just hope there is no trail of blood to follow as well, Tanak thought as he headed towards the soldiers’ barracks.

  Finding Sedrick amongst the other knights was not too difficult, as he was left outside of each of the groups of men. He was young and had not entirely proven himself, despite his fight at Hastings. His young age and headstrongness were working against his reliable sword arm. “Come, young one,” Tanak told him

  Sedrick jumped in the darkness. “Stop sneaking up on me, old man.”

  “Come,” Tanak laughed. “I have a task for you.”

  “If it is the same task milord has requested, I already know of it.”

  “Aye, it is. But now an additional course of action must be added to it,” he stated, his voice a soft command.

  Sedrick rose and followed Tanak across the bailey. When they had reached the doors to the hall, he fully understood what Tanak had in mind. Advising Sedrick that he would tell Damon of the additional plan, he left him in the hall to take his place in the darkness.

  Whatever is afoot, ‘tis sure to happen soon, Tanak thought, making his way to the opposite side of the darkened hall.

  Chapter Thirty

  Dawn rose slowly in the eastern sky. Gabriella felt Damon leave the bed, taking with him the warmth that had surrounded her. “Where are you going?” she asked, still groggy with sleep as she shoved her hair out of her eyes and watched Damon pull on his clothes.

  “‘Tis time to get up, sleepy one. The rebels are stirring, and the time has come for me and my men to set after them.” He pulled on a tunic, reaching for his sword where it leaned against the side of the bed. “I want you to go to the kitchen and help Rosalynn make preparations for me and my men. Sir Richard arrived in the night with word, and there are things I must attend to. You are not, for any reason, to leave this keep. Is that understood?” he asked firmly.

  “And where do you propose I would go? It’s not as if a hole will open up and suck me back into my own time.”

  “Do not start that with me again, Gabriella. I do not wish to hear of your time travels. ‘Tis too unbelievable of a story, and I have no time for these games,” he said as he walked towards her, taking her chin in his hand and lowering his mouth for a kiss.

  Gabriella tried to pull away from him. Time travel games, indeed. “And what if I am sud
denly taken away from you and taken back to my own time? Back to my own home. Will you believe me then?”

  “I have told you before, you are mine now, and I do not part with what is mine,” he replied harshly, his eyes boring into her. He released her and turned towards the door. His steps slowed as he reached the door and he turned to say, “One more thing. Stay away from my cousin, Pasquel. He cannot be trusted. And if you think to have him aid you in some sort of escape, his assistance will cost you more than you may be willing to pay.”

  With that, he left the room, leaving Gabriella to ponder his words. As if I’ve anywhere else to go. Ugh! Does the man ever listen? Will he ever actually believe me? She grudgingly sorted through the turmoil at the start of her day. Just what I need. I’m up for two minutes, and he’s already giving me a headache. And I feel sick. Great, just great! The man’s gone and made me ill. Her stomach began to roll.

  She sat up in bed, hoping an upright position would be helpful. Instead, the world began to turn on end. Grabbing the blankets, she threw them aside and ran for the chamber pot hidden behind the screen. It seemed that everything she had eaten the night before had returned to haunt her this morning. She was on her knees retching uncontrollably when she heard the door close.

  “There you are, my… Oh my,” Rosalynn exclaimed as she found Gabriella hunched over the chamber pot. “Well, I see that this wasn’t revealed to me.”

  “What are you talking about?” Gabriella asked, her stomach completed its emptying, and she sat on the floor, her brow perspiring as she wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

  “Tell me, my dear, how many days have you awoke in this way?”

  “Just this once—thank God. Whatever I ate last night seems to have gotten the better of me.”

  * * * * * *

  Rosalynn brushed off her comment as she contemplated the scenario unfolding before her. “Aye, then ‘tis too soon to tell.”

  “Too soon for what?” she snapped.

  Rosalynn just looked down at Gabriella, smiling at her naivety. Extending her hand, she helped her get to her feet and over to the table. Rosalynn poured a glass of water for her and went about putting together clothes for her, ignoring Gabriella’s questions. “Come, my dear, let us get you freshened up and changed. We have much to do in the kitchens.”

  “It’s too soon to tell what, Rosalynn?” Gabriella asked more sternly.

  Rosalynn just looked at her. Blinking her eyes a few times and smiling slightly, a glimmer appearing in each of her motherly eyes.

  “No,” Gabriella stated as the thought bloomed in her befuddled brain. “I am absolutely not pregnant. I have never had a normal flow my entire life, and just because I wake up sick one morning does not mean I’m going to have a child.”

  “As you say, my dear.” Rosalynn handed her a clean shift and a work dress to put on.

  Gabriella stared at Rosalynn for several seconds, the possibilities roaring through her brain like a freight train gone off the tracks. She stood almost mechanically. What if I am pregnant? What if Damon’s child is growing within me right now? If he knows, he’ll never let me leave. And will I ever want to leave him anyway, to raise his child alone? But can I stay and raise a child with a man who may or may not love me. Love. Oh God. Now you’ve gone and done it, Gabriella. You’ve let yourself fall in love with the damn man. Damn it, Gabriella! How could you do this?

  She dressed in silence, letting Rosalynn assist her since her limbs seemed to have turned to Jell-O. She sat when Rosalynn directed her and allowed the woman to brush and braid her hair. When Rosalynn was finished, she pulled her from the chair and guided her to the door.

  “Do not worry, my dear. All will sort itself out.”

  “Rosalynn?” she asked tentatively. “Is it possible…that is, do you think it’s possible for someone to go from a time and place that is their home to another?”

  Rosalynn stopped as they exited the room, pulling the door behind them.

  She looked Gabriella straight in the eyes as though reaching inside her soul and discovering the true nature of the person within. Gabriella felt a little uncomfortable at her intense scrutiny. “I believe that there are many things between this world and the next. Many things, which are unexplainable. And in each, we all must find our place. Come, we’ll get you something to settle your stomach.”

  Gabriella blinked several times, taking in the cryptic message that the woman was telling her. Her morning seemed to be spinning out of control and she felt as though she was running to keep up with it. With her head dazed and her stomach still whirling, she followed Rosalynn down the hall.

  * * * * * *

  The great hall was filled with men preparing themselves for the task that lay before them. Damon was surrounded by Tanak, Sir Richard, John and his cousin Pasquel. Their eyes met from across the room and Damon tipped his head in recognition.

  When Gabriella entered the kitchen, it was a chaos of women preparing bags of foodstuff, dried meat and rounds of cheese. Hard husks of bread were also added to each bag. Rosalynn sat her down at the table and placed a cup in front of her.

  “Here, drink this—it will make you feel better.”

  Gabriella tentatively brought the cup to her lips, taking a small sip of the brewed concoction. It was warm and tasted of honey. She let the substance slide down her throat and felt her stomach soon return to its normal state.

  “Better?” Rosalynn asked as she directed the other women.

  “Yes, much. Thank you.”

  “Now, if you are up to it, we need more husks of bread from the storeroom and since my assistant, Anne, seems to have become a slugabed, I need you to get it for me.”

  “Okay,” she replied, hoping it would take her mind off her stomach as she stood to go to the storeroom. At the door, she stood trying to push it open, but it was like something was blocking its entrance. Putting her shoulder into it, she got it open enough to get in and stopped dead in her tracks as she found the reason for the door being unable to open all the way. The servant girl, Anne, lay on the floor near the barrels of flour and salt, her throat slit, blood pooling all around her.

  Gabriella stood frozen, trying to get the scream that was trapped inside her to come out. Her stomach turned at the sight of blood and the pale dead form that lay amidst the foodstuff. Her breath was coming in short, fast gasps before sound seemed to explode in her ears and she screamed at the top of her lungs.

  * * * * * *

  The men in the hall all looked up from their tasks, perplexed looks on their faces. Damon turned towards the kitchen, instant fear rushing through his veins as Gabriella’s scream roared through the great hall. He took off towards the kitchen, Tanak and Richard on his heels. He found her hunched over one of the servants in the storage room, blood on her hands. “What are you doing?” he asked her harshly.

  Startled, Gabriella jumped. “Someone must check the girl for any sign of life,” she replied, voice shaking as she knelt beside the body.

  “Leave her,” he whispered as he wrapped his arm around her middle and pulled her to her feet.

  There was a knife in her hand that tumbled to the ground as she released it. Her fingers were shaking, her eyes large and hollow.

  “It appears your new layman is as vile as you are, Cousin,” Pasquel remarked snidely from the entrance of the door.

  “What the hell are you babbling about?” Damon snapped, whipping his head around to glare at him.

  “I merely make a statement, Cousin. It seems she has the same inclination for murder that you do. The question is, what do you intend to do about it?”

  “Damon, I swear I did not do this thing,” Gabriella vowed.

  He looked at her, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking deeply into her eyes. He couldn’t believe that she possessed the kind of malice it would take to murder someone, yet he found her leaning over the body, bloody knife in her hand. He had not the time needed to make this kind of decision. He would need to sort out the facts later. Right now, he
had rebels to track down. Her fate would have to wait. “This is far from over, Cousin,” Damon told Pasquel.

  He took Gabriella’s arm and led her from the kitchen. Handing her off to John, he told him, “Take her to the dungeon. This will have to be sorted out when I return.”

  What?” Gabriella exclaimed. “Damon, you can’t do this to me. You know I’m not capable of this,” she yelled. “Don’t do this, Damon, please,” she continued as John pulled her from the room and led her off to his dungeon. “Damon, don’t do this to me.” Her plea rang through the hall as Damon readied his men.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Damon and his men gathered in the courtyard as the golden rays of morning spilled around them like an overflowing cup. His head swam with thoughts of Gabriella. He knew it was not possible for her to kill someone, yet he couldn’t get over the shock of seeing her, knife tumbling from her bloodied hands.

  Stirring from his thoughts, he turned them towards the plans they had set to track the rebels. Gabriella would have to wait, for now. He needed to settle the business at hand. Then he could deal with whoever was responsible for the servant Anne’s murder.

  Until then, they had planned that Sir Richard and his men would travel southwest, skirting around the forest as Damon and his men rode straight into the forest edge. They would then track west, meeting up with Richard somewhere in the middle. If the rebels weren’t found, they would then enter the forest in lines of four men spread within yelling distance apart until they picked up a trail.

  There was no point of traversing back across the plains to any of the villages, since Richard had already advised that there wasn’t much left of the majority of villages between here and Woodmir.

  But, when Damon found these rebels, they would all pay with their lives for the untold numbers they had massacred in their bloody uprising against their King. He mounted Fallon, the great horse, dancing from side to side, anxious to be on his way. “Sedrick,” he yelled to the young knight as he was storing away the provisions that had been handed out to each of the men.