“Will,” Claire pleaded, “we need to get to my family as soon as we can.”
Ignoring her, William turned to his lieutenant. “We will back off to higher ground. I want to get a better idea of what we’re up against before committing to anything.”
“What if while we are checking things out, something happens to them?” Claire argued.
An exasperated growl escaped from William as he swung around toward her. He stared at her angrily for a moment, then said, “Lieutenant, the lady and I have some things to discuss. Take the men to the high ground where we first saw the Mercian tents. We will meet you there.” Turning to the messenger, he added, “You … I need some information from you. Stay with us.”
Setting their horses into a trot, the four men moved quickly back up the trail. Coll shifted his horse to a discrete distance away and waited to be called.
“You told me the Earl of Mercia is powerful,” William spit out angrily. “I need to know what you meant by that. In what way is he so powerful?”
Claire chewed on her lip. Then, in a shaky voice, she answered, “He is … able to turn people into … the monsters you see here.”
William reached for Luto’s reins as the horse shifted restlessly. Brunneis was also giving Claire some problems. Thinking it was just because the other horses had just left them, William ignored their behavior and continued arguing with Claire. “Claire, it looks as though he has taken your family prisoner. How are we going to help anyone if he takes us prisoner, too?”
“He wouldn’t dare!” she cried, drawing herself up like an insulted noble.
He threw his hands up in exasperation. “Claire, listen to yourself.” He broke off and spun toward Luto. ‘What did you say?’ he asked the restless stallion.
“William!” Claire cried.
Whirling back toward her, he saw a monster reach out and pull Claire from the saddle. William drew his sword as more of the monsters surrounded them.
“Stop, or she dies,” the monster with the chokehold on Claire’s neck growled at him.
Desperately he looked for a way to help Claire. Seeing nothing, he slowly slid the sword back into its scabbard.
***
The guards at the compound wore the uniform of Mercia but they, at least, were human. Inside the wooden walls, the soldiers they saw on the grounds also appeared to be human. They rode toward the keep escorted by the six monsters that had captured them. Dismounting, they passed through the keep’s door.
Following Claire and Coll, William took in the surroundings. The place had the look of a recent fight that had been hastily, and rather ineffectively, cleaned up. In an ornate chair at the far end of the main hall sat a tall, muscular man.
Seeing the stranger sitting in her grandfather’s chair set Claire’s blood to boiling. She took a deep breath to keep her emotions under control. Her mind was churning, but she knew the first thing she needed to do was to find out about her family. Then she would find a way to get them away from this … what was it Edyth called him … the Lantian pig?
A booming laugh echoed throughout the hall. ‘So … after all these years, the Piretian still holds a grudge.’
‘You have my family?’ Claire projected back; her anger seemed to facilitate her ability to do so easily. She halted before the imposing being.
He regarded her with interest. “You are Claire,” he said. “Did you know that your reputation has reached the land of Mercia and beyond?”
“My reputation?” she asked.
“Oh … you know … The woman that can sense the vibration of a wound and the plants that will heal that wound. The woman who knows to employ the blood of a Lascion to counteract the poison of a feran’s claws.” The look on William’s face sent the Lantian into another round of laughter. “Such a clever girl you’ve gotten yourself tangled up with, young man.”
“My family?” Claire pressed angrily.
“Your family is unharmed.”
“Sir,” William spoke up, “who are you and what is your business here?”
The huge man stood and bowed slightly. “I am called Morcar, brother of Edwin, the Earl of Mercia. Since the Earl of Northumbria is no more, and as his son is unfit to rule, it is my duty to take over the obligation.”
“You dare to try to unseat my father?” Claire spit out in a tone that made William uneasy.
“That is already done,” Morcar snapped, and then assuming a smile, added, “All that remains are a few loose ends, which your presence should help to facilitate.”
“If you think I am going to help you, you are—”
“I am who I am,” Morcar roared, cutting Claire off. “Your first duty, my child, is to talk your father into officially ceding the earldom to me. Once that is done, he, your mother, and your sister may leave.”
“My sister was to marry. What of her husband-to-be?”
“My oh my,” Morcar chuckled. “Your family really cut off all ties when you left. The marriage has already taken place. Let me introduce you to your new brother-in-law.”
He motioned to one of the men standing in the shadows. The man stepped forward and bowed.
Claire gasped as she recognized Maud’s husband. Now he was every bit the monster she had always thought he was.
“He is now a member of my personal guard,” Morcar continued, amused by the situation. He motioned again, and nine other muscle-bound beings stepped into the light. “They are called feran, my dear. And Claire, as long as you please me,” Morcar turned to grin evilly at William, “they shall be your personal guard as well.”
“Please you!” Claire felt lightheaded, but her mind continued to function. Somehow Morcar knew of her connection to William and was taking delight in making the stable manager aware of his plans for her. He was going to use her to make a smooth transition into the earldom of Northumbria. Merging their families would cement their alliance.
“That, sir,” she said, drawing herself up regally, “will never happen.”
“Not even if the lives of your family depended on it?”
Claire stared at him furiously.
“Perhaps a little reality will help you to see how your family could be affected if you say no.” Morcar motioned to two of his guards, then pointed to Coll.
The guards were a blur as they moved. They swarmed over the messenger before anyone could react. William’s sword was but halfway from its scabbard when the man’s screams ended.
“I’d hold that thought, if I were you,” Morcar advised William.
William’s anger overrode his common sense. As the silver escaped the scabbard, the stable manager stepped toward the monsters. With a roar of rage, William delivered two quick, forceful swipes with his sword. Stepping back, he turned to look at Morcar with fire in his eyes as he returned the sword to his scabbard.
The two monsters, Coll’s blood still dripping from their mouths, stood frozen, their eyes blank. A moment later, two explosions echoed through the keep.
Morcar staggered back in shock, landing heavily in the chair. His eyes were fixed on William. “Remarkable,” was all that came from his lips.
William’s mind reached out to Claire, ‘Come on. We have to go now!’
‘Not yet,’ Claire shot back. Turning to Morcar, she said, “I will agree to your terms if you let him go with my family.”
Morcar looked from Claire to William and back again. “I may regret letting him live,” he said slowly. “But, yes, I will include him in the exchange. Northumbria and a wife for four lives.”
“Claire, you can’t!” William entreated her.
Ignoring Will, Claire asked, “You’ll free them now?”
Smiling Morcar replied, “Come here, my dear.” He reached out a hand to her. Haltingly, Claire moved toward him. “Let me see my bride-to-be.” Moving his hand in a circle, he said, “Turn around for me. That’s my girl.”
Claire slowly turned in a circle, avoiding William’s eyes as she did so.
“Good, good,” Morcar murmured. “Y
our father must stay here to transfer the earldom to me. The others I have no need for. Give me your word and they will go free.”
Claire looked to William and projected, ‘Remember how I was with you.’ Then, turning to Morcar, she said, “You have my word.”
Morcar waved his hand. “Get the women.” Then to William, he growled, “I will have that silver.”
“Will,” Claire cautioned as William hesitated. “Please.”
William took out his sword and tossed it to the floor. As the clang of metal on stone rang throughout the hall, William’s eyes never left the Mercian.
The Lantian was tall—a foot taller than Will. He was also half again as broad at the shoulders. As William took the brutes measure, his hand started for the sword on his back. He was confident he could take the giant.
‘Will, stop!’ Claire’s words exploded within his skull.
“You know, I hate to break this up,” Morcar chuckled. “Two humans projecting to one another is something I never thought I would ever witness. But the women are here, and you must leave. William, today you have safe passage. Come again, and you will not leave.”
Pulled along by the feran, two women entered through a side door. They looked stunned and disheveled, but otherwise unharmed.
“Claire,” they cried as they rushed into her waiting arms.
After a moment, Morcar boomed out, “Enough! Go now, or stay forever.”
“Mother … go. This is William. He’ll get you to safety.”
She shoved her mother and sister toward him. ‘Get them out of here.’
William reached out his hand, imploring her to run with him. Claire turned away and moved to Morcar’s side.
‘Please forgive me,’ came softly to William. ‘For everything.’
William closed his eyes for an instant. Then, grabbing the women by their arms, he pulled them from the hall.
Chapter 26
An hour earlier he had been convinced that her lies had torn them apart. He had felt betrayed. And though the pain was caused as much by Edyth as it was by Claire, it was the young woman’s deception that hurt the most.
But now, as he rode out of the compound on Luto, his only hope lay in Claire’s ability to deceive the Mercian. Thinking back on what was said before he left her with the monsters, there was also a hint of something else. He knew he had not imagined it. As much as it seemed she was telling him of her love for him, there was also an underlying current reminding him of her ability to lie.
She would escape from the Mercian the first chance she got. William was sure of that. Just as he was positive that it was up to him to create that opportunity.
William studied the guards in the enclosure and at the gate. He had no doubt they were human. He was also certain that they were all fighting men—and the number of tents he had seen outside the compound said they were plentiful.
Even so, it was the monsters that troubled him the most. William had no idea of how many Morcar had with him. If they numbered more than he saw in the keep, they were the greatest threat.
The thought brought back the vision of the two tearing the messenger apart. Their teeth had ripped through the man as if he were made of paper.
Wanting to erase that picture from his mind, William glanced back at Brunneis and Coll’s horse that were carrying the two women trailing behind him. He needed to find out what had happened and everything they knew about Morcar and his army. The question that stood out in his mind was, how did Morcar know that Claire would be arriving?
Once that question formulated in his mind, others began to leap forward.
How did Morcar know that Claire could mind-speak?
Why did the Mercian want Claire as his wife?
The Mercians had apparently forced their way into the keep. Why were there no signs of resistance? The Earl of Northumbria had an army. Where were they?
They were approaching the hill where he hoped to find the four soldiers from Wessex. Still, more questions poured into his head.
And what was a Lantian?
How had he turned those men into monsters?
And probably the most important question: Could Morcar be killed?
Sighting the soldiers, William urged Luto toward them.
“Good to see you, sir,” the lieutenant said.
“And you, Lassiter,” William replied.
“Anything you can tell us about them?”
“The Mercians hold Claire and her father. There are thirty within the compound; all battle-hardened from the looks of them. They also have eight more of those things we met on the road.”
“Eight?” the lieutenant asked, looking a little pale. “What are they, William?”
“We’ll discuss that in a bit,” William answered. “Along with how to kill them. What about this location? Have you had any problems? Does it look to be a secure place?”
“We’ve seen nary a hare come near here,” the man replied.
“Then we camp here for the night.” William added, “I have questions for the ladies. I’d welcome your thoughts.”
***
An hour later, they had an idea of what they were up against and why. Along with that, William no longer had qualms about what Claire’s family would think of him or asking her father for her hand in marriage. The long and short of it was that Claire’s family had sacrificed her to save their own necks.
It began with her sister. Maud, after witnessing Morcar turn her husband into a feran, was more than willing to tell him anything in complete detail. In fact, it was she who had suggested to Morcar that he use Claire to unite the people of Northumbria behind him.
“A marriage to an heir of Siward would dispel any hard feelings, and with Claire’s reputation among the people, you might even find that you are quite popular,” Maud had told Morcar. “I would happily make that commitment to you myself but, as you can see,” she gestured with a shaking hand toward her husband who was thrashing about in the throes of his transformation from a human into a monster, “I am newly married and cannot.”
Morcar had been delighted with Maud’s information and told her, “Summon a messenger. He needs to be someone with a wife and children.” He then instructed Maud about what Claire needed to hear to bring her back to Northumbria.
Maud had instructed Coll to tell Claire of her grandfather’s death. He was not to tell Claire that her marriage had already taken place. All Claire was to know was that her sister needed her for her wedding. The whole family wanted her here to make this sad time a little happier.
Morcar then backed her up by explaining to the messenger, in great detail, what would happen to his family if they were not back within ten days. And, as William knew, Coll readily complied.
Morcar had also found Judith, Claire’s mother, to be very helpful. She was the one that divulged that Claire could read minds.
Using all the self-control that he could summon, William continued questioning the women. What he really wanted to do was to send them back to Morcar so he could do with them as he pleased.
“Where is your army?” William asked. “There were no signs of a battle. The earl must have an army.”
“Word came to us of Morcar’s advance,” Judith said. “Waltheof wanted to keep the army in place at York. But his officers were insistent that they needed to intercept Morcar before he reached us. Waltheof has never been the warrior that his father was. In the end, he believed his officers knew best and ordered the army forward.” Judith wrung her hands as she told her story. “After we were taken prisoner, Waltheof admitted that he feared his officers had somehow been persuaded by Morcar to misdirect the army. As far as we know, there are five thousand men less than a day’s march from the keep waiting for an enemy that has already arrived.”
“Why didn’t you send word?” William asked when he heard this.
Judith looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “Morcar makes men into monsters,” she replied.
“And what of Claire?” William demanded, looking furious
ly at Maud. “You know what her life is going to be. How could you turn your own sister over to that monster?”
“Mother told you why!” Maud cried. “He turns men into monsters.”
Hearing that they had served Claire up to save themselves made William want to have nothing to do with them. The thing was, he needed someone to fetch the Northumbrian army. The word of two soldiers from Wessex would carry no weight.
“William, sir,” Lassiter said. “We could send Judith with two of the men. They would listen to her.”
William thought for a moment, then laughed. “I hate to lose half my army.” Lassiter had to chuckle at the pickle they were in. “But that does seem to be the best plan,” William said, then turned to Judith. “You will go with two of my men to bring the army back here. Waltheof has need of them. You will tell the officers that they no longer need to fear Morcar. His is just another army, and they can be beaten.” Judith looked panicked at that idea. “Madam, you will do this. Otherwise, you may find that your husband has been turned into one of those monsters.” Judith grasped frantically at Maud’s hand but nodded her agreement. William sent her off on the messenger’s horse.
Soon after Judith had left with the two men, William and Lassiter had settled on a course of action. The only unresolved issue was time. Lassiter was hoping the army would arrive in time to attack at dawn. If they did not get there in time to rest and prepare, he wanted to keep them hidden for another day. The only problem with that was what William had learned from Maud.
The transfer of power from Waltheof to Morcar would happen as soon as the people of Northumbria could be notified. Maud was pretty sure Morcar had already begun getting the word out. That meant that with Claire now here, the wedding and transfer ceremonies could happen as soon as tomorrow.
William could care less as to who ruled Northumbria. What he absolutely cared about was the wedding. All he wanted was to get Claire out of there and back to Wessex. Northumbria could rot for all he cared.
“What about me?” Maud cried after Judith rode away. William, Lassiter, and the third soldier were preparing to head out to do some scouting.
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