“You’ll be safe here,” William replied. “Just make sure you take care of the horses.”
“By myself?” Maud sounded aghast.
“It’s what you are left with,” William stated, then set off after the other two.
They moved silently through the woods as they drew close to the compound. Then, as planned, William moved out to get as close to the wooden walls as he could. He would circle the compound to see if he could find any weaknesses. Lassiter and the other would split up and go around farther out to investigate the strength of the defenses there. They would meet up on the other side of the Mercian encampment, then travel back together to join William.
William would have preferred a rescue attempt, but even he could see the insanity in that. Still, the idea of leaving Claire with that barbarian was as frightening as anything he had ever done. He let his mind go back to the memory of the happiness he had watching her as she tended his wounds. He could still feel the caring touch of her hand.
‘Does this mean I’m forgiven?’
Startled by the unexpected projection, William tripped over a branch and crashed into a bush. Getting to his feet as quickly as he could, he held his breath as he waited to see if he had been discovered. After a moment, he started forward again, keeping his eyes peeled for monsters.
When he was sure there were no soldiers or monsters about, he stopped to attempt to answer Claire’s projection. Nothing happened.
‘But I heard her,’ he thought. ‘I know it was her. How did she get through to me?’
Desperate to contact Claire, he played back in his mind what she had said—Does this mean I’m forgiven?
‘YES!’ he wanted to say. ‘Yes, a thousand times yes.’
He called to her again. Nothing.
There had to have been a reason she was able to reach him.
‘What was I thinking before I heard her?’
He let his mind drift back again. He remembered her touch. The creamy skin of her neck so close to him. As he remembered, he could almost feel her there with him.
Relaxing further into the feeling, he sent out the thought, ‘Claire, can you hear me?’
Chapter 27
Claire watched William pass from her view, her heart pleading to run after him. Still, the young woman’s feet obeyed her. She would stay and figure out how to help her father. Even as she looked about the room at all the monsters eyeing her darkly, she remained resolute in her decision.
Astonishingly, the uppermost concern in her mind was how horribly it had gone when she told William of her deception. She was aware that the mess she was in could go badly, and her heart was aching to have a clean slate with William if it did.
‘All that apologizing I did, and I don’t know if he’ll ever forgive me.’ She was not used to having to apologize, and the taste of that was still a little bitter in her mouth. ‘I’d apologize a thousand times more if it would only make it all right with him,’ she realized. ‘But that will have to be for later,’ she told herself firmly. ‘Now I have to figure out what to do about Father. And that means I have to find a way to deal with the Lantian.’
She turned to look at him. He was giving his monsters orders. Standing half a head taller than the other brutes and with shoulders that were even broader than theirs, Claire knew the Lantian was a formidable adversary; one she had not been prepared to deal with.
‘Who am I kidding?’ she thought. ‘There’s no way to prepare for something like this.’
She thought back to the lessons that Edyth and Jorunn had given her. ‘The sword training—no sword,’ she thought. ‘Animal-speak—not pertinent. Mind-speak—getting better at that. Keeping my thoughts to myself—I think I’m doing that. Projecting to a specific person—it might be convenient if I can do that. Now, what do I know about the Lantian?’
Thanks to the Lady Edyth, Claire knew of the connection the monsters had with their maker. They would do precisely what Morcar told them to do. She also knew that the reason the creatures had been created was no longer an acceptable one.
After the gods had reconstructed the Lantians’ war-battered bodies, they found that the only way to keep them from the eternal pain caused by that reconstruction was for the Lantians to consume human flesh periodically. But if the Lantians consumed only a small amount of flesh and the human lived, that person would undergo a transformation. They would become evil embodied—a feran.
What made the Lantian so disgusting in Claire’s mind was that a manufactured substitute had been found for human flesh centuries ago. The Lantian was creating feran deliberately. That made Morcar the vilest of the vile.
“I would see my father,” she demanded suddenly.
Morcar turned toward her. “Well, well,” he said. “Her Highness has demands.” He stared at her appraisingly for a moment. “Answer me this, first. Did the Piretian teach you mind-speak?”
“She taught me that what you are doing is an abuse of your power,” Claire spat back.
Morcar grinned at her. “Of course, it is.”
“Then why? You have no need for this.”
“It is little more than a means to an end,” Morcar’s deep voice rumbled. “This island has too many divisions and too many desiring her. I mean to consolidate. Only by uniting Northumbria, Mercia, and Wessex will this isle pose too big a risk to the likes of Norway or Normandy.”
“How is it that the bickering of men even matters to you? As I understand it, you’ll be here long after all of us are gone.”
“The Piretian has told you a lot,” Morcar responded as he sauntered around Claire. Lifting a lock of her hair, he ran his fingers through it. Claire stood without flinching, disdain smoldering in her eyes. “You know of the blood curse and its everlasting experience. Forever can get boring. Having my amusements soothes me. Since I will have no end, I have decided to make the best of it. I will do what I want when I want.”
“And the people?” Claire demanded.
“Would you suffer because of the need of a sheep?” Morcar asked, and then without waiting, supplied his own answer. “I think not.”
“You consider us sheep?”
“Believe me, woman, I was being kind with my analogy.”
“So, all this is so that you can be entertained?” Claire sneered at him.
“When you are forever and have everything there is to have, what else is there?”
“How about compassion, love, and joy?”
“Brief moments that always end in grief and loss,” Morcar answered matter-of-factly.
“I thought life was about the moment.”
“You are … what … fifteen? What do you know of life?”
“I know what most Lantians are very aware of,” Claire said. “That nature gives to those who are open to receive.”
“I, too, once thought as much,” Morcar admitted. “But then the gods took away the connection.”
“So now you would take that from others?”
“What? My personal guard?” Morcar scoffed. “They won’t miss what they never knew they had. But if you speak for yourself, just consider yourself a replacement for those many others that you are so concerned about. The affairs of man require some degree of cooperation. As a bonus, I think your presence will give me all I need.”
“Then, I am to be your prisoner?”
“Didn’t you just infer that one’s prison is what they make of it?”
“Some might look at it that way.” Claire smiled imperiously. “Then you won’t mind if I choose the color of the walls.”
Morcar understood that Claire was speaking metaphorically. Only, as Claire had hoped, the Lantian assumed that to save her father, she was going to make the best of it. As for Claire, what she did not want the Lantian to know was that she also intended to choose the walls.
***
Their verbal combat over, Morcar beckoned to one of his guards and instructed it to take Claire to her father. Claire felt rather victorious. Not only had she avoided talk of mind-speak, b
ut she had set the tone of the skirmish and stood her ground against this evil being. She did not hear Morcar’s comment as she walked away.
“This is going to be so fun,” he said softly.
Still, the young woman had much to be proud of. She had established a precedent, though it would probably last only as long as the immortal permitted. Of course, it wasn’t enough to win her freedom, but it would likely serve her well if William should be unable to rescue her.
Deflecting his interest in her ability to mind-speak was probably the most important thing she had accomplished. If the Lantian had engaged her for even a few minutes of mental exchange, he would have grasped her frequency.
Her mind-speak was hit or miss, and so too was her ability to hide her thoughts. For now, Claire needed every advantage she could get to keep him from her mind. Without directly experiencing the vibratory patterns of her thoughts, he could still find his way in but not without effort. Hopefully, with the ceremonies to prepare for, he would not have the time.
“Claire!” Waltheof exclaimed as his daughter came into the room. “You should not have come.”
Ignoring his words, Claire rushed into her father’s arms. After a moment, she disengaged from his embrace and began interrogating him. After a short while, Claire knew the reason she had been summoned.
“It was Maud’s idea?” She felt the stab to her heart. She could not believe that Maud would do that.
“She panicked,” Waltheof admitted. “We all did in one way or another.”
“But, why, father?”
“We got word of the Mercian’s march to attack us, so I sent the army to stop him,” he began. Then, seeing the disbelief in her eyes, added. “I know … your grandfather would have led the charge. But I thought … truth be told … I didn’t think it through. Not only did I send the army to intercept them in the wrong place, but like a fool, I stayed behind to make my capture easy for him. Still, even as prisoners, we stood against him ...
“Maud broke down with what Morcar did to her husband. Then he brought Smithy into the keep. You remember how powerful he was?”
Claire remembered the blacksmith—mostly the size of the man’s arms.
“He took Smithy as if he were a child. If any man could stand against that brute … but even the strongest man among us couldn’t.” Waltheof shook his head. “Maud fainted at that point. When she came to, Smithy started to change. We were forced to watch … Oh, Claire, it was so horrible. That gentle hulk of a man became a monster, and to prove it, Morcar ordered him to eat one of our soldiers.” Waltheof’s voice was now barely a whisper. “We had to watch as our old blacksmith ate the man. By the time Maud came to again, we were all more than willing to do anything he asked. Claire, your sister was so frightened.”
The betrayal of her family was understandable, but it did not alleviate the pain of it. Claire realized she had done the same to William. Wondering if she could ever again feel what she had held in her heart for her family, she also wondered about the stable manager. Had his heart changed as hers had?
Claire looked down at her hands. These hands that were always so steady when treating even the worst of wounds were shaking like leaves in a bitter wind. She felt horrible, yet she had not lost track of where her hope might lie.
‘Will,’ her mind whispered. She could almost see his shy smile and kind eyes. He felt so close. Suddenly, she felt as if there was a road flowing from her mind; a road that would take her where she wanted to go. Faster and faster she followed it.
Then, she was there. She could hear him thinking about her; feel his heart and mind reaching for her. Claire could feel no anger, no sense of betrayal. With her heart singing, she projected, ‘Does this mean I’m forgiven?’
She wasn’t sure he would hear her. At the same time, what happened next was totally unexpected.
As soon as she sent the projection, Will’s mind wavered and then disappeared. Something or someone had poached the connection. Taking a deep breath, Claire closed her eyes and called again. Nothing.
Then they hit, almost knocking the wind out of her—horrible images, firing one after the other, through her consciousness.
“Morcar!” she gasped.
She fought to remember her training; Edyth’s training that she had never been able to grasp. She needed it to work now. Claire struggled to immerse herself in all she knew of who William was. She reached for the heart of the man she loved. She strove to drown herself in his essence. This was all she had to block out Morcar; to cut the ties he was using to pull her to himself.
‘Will,’ Claire desperately searched again.
He was not there.
Opening her eyes, Claire saw her father. He had not moved! As though frozen in time, he was exactly as he had been when she closed her eyes. Had no time passed?
‘Will,’ she tried again.
‘Claire, can you hear me?’
‘Will, you found me! Stay with me, Will. Think only of me, or we’ll lose each other.’
‘I never want to lose you again, Claire. I will always stay with you.’
Chapter 28
Fearing that the connection between them would not last, Claire hurriedly explained to William what was happening, ‘Morcar is trying to take over our mind-speak. We need to talk fast. What have you found?’
‘I sent Judith to get the army. We’ll execute a two-pronged attack. The bulk of the army will attack the bivouacked Mercians. A small group of soldiers will hit the front gate. Meanwhile, the four Wessex soldiers and I will go through the wall by way of the secret door that Maud told us about. That will get us into the grounds. Maud also told us about a side door in the keep. She said it’s seldom used and never locked. With all the commotion going on, we should have a good chance of getting in and getting you out.’
‘Will, that’s going to take a lot of coordination. What can I do to help?’
‘Could you get to the door to make sure it’s open?’
Claire thought for a second. ‘Will, that door has never been locked. If I’m caught checking on it, Morcar will know something is up. It’s best to assume it’s open.’
‘Okay. Then I just need you to keep our connection really clear when we communicate. Now, until the Northumbrian army gets here, I think I’d better get some rest.’
Claire was loathed to let their connection go. Something was bothering her; something about the army? Claire could not pinpoint it, and she and Will had been mind-speaking for several minutes. She was finding it harder to hold a clear connection. She had to let Will go.
‘Just one more thing,’ Claire said, feeling some trepidation rising.
‘What?’
‘I wanted you to know that I am sorry and … and that I love you.’
Mind-speak does not involve the ears, so it is without sound. The mind is what does the interpretation and what William heard in his mind was the sound of Claire’s voice.
“I love you, too,” he said softly.
Nothing came back to him. Then he looked around. The other two men were sitting near him and were looking at him strangely. William realized that he had spoken aloud.
Getting up and walking away, he projected back to Claire, ‘Claire, I love you, too,’ then he went on to explain his delay in answering her. ‘I accidentally answered you out loud. I was sitting near the men. They heard me! Claire, I don’t know what to do.’
Laughter danced through his mind for a moment, then Claire said, ‘Don’t worry about it, Will. With all that’s coming in the next few hours, they will soon forget about it.’ Then there was more laughter, and the connection was lost.
William, deciding that it was best to avoid the men for a bit, walked over to the horses. He pulled out his bedroll from the saddles that were stacked near the horse line. Laying it out, he threw himself down. Then, curious to see if he could now animal-speak with Luto, sent a projection. To his delight, it got through. They were chatting back and forth for a bit when Luto noticed their connection was gone. Then the
sound of soft snoring reached him. Luto snorted and went back to grazing.
***
Claire’s mother came through. She and the two Wessex soldiers returned sometime that night leading the army of Northumbria.
“Sir,” Lassiter called to him.
William was, at best, only half asleep. Leaping to his feet, he looked wildly about. “What is it!”
“William, it’s okay,” Lassiter replied. “The army has arrived.”
William glanced at the night sky. The moon indicated that he had not been asleep for long.
“Already?” William asked. “I had not expected them so soon.”
“When Lady Judith reached the army, the officers had decided that Morcar was not attacking by that route and had already given the order to break camp to prepare to march.” Lassiter grinned at him. “They were readying to come home just as the Lady joined them.”
William rubbed his eyes vigorously. “Well, luck may be on our side today.” He winked at Lassiter. “Let’s go see if those officers are ready for a fight.”
They rode to where the Northumbrian army was resting along the road. There, the stable manager told Waltheof’s officers of his plan.
They found his strategy sound and made but one change. They would send several squads at the front gate. William, feeling almost elated that his plan had been accepted, headed back to their campsite with his men.
There, he lay on his blanket too keyed up to sleep. He finally got up and walked over to where Luto and Brunneis were. Grabbing some dried grass, he began rubbing the horses down. Brunneis stood quietly, but Luto shifted under the grooming.
‘What’s the matter, boy?’ William asked.
‘We attack in the morning?’ Luto questioned.
‘We do,’ William answered.
‘You may not be able to sleep,’ the horse said, ‘but I would like to before I have to haul your heavy back end all over the countryside.’
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