by C. C. Wiley
James stepped up and wrapped his fingers around her waist. He whispered into her hair as he drew her to where Zeus still stood. “Come. He is letting us go tonight. We can ask no more.”
Once again on Zeus’s back, James pointed them away from the camp. When they were out of the clearing, he brought the horse to a halt and glanced over his shoulder.
William’s young brother stood with Gilly and watched them take their leave. A shout rang over the treetops. Simon saluted and turned to walk toward the tents, his arm wrapped protectively around his niece’s slender shoulders. He bellowed orders at the men riding toward them and sent them in the opposite direction that Terrwyn and Zeus rode.
James leaned in, embracing her tight to his chest. They rode in silence, sliding in and out of the shadows. The half-moon followed them until it was neatly overhead. A wide span of meadow opened out before them. The moonlight gave them rest from the shifting shadows but took away their protection.
Chapter Nineteen
Night moved in. The dark shadows stretched and blended until they pooled into one. The mountains and valley dipped behind them.
Terrwyn rode in front of James, nestled in his arms, her weight pressed against his chest. The urge to hug her closer began to bloom. He knew she slept when her body went lax and her breathing changed. A delicate snore interrupted the silence of their ride. A soft breeze whispered over them. Her hair grazed his lips. He smiled and inhaled her scent.
James took a circuitous path that he hoped would cause the soldiers to scratch their heads. While the hours passed, he had come to a decision without discussing it with Terrwyn.
He could not leave Wales without sketches of those who plotted against Henry. He had to return to the Bloated Goat’s ale room one more time. Perhaps the tavern’s mistress would give him aid. It would mean Terrwyn would need to keep to her men’s leggings and tunic, and replace the cap she lost. Most of all, they would need to remove the manacles from their ankles. He was thankful the soldiers had wrapped the metal around Terrwyn’s slim boot. The leather would shield her from the constant rubbing that had begun to plague his skin. He added the procurement of a pair of boots for himself to their growing list of needs.
Taking in a deep breath, he leaned forward to cradle Terrwyn tighter. He slid his hand around to the flat of her stomach.
He paused.
The air he drew in abruptly expelled. He felt along the familiar shape hidden under her tunic. He withdrew his hand and let it rest on the crest of her hip.
He worked to control the erupting dark thoughts. How had he been drawn in? He knew deception—he sat by its side every day of his life. How did he not recognize it? Why had she not presented it to Sir William if only to save her own skin?
No matter how long he rode, James could not shake the inexplicable hurt that this Welsh woman had betrayed him. Why it mattered, he could not fathom. The simple fact that she had lied to him hurt more than the concern that she might work to protect her father.
As his memory flashed to those he saw earlier, the faces hidden under the shadows at the Bloated Goat became clearer. He recognized the craggy nose and high cheekbones. He would imbed another face in his latest drawing. He was certain it was Edgar Poole and Dafydd ap Hew who were in deep conversation as they left the meeting that night. James marveled at Dafydd’s temerity. He placed his daughter’s life in jeopardy while he plotted against the king. James ached for Terrwyn, knowing the pain she would endure when she learned her love and loyalty were misplaced.
A few hours before daylight James and Terrwyn entered a dense grove of trees. They rode over the rise of the hill and dipped into a low ravine. James searched for a protected spot for them to rest. They would wait in the cool hours of morning and watch the trail behind them. If someone followed, they would know soon enough.
Anger over Terrwyn’s betrayal simmered in his head. He did not want to be in as close proximity, stuck on horseback, when he pressed her for answers. After giving it great thought, he had decided to let her keep her secret. He would find a way to use it to his advantage.
A small measure of pride in her ability to scoop it up under watchful eyes swept over him. It was her betrayal that kept him wary. The knowledge that she had his drawings and did not tell him began to burrow into his skin.
Under the waning moonlight, he paused to examine Terrwyn as she slept in his arms. Despite his care, the weight of the chains rubbed her leg. If they did not stop to rest now, the decision would be taken out of his hands. He would not allow her to become crippled because of his urgent need to push on.
He twitched the reins and Zeus came to a halt beside a low-growing branch. The horse sighed, nickering softly when James shifted his weight. He listened to the quiet of the woods. The lapping, gurgling rhythm of a stream worked its way into their surroundings.
“Time to open your eyes, love,” he said.
Terrwyn stirred. Before she could ask, he gave his directions on how he figured they would dismount. Bound by the chain between them they maneuvered until they slid off as one.
“Where are we?”
“Safe, for now.”
“’Tis good to hear.” Her eyes soft with exhaustion, she smiled up at him and placed her hands on his cheeks.
James bit back the curse he laid at Sir William’s feet. A deep purpling line encircled each of her wrists. He knew she would object if he asked if it pained her. Careful to keep his concern hidden behind an amiable smile, he placed a kiss beside the tender skin.
A soft gasp brushed the air around them.
He found her mouth before he realized he intended to do so. She tasted sweet, like honey. Nay, more than honey. She tasted like a honeycomb dripping with honey, fresh from the beehive, waiting for the taking. A heady mixture of earth and life. The desire to taste the rest of her, testing for more of the same, pulsed through his veins.
He released his hold and searched her face for uncertainty. She trembled beside him but she did not pull away. She stood, swaying slightly, leaning into his hands. Her pulse raced under his fingertips. The center of her brown eyes enlarged until he thought he might fall into them. Her lips, swollen from his abuse, looked bee-stung.
The realization he stepped where he dared not go without caution bit at him until he drew back. “There,” he said, giving her a chaste peck on the cheek. “Something to help you remember me.”
Terrwyn looked at him with wonder and confusion darkening her eyes. “You think me addled? How am I to forget you when you are strapped to my ankle?”
“Ah. We won’t always be so joined, will we?” The need to taste her, just a nip, flooded his senses. He gathered her into his arms, pulling her to his chest, and stormed her mouth once again.
He pressed his forehead to hers and slowed his racing breaths. He stroked her flushed cheek, stopping when he caught a teardrop on his fingertip. The moment he released her from his embrace he felt it. Loneliness filled the empty space she once filled.
He turned, pointing toward the sound of the stream. “If we are careful, we should make it down there without mishap.”
“But—” Terrwyn’s tongue lost its usefulness for language. Her lips buzzed from his onslaught. Words she’d used since she toddled at her mam’s knee evaporated with his kiss. As she tried to put sense to her reaction, she realized James had shuttered his face. He was moving down the ravine before she had time to form her questions.
“Place your feet where I’ve placed mine.”
Terrwyn carried a portion of the chain and limped behind him. Mindful of hidden ruts and stones, they moved slowly down the bank. Zeus followed, his great body brushing against the low-hanging branches.
James moved in exact, thought-out movements. One misstep and either she or he would be tripping over the cursed metal between them.
They stopped by the stream. Given his head, Zeus drank deeply. James clasped his hands behind his back.
Puzzled by his behavior, Terrwyn sat on a nearby rock. A deep sigh radiated
from her chest. She could not help wincing when she shifted her weight on the hard stone. She was relieved the moon hid her face, or James would have spent his time hovering over her as he did Zeus. Although to her eyes, the horse seemed none the worse for wear. She tamped down her irritation. The man stirred her blood until she could not think and then his ardor vanished like an early frost.
When the horse had its fill of water, he led it to a nearby tree. Terrwyn hobbled close beside him. His movements were fluid, efficient and effortless. She swayed from fatigue and watched him caress Zeus’s sleek coat. She wondered what it would be like to have his gentle hands on her back, rubbing the crest of her hips. He might even glide those long fingers over her neck, stretching the aching muscles. The dull aches she had managed to ignore awoke and demanded his attention. Instead of pleading, she kept her silence.
James patted the satchel behind the saddle. His wide smile smoothed the deep furrows that had begun to form around his mouth. “Look here, Zeus.” He held out a handful of grain. “Young Gilly ensured your needs come before mere humans’.”
The horse bent to nuzzle the palm of his flattened hand and ate as if he had not been fed for days. James pulled the saddle off, bringing the woolen blanket with it.
Terrwyn fussed with the quiver of arrows she had taken from Sir William’s chest. She huddled over the bundle she brought with her and pulled out the loaf of bread Gilly gave them. When she held out a portion to James, she could not help noting the exhaustion marring his eyes, even though he tried to hide it when he turned his attention on her.
“Come, James, rest a while beside me.” She patted the stone seat. “You cannot go on without a bit of sleep.”
“Sleep will come when the king’s safety is secured.”
“And if you collapse?”
“Don’t worry your head, Terrwyn. I’ve gone without sleep longer than this.”
She folded her arms and looked at him in disbelief. “I’ll not have you falling down while you’re bound to me. You’re too large a man to make me drag your arse out of the way.”
James pulled her close. “Is that all that worries you?” His fingers laced gently around her waist. His hand paused over the flat plane, noting the journal’s absence. He leaned in and let his lips play across her cheek, along the angle of her jaw, the length of her slender neck and back up to her full mouth. She tasted so sweet. He dipped in, memorizing each crest, each valley. With each intentional action he removed another layer of loneliness. He built memories for the days when he sat alone and drew her portrait. Somehow, he would place it into his memory and save himself from his solitary existence.
He bunched her braid in his hand. The silken strands wrapped around his wrists, as if to bind him to her.
“I recall you have a smithy in your village.”
“Aye.”
“Then don’t fret. Soon, you’ll be free of me and I will retrieve my drawings from Sir William.” He watched for signs of guilt, nearly missing the slight flutter of lashes. She did not like what she heard. He waited, hoping she would reveal where she hid his packet. And, Saints’ bloody bones, why she continued to keep them hidden.
Terrwyn shivered. The metal links whispered when she shifted to draw close. “No need to rush off. When you pick up your sword instead of the charcoal pieces, you won’t be such a heavy burden to have in my way.”
“You want me to give up my drawings?”
“’Tis what got you into trouble, was it not? Sir William needed you to serve as a soldier, not as a pale-handed man who draws flora and fauna.” She kneaded his shoulder. “There now, I didn’t mean to hurt your wee feelings. I’ve seen your drawings and they are lovely. Why, even the portrait I spied was uncanny, but what can the king be thinking? Sending you along with the army slowed them down and vexed the commander to no end. I’ve given it considerable thought and now understand why Sir William was so willing to believe the worst of you. Perhaps if we spend time together after we remove the shackles, I can teach you some weaponry skills.”
James tried to see if she’d sustained a head injury without his knowledge. How else could she come up with her outlandish ideas that he could not handle a weapon? She continued to gaze at him, her brown eyes full of concern. Her hand slid over his arm, stroking him as if he were a pet. He drew in a breath and had to force it out when her breasts brushed his chest. Her closeness almost wiped away the anger he had been carrying ever since he discovered she had his damn drawings.
He dragged his thoughts from useless yearnings. He could not ignore his vow. It was not just a vow to a king. This was a promise to his friend. He would see Henry live to be a ripe, wrinkled old man. Though Henry would indeed understand the lure of a maiden’s charms, James knew he could not follow the distraction. The king’s safety sat heavily in his hands.
“We will ride for your village,” James said. “I give you my word, I will make certain you arrive without harm.”
Terrwyn shivered again. It was as if an early winter freeze fell over her. Guilt nipped at her heels. It took but one kiss from James’s lips to push the worry for her family away. “Nay! We cannot return. It won’t be safe.” Her protests were silenced by the finger resting on her lips.
She searched her memories. There had been dark dreams threaded with fear, laced with anger. Flames danced from torches. Only recently those dreams had shifted. Now she heard the sounds of children laughing as they danced in a field of clover. Their laughter turned to shrieks of terror. Her efforts were never enough to save them.
However, she was coming to understand what she saw was not always what would come to pass. If she remained strong in her decisions, it was possible for her to step in and change the outcome. She had seen Drem taken away, yet she did not heed the warning. This she regretted with every breath. With regret comes learning. She had seen the joy of Padrig’s birth and the sorrow for Mam that soon followed. She had misunderstood what she saw. It was not the truth. The truth came with the living of the moment. Until that moment occurred, she still had the opportunity to change the fates.
She gently lifted his finger from her lips. She did not shove him away, but held him. “I cannot return to my village.” She gripped James’s hands. The need to make him understand her fears was overpowering. “We must stay away from my village. What other direction can we head? ’Tis certain you are under the king’s edict, placed on you before we met. Where did you intend to travel before the fates tangled us together?”
James shook free from her grasp and shoved his hands into his hair. His nostrils flared and narrowed as if he fought to control his breathing. He spun on his heels, dragging Terrwyn along beside him. “We’ve rested long enough. Mount Zeus now.”
Chapter Twenty
They kept to the trees and off the dirt trail that some liked to call a road. Although the terrain was rough, traveling by horseback reduced the days Terrwyn had walked through the forest into hours.
The time to talk easily about the drawings of Drem had long passed. Guilt danced over her shoulders. What if James had drawn that picture of her brother while he waited at the Bloated Goat? His imagination would carry him away on some ridiculous notion that Drem played a role in the plot against the English king. That could not be. If Drem were free from the English, he would have returned home as soon as his feet hit the Welsh shore. Of that she was certain. Of course, if Drem were there she’d protect him this time.
Whether James knew it or not, he would not rid himself of her presence. Not until she saw her task clear through to the end.
She glanced at James when she felt a vibration through her back. He was humming a ditty about a young wench who wore posies in her hair. His deep voice danced over her in waves. By the time he came to its end, she decided he must have made it up as he went. The lyrics made no sense. It began with the wench who lived with haughtiness in her heart and the poor besotted soul loved her until he died. She beat him stoutly every day, yet he was the death of her. The song ended with the young lover
s wrapped in their love as they sailed off to sea.
To Terrwyn’s frustration, the senseless song remained in her head. Or rather, it was the beauty of his voice she could not release. No longer distracted, she noticed the path they rode over was not one she remembered ever traveling.
Aye, the man was a treacherous distraction. It would serve her well to walk cautiously. James was still King Henry’s man.
“Why does Edgar Poole’s hatred flow so deep?” she asked.
“He plays to both parties.”
“And you know this how?”
“Saw him come out of a meeting. He stepped out of the shadows and there he was, the moon shining brightly on his narrow face.” James chose not to mention Edgar’s companion. The night had been too dark, the shadows too deep for him to be certain of the person’s face, but he had his suspicions. Perhaps, given another opportunity, he would know it well enough to add it to his drawings.
James searched the horizon for signs of riders coming their way. “Edgar must have seen me as well.”
“Then we won’t return to my family,” she said. “I won’t play any part in reminding the king’s soldiers where my village lies.” The tone of her voice brooked no arguments.
James thought it best to ignore her threats. Like as not, she was more frightened of her father’s ire than that of Sir William.
Dear God, she must have brought her family to their knees when they discovered she had run off in the middle of the night on some addle-brained scheme. Of one thing he was certain, if she belonged to him, he would find a way to keep her under lock and key for a good stretch of time. The idea of her out on her own in the wild squeezed his chest until it felt like it might explode. Life in the village may have been a trial of patience, her capabilities questioned at every opportunity. However, he could not fathom the hurt that had led her to jeopardize her safety.
She was right. They could not go to her village. By now, Sir William’s men would be headed in that direction. It would better serve her family if there were no signs of them having been there.