by N. J. Waters
She started to release it, but couldn’t. A huge flash brightened the entire room. Lightning was her first thought. The storm must be getting worse outside. But the brilliant light didn’t fade. Audrey felt herself being yanked backward.
As she was screaming, the world went black.
* * * * *
Abrah stared into the flames. It was late afternoon and already darkness cloaked the land. He’d be happy when the cold season ended. Usually he enjoyed this time of year, taking the down time to work on his wood-carving skills, plan for the upcoming planting season and practice his swordsmanship with his brother. But not this year. This year the cold weeks had dragged on and on until he wanted to beat his fists against the walls with frustration.
The long season hung like a yoke around his neck, choking him. Beside him, Carn stirred, raised his enormous gray head and stared at the door.
Abrah tried not to think of the dream he’d had last night, about the woman who’d been soft and willing beneath his hands. He’d enjoyed that part. There was nothing quite like the sweet smell of a female, and this one had worn the perfume of a summer’s day all over her skin.
What had disturbed him was the mention of the tapestry. Obviously, his conversation with Heroc had infiltrated his dreams, conjuring a woman brought by the tapestry. Better to stick to reality than build false hopes on dreams.
Beside him, Heroc stirred. The two of them had decided to make an early day of it. In the few short hours of available daylight, they’d checked rooftops and walls of all the cottages, making sure all their people were secure.
Tara had left a large kettle of soup resting near the hearth and platters of bread and cheese sat on the table beyond. They had plenty to eat but neither of them was hungry.
Several of the men, including the captain of the guards, had shared the midday meal with them but they’d all retired to their barracks for the evening. It was as though the entire keep was holding its breath.
Another storm was brewing. This one would probably be the last for the season. It also seemed as though it would be the worst. But they were safe inside and had plenty to eat for several days, if it came to that.
“You told Tara to stay home if the weather worsened?” He didn’t want to worry about their housekeeper who’d been taking care of their home since they were mere lads.
“Yes. And I told Malarc as well.” Heroc grinned. “If she won’t stay home on her own, he and his brothers will make certain she has other things to occupy her time than worrying about us.”
Abrah chuckled. Tara had been married to Malarc for almost thirty years and they still acted as though they were newly joined. His two brothers also treated Tara as the gem she was and they were all content.
Abrah wanted that for himself and his brother. His parents and uncle had had a similar arrangement. This keep had once been filled with voices and laughter. But now it was silent.
Carn continued to stare at the door as he pushed to his feet and growled. Abrah put his hand on the animal’s broad head. “It’s just the wind.”
Carn ignored him, slipped away from his touch and padded to the door. His gaze stayed centered on the large wooden slab and he let out another low growl. Then he turned his head and stared at Abrah.
“Oh no. You were out all day. I’m not going out in this mess again. Come back and sit by the fire.”
“What’s the matter with Carn tonight?” Heroc went to the hearth and added a couple of logs before returning to his chair.
Abrah shrugged. “I have no idea. Maybe the wind is getting to him.” It had gotten much worse in the past hour. He was glad all their people were safely tucked away inside their homes.
Carn threw back his head and howled. Then he leapt up and leaned his huge front paws on the door, clawing at the wood. The fine hair on the back of Abrah’s neck stood on end.
“Carn.” Abrah’s voice was sharp but the animal ignored the command. That simply wasn’t like him. He jumped to his feet. “Something’s wrong.”
Abrah strode to the door and grabbed his long, hooded coat, tugging it on. His brother was beside him in a heartbeat, pulling on his own outer gear and strapping on his sword. “You don’t need to go out in this weather. It’s probably nothing.”
Heroc ignored him and yanked up his hood. “We go together.”
Abrah understood his brother all too well. Since they’d lost the rest of their family they tended to spend almost all their time together. They were all they had left.
“Let’s do this.” He yanked open the door, bracing his feet against the driving wind. “There better be something out there my friend,” he warned the dog. Carn ignored his master’s admonishment and took off like a shot, racing down the stone stairs with both men in pursuit.
* * * * *
Audrey was cold. And wet. She frowned, trying to make sense of what was going on. The last thing she remembered was falling to the floor. She managed to pry her eyes open but she couldn’t see much in the dark.
Why was it dark? And rainy?
She was outside. But that was impossible. She’d been lying on her bedroom floor only moments ago. She pushed herself upright and squinted to see through the dark and driving rain. The wind battered her. Her clothing offered no protection against the elements and she shivered as the cold sank into her bones. She had to find shelter. She could figure out what the heck was going on once she was safe and dry.
It wasn’t easy, but with the help of a nearby bolder, she managed to drag herself into a standing position. Its bulk helped to shelter her from the driving wind and rain while she squinted and tried to get her bearings. There should have been tons of lights around. After all, she lived in New York, the city that never slept. But there were no buildings, no streetlights and no people. Only impenetrable darkness.
“This isn’t possible.” Her mind might be telling her that but her body was shivering with the cold and wet. That was all too real.
One thing was certain. She couldn’t stay here. She stumbled forward, praying she was headed toward civilization of some kind. The heavy wind was making it difficult for her feet to find purchase on the uneven ground and she tripped and fell in the mud, just managing to catch herself in time to keep from striking her head.
Her lungs ached and her limbs were heavy. Audrey wanted to simply lie down on the ground and rest but she knew that wasn’t smart. She could die if she didn’t move. The longer she was exposed to the elements, the more the cold drained her energy.
Was she dreaming again? She didn’t know. The biting cold and driving storm felt so real. She couldn’t take the chance it wasn’t simply a figment of her imagination.
She pushed onward, half crawling, half walking, searching through the darkness for a light, a building, something. Anything. The wind tugged at her clothing and skin. The rain came down so heavy it made it almost impossible to see. Still she persevered.
Time lost all meaning as she trudged through the stormy night. She put one foot in front of the other, dragging herself to her feet every time she faltered.
A faint sound broke through the unending night. She stopped and listened but heard nothing. “Is anyone out there?” she called. The wind stole her voice, silencing it before it got beyond a few feet.
She was soaked to the skin, her head hurt, her muscles ached and, worst of all, she’d stopped shivering. In her muddled mind she knew that wasn’t a good sign. She’d seen a show on television about hypothermia and knew that was one of the first signs of trouble. “Please. Help me.”
Desperate now, she tried to run but her feet were uncoordinated and she staggered, almost falling. If there was someone out there she didn’t want them to miss her. “I’m over here.” She wanted to raise her hands and wave them but they were simply too heavy. She wished she had a flashlight, something she could use to signal whoever was out there.
She heard the noise again. Was that a wolf howl she heard? She shut her mouth in a hurry. What if it wasn’t a person at all? What if it
was a wild animal coming after her? After all, she had no idea where she was.
Nothing made sense. She should be in her bedroom in her apartment. Maybe she was there. Maybe this was nothing but a nightmare.
“Wake up,” she whispered. She stumbled and fell to the ground. It was soft and spongy with the rain and mud. This time she didn’t get up. She’d exhausted all her energy reserves.
It saddened her to think she was going to die here alone in the dark. A tear mingled with the pouring rain, lost among the drops falling from the sky.
She heard the sound again and it was much closer. Her breathing was labored now but at least she wasn’t cold. A comforting numbness settled over her and she decided this wasn’t so bad after all.
A huge, furry face appeared only inches away, startling a scream out of her. The creature was massive, the size of a pony. Wet fur brushed against her face. She cringed back but the animal followed her, showing a lot of very big, very white fangs. She threw her arms in front of her, expecting to feel the painful bite of whatever it was. In the darkness and driving rain she couldn’t tell if it was a big dog or a wolf, only that it was big with sharp teeth.
When nothing happened, she slowly lowered her arms. A large, rough tongue scraped over her cheek. She jerked back but the animal didn’t attack. She squinted. Was it a dog?
It leaned toward her and nuzzled her face again. She threw her arms around the dog’s neck, comforted by its closeness. Where there was a dog there had to be civilization. “Where did you come from?” she asked.
The dog gave a deep woof in response.
“Carn?” a loud, male voice called in the distance.
The animal tilted back its head and howled. The chilling sound raced down her spine. He sounded like a wolf. Come to think of it, he looked something like one too. She slowly released her arms, pulling them back to her sides. The animal gave a low whine as if he wasn’t happy with her.
She smiled and felt the world tilt again. Her head rested against the ground and she could feel the earth shake beneath her as someone hurried toward her.
“What have you found, boy?” the male voice asked. She didn’t have the strength to answer him.
Strong hands turned her onto her back. She blinked as two large shapes went in and out of focus. She raised her hand to touch one of them but it was too much trouble. She let it fall back to her side and slipped away into the comforting darkness.
Just before oblivion claimed her she felt herself being lifted and held against a broad, masculine chest. In spite of the cold, she could feel heat radiating from him and snuggled closer. The one coherent thought she had was that she was safe now. She’d been found.
Chapter Four
Abrah couldn’t believe his eyes. He could make out a dark shape with legs and arms. There was a person lying in the dirt with Carn sitting right beside him. No, it wasn’t a male, but a female. The closer he got the more he could discern in the almost impenetrable darkness.
He pushed Carn aside and turned her carefully onto her back. Her body was delicate and there was no mistaking the outline of breasts against the wet fabric. Whoever she was, she wasn’t dressed for the weather.
She blinked at him and then her eyelids fluttered shut. She was alive, but he had no idea if she was injured or how badly. They had to get her to safety.
“What is a woman doing all the way out here? Alone!”
He shared his brother’s disbelief, for it was beyond comprehension that a woman should be out on a night like this and alone. “We have to get her back to the keep.” Abrah stripped off his coat and wrapped it around her slender form, desperate to get her warm. Whatever she was wearing was soaked through. He slipped his arms beneath her and lifted her off the cold ground, a sense of urgency pounding inside him.
“Hurry.” He knew they were on borrowed time, especially since the cold could draw the life out of a person. He’d seen it happen before and it was imperative it didn’t happen to this woman, whoever she was.
Heroc led the way with Abrah and his precious bundle beside him. They moved as fast as they dared with Carn loping along beside them. Abrah prayed to the gods as he hurried, imploring all of them to let the woman live.
As he made his way over the uneven terrain, he strained to hear her breathing above the howling wind and beating rain, but it was impossible. All Abrah had was hope, which had been in short supply in his life as of late. Heroc glanced at him and the woman in his arms from time to time but said nothing. Even if they yelled, the raging wind would swallow whatever either of them said. Time enough for conversation when she was safe and warm inside.
The keep came into view, lamplight from the surrounding homes illuminating the familiar path to their home. The brothers didn’t bother to summon help. Whoever the woman was, they would deal with her injuries themselves. If they were deemed too serious, then he would send for Tara and more help.
Heroc pulled the large door open and Abrah hurried inside. Candlelight flickered in the wind and several of them flared and then flickered out. He didn’t pause downstairs but took the narrow stone stairs two at a time to the next floor. His heart was racing, his lungs sucking in air as he hurried to his room. He shoved the door open with his hip and kept going through the bedroom and into the bathing chamber, where a single candle lit the space.
In the center of the room sat a tub of lukewarm water, which the housekeeper had ordered prepared before she’d retired for the evening. Abrah was thankful for her thoughtfulness.
Abrah barked his orders as he knelt on the floor with his precious bundle. “Stoke the fire and go down to the kitchen and get more hot water.”
Heroc took a moment to light several more candles before he hurried toward the door. “I’ll be back as quickly as I can.” His brother was yanking off his coat as he raced back to the bedroom.
Carn settled beside him and poked his nose into the top part of the bundle. His large muzzle shoved aside the fabric and gave Abrah his first look at the woman. Her face was streaked with mud and grit but her beauty shone through. Her nose was straight, her lips full and kissable.
Abrah gave a low growl, angry at her battered condition, and slowly lowered her to the floor. What had she been doing out in this weather on her own?
Carn glanced at him and then went back to nuzzling the woman. “Like her, do you, boy?” Carn didn’t usually take to strangers, preferring to stay aloof from everyone but Abrah and Heroc. The dog gave a low woof as though he understood the question. And Abrah wasn’t sure he didn’t.
He slowly stripped off his coat, which he’d wrapped around her, to reveal her body. She was slender, her limbs long and delicate. The clothing she was wearing was unfamiliar—some kind of pants and a soft tunic. He stripped them off her, careful not to jar her body any more than necessary.
She moaned and batted at his hands.
“I have to get these wet clothes off you.” He spoke, not sure she could even hear him as she drifted in and out of consciousness. But he kept up a steady stream of words as he tossed the sodden mound of cloth aside. She wasn’t wearing any footwear, only a thin covering of some kind. He pulled them off and added them to the pile. She was left wearing some kind of odd undergarments. The ones covering her lower half came off easily but the one covering her breasts gave him a moment of trouble. He’d never seen anything like it. It didn’t cover much, so he didn’t see the point in it.
He shoved it up and over her head, being as gentle as possible. She wasn’t shivering and that worried him.
Carn nosed through her wet clothing before going to the end of the tub and taking up residence there.
As soon as she was naked, Abrah picked her up and lowered her into the warm water. He knew that to her chilled skin the water would seem hot. Sure enough, her eyes opened and she cried out, thrashing in the water.
She was so weakened by her ordeal that Abrah had no problem holding her in the tub with one hand. All the while she fought him, he kept trying to reassure her. “You
are safe at Dannon Keep. I need to get you warm.”
Her eyes were huge and blue as they watched him in an unblinking stare. He scooped water into his palm and let it fall over her. “Let the water warm you.” He kept his voice low and, he hoped, reassuring. He’d never had to comfort a woman before and wasn’t quite sure how to go about it.
The door to the chamber was shoved open and bounced off the wall as Heroc strode in carrying a large kettle of steaming hot water. He set the hot pot down and made no pretense of not looking at their guest. Heroc’s eyes devoured her as she lay naked in the tub.
She shivered, pulling Abrah’s attention back to her. “That is a good sign. Your body is trying to warm itself.” He motioned to his brother and Heroc picked up the kettle and poured half of the water into the tub, taking care not to spill it on her limbs. He leaned down and used his hand to swish the water around so the hot was mixed with the cooling water.
The woman moaned as the hot water seeped into her limbs. He knew it would feel like fire against her skin but it was necessary to get her body temperature up. It was also time to wash away the mud to see if she had any other injuries. The fact she was moving her limbs without any trouble was a very good sign.
Heroc went around to the other side of the tub, grabbed a cloth and dumped it into the water. “I’m going to clean some of the mud off you.” He gently rubbed at her neck and shoulders and down her arms.
Abrah decided to rinse her hair while Heroc was washing her. He eased her back so she was resting against the end of the tub with her hair hanging over the edge. He shoved an empty bucket beneath it and began to scoop handfuls of water over the thick mass. Thankfully it wasn’t too dirty. When he was satisfied her hair was clean, he squeezed out the excess water.
In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Abrah couldn’t help but enjoy the slick slide of her hair through his fingers. Heroc was obviously feeling the same way as he rubbed the cloth up and down her legs and feet in a slow, sensual rhythm.
