by Bobbi Smith
Dynna had deliberately directed their trek across country this time. She wanted to avoid everyone she could. She could not afford any mishaps this time. She had to reach her parents. Only they could save her from the coming disastrous wedding.
Brage and Dynna traveled on through the night, crossing farmlands and making their way through thick forests. It was about two hours before daybreak when Brage stopped and turned to her. They had been walking for hours, and her breathing was heavy.
“Do you need to rest?” Brage asked.
“No! There is no need to stop now,” she insisted. “We have little time left. It will soon be daylight.”
Her endurance surprised and pleased him. They did not rest.
Near dawn the thunder began, warning them of the coming storm. Brage and Dynna sought shelter in a copse of trees whose branches grew low to the ground, offering them some protection from the elements and from discovery.
The rains came—a torrential downpour that washed clean the countryside. Lightning crackled brilliantly in the sky above, and thunder rumbled around them. They sat beneath the trees a distance apart, their shoulders hunched against the rain, listening to the power of nature as it swept over them.
“Do you really think this will help us?” Dynna asked. She tried to control the shivering that was racking her body, but with each gust of wind that accompanied the storm, she grew even colder.
“Yes. Any trace of our trail will be gone. The terrain was rugged enough, but this storm has given us extra time.”
“Good. Edmund will guess where we are heading, and he will try to find us before we get to my family. But once we are under my father’s protection, we will be safe.” She shivered more violently at the thought of what would happen to her if Edmund found her before she reached home.
Brage looked over at Dynna and went still. Her gown was soaked, plastered to her body. His throat tightened as he made out the swell of her breasts. They were firm and round, and, coupled with the memory of her kiss, he felt heat settle low within his body. Again, his reaction to her surprised him. They were running for their very lives, yet instead of thinking of her as a partner, he was thinking of her more and more as a woman . . . a very attractive woman. He could see the full outline of her body, and it was then that he realized just how badly she was trembling. “Come and sit closer to me,” he said.
She glanced at him, her expression wary as she tried to keep her teeth from chattering.
“You will be warmer here beside me, Dynna.”
“No . . . I . . . “She hesitated, wanting to keep her distance from him.
Lightning flashed just then, and Brage was able to see the doubt and mistrust in her expression. He said in a gentling tone, “You will have to learn to trust me. I have never forced a woman to do anything in my life, and I will not start with you.”
Dynna knew he was right. If they were going to make this trip together, she had to have faith in him. He could have left her, but he had held to their bargain. “All right,” she agreed moving nearer to him.
Dynna still tried to maintain a distance between them, but Brage reached out and put his arm around her and drew her into the circle of his warmth. Using his shield to protect them, he managed to deflect most of the rain.
Despite her best intentions, once Dynna was pressed against the hard-muscled warmth of him, she found herself wanting to get even closer. She knew it was ridiculous, but in that moment she felt safe and protected for the first time since Warren had died. Her back was against Brage’s chest, his arm around her shoulder. Her shivering slowly stopped as the heat of him warmed her.
“Do you think they are going to catch us?” she asked needing reassurance.
“Not if I can help it,” he said with no hesitation. “We slipped from the tower without being seen, and then the storm came. It seems luck is with us tonight.”
“That would be a change for me,” she said thinking of Warren’s death and then her capture by the Vikings as she was on the verge of freedom.
She sounded so forlorn that Brage looked down at her in sympathy. “That would make two of us.”
Dynna felt his gaze upon her and looked up at him. Their eyes met just as a gust of wind swept rain over them. They huddled even closer together as they both grinned.
“Maybe we will be lucky for each other. Maybe together our luck will change,” Dynna said.
“I intend to see that it does.” There was certainty in his voice. He had his shield and his sword. He was on his own with Dynna, matching wits against nature and Sir Edmund. He had no intention of their losing either battle. All he had to do was take her to her parents’ home and then he would be free to go.
Suddenly, the day’s long hours of planning and the night’s march caught up with Dynna. Fatigue swept over her, and in spite of her best efforts, she sighed.
Brage understood how exhausted she was. He had marched her at a warrior’s pace, and she had stayed with him without faltering. Even the hardiest of Vikings would need to rest after the trek they had just endured.
“Rest for a while,” he encouraged her. “There is no point in our going on until the weather clears.”
“But I need to stay alert. What if someone comes?” she worried.
“I will keep watch. Sleep while you can.”
“No,” Dynna refused, sitting up straighter. She remembered his argument about having her with him, and she was resolved to match him step for step. She would not be coddled. “We are partners in this. I will keep watch, too.”
“There is no reason for both of us to stay awake,” he countered.
“Either you agree that we will share the time to keep watch, or I will stay awake with you and we will both keep watch.”
He saw the determined look on her face that he was becoming used to, the tilt of her chin, the flash of defiance in her eyes, and he knew it was pointless to argue with her. “Very well. You rest first. I will try to sleep when I wake you.”
She nodded in acceptance and leaned a little more into him, to get away from the rain. The slow rise and fall of his chest along with the sound of the solid beat of his heart had a calming effect on her, and she dozed.
Brage remained still and at watch, shielding her as best he could from the storm. Dynna felt delicate, almost fragile to him as she lay against him; yet she was smart and quick and endowed with enormous courage, qualities that he had never known in a woman before. Most of the females he had known relied on their feminine wiles to get what they wanted, rather than talk to men on their own terms and deal with them squarely as Dynna did.
Dynna intrigued him. She was a widow, yet there was still an aura of innocence about her. The more he was with her, the more he learned about her, the more he found himself wanting to keep her from harm. He especially wanted to keep her from Edmund.
Brage could tell the moment Dynna fell into a deep sleep. Even lying so close to him, she had held herself stiffly, and when she slept, she relaxed completely against him. He felt a surge of intense protectiveness as he gazed down at her, her head resting on his shoulder. Her skin was luminous in the darkness. He knew a driving need to touch the softness of her cheek, yet he held himself back, not wanting to disturb her slumber. His gaze swept over her, taking in the curve of her hips, and he instinctively tightened his arm around her. She was beautiful, even dressed as she was in the wet, dirty gown. The women he had known always dressed in elegant garments and perfumed themselves and adorned themselves with jewelry to attract him. This one with her spirit and courage stirred him more than any of the others.
His breathing grew tight in his chest as he thought of the kiss they had shared. He wondered if that moment of ecstasy had been just a moment out of time, heightened by the danger of his situation, or if that kiss had truly meant as much as he thought it had. He wanted to know. He wanted to find out. But this was not the time.
Resolved to keeping her safe from the terrors that threatened her, Brage cradled Dynna against him. He kept his sword c
lose at hand, for he would take no chances with her life. He would protect her with his.
“The Black Hawk has escaped?” Edmund stared at the servant named Hammond across his bedchamber. He was enraged. “How did this happen? Where is Perkin? Bring him to me! I must speak with him!”
“One of the other men is helping him down here even now, my lord” Hammond explained.
“Perkin was injured? Was there a fight? Why didn’t anyone hear it?”
“Perhaps he can explain it to you. It’s all very strange . . .”
Edmund saw the guard come into view in the doorway of the room. He was leaning on Clive, needing his help to steady himself.
“Is what Hammond says true, Perkin?” Edmund demanded. “Has the Viking escaped?”
“Yes, my lord. Last evening, the Black Hawk was not feeling well. Lady Dynna was with him, and he had gone very weak and could not stand. I went in to help get him into bed.”
“Dynna was in the room?”
“Yes, my lord. The next thing I knew, it was morning. The prisoner was gone, and I was bound and gagged and locked inside.”
“You were duped!” he snarled.
“But he seemed ill and very weak . . .”
“There is no doubt in my mind that the prisoner was doing fine, you fool! He escaped!”
“But what of Lady Dynna, my lord?” Perkin adored Dynna and worried that something terrible had happened to her. “Could he have taken her with him? He might have hurt her . . .”
“I will check on Lady Dynna,” Edmund said his mouth tightening into a grim line. He wanted to tell him what he thought had happened but held his tongue. It was not for the guard to know just yet. First, he had to make certain that what he suspected was true.
“I will go look for her,” Perkin offered but as he turned to go, he groaned and held his head. “I do not feel so well. My head is paining me . . .”
“Perhaps I should cut your head off! Then it would pain you no more!” Edmund ground out viciously.
Perkin did not doubt for a minute that Sir Edmund might do exactly as he had said if he took a notion to. “I do not understand it, my lord. How could this have happened? How could I not have awakened when he bound me? I have no recollection of being tied at all. The whole night is a blur . . . and then this terrible pain . . .” He rubbed at his temples, trying to clear his thoughts, trying to make sense of it all.
Edmund knew what had happened. When he spoke, the rage that was within him was barely under control. “Find Lady Dynna and bring her to me,” he said to Hammond and Clive.
“Yes, my lord.” they echoed as they hurried off.
Edmund ignored the ailing Perkin as he paced his chamber, waiting and wondering if Dynna would be found, yet already knowing she, too, was gone. He thought back over the past few days and realized how very calm and almost submissive Dynna had been. He should have been warned by that change in her behavior that she had been plotting something. He was used to her fiery disposition. He was used to battling her at every turn. She had played him for a fool. The thought left him seething.
“Sir Edmund? Lady Dynna was not in her room. I sought out Matilda in hopes that she would know where Lady Dynna could be, and oddly, the maid was still sleeping,” Hammond reported, Clive standing nervously behind him.
“Rouse the maid now!’ he ordered harshly.
A drugged and sleepy Matilda was all but dragged before him. Edmund faced Matilda and Perkin.
“Yes, my lord?” Matilda asked, frowning and squinting at him. Her head was hurting and she felt lethargic. Her limbs felt as if they were weighted with stones.
“Where is your mistress?” Edmund demanded.
“Abed, my lord?” She answered his question with a question. “Oooh . . . my head is hurting . . .”
“I am not amused by your answer,” he ground out. “Where is Lady Dynna?”
“I do not know,” she replied honestly. “I saw her last night as she was preparing for bed. It is my custom to leave her then if she has no need for me. Why, my lord?” She gave him a curious, slightly troubled look. “Is something wrong?”
“The Black Hawk has escaped, and it would seem Lady Dynna has gone with him.”
Matilda seemed to be shocked by the news, but the truth was, she was thrilled to know her mistress had fled safely.
“She is not in the tower.” Edmund closed on the hapless Matilda. He loomed over her as he said, “I want you to tell me what you know about this. You are her faithful servant. I want to hear everything she ever said to you about the prisoner.”
Matilda looked up at him, bewildered. “I am merely her maid, my lord. She said little to me about the Black Hawk. I know only that his fever had broken and his wounds were healing. She was trying to get him up and walking, but I do not know if he was doing well or not.”
“Obviously, he was doing very well!” Edmund erupted, wanting to throttle the servant within an inch of her worthless life. “He was doing so well that he has somehow managed to walk right out of this tower without being seen! A Viking walked through our midst last night and no one noticed! We are fortunate that we were not all slaughtered in our sleep!”
“I was up and around late,” Hammond answered. “But I saw nothing unusual, my lord. All was quiet.”
“I want the tower searched from the roof to the cellar,” he ordered. “Search every corner, every shadow, every possible hideaway! Check them once, then check them again. Have the guard who manned the gate last night sent here to me.
“Yes, my lord.” He quickly left the room with Clive following him.
Edmund turned to the guard. “Perkin . . . did you have anything out of the ordinary to drink last night?” And then he addressed the maid. “What of you, Matilda?”
“I had my usual ale with my meal, my lord” Perkin answered. He concentrated trying to remember all that had transpired. As his thoughts cleared a bit, he remembered Dynna bringing him the mug of ale.
“No one brought either of you anything different to eat or drink?”
“Lady Dynna . . .” Perkin blurted out, though he hated to believe that the lovely woman would do such a thing to him.
“What about our fair Dynna?”
“She brought me a mug of ale last eve when she came to work with the prisoner.”
“Ah, Lady Dynna, our healer who works with potions and medicines, gave you a drink . . .” Edmund smiled knowingly. Hatred gleamed in his eyes as he thought of her conniving. “And you, Matilda? What did your mistress give you to drink?”
“I had a small cup of wine in my mistress’s room before I left her.”
His expression became even more savage at this affirmation of all he had suspected. “Have you any idea where she could be right now?”
“No, my lord. I slept soundly all night. I did not even realize it was this late in the morning. I am usually up with the dawn.”
“Go and search with the others. Find your mistress and bring her to me. If you value her life, it would behoove you to pray that she is found in the tower.”
“Where else could she go?”
“Where else indeed with the Viking missing!” he bellowed, red in the face. His father had not been told yet of the escape, and he did not want to say anything until he had the whole story. Only then would he go to his father with the truth.
Twelve
Edmund stalked to the window of his bedchamber, his hands clenched into fists. As he stared out across the sodden landscape, he cursed the weather that showed no sign of clearing. The sky was heavy with lead-gray clouds that hung low as far as the eye could see. If Dynna and the Black Hawk had indeed managed to flee the tower, it would be impossible to track them. The rains, steady since before dawn, would have erased any trace of their passing.
Edmund’s humiliation ran deep, and he ground his teeth in silent fury. He had always known Dynna was spirited, but this time she had gone too far. He would find her, and when he did . . .
His eyes narrowed as he considered what
his retribution would be. He had planned to honor her by making her his wife, but no longer. In running with the Viking, she had sealed her own fate. He would keep her and her dowry as his own, but he would not take her in marriage. She had proven herself unworthy of the position of his lady. He would take her to his bed and use her as he saw fit. Where before he had felt desire for her; now he felt only loathing. He had planned to teach her obedience. Now he would teach her pain. He would punish her and shame her before all the land.
Thoughts of his father intruded on his fantasy, and Edmund’s rage turned to a sober chill. Lord Alfrick would be furious over the loss of the prisoner. Hereld would be returning soon with word from Anslak. There could be no exchange without the Black Hawk. He would have to find him, and when he did, he had no doubt he would also find his “betrothed.”
Edmund was certain his father would not object to his plan for Dynna. She had, after all, destroyed his carefully made plan by freeing the Viking.
Memories of the interest Dynna had shown in the Black Hawk from the very first taunted Edmund, and he wondered if she had been bedding him all the time she had been visiting him, alone, in the locked room. The possibility fueled his anger. He would see the Black Hawk dead yet! He would slay him, slowly and painfully, right before Dynna’s eyes. He would have her crawling to him on her hands and knees pleading for mercy and forgiveness, and he would enjoy every minute of her subjugation.
The image pleased him, and he smiled for the first time that morning. It was a smile that had nothing to do with laughter or joy. Dynna would pay for what she had done.
“Has something pleased you, my son?” Lord Alfrick asked as he came into the room with Sir Thomas. He had met a servant on the stairs and asked where to find Edmund.
“I was smiling, for I was envisioning the Black Hawk dead.” He turned to greet his father, not looking forward to this conversation at all.
“But remember, Son, the Black Hawk must be alive for the exchange to be made,” Lord Alfrick cautioned.
“I understand.” He did not like that fact. “I do have some news this morning that you must hear, but it is not good.”
