Darien led the way, picking slowly, not letting go of her hand. As they crept along in the dark, sometimes with the aid of the moon, Elise wondered if they would make it out alive.
Her knees shook badly, for the way down was a steep, sliding walk. She was grateful when he stopped a moment. The moon shone again, and now Elise could see the steep sloping terrain they had yet to traverse.
"Rest a moment." He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "I watched you get by the guards. I was afraid, Elise, I can tell you that now."
"They did not change as I expected. Rogier changed something. An owl distracted the one guard," she said with relief.
Fleetingly she saw his grin, then he imitated the sound. "Like that?"
"It was you? But it sounded further away, in the tree tops."
"Yes, and the guards changed two hours before."
"What? Have you been waiting for me all that time? You should have escaped."
"Do you think I would leave without you? Just as you would not leave without me."
He was correct.
"I sent word to Rufus."
"Who would you dare to trust?"
"It was one of the women my fa -- Rogier bought at auction. I helped her and her daughter get away. I hope they managed to do so."
"Perhaps we can intercept my brother. If I know Roof, he will show up at an unexpected hour. He always said it pays to surprise your adversary in his bed."
"I don't think Rogier sleeps," she said.
"Let us move on. I dare not waste time. Will you be all right?"
Elise nodded with determination. There was no going back. Her knees felt as if she had been walking all night, and she stumbled on something, probably an exposed root. She fell against Darien and he steadied her, his arm pressing into her side reassuringly.
Unaccountably, Elise felt tears start to her eyes. She had lost him and been allowed to come back and reclaim that lost love. A second chance for both of them. Even if they died before the morning came, she had done what she had set out to do.
They crossed a small creek and Darien stopped, lifting his head and looking around them.
"We are close," Elise said.
"Yes, we are almost near the base of the mountain. The village of Eastkill should lie to the east."
"Why are we stopping?"
"I want to be sure before we come out into a clearing. A miscalculation could bring us right back into Lancaster's arms."
"Why would he be so lucky as to be in the exact spot we come out?" she asked. "He's not omnipotent."
"I hope you are right."
"Do you think this was another trap?"
"He may be hunting us," Darien said grimly.
"Why should you think he knows anything?"
"Our escape was too easy."
Chilled, Elise tried to reason away his words. "You have to be wrong. He can't know everything."
"We cannot chance going to my house. That is the first place they will look."
"You're right. So where do we go?"
"Perhaps I can help you on that score." Rogier stepped from the edge of the woods, confirming Elise's worst fears. He held a pistol and it was pointed in their direction.
Chapter Fifteen
Rogier laughed softly. "I said to myself, if I were that devil Remington, what route would I most likely take, no matter the danger? The answer was obvious."
"You've been following us?" Elise asked.
"Of course not. I came down the road and then waited. My men fanned out. I just happened to be the lucky one in the right spot."
"I hate you," she hissed.
"Really, Elise, I grow weary with the telling of it." He turned to Darien. "I am curious as to how you rid yourself of the chains."
Darien merely smiled.
Rogier narrowed his eyes in resignation. "Elise, when will you learn not to interfere? I am sure your intervention was necessary for the escape. Even the Hellhound could not open padlocks with sorcery."
"Have you forgotten the sorcery I practice comes from the bowels of Hell?" queried Darien. "Surely your men have relayed the Hellhound's powers?"
"You do not command the devil's own power," Rogier remarked, a twitching by his right eye.
Elise pressed the point. "Combined with Mandine's witchery, even you cannot equal their powers."
"Be silent!" he snarled.
Elise latched onto whatever it was that caused him grief. "Mandine told me before she died of the fate that would befall you." She tossed her head back, looked around the woods, her hair around her face wildly. "She said your evil would catch up with you. Eat you alive. You could not evade it."
"Remington, shut her up or I'll give her over to Beldar."
"You're afraid of Mandine, even in death. You always have been," she continued.
Rogier's eyes widened. He called for Beldar, who appeared from the dark to stand by his side, holding a lantern high.
"Shut her up. Take her up the mountain."
Beldar smiled. "Gladly."
Elise backed away, then Darien tripped Beldar, hit him on the back of his neck with both fists together. The other man went down like a tank.
Elise ran into the woods, then heard a shot ring out. She felt a burning in her side and her breath gasped past her lips at the searing pain. She pressed a hand to her side. She would not stop. Darien ran behind her, trying to keep her shielded. More shots rang out, the woods were suddenly filled with crashing sounds and flashes of fire as rifles were discharged.
Elise lost her footing and fell to the ground, hardly able to breathe. She tried to regain her feet and Darien pulled her up.
"We can't make time this way, Darien, put me down," she implored, but he kept running, ignoring her plea. Finally, he ground to a halt.
"I commend you tonight, Remington," Rogier's hated voice said. "You made it much further than I ever suspected. Your calculations were brilliant. One could almost say I admire you." He waved his pistol, but Elise was only aware of the deep burning in her side.
"I should kill you now for attempting to escape and for kidnapping my daughter. You have given me a good run, and if time wasn't pressing I'd be tempted to let you escape again so we can replay this game."
"What kind of man will shoot his own daughter?"
Rogier moved in close, held up a lantern but Elise stepped back from him. "It looks merely to be a flesh wound --" Rogier dismissed coldly. "We return."
#
Elise's last glimpse of Darien was as she was forced into a wagon. He stood with boots planted, unflinching as he was once more bound by chains.
Once more at Rogier's strong hold, Elise had dressed the graze which the bullet had caused, knowing he could easily have killed her. She paced the library floor, exhausted, her mind racing as she tried to think of a solution to their situation.
A knock on the door startled her. One of Rogier's men stood in the doorway. Like all the other sentries, he was roughly garbed in dark breeches and blouse, a rifle in his hand.
"Your father requests your presence."
Elise held her side, trying to ignore the burn there as she passed the guard. In the hall, she suddenly caught sight of Rufus, who stood almost nose to nose with another guard. They stood tensely, each gripping on their hip a pistol.
Rogier stood at the end of the hall, sharp eyes missing nothing.
"Rufus." She ran to meet him. With renewed hope, she clasped his hands. "I am so happy to see you." Unbidden, her eyes began to burn and she blinked rapidly.
With a wave of his hand Rufus dismissed the young cur who'd dogged his heels since he'd set foot on Lancaster property. He pulled Elise to him.
"Did you doubt I would come to you and my brother?" he asked.
Rogier raised his brows and smirked. "I see you have made a full recovery."
Ignoring him, Elise pulled Rufus to the library and pushed the door closed. She pulled him over to the window, a finger to her lips. "Have you seen Darien?" she asked barely o
ver a whisper.
"No, damnation, he won't allow it. I've vowed to bring the sheriff tomorrow, for that one out there will not listen to reason." His angry snarl matched the frustration on his face. "I will not be denied access to my own flesh and blood. Have you been to see him?"
Elise clasped her hands, keeping her voice very low, the fear ever present that they would be over heard. "We managed to escape last night down the escarpment --"
"Good God! In the dark?"
"It was a cruel and vicious game. He awaited us."
Rufus smote his fist into the upholstery of the settee. "How does my brother fare?"
"He is chained."
"Damnation. When you failed to arrive home, my men and I went looking for you. We found the horse and carriage, but no sign of you or Darien."
"He came upon us at the falls. He would not let me contact anyone. I helped a woman and her daughter escape from here -- tried to send a note with her --"
"She found me, Elise. And mere luck it was. The poor woman came running after me like she was mad. At first I did not know what to think."
"Did she get away?"
"She did. I sent several men to escort her to her sister's house. She and her boy and girl are out of harm's way."
"I'm glad. After the escape, it appears Rogier doubled the guard and along the property boundary. I eavesdropped on them. I don't even know if Darien is still in the tower or if they've moved him elsewhere." Her mouth trembled and she looked down. "Rogier insists Darien is guilty of crimes as the Hellhound, with or without proof."
"They charged him with conspiring with the Hellhound and with murder. I am of a mind to storm this place."
"How can you do that and both of you get out alive? There are men patrolling the grounds as if such an attack is expected." She moved to the window, stood to the side and motioned to Rufus. "Men swarm the grounds -- in the woods. I heard talk of men in the trees as lookouts." She shivered. "I am afraid. Rogier seems to know every move before we make it."
"Elise, he is only human." Rufus rubbed his chin. "And yet, you have a point. Perhaps he expects such an attack from my quarter." He grinned. "I would not like to disappoint him.
"I couldn't bear to lose either you or Darien."
"Have faith. I hope to outwit one puff-tailed greedy fox." Rufus gripped her arm and pulled her to sit beside him on the settee. "Come, we have little time. I must speak on matters which have long been on my mind. Darien told me of your disappearance and your subsequent arrival here."
"Do you believe it?"
"Hearing such a tale from my brother makes it easier in the telling of mine. I know something of this traveling through time and place."
She drew in a deep breath, leaning toward him. "How could you --"
"Not I." He shook his head, a fleeting pain crossing his face. His mouth tightened and the scars on his cheeks turned pale.
Elise sensed his acute pain.
"It is -- was -- someone I knew for a short time. A woman traveled from another time as you have, although I admit I was totally disbelieving of such an occurrence. She appeared one day whilst I was at sea. A strange creature, totally independent of the thoughts and regards of men." He smiled. "Somewhat like you, Elise." He smiled ruefully. "That first night we found you, her memory came to me so strongly that I was drawn to you immediately." He shook his head. "It caused quite a bit of disturbance between my brother and I. The reason I share this is -- I do believe you."
"What happened to her?"
"She stayed with me for a week aboard my ship, then left as she came, in the blink of an eye."
"Will she return?"
"It is something I have wished for time and again, but I do not know. Darien thought her an adventuress because she searched for a precious gem, but he did not know her as I did. As for her returning, I can only hope." He slanted a brow. "I sensed there was some difference about you. Let me bid you good-bye while we have the time to say it."
Elise tensed in fear.
"I have a notion I shall not know you much longer." He held her close. "My heart is glad my brother has woken to the woman you are. I feel sorrow that I shall lose you to this other time."
"How can we know? I may die here in this time. What can we do?"
"We will get my brother out. You two will have to disappear. As for myself, I will go back to the sea; it beckons to me still. If we can get out of this mess, perhaps the sea shall be a thing of permanence. I dearly miss it. It was only at Darien's urging that I settled on land." Footsteps drew near, paused outside the door.
"You will come with the sheriff tomorrow?" she whispered.
"Yes. I won't let Lancaster win. Darien shall not be sentenced for the alleged crimes or I shall swing in the breeze beside him."
"Shh. Don't say that. We need to have the law declare him innocent."
"I will see you tomorrow."
Rufus strode across the room and threw the door open. Elise followed slowly and stood in the front door to watch him leap onto his waiting horse. Without paying heed to the men patrolling, he set his horse to a canter, scattering men in a variety of directions. She heard his mocking laughter ring out over the clatter of hooves on cobbles. They closed the large wooden gate behind him, the clank of metal barring it from anyone outside.
#
Elise awoke early, a slight commotion in the courtyard alerting her. She ran down the stairs, pressing a hand to the ache in her side. She had remained dressed as she had expected some kind of trick on Rogier's part. As she ran from the house toward the tower where Rogier stood, one of the guards put out a hand and halted her.
"What are you doing?" she demanded of Rogier.
He laughed and she suppressed a shiver. He made her more and more afraid as time went on.
"I do not need to explain to you, Daughter. Go back in the house."
"No."
He shrugged. "As you wish."
"You're going to kill him." The anguished words erupted from her mouth, and when she saw his face she knew it was true.
"You know me too well. He is too much of a threat."
Slowly, Elise nodded. "Then it is true. You are guilty of all the thievery and murders of which you accuse him."
She looked away from the man who had raised her, forcing back the bile which rose so chokingly. Her head grew heavy and a wave of despair engulfed her. If he killed Darien, she would want to die also.
#
"When the air is heavy and spring bursts upon the mountain,
Destiny calls to those who will listen
Heed its call or forever be lost,
For once the circle is closed,
Two souls must be joined, or separated evermore."
Elise caught a glimpse of Darien's blond head above the others as they took him toward the back of the house. She ran to keep up, her side paining her, but it was nothing compared to the emotions tearing through her.
Rogier's men formed a tight wall around Darien that she could not get through. Elise skirted the group of guards and ran ahead. She stopped dead in her tracks. Before her, visible in the very first light of day, was a gallows.
Darien was prodded up the long staircase, hands tied behind his back.
Elise clawed and kicked, screaming she knew not what, but she could not get up the stairs. Light began to filter through the clouds, a single beam breaking across her husband's shoulders. A breeze rose, swirling across the yard with a strange, moaning sigh.
In a last frantic bid, she darted over to the man who had raised her, uncaring of the amusement glittering in his eyes.
Rogier studied her with satisfaction, the fear and desperation she made no effort to hide.
"Please stop this. I will stay, but let Darien go." She pulled at his arm, knowing full well her begging pleased him. "If there's any feeling in you for me, the daughter you raised, then I plead with you to stop."
"It is too late. Your husband costs me too much. My business suffers -- his time is up. Everyone will see you ca
nnot cheat me in my territory."
She stepped back. "They'll hang you when they discover what you've done. I will see to it. Surely you don't think Rufus will let you live."
"I do not see him." He looked around. "Do you see him? They will believe me when I tell them he further compounded his crimes by kidnapping you and then shooting you."
She backed from him. "You are crazy."
"Lancaster!" Darien's voice rang out strong and clear. Abandoning any further pleading, Elise darted back to the stairs, looking up at the man she loved.
"Lancaster!" Darien said again, not a wit of desperation apparent in his manner. "I have a last request which needs be heard."
"Speak." Rogier's brows quirked in amusement.
"I would ask to have my wife by my side."
Rogier waved his hand carelessly. "So be it. I am a fair man."
She raced up the stairs, pulling up her skirt when she almost tripped. She moved close to him, resting her cheek against his chest, clutching the torn material of his tunic with icy cold fingers. An axe leaned against the framing of the scaffolding and she eyed it closely, wondering if she would have time to grab it.
"This amuses me," Rogier said.
Darien held her crushingly close.
"Take the ring," her husband said huskily in her ear, bowing his head. With trembling fingers she pulled the engraved gold circlet from around his neck and slipped it on her finger.
"Now you've the ring, Mrs. Remington. Perhaps twenty-four years late, but all that I have is yours."
"I want only you," she whispered.
Thunder boomed overhead, and then another crash of thunder. The courtyard gates flew open, a billowing of yellowish smoke giving way to men on horseback. The gates lay at an odd angle as horses jumped over the broken portal and entered the yard.
Horsemen clad in leather britches and beaded shirts clattered across the cobbles. Ironically, they were dressed as "Calico Indians," leather masks concealing their identities.
Rogier's men scattered, then turned to take aim, but too late. The horsemen were upon them, scattering them like ants as they ran to give way to leaping horses. Holding tightly to Darien, Elise heard one rider emit a high-pitched war whoop, then ride toward them, two galloping horses following as he clattered to a halt beside the scaffolding on which they stood.
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