Knowing Yourself - A Medieval Romance (The Sword of Glastonbury Series Book 1)

by Lisa Shea

  Em’s gaze went down to her sister’s injury, and when she looked up at Leland again her gaze was smoldering. “So, tell me, how did my beloved Kay get injured?”

  Leland flushed, his eyes holding hers. “I have no excuse,” he stated without hesitation. “I should have protected her.”

  Key drew up to sit. “Hold on,” she called out. “I launched us into that fight when Reese would have had us go back for support. I take the blame for what happened.” She smiled, looking up at Leland. “Besides, I was only hurt because I looked away from my opponent when I heard hoofbeat on the ridge. If Leland has scolded me about that once -”

  Em wheeled on Kay in outrage. “You took your eyes away from someone you were fighting?” she cried out in disbelief. “That is why you were hurt? You are lucky you only got your leg ripped open!”

  Kay sighed, shaking her head. “I know, I know,” she agreed, looking between Em and Leland. “I admit it. I was wrong. I got distracted. I learned my lesson. Can we move on?” She brought her gaze more fully on Leland. “Were you able to catch Galeron?”

  Leland shook his head in frustration. “He must have studied every twist and turn of that area around the ravine. We scoured the area for any trace of them, but they were completely gone. I thought it best to come back and make sure word was sent for reinforcements.”

  Reese stepped forward. “We should send to Lord Weston for support as quickly as we can,” he insisted. “We do not have the manpower to defend against a full attack.”

  Em nodded. “Word had already been sent,” she confirmed. “We will have a full contingent of my father’s men within two days.”

  “Which means a full thirty-six hours before anyone arrives back here,” mused Kay, running a hand distractedly through her hair. “Galeron knows every problem with this keep - every issue, every weakness. He deliberately held us back on making repairs, so that he could make use of his knowledge.” Her eyes went to Reese and Leland. “If Galeron returns with the full force of the MacDougals behind him, how long can we expect to hold out?”

  Reese looked to Leland, his eyes somber. “We would be hard pressed to last that long,” he admitted quietly. “The men here are willing, but you saw the lists that Galeron compiled, Kay. The main gates are worn. The hinges on the drawbridge are giving way. He is going to know exactly where to hit us.”

  “We will have to do our best,” vowed Kay, glaring at her injured leg before pulling to swing around to the side of the bed. All three people moved forward in alarm, attempting to hold her back.

  Kay shook her head in frustration. “I will not lie in bed when we are about to be overrun,” she snapped, “leg be damned. Surely there is something I can do!”

  Reese’s eyes were steady on her. “You can sit in the solar,” he advised. “You can act as a look out. If that wound festers, you will not do anyone any good.”

  “Sit in the solar,” huffed Kay, her voice tense. “What, like father would punish me, locking me in my room. So I can sit there, staring out the window, staring out at that tree.” She gave a low chuckle. “I suppose now I can stare at the tree and those carts …”

  Her voice trailed off, and suddenly she was in motion, pushing herself up and stumbling across the room.

  “Good God, Kay, where are you going?” called out Reese. He came up alongside her, moved his arm around her waist, and caught her as she stumbled hard against him.

  “I have to get to the solar,” she ground out. “Those carts, those carts …”

  She tripped again, and Reese drew her up, lifting her into his arms with a gentle heft. In a moment they were moving across to the stairs, climbing slowly but steadily up the long spiral. Behind her Kay could hear her sister being helped along by Leland.

  Reese brought her over to the window and gently lowered her down. Her eyes went immediately to the covered wagons, and beside her Reese stiffened, his arm drawing tightly against her waist. They stood in silence as the footsteps came up the stairs, as Em and Leland came over to stand beside them.

  Em looked out at the brightly lit meadows. “The carts are in motion?” she asked in surprise. She pressed forward, peering. “With an escort?”

  “Fifty men,” agreed Kay, her eyes moving across the tiny forms. “Thirty mounted.” She watched them for another moment. “They are taking it slow – those carts must be heavily laden. It was all a ruse. The carts hold their siege gear, and they sat there right under our noses.”

  She glanced at the trees, then back at the slowly moving group. “I give them eight hours before they get within arrow range.”

  Reese turned to look at the others. “It will nearly be dark by then,” he warned “They will be able to get to our doors by tomorrow dawn without a scratch.”

  “Not if I can help it,” ground out Kay, glancing at Em. “When they reach that tree, we will be ready.”

  “Ready for what?” asked Reese, looking between the two.

  “I have been shooting at that tree since I could walk,” nodded Kay, looking back out the window. “I have great night vision. My lady has a strong arm. We would play a game. If I launch a lit arrow at something, and create a target, she can plow an arrow into the spot without fail. That tree was planted as our marker, the furthest we could shoot from this very window.”

  Leland nodded. “I will fetch your bows and as many arrows as I can gather,” he agreed. “This is the best of all solutions. It keeps you two safe up here while the rest of the soldiers man the walls. Even if you can whittle down a few men as they go – or slow them up – it will be a huge assistance to our efforts.” He turned and in a moment he was gone.

  Kay turned to the window again, then staggered as her leg gave way. Reese was instantly supporting her; guiding her back to the couch. “It will be eight hours before you can do anything, before they are within range” he pointed out. “You should sleep now, to gain your strength. It sounds like it will be a long night.”

  Kay sat back on the couch, weariness overcoming her. “Normally I would argue, but I have to admit you are right,” she sighed. “You just swear to wake me up the moment they are in range. I do not want to lose one moment of effort against them.”

  “I swear it.”

  His gaze softened as he looked down at Kay. “You are a woman who is full of surprises,” he added quietly. “So much has gone on today. It is hard to know where to begin.”

  His eyes moved over to Em, to her rounded belly. “For example, I have a few choice words for your father, Keren.”

  Em’s mouth tweaked into a smile. “I am sure you do,” she agreed with a chuckle. “I am afraid that will have to wait until after we defend the keep and he reaches us.”

  Reese nodded. “I will do my best to ensure he finds this keep safe and sound, with all inhabitants equally secure.” He bowed to both women, then turned.

  Kay listened to his footsteps until they faded from hearing, and then she stretched out on the couch.

  In moments she was fast asleep.

  Chapter 15

  Kay was lost. The cave network seemed to go on forever, an ant maze of twists and turns through the damp darkness. Another fork presented itself, and she looked down each path, desperately trying to sense even the slightest difference in brightness. Perhaps the left fork was slightly more reddish? She plowed forward.

  There - yes - there was a lightening of the cave walls ahead, and suddenly she rounded the corner and came out into the cool air of the rocky beach. The dark sky was just tingeing ruby red with the coming dawn. And there, his back to her, looking out toward the horizon …

  Her heart leapt in relief.

  “Reese!” she cried out, stepping forward.

  But there was no sound at all when she made her call - the air was quiet, stagnant, and Reese did not turn. Instead he stepped forward.

  Kay realized there was a long, low wooden boat pulled up to shore, with four pairs of sturdy men manning the oars.

  Reese took a few more steps, boarded, and found a plac
e at the aft end. In another moment the men pulled in unison. The boat slowly made its way through the low waves, moving out into the sea.

  “Reese!” Kay attempted to scream his name, and yet she was mute; no sound emerged.

  There was not a flicker of movement from Reese. He stared steadily out toward the distant sea.

  She raced down the beach, chasing after him, but by the time she entered the water he was a good ten lengths away, making distance. The boat bobbed up and down over the waves which grew in intensity as the dawn began to spread across the sky in earnest.

  “Reese!”

  Kay felt as if she were shouting at the top of her lungs, pleading, crying for him to turn, and a seagull overhead mocked at her lack of voice. She began swimming as strongly as she could, plowing through the waves, but the incoming tide buffeted her back. The oarsmen had already doubled the distance.

  Reese was fading into the morning mist .. he was leaving her …

  “Reeeeese!”

  *

  The sound of her plaintive howl echoed in her ears. And then he was there, holding her, wrapping her in musk and warmth and shelter and tenderness. He held her tightly against him, soothing her.

  “I am here, I am here,” he murmured in her ear.

  She clung to him, her face wet with tears, sitting up on the couch, slowly returning to awareness from her vivid dream. It was several long minutes before her breathing slowed and she felt willing to pull back slightly, to look up into his face.

  “I dreamt you were leaving me,” she explained weakly, dragging a sleeve across her cheeks. “I called and called, but you could not hear me.”

  He brought a hand up to gently stroke her hair, a tender smile drawing on his lips. “I am here,” he repeated again, his eyes full on hers. “I am right by your side. I am not leaving.”

  Em gave her sister a fond pat on the head. “No one is leaving,” she reminded the pair, moving to take a seat by the window. “Not as long as we have our friendly invaders camped outside. Speaking of which, Kay,” she added, motioning with her head toward the darkening sky, “it is about time for you to stop lollygagging around and get ready with those toasty arrows of yours. I think our friends might finally be coming within range.”

  A frisson of fear rippled through Kay as the situation swept back into her mind. “Let me up,” she murmured to Reese, pressing him back.

  He stood at once, putting out a hand to her, but she ignored it, springing to her feet. Or so she attempted - her leg immediately buckled beneath her, searing in pain. It was only Reese’s arm sweeping around her waist which kept her from crashing hard to the floor.

  “Easy there,” he chided, hauling her back up to a standing position. “You only ripped that one open earlier today, remember?”

  Leland, coming in through the main door, shook his head in amusement as Kay warily settled herself on her feet. “And the other leg is still healing up from - what was that, four days ago?”

  Kay put her hands to her head to fight off the miasma of pain which swirled around her forehead. “Just give me a few minutes,” she muttered in exasperation.

  A hand offered a tankard of mead to her, and she downed it in relief. The aches faded and her vision settled into focus.

  “So,” she offered, turning carefully and moving to the window, “They are almost within range now?”

  Em nodded from the bench alongside her position. “Take a look.”

  Kay settled herself on the cushion, giving her eyes time to adjust to the darkness beyond. The sun had just sunk below the horizon and tendrils of orange glow were fading into twinkling stars. There was no moon out; the landscape was barely distinguished by a series of darker blotches.

  “Put out the candles,” she asked softly.

  There was movement behind her, and in a moment the room plunged into darkness. Only a soft glow flickered from the fireplace, the lowest of fires nibbling on a half-gone log.

  Kay moved her gaze methodically along the ring of trees, starting from the far left. The carts had been near the ridge of Lover’s Lane earlier in the day, and during the hours of light they would have stayed well clear of the castle’s arrow distance. That would have meant traversing, at great effort and little gain, the marshy swamps and bogs of the outer area. She had every sense that, now that they had the cover of darkness, the enemies would attempt to move in closer, to take advantage of the far better terrain.

  “There,” she whispered, pointing toward the first tree on the left. “I think they are just passing it now.”

  Three other sets of eyes came to the windows, peering into the darkness, seeking to make out a hint of movement, a shadow against a shadow.

  Reese’s voice was low. “I do not see anything, but I trust in your judgment. Shall we begin?”

  Kay nodded.

  In a moment Leland had brought over the four unstrung bows. He set up banks of arrows against each window. Kay’s pitch-soaked arrows waited, ready, in their pail by the fireplace.

  Leland then stood by the mantle and picked up one of Kay’s arrows in his hand, waiting.

  Kay reached down and lifted the bow. Reese made to come over, and she held up a hand. “If I cannot even string my own bow, I am truly done for.”

  She pressed herself to her feet, biting down on a grunt of pain. Her leg ached as if someone had dragged a red hot poker along its length. She pushed the feeling away with effort. Then she stepped through the string, pulled the bow’s bottom hard against her foot, and threw her weight down on the top of the arc. The bow resisted, but she wrestled it down, in, and secured the loop of the bowstring on the top end of the bow. She turned to kneel on the bench with her better leg, took in a deep breath, and held out her hand.

  “I am ready. When the arrow hits, hopefully the men there will scramble to put it out, and you will have your targets.”

  Reese and Em strung their bows, and Reese set up Leland’s as well. Then all eyes went to Leland.

  “Here we go,” he called out in a low voice. He put the tip of the arrow down into the coals of the fire.

  The pitch blazed into sparkling life, and in a moment he had run the arrow across to Kay, handing it over to her in a smooth pass. She nocked it, sighted it, and let the arrow fly.

  In the onyx black of the night the missile arced like an earthbound meteor, leaving a trail of stardust behind it. It soared down and across and into the murk …

  THUNK.

  The blaze suddenly stopped, impaling itself into the tree. In the splash of the hit they could clearly see, for a long moment, a large wagon pulled by two black horses. At least four soldiers moved alongside it, helping to push and steer it in the inky blackness.

  Three bows twanged into life. The whistling arrows rose high, then raced down with gravity and pent up energy. They slammed into a chest, an arm, and the rump of one of the horses.

  The flaming arrow was yanked from the tree and thrown to the ground.

  The night, again, went pitch black.

  Kay found the experience to be almost surreal. There had been no noise at all beyond the singing of the strings and the clean sound the arrows made leaving the solar. No call of alarm from the soldiers had reached their high, distant location. No screams of pain nor cries of the wounded animal. It was as if the events below were part of a dream.

  Another blazing arrow was handed to her, and again she sent her missile down. Again the three siblings followed in hot pursuit, seeking out their targets. The fresh light illuminated the men huddling on the other side of the wagon, dragging one of their fallen comrades to safety, and snapping the arrow’s shaft from the horse’s side.

  Darkness.

  A blaze of light by her side.

  Kay fell into the routine; followed the wagons along as they moved from tree to tree. The archers’ first few volleys caught the invaders off guard, but soon those below realized what was happening. They hung leather over the sides of the horses to protect their flanks, kept to the safe side of the wagons, and d
arted out only in-between shots to pull a flaming arrow free or to push the cart out of a rut.

  The hours twisted through the night, the rhythm inexorably moving along, the wagons inching steadily forward.

  Then the gentle fingers of dawn stretched out against the sky. The wagons had reached the front of the keep, pulling back into the field to join with the mounted troop there.

  Kay fell against the window, exhausted.

  Reese looked at Leland. “Perhaps fifteen slain, another twenty injured?”

  Leland nodded in agreement. “I put the numbers in that range. With the odds being so close, we may have tipped the scales in our favor. As long as they do not attack before late afternoon, our reinforcements will arrive and the worst of the danger will have passed.”

  Em looked between the two men, her face serious. “What do you think the chances are that they will attack sometime today?”

  Reese stared back out the window. The besieging soldiers were in busy motion, pulling long sheets of fabric out of the wagons and erecting a pair of large tents. “It looks like they are settling in. Perhaps they, too, are expecting fresh arrivals in the coming days. This might be a preparation for a long, drawn out siege, rather than anything immediate. I would guess that we have little to fear today.”

  Leland looked over the tents with a sharp eye. “Those are fairly large,” he mused. “Maybe twenty feet on a side? Perhaps they are planning a substantial meeting between the two families, although for what purpose I cannot guess.”

  Kay gazed at the activity with growing curiosity. “I want a closer look,” she murmured, drawing to her feet.

  Immediately, stabbing pain lanced through her, causing her leg to crumple. She fell hard against the sill.

  Reese was at her side, holding her up.

  “You need to stay here and heal up,” he insisted. “You are no good to anyone if that wound becomes infected.”

  Kay shook her head, willing the pain to subside. “I will just stand on the curtain wall,” she promised. “I can get a far better look from there than from this window.” She turned to Em. “Just in case, you stay here, and I will send Anne and Jessica up to wait on you.”