by Jess Schira
His words drew an annoyed glance from the older man shot the youngest one an annoyed look. “Your eyes can deceive you? True, she looks small and wears chains but you heard what the man who employed us said. She’s more dangerous than she looks. You’re free to behave as recklessly as you’d like, but I for one, have always held tight to the belief that it’s best to error on the side of caution. It’s a belief that has kept me alive all of these long years.”
Saika bit the inside of her cheek to quell her smile. It probably wasn’t his intention, but with his words, he’d let her know that of the three, he would prove to be the most challenging.
His two companions scoffed and shuffled their feet.
Saika remained motionless and kept her body relaxed. It was a good disguise that deepened the illusion she was nothing more than a harmless woman who couldn’t and wouldn’t defend herself.
The third man, who had remained mute until this point, glanced at the spot where the chain disappeared beneath her skirt.
“Her shackles could be both a blessing and a curse.” His soft voice indicated he was the type of person who didn’t speak often, but when he did, other listened and took his words to heart. If any of the group was capable of defeating, it was him.
“True. Chains make it easier to subdue her, but it could be a problem getting her out of here.” The oldest man reached into the pocket of his coat, reappearing a second later to jangle the key ring he'd taken off the guard. “Good thing I thought to grab these.”
Saika grew weary of the delay, she directed her attention to the youngest member of the tri, who appeared to be the weakest, and sneered. “You look like the kind of man who runs from the slightest sign of danger but who then spends the rest of his life bragging about his exploits and trying to convince everyone you’re an impressive man when the truth is your worth little more than the mud you trod on.”
Her words struck their mark. His shoulder hunched forward and his hands curled into tight fists. He took a step towards Saika.
The leader of the group grabbed his arm. “You have orders. We’re supposed to find out what she knows about the nob who has been dragging her from one prison cell to another all day. If at all possible, we’re supposed to avoid harming her.”
It was a big mistake. He should have held his tongue. Knowing that they weren’t supposed to hurt her was good. Since she wasn’t hampered by any such needs, Saika had the advantage. She’d lost track of the number of times her grandfather told her she should only engage in combat if she intended on killing her opponent. Fighting while trying to preserve the opponent was much more difficult than a fight to the death.
The young man shook off his companion’s hand and met Saika’s eyes. The challenge in his was clear. He wanted her to put up a fight and provide him with a chance to prove his worth to his older companions.
Saika was happy to oblige.
She kept her shackled foot planted firmly on the ground and lashed out with her free foot, moving with a speed that almost made it impossible to see what she was doing. The side of her shoe struck the man’s chin, the force of the blow sent him reeling backwards. The back of his head struck the wall and he crumbled in a limp heap on the floor with his neck twisted at an awkward angle.
The position of his body made it impossible for Saika to tell whether or not he continued to breath. She didn’t care.
The oldest man glanced at his felled companion and his mouth flattened into a grim line. “It may be sinful of me, but I hope he’s dead.”
His remaining companion shot him a sharp look which elicited a shrug. “He’s always been too rash and belligerent, traits that are as likely to get us killed as him. Not having to worry about how he’d react to every little thing would make life considerably easier.”
His companion, who’d yet to say a word, grunted and shifted his attention to Saika.
She studied him. Based on the intelligence in his eyes and the way he carried himself, he wouldn’t be as easy to defeat as his friend.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” He spoke slowly, like he wasn’t sure whether or not she understood his words. “We just want to ask you a few questions.”
Instead of responding, Saika braced for the attack she sensed coming.
********
The bottom of Sebastian’s stomach fell, landing somewhere in the vicinity of his knees and a chill rattled up his spine.
The man he’d asked to guard Saika’s cell was slumped beside his chair. A gut churning pool of liquid spread across the floor on either side of the figure.
Sebastian didn’t need to crouch beside the body and feel for a pulse to know the man was dead.
The door to the cell was nearly, but not quite, closed, with just a sliver of space between the door and its frame. It wasn’t wide enough for Sebastian to see what was happening on the other side, but the sound of muffled voices prompted him to creep closer. His hand rested on the butt of the loaded pistol he wore strapped to his waist. Prior to meeting Saika, he’d never been compelled to carry the weapon before. He’d sensed his continued association with her meant a time would come when he’d need it.
The room’s occupants weren’t observant, they failed to notice the door drifting open or did the man standing on the other side of it, a large pistol in his hand, draw their attention. All of their attention was focused on avoiding Saika who was spun, kicked, and whirled as much the chain around her ankle allowed. Few of her blows landed, not due to lack of skill on her part, but because he two men who shared the room with her had gauged the length of chain and were careful to stay out of range.
A third man lay crumbled on the floor, his neck bent at an impossible angle.
Sebastian gripped it with both hands while he lifted the weapon, took aim, and pulled the trigger.
The pistol boom echoed throughout the small room, deafening everyone within it.
Sebastian blinked against the sting of the smoke that clouded his vision. By the time his vision cleared, he wished it hadn’t. He’d intended on shooting the massive man in the arm and distracting the man from his assault on Saika, but Sebastian’s aim was off. Instead of lodging in the meaty upper arm, the pistol ball had struck the man in the lower portion of the man’s face, removing the bottom of his jaw.
The sight caused Sebastian’s stomach to buck and twist.
The wounded man lay on the ground, squirming and gurgling while his life force poured from the wound.
They wouldn’t be getting any information from him.
The sound of the pistol and the resulting fall of his partner caused the second man to turn and inadvertently step too close to Saika. She grabbed his shirt and hauled him closer while she forced him to his knees.
The way she gripped his head left Sebastian without any doubt of her intentions.
“Saika! Wait!”
She lifted glazed eyes towards him and her body stilled.
“What?” Her flat tone bore no resemblance to the voice Sebastian had come to expect from her.
“You need to let him go. You can’t kill him.”
Saika drew a deep, steadying breath. Her eyes flicked to the still figure of the man who was missing a large portion of his face. “You killed one.” Her voice continued to be flat and devoid of emotion.
Sebastian took a step closer, and prepared to grab the man and jerk him from her grip the second she twitched. He didn’t doubt she had the skill and knowledge needed to snap her captive’s neck. “I’m not opposed to the idea of you killing him.”
Her grip tightened and beneath her fingertips the man’s skin turned white as his face grew a brighter shade of red and he struggled to draw his next breath. His hands came up and circled her wrists but he was unable to break her grip. “Then why stop me?”
Sebastian crouched in front of the man and stared into his glaze, bloodshot eyes. Behind him, he heard the sound of people gathering in the hallway, he guessed it was the sound of his pistol that had finally alerted them to trouble. He decided he
wasn’t going to dwell on how ill prepared they’d been for an attack, nor how long it had taken them to respond. There would be time for that later.
He focused on answering Saika’s question. “Because without him, we have no way of finding out where your family is.”
Saika didn’t look happy but she released her captive’s skull and stepped backward.
“Who are you working for?” Sebastian looked straight into the eyes of the captive and kept his voice steady and level. It was the same tone he relied on when he wanted a specific response from a servant.
Alas, this man was not as easily cowed as the chambermaid in the Queen’s Lodge had been.
His brows drew together in a stubborn gesture and a muscle in his jaw twitched. His dirty hands curled into furious fists. He glared up at Sebastian. “Why should I tell you?”
Sebastian rocked back on his heels. He studied the man and took a few moments to get his measure. The blunt approach, Sebastian decided, would be the most effective.
“You broke into the Tower of London and killed one of its guards. It might seem like you can’t possibly get into even deeper trouble, but you should trust me when I tell you you’re wrong. You want to know why you should answer my questions. I’ll tell you why. It’s in your best interest to respond to me because I have the connections who will determine just how miserable your fate will be. If you provide me with the information I need, I can make sure you enjoy a fair amount of luxury. However, if you don’t provide satisfactory responses to my questions. Well …” Sebastian let his words trail off and let the man’s imagination take over. Whatever horrible things the miscreant’s imagination managed to conjure, they were bound to be worse than any picture Sebastian painted.
The prisoner might be a great many things, but Sebastian didn’t get the impression he was a fool. After only a few seconds of thought, his observation was validated when the captured man made a choice.
“I don’t know who we’re working for.” The man nodded towards his fallen companion. The injured man had stopped making noises though his chest continued to rise and fall as he struggled to draw a breath. It wouldn’t be long before his grasp on life slipped away.
Sebastian watched him for a moment. It was the first time he’d ever knowingly harmed anyone and he supposed he should feel remorse about taking a human life, but right now he just couldn’t bring himself to. Perhaps later.
“Ole Benny was the only one who had any contact with them and he didn’t tell us much about them,” Sebastian’s prisoner continued. “The only information I have that might of any use to you is that we were supposed to meet them near the Basingstoke Canal and provide them with the information we got from,” he jerked his head backwards, indicating Saika who stood, her body rigid, and glared down at him, “her.”
Sebastian stood and met Saika’s gaze. “I believe he’s telling the truth. There’s no reason for him to lie.”
Before she could answer, someone broke free from the crowd that had gathered in the corridor and shuffled into the cell. “Sir?”
Sebastian turned and glared at the man. His body went rigid with fury. As a collective unit, the men in corridor took a step back. “This is supposed to be one of the most secure prisons in the world. Kings and Queens have been kept here with very few incidents, yet I leave one prisoner, a common girl who should be of very little importance to anyone, here for a few hours and return to find her engaged in a battle for her life. I fail to understand how it’s possible of three ruffians to enter, kill a guard, and gain access to a cell.”
The guards exchanged uneasy glances. The one closest to Sebastian opened his mouth to speak but changed his mind.
Sebastian’s mouth thinned into a narrow line and he shook his head. “Never mind. There’s no time to correct the issue, but at some point, the matter will be dealt with. At the moment, my most pressing concern is obtaining a pair of fresh horses, High quality steeds who are up to hard use. Miss Donavon and I have a long ride ahead of us and not much time to complete it.”
From Moonlight to Mayhem
Chapter Nine
Fury, grief, fear, helplessness and something undefinable mixed together and swept over Saika in unrelenting waves. It took all of her self-control, all of her training, to not give into them while she followed Sebastian out of the Tower and into the courtyard. This wasn’t the time to let emotions, no matter how intense they were, to distract her from her purpose. She needed to focus and concentrate on finding her family.
Sebastian led her out of the building and into the night air.
A gangly young man with a pockmarked face and ginger hair that gleamed in the lamplight walked towards them. Two horses trailed behind him.
“These are two of the finest horses in my care, sir.” His gaze moved from Sebastian to Saika and his expression grew rueful. “I’m very sorry Miss Donovan, I did not have time to locate a saddle fit for a lady. Unless Mr. Harper is willing to wait until one can be found, I fear you will have to ride astride.”
“The horses and the saddles are acceptable,” Sebastian said, before Saika could think of an answer. He accepted one set of reins and flipped them over the head of a solidly built bay gelding. He hooked the reins on his elbow and used the length of his arm to adjust the left stirrup.
Saika shook her head and took a step backward.
“No,” she said, her firm voice contrasted with her quaking knees. She stared at the tall chestnut who stood behind the stable boy. It was leaner than the mount Sebastian had chosen, but taller. She didn’t think she had ever seen a taller horse. “I won’t. I can’t ride this animal.”
Sebastian ducked under his mount’s neck and used his arm to measure the remaining stirrup. “I’m afraid you’re options are rather limited at this point. Either you ride that particular horse, or we don’t make the trip to Basingstoke Canal. There are too many people in London who know about you. After your escape from Newgate Prison and the fight here, you will be the topic of a great many conversations, and it won’t be long before someone decides to investigate your actions. Once that happens, there won’t be anything I can do to help you or your family. A delay now means the likelihood of you fleeing the city will be minimal. Besides, the longer you delay, the greater the odds become of your family being killed.”
He mounted in a single fluid motion. “What’s your decision?”
Saika didn’t know what irritated her more, his arrogant manner or the fact he was right. She was out of options.
Sebastian studied her a moment longer before he nodded to the stable boy. The lad wrapped his large hands around Saika’s waist and lifted her up and placed her on the saddle. Her heart hammered so hard against her ribs, she worried the bone would shatter.
She leaned over slightly and looked down. Dizziness blurred her sight. Now that she was on top of it, the horse seemed even taller than when she’d been on the ground.
She wrapped her fingers around the saddle’s pommel and held on for dear life.
“I’m sorry,” the groom muttered as he tugged the hem of her pilfered skirt and arranged it about her legs in an attempt to preserve her modesty. Had she been able to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth, Saika would have told him he needn’t bother. Modesty was no longer something she felt she needed to worry about.
Satisfied he’d covered her as well as could be expected given the circumstances, the groom shifted her leg to the side and tightened the girth before adjusting her stirrups. He reached up and pried Saika’s fingers free of the saddle long enough to hand her the reins.
The chestnut remained calm and patient through the entire process though Sebastian’s horse pawed the ground and champed at the bit.
Saika wrapped her hands around the reins, but didn’t know what she was supposed to do with them, and even if she did, the thin leather didn’t seem substantial enough to control an animal as tall as the one she sat on. The good news was that the horse seemed content to handle everything for her. When Sebastian signaled
his horse to walk on, the chestnut followed, the rhythm of his movement caused her hips to sway from side to side and her grip on the saddle tightened.
Saika waited until they were well away from the Tower and she was confident she wouldn’t be overheard before she spoke. “I need to return to my home.”
Sebastian twisted around to look at her. His saddle creaked in time with the beat of his mounts hooves. “Whatever for?”
“There’s things I need from there. It won’t take long.” Saika could just make out the hard lines of his face. She sensed he wanted to argue, but for some reason he didn’t.
“Your house will be the first place the people who are after you will look. Remember, the only reason you and I are together right now is because I sensed you would return there.”
“I know, but it’s very important I return. There are things I need from there.”
“What can possibly be worth risking your life and freedom?”
“They’re important. I promise it won’t take but a few minutes.”
“Fine,” Sebastian said, his voice more terse than normal. He wasn’t happy with the request “But let it be understood that any consequences resulting from the delay rest on your head.”
********
“Coming here is foolhardy,” Sebastian hissed through clenched teeth. He trailed behind Saika as she let herself into the Donavon house through the back entrance. “After what transpired at happened at the Queen’s Lodge, Newgate, and now the Tower, word of your exploits will reach the King and Queen. When that happens, you will be unable to leave the city. Plus, there’s the small matter of the people who appear to be holding your family hostage. Based on the ruffians they’ve enlisted to watch and report your movements, God only knows what lengths they’re prepared to go to in order to make sure you do their bidding. Plus, we can’t be sure they don’t have someone looking for you right now. Staring at your house will be their paramount priority since it’s the place they’re the most likely to find you. It’s likely you’ve played right into their hands.”
