An irate man hit her in the forehead with a rotten egg, and she gagged, bent, and vomited. In a flash, she wrenched free and lurched to the edge of the morbid stage, of sorts. “Prithee, people of Winchester, I am innocent of the charges for which I stand accused and convicted. Thou must believe me. And Lord Sussex works to restore thy lands—”
A screaming woman launched a gourd, which smashed into Isolde’s nose, knocking her backwards. The world spun on end, and she teetered but did not fall.
“I will hear no more of thy lies, as thou hast shown by thy disgraceful offenses that thou art without shame.” Father lorded over her, she spat in his face, and he punched her in the cheek. For a second, she thought she might faint. With a scowl, he shoved a rag between her teeth, muting her protests. Holding a book of prayer, he stretched tall. “Friends, we art come hither today to dispense justice well deserved for crimes committed by Lady Isolde de Villiers, countess of Sussex, who hath been judged guilty for conspiring with her husband, Arucard de Villiers, earl of Sussex, to deprive the honest and forthright servants of His Majesty of their fortune and legacy.”
Cheers echoed on the shop edifices.
Father nodded, the guards turned her to face the stake, and a soldier lifted her arms to hook the binding at her wrists on a pike that jutted on high. Raw terror enveloped her, swallowing her whole, and she pledged not to scream. Father wanted a spectacle, and she would deny him that. To add to her humiliation, her father used a dagger to cut open the chemise and bare her back. “Acting as the Crown’s faithful attendant, I sentence Isolde de Villiers to forty lashes.”
Another deafening roar filled her ears.
Focusing on the sky, Isolde uttered a silent prayer for strength, clasped her hands, and braced for the first blow, which always seemed the worst. For a moment, time stood still, and she held her breath. Then with the leather whip he thrashed her flesh, and the searing agony, so painfully familiar, invested her. Again and again, Father scourged her, and adrift in misery she lost count of the blows. Slowly, her knees failed her, and she faltered, until a blissful chasm of darkness blanketed her in an abyss of oblivion.
#
The main gate heralding the modest town of Winchester sat open and unmanned, as the Brethren of the Coast arrived. As they navigated the narrow streets, dusted with new fallen snow, the shops, with their windows festooned in holly and evergreen, appeared closed, and their doors were shut, which struck Arucard as odd, given the time of day. It should have been the most profitable hours for exchange. And every now and then, a strange cheer erupted ahead, but they moved slow and steady, as they traversed the city.
“I do not like this, brother.” Aristide assessed a farm stand, which displayed various fall crop yields. Yet no trader staffed the tiny market. “Whither hath everyone gone?”
“I know not what to make of this place.” Again the eerie cheer echoed, and Demetrius drew his sword. “What inspires the commotion?”
“Mayhap thither is an early festival, of some sort, in celebration of Christmastide.” Morgan peered left and then right. “Although the holiday is not for a fortnight.”
The hair on the back of Arucard’s neck stood, as another sinister clamor hung in the air, but he advanced. At a quaint tavern with its door ajar, he signaled his brothers, and they drew rein. After tying his horse, he pulled off his gloves and strolled into the dark establishment, from which the distinct aroma of roasted goose wafted. An attendant acknowledged their entrance, as they occupied a table and two benches near the hearth.
“Welcome to the Goat in Boots.” A red-haired character with a noticeable limp tossed a cloth over his shoulder. “I am Orthaeus, the owner. What can I serve ye?”
So many responses filled Arucard’s brain that he could not form a coherent response. Sharing polite pleasantries while Isolde lingered in the earl’s grip struck him as offensive.
“How is thy wassail?” Geoffrey inquired, as Morgan blanched.
“Like me.” The jolly server laughed, and his round belly shook. “Spicy and spirited, as I use an ancient family mixture of special ingredients, so I highly recommend it.”
“Sounds delicious.” Geoffrey smiled. “We will take five flagons, good sirrah.”
“An excellent choice.” Their host ladled the portions and hobbled back. “Wilt thou care for any food, as my wife cooks a savory pourcelet farci.”
“Perchance, we may consider thy fare.” Arucard glanced over his shoulder and then gazed at the tavern keep. “I journeyed to Winchester in search of a gift—a new comb, for my bride, but the merchandry is closed. Mayhap thou dost know the location of thy townspeople, as the streets art deserted?”
“Ah, it is a foul affair and quite unusual.” Sitting at the next table, Orthaeus grimaced. “Methinks the citizenry attends the public flaying of a noblewoman judged a traitor for stealing lands, using counterfeit burgage plots.” He scratched his cheek and snorted. “I chose to forgo the spectacle, because I have no stomach for it, and the lady hath done naught to me.”
Without doubt, Orthaeus referenced Isolde, and Arucard prepared to charge, but Aristide stayed him.
“How unfortunate but fascinating, all the same.” Demetrius elbowed Arucard, and he realized he had crushed the handle of his mug. “Dost thou know her name?”
“I believe she is known as the countess of Sussex.” Orthaeus narrowed his stare. “Isolde—that is what she is called, and I suspect the judge plans to execute her.”
ARUCARD
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Small merchandries dealing in various goods and trades lined the square, and a large crowd occupied the sidewalks. Christmastide garlands of evergreen, ivy, and holly draped the shop windows, in peculiar contradiction to the violence enacted at the heart of the city. As Arucard emerged from a side street, a gut-wrenching scene came into view, and for a moment he paused, in shock from the vicious sight he confronted.
At the center of the action, and surrounded by the earl’s guards, loomed a platform, which bore a huge stake. Tied to the post, and hanging eerily limp, was Isolde. Clothed only in her chemise and leather shoes, her slip had been torn from the waist up, and her back presented a bloody mass of abused flesh, such as he had never seen. Not even the beating she suffered the night before their wedding could rival her current wounds. At random, the throng pelted his wife with rotting food, and he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. When he made to attack, a hand covered his mouth, and he found himself set upon by his brothers.
“Hold him,” Demetrius whispered, and his fellow knights grappled with Arucard’s limbs as he fought. “Calm thyself, Arucard. I understand thy anger, but look about thee. We art outnumbered, and thy lady is badly injured. Wilt thou enact a battle we cannot win and thy lady could not possibly survive in her condition? In thy haste to act, wilt thou sign her death warrant?”
Pure unadulterated rage churned in his gut, and he languished in fury, burning white hot, as it distracted him from the desire to assault his friends. But he wanted to maim. He wanted to behead. He wanted to kill. Never before had he craved death, but in that moment he hungered for revenge on anyone who had hurt Isolde. And chief on that list of offenders was the earl of Rochester.
“Thou art a master of strategy, but thou art verily outraged.” Aristide pinned Arucard’s left shoulder to a wall. “Use thy righteous indignation and plot our attack, as we will rescue thy wife.”
“Good people of Winchester, I have dispensed thy justice, and the criminal fainted, cheating thee of thy reward.” The earl quieted the throng, and the Brethren peered at the stage. “Juraj de Mravec and I have attempted to compensate thee for thy loss. Art thou appeased?”
Arucard noted the second gentlemen previously identified by Aeduuard de Cadby as the earl’s co-conspirator. And the earl’s letters and His Majesty’s report also named the same villain, which Arucard counted as another enemy.
“Nay.” A chorus of witnesses shouted their objection.
“What more doth the bas
tard want from her?” Arucard glanced at Demetrius, who shrugged.
“While I understand thy displeasure, as I cannot restore thy pilfered acres, and thy injury remains, what more wilt thou ask of thy humble servant?” With an expression of sympathy, which did not fool Arucard for a second, Rochester splayed his hands. “If thou dost command it, I would sacrifice myself for thee, but who would protect thee from the King’s greedy minions?”
“Burn her,” bellowed an old man.
“Hang her,” screamed a woman.
“God’s bones.” Arucard swallowed hard. “He doth intend to kill her.”
Now he comprehended the full extent of Lord Rochester’s plans. The earl stole their property and fixed the blame on Isolde, with the Crown as her leader. And in so doing, her father posited himself as Winchester’s champion. It was a wily scheme, as naught incited revolution like the theft of land, and Arucard swore under his breath.
A monstrous refrain played in the town, as the earl fed their lust for savagery on an innocent. “Hang, hang, hang, hang…”
“Hear me.” The earl waved to silence the throng. “Though Lady Isolde is my kin, I am prepared to forfeit her life, in reparation for her heinous actions that have hurt so many, as I am ashamed to call her family.”
“I would argue the reverse is true.” Arucard vowed vengeance on his in-law.
“But we have no gallows.” As de Mravec signaled soldiers to cut down Isolde, he whispered to the earl and then nodded. “Citizens, let us build a proper support this eventide, that we might fulfill thy demands in the morrow, as we would not be cruel.”
That had to be the understatement of the century.
So Arucard had the night to prevail, but he had an insufficient tally of collaborators, given de Mravec and the earl’s combined forces. In that instant, Arucard seized on an idea, and a plan of action took shape. Retreating to an alley, he assessed the time needed to gather the various elements and then assembled his knights. “Brothers, the earl hath won the first battle, but he knows not with whom he fights, and we shall take the war, as we will save Isolde.”
#
It took a while for Isolde to recognize that she had been returned to her tiny temporary prison. As she sat upright in bed, she gritted her teeth and sobbed. The pitcher on the table seemed so far away, as she thirsted for a measure of relief from her dry throat. Rolling onto her side, she winced and slid to the floor. On her hands and knees, she crawled across the rug and used a chair to gain her feet.
Memories and bits of time assaulted her, the angry crowd, the platform with the stake, the sting of the lash, and she swayed. With a tight grip on the ewer, she poured a glass of water, which she gulped. How long she had slept she knew not, but the shadows on the floor suggested sunset grew nigh. When the door to her room opened to reveal a stranger, she retreated to the large window. “Who art thou, and wherefore art thou hither?”
“Relax, Lady Isolde, as I am not thy enemy. I am Paganus, the physic.” After setting his bag of medics and potions on the table, he removed his spectacles, wiped them clean, and then resituated them on his nose. “I have come to treat thy wounds, at the behest of Juraj de Mravec, that thou wilt stand for thy punishment in the morrow.”
“How kind of him.” Then she snapped to attention. “Wait—what? I endured my father’s dispensation and thought I might be returned to my home. What hath changed? Of what dost thou speak?”
“Hath no one told thee?” With a countenance of sadness, he flicked his fingers. “Come hither, my lady, as I will not hurt thee.”
As she needed his kindness just then, she obeyed. Perched at one end of a bench, she hissed, as he cleaned her torn flesh. But he was gentle, much like Margery, and Isolde tried but failed to stifle tears. “Though I am innocent of the charges, I have come to discover truth matters not to evil men. Good Paganus, what am I to face? What hath my father decreed?”
“Allow me to smooth some salve on thy rent skin.” When she whimpered, he paused. “Sorry, my lady. The earl condemns thee to hang at dawn.”
Grim acceptance enveloped her, when she should have pilloried her father. Whither previously she would have panicked, now she remained calm. While the situation looked hopeless, she hoped. While she could have lost faith, she believed. And although her fate seemed sealed against her, she clung to the unexplainable prescience of a future with Arucard. “All right.”
“Lady Isolde, thither is not much I can do for thee in so little time, as it will take a fortnight, at least, for the worst of thy damage to heal.” Then he sighed and tapped her shoulder. “But I have something I can offer thee. It is quick and painless, and thou wilt feel naught.”
“Thou would have me take my own life?” Of course, she realized he only wanted to help her. “I thank ye, for thy charity, Paganus. But I would save my soul, despite my father’s judgment, as I have committed no crimes, and my maker knows that.”
“Well then, I will leave thee to thy reflection.” After collecting his remedies, he studied her and then cupped her cheek. “May God have mercy on thee.”
Alone, so very alone, Isolde simply stared at the pattern on the thick rug. Smiling, she recalled her wedding night and Arucard’s attempt to sleep on the floor. Their first real kiss elicited a snicker, as it was quite clumsy on both parts. The eventide when he claimed her maidenhead had her giggling, especially when she remembered her husband’s hearty bellow of passion after he achieved completion on the second thrust of his hips. Then she savored the sweet visions of that glorious afternoon on the hillside, when he suckled the flesh between her legs and took her to new heights of pleasure she never knew existed. Anon, he took her atop a barrel in the undercroft. And thither was the fierce warrior who fought the bandits and de Cadby, yet he showed compassion and heard their complaints.
Yea, Arucard could be kind and gentle, but he could also be ruthless, and it was the latter incarnation she prayed would come for her.
ARUCARD
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
As the workmen labored to build the platform from which she would hang, the steady beat of the hammer kept Isolde awake all night, not that she could have rested, given the agony of her injuries and constant visions of Arucard. By first light, she gazed at the clear sky, uttered a silent prayer, and made her peace. Yet she hoped for the rescue that still eluded her.
Clinging to the promise her husband made, she remained entrenched in the belief that Arucard would save her. He would not let her die at Father’s hands. All she had to do was survive, and her champion would free her. So despite the fact that she was not hungry, she ate the sop, grapes, and bread a servant delivered, to maintain her strength.
When the rasp of the lock signaled an arrival, she stood and folded her arms. To her amazement, a bishop entered her makeshift prison and smiled.
“Good morrow, Lady Isolde.” Garbed in the traditional robe, he bowed. “I have come to hear thy confession, that ye might find absolution and salvation.”
“I beg thy pardon?” The world seemed to spin beyond control, her ears rang, and she clutched the edge of the table for support, as she feared she might faint. “What have I to confess, as I am innocent of the allegations leveled against me?”
“My child, I am told thy father shall be lenient, show compassion, and offer thee a quick death, if thou wilt but admit thy guilt before the citizens of Winchester.” The book in his grasp only highlighted the hypocrisy of his statement, given no one associated with her father’s foul deeds evaded accountability. “Declare thy sins, and I shall grant thee dispensation for thy transgressions.”
“I am not thy child, and if thou dost conspire with my father, thou art not without crimes against Our Lord.” Drawing herself up with noble refinement, she stared down her nose. “Hear me well. I have met pious men, and thou art not one. If my father intends to deflect blame for his actions, he will not do so with my assistance. And while he may take my life, the truth of his involvement remains very much alive, and he will atone for his misdeeds i
n this world or the next.”
With a scowl, the bishop gestured with his hand. “May the Almighty have mercy on thee.”
“No.” She clenched her fists and stood proud. “May God have mercy on thee, as thou wilt, no doubt, need it.”
It was not until the so-called religious man exited that she faltered, as the pain of her wounds weakened her. And then voices echoed from the drain. Hugging the corner, she bent and laughed, as her father cursed her.
“Then let her swing, if she is so intent,” he yelled. “I will be glad to be rid of her.”
The revelation that her father desired her death should have hurt her, but she suspected he would kill her, with or without a confession. Instead, his hatred did naught but kindle her longing for Arucard. Returning to the window, she conjured her husband’s image, fierce in battle against young de Cadby. If possible, her knight would come for her—she would believe that until she drew her last breath.
And so she braided her hair and tugged on her leather calf boots. Just as she tied the lace, Juraj de Mravec appeared, along with a compliment of soldiers. “Lady Isolde, it is time.”
#
With her wrists bound in front of her, and a gag tied about her head, Isolde stood proud and strong on the gallows. And while on the outside she portrayed an image of calm, inside she screamed her husband’s name. Disgusted, she glared at the crowd that had gathered to see her executed for crimes she did not commit.
“Good citizens of Winchester, thou hast been wronged by my own kin.” Father should have been a thespian, as he belonged on a stage, and his ability to fool the masses impressed her. With a hand pressed to his chest, he sighed. “Would that I had known the evil she would mete upon thee, with her husband, the earl of Sussex, as I might have prevented it.”
The throng hissed.
“But I will no longer be silent on the evil all but sanctioned by the Crown.” Her father strolled to one end of the platform. “Thou hast been abandoned by he who hath been tasked with thy protection. Thou hast been betrayed. No one defends thee.”
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