A VOW TO KEEP (The Vengeance Trilogy)

by Lana Williams

  An arrow sang near his ear, narrowly missing him. Royce jumped down from the wall and ran to the stables. He freed his horse from its stall just as the first of the men arrived with Hugh in the forefront.

  “Thieves!” he shouted. “They set fire to the village!” With no further explanation, he jumped on his horse without bridle or saddle, using his knees to guide it.

  He galloped through the rising portcullis, his horse’s hooves echoing on the cobblestones as he rode hard toward the burning cottages. Though well aware this could be a trap set to lure him and the men from the safety of the castle, he couldn’t stand by while innocent villagers were in danger.

  As he neared, he saw only four of the cottages were aflame. He rode to the worst one, hoping he could help. The thieves were nowhere in sight.

  A man and woman in their nightclothes emerged from the burning cottage as he neared, much to Royce’s relief. They coughed and choked from the smoke. The woman fell to her knees as she turned back toward her burning home, tears streaming down her face. “Michael?”

  The man joined her frantic calls, his voice gruff from the smoke. “Michael!”

  Royce slid off his horse and grabbed the man’s arm before he could return to the hut. “You can’t go back in there.”

  “Our son is still inside.” The man’s expression was filled with fear.

  “I’ll find him,” Royce said grimly despite the unease coiling in his stomach.

  “Nay, I’ll go,” Hugh appeared at his side, his concern evident as he well knew of Royce’s painful memories of fire.

  Royce shook his head, urged on by the parents’ distraught expressions. He grabbed a wet cloak one of his men held out and crossed the narrow threshold into the cottage.

  The sound of the fire roared in his head, louder than a hundred galloping horses. Heat from the flames sucked the air from his lungs so he put the edge of the cloak over his mouth. The smoke was thick inside the hut, burning his eyes, and he could barely make out the sparse furnishings of the room. He bent low where the smoke was thinner and lifted the cloak from his mouth. “Michael?” he shouted.

  No answer could be heard over the thunder of the fire. He looked toward the corners of the room, unsure where the boy might be. Both beds in the cottage were empty. “Michael!”

  The heat was overwhelming. Each breath he took felt like he drew in the fire itself. What had started as unease in the pit of his stomach now swelled into full-blown fear, stealing his thoughts, weighting his limbs. He had to find the boy and get him out.

  The room shifted and the furnishings around him seemed eerily familiar. He shook his head and tried to concentrate. This was not his home. He could not let his memory play tricks on him. Not now. A father and mother stood outside waiting for their son. He would not let them down. “Boy, can you hear me?”

  An odd sound came from above, causing Royce to look up as the roof of the cottage collapsed on top of him.

  ***

  “Mama?”

  Alyna stirred and rolled over to find Nicholas standing beside her bed. “What is it, Nicholas?”

  “There’s trouble. Bad trouble, Mama.” The serious expression on his face forced her from the warmth of her bed.

  “What do you mean, my sweet? Are you ill?”

  “Nay.” The little boy pulled at her hand. “Let’s go outside and see.”

  Enid rose from her pallet on the floor near the hearth. “What’s the matter, my lady?”

  “’Tis Nicholas. He says there’s some sort of trouble.”

  The maid lit a candle, took one look at Nicholas’s face and fetched Alyna’s kirtle. “You best see what’s wrong, my lady.”

  Alyna gave Nicholas a kiss and a hug. “I’ll find out and be back as quick as I can,” she reassured him. She shared a worried glance with Enid as she quickly donned her clothes. “Stay with Nicholas, and I’ll send for you if I need you.”

  Enid nodded. “Be careful, my lady.”

  Nicholas reached for the maid’s hand. “Hurry, Mama.”

  Alyna did indeed hurry. The stairs seemed dark and endless as she made her way down them as fast as she dared.

  Her grandfather was in the great hall, giving orders to several servants. “Awaken the rest of the keep and send all down to the village.”

  “Grandfather,” she greeted him, relieved at his presence, “when did you return?”

  “Alyna!” He looked surprised to see her. “I arrived some time ago.”

  “What’s happened?” she asked, noting the flurry of activity.

  “There’s been an attack on the village. Cottages are burning. I’m going now. Most of the men are already there.”

  “I’ll come, too.”

  “Nay, my dear. ’Tis too dangerous.” He strapped on his sword as he spoke.

  “The villagers may need me. I have some knowledge of healing. Truly, I can help.”

  He hesitated, his reluctance obvious.

  “Please, Grandfather. I’ll be careful. Surely the attackers have been chased off by now.”

  “’Tis true your assistance may be needed,” he relented. “Let us go.”

  When they arrived at the cluster of burning cottages, she could see people had formed a line to pass buckets of water toward the worst of the fires but progress was slow as the well was some distance away.

  Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of a man and a woman huddled together to one side of the burning cottage, their distress obvious.

  Hugh directed the men as to where to throw the water but kept a careful watch on the door.

  “Is someone still in there?” she asked.

  Hugh glanced at her, his expression grim. “Royce went in to get their son.”

  “Oh, dear God.” Alyna’s heart squeezed with fright, unable to imagine how terrified she’d be if Nicholas were in that inferno. Even from this distance, the fire was hot. What would it be like inside?

  Tears streaked the soot on the mother’s face but her expression held a desperate hope. Alyna closed her eyes and said a quick prayer for the safety of both Royce and the boy.

  As she opened her eyes, the sound of breaking timbers echoed in the night. The thatched roof of the cottage collapsed.

  Hugh lunged forward. “Royce!”

  Lord Blackwell grabbed Hugh. “Nay, Hugh, wait!” he demanded. He looked back over his shoulder. “We need more men over here!”

  “Please, dear God,” Alyna prayed as she watched with horror, her heart pounding with fear.

  Hugh neared the doorway. “Royce,” he called out. “Royce! Answer me!” He hurried around the structure as close as the flames allowed, calling Royce’s name. “Over here,” he yelled from behind the cottage.

  Alyna followed the men as they ran to Hugh and threw water where directed. Here, the fire did not have as strong a hold. Using his axe, Hugh hacked into the wattle and daub wall. Smoke rolled out of the opening. More water was thrown on the walls to keep the fire at bay.

  “Quickly! Get that hole bigger!” Lord Blackwell demanded.

  Other men pulled at the coating to reveal the wood frame structure underneath.

  Hugh leaned into the opening. “Royce!” he called out. “Royce, come this way.”

  “Do you see him?” Blackwell asked.

  “I can’t see anything. The smoke is too damn thick,” Hugh answered before he hollered for his friend again. “Royce!”

  Alyna knew that if Royce had survived thus far, Hugh’s booming voice would lead him to safety.

  As Hugh continued to call out, other men enlarged the hole. Still, they heard no response. Despair filled Alyna as the smoke billowed out and flames licked the walls nearby.

  “Royce! Damn you to hell and back! Answer me!” Hugh’s voice was rough with emotion; his anguish brought tears to Alyna’s eyes.

  “If you’d quit your bellowing you’d hear me,” a gruff voice answered at last.

  Alyna stretched up on her toes to get a better view over the shoulders of the men, her heart
in her throat. A small hand appeared, followed by an equally small arm, then a chest. Eager hands lifted the child out of the hole. Soot covered the boy’s still form. He coughed as he breathed in the cool, clean, night air. The delighted cries of his parents made Alyna’s tears flow.

  Hugh and her grandfather hacked away more of the wall as Royce appeared in the makeshift entrance. Hugh pulled Royce out with brute strength. The night air had the same affect on Royce as it had on the boy, and he coughed violently.

  Hugh struck him on the back several times until Royce pushed him away. “Let me catch my breath, man,” he rasped.

  Hands at his sides, Hugh stood immobile as though uncertain what to do now that his mission was accomplished.

  “Are you all right?” Blackwell asked Royce. “We thought we lost you for a few moments.”

  Royce bent over, his hands on his knees, as he continued to cough. “Indeed. You weren’t the only ones.” He looked at Hugh. “Good thing you’re persistent, my friend. I’d about given up hope of getting out of there when I heard your voice.”

  Hugh’s worried face lightened. “You were making me angry with your lack of response.”

  Royce straightened and put his hand on Hugh’s shoulder. “We can’t have that, now can we?”

  Alyna could do little but stare at Royce, her relief at his survival so huge she forgot all else. His voice was deeper than usual, no doubt a result of the smoke. His face and clothing were covered in soot, yet he’d never looked better. He’d risked his life to save the boy. How could she possibly hold back her feelings for him now?

  ***

  Royce tried to calm his racing heart as he took slow breaths to clear his lungs. There had been a moment, nay, more like ten, when he’d been certain he wouldn’t make it out. If it hadn’t been for the knowledge that the boy would die too, not to mention Hugh’s persistence, his life might have ended this very night. He was shaken to his toes from the near miss.

  Fire was not his first choice as a method of dying.

  He felt someone’s gaze upon him and looked up to find Alyna watching him. She stood behind some of the men, her face smeared with soot, her expression filled with relief, but with something else, too.

  He looked away before he did something he might regret. She was not for him. Why could he not remember that? “Is everyone else safe?” he asked Hugh.

  “Aye, everyone is accounted for.”

  “And what of the miscreants?”

  “Gone before we arrived,” Blackwell answered.

  “Damn!” Royce was certain the same group of thieves that had previously created problems had caused this destruction. Their reign of terror had to be stopped.

  “Grandfather? Sir Royce?”

  Reluctantly, Royce looked at Alyna, who stood before him with Gunnell.

  “Gunnell would speak with you.”

  Royce shook his head. “Now is not–”

  “They wait at the forest’s edge, watching. They’ll be riding north on the road soon.” Gunnell looked very uncomfortable, her gaze looking anywhere but at him.

  Royce glanced at Blackwell, then back at the healer. He almost hated to ask, yet he had to. “How do you know this?”

  “She had a vision,” Alyna answered on her behalf and confirmed Royce’s fear.

  Hugh muttered and looked away.

  “Can you tell us anything more, Gunnell?” Blackwell asked.

  The healer glanced at Alyna, then said, “One will linger behind the others.”

  “So they set a trap for us?” Hugh pointed accusingly at Gunnell. “She helps them attack us again!”

  “Nay,” Alyna argued. “She forewarns us.”

  “Alyna is right,” Royce agreed. “If I was attempting a quick escape from Northe Castle, I’d take the northern road as well. It might be dangerous to go through the forest in the dark, but it would be faster than going around.”

  Hugh nodded reluctantly.

  “If Gunnell is right, and we have a chance to catch one of them, we need to try.” Royce glanced at Blackwell to make sure the lord agreed with his plans.

  Blackwell nodded.

  “Hugh, stay here and see to the villagers,” Royce ordered. “Make certain everyone has a place to sleep this night. Some of the men can go with me to see if we can catch them.”

  Hugh looked none too happy at Royce’s request, but turned to follow his orders.

  Blackwell caught Royce’s arm before he walked away. “Be careful, Royce. It could very well be a trap.”

  “Aye. I’ll take half of the men with me and leave the rest here in case the thieves circle around behind us.”

  Blackwell nodded as he put a comforting arm around Alyna.

  She appeared startled at her grandfather’s show of affection. “Gunnell and I will help Hugh and see if anyone is injured,” she offered.

  Royce and the men rode slowly into the trees with quiet stealth. He held his hand high and stopped often to listen, but only silence greeted him. He hadn’t expected to find his quarry easily. If they’d left when Royce had first spotted them, they’d be far ahead, but there was always the chance Gunnell was right and they’d watched the chaos their destruction had created before taking leave.

  He let his horse choose its own path among the fallen trees and thick undergrowth. They knew the area well but took their time to avoid risking injury to the horses and watched for signs of an ambush.

  At last, they made it to the edge of the forest near the road. Royce halted the men while still in the cover of the trees. He eased forward, watching the shadows for any sign of movement.

  The muffled echo of hoof beats could be heard in the distance. Royce glanced up and down the moonlit road, trying to determine which direction the sound came from. A flash to the north caught his eye. Moonlight reflecting off metal. Several dark shadows topped the last rise in the road and grew smaller before traveling out of sight.

  Another movement in the road, not far ahead, drew his attention. A single man on horseback rode far back from the rest of the group as Gunnell had foretold.

  Royce considered his options, well aware it could be some sort of trick, a snare to catch him and his men. He watched the rider for a long moment and saw the man’s horse moved with an awkward gait. He smiled. They could catch that one.

  Royce waved Edward forward. Pointing to the rider, he told him, “I want him alive.”

  Edward nodded and seemed to understand that Royce was giving him a chance to redeem himself. He rode swiftly after his quarry.

  Royce and the rest of the men rode hard, hoping to catch the other men. They had the lead, but their horses would tire soon. That might be enough of an advantage.

  Perhaps thinking to save himself, the single rider rode into the trees as they neared. Edward followed. Royce could only hope the knight wouldn’t let him down. The time had come to discover why these thieves pestered Northe Castle and who within its walls fed them information. Edward’s behavior tonight would show his hand.

  Royce pushed his mount as hard as he dared, leaving some of the men with slower horses behind. At last he topped the rise where he’d last seen the thieves and was forced to slow down. A long stretch of road was visible in the moonlight, but there was no sign of the riders.

  “Damn!” When the men caught up to him, he sent some to one side of the road, and he took the other. They might find a trace of where they’d left the road.

  After a few minutes of searching, Royce knew it was no use, at least not until daybreak. The thieves could be waiting for them at the edge of the trees, close enough to spit at, and he wouldn’t be able to see them. Searching now was asking for trouble.

  “Hell’s teeth,” Royce cursed.

  Never had they been this close to catching them before. With luck, Edward would capture the single rider and the night wouldn’t be a complete loss. The thieves had to be stopped before they caused more damage. With each attack, they grew bolder. The cottages could be rebuilt, and he knew Blackwell would replace th
e meager possessions the villeins might have lost, but he could not replace their lives.

  He thought of the young boy he’d carried from the cottage. Each life was precious, and he was grateful they’d lost none on this night.

  “Sir Royce? Should we wait here until first light?”

  Recognizing the young man-at-arm’s frustration, Royce nodded his agreement and assigned another, more experienced man to stay with him. Then, he gathered his disappointed men and rode toward home, watching for Edward.

  He arrived back at the village to find Hugh helping with the cleanup. “Any sign of them?” Hugh asked.

  “They were headed north on the road, but disappeared when we gave chase,” Royce told him as he dismounted. “We’ll have to wait until dawn to track them. One rode a lame horse and was well behind the others, just as Gunnell told us.”

  Hugh looked incredulous. “Really?”

  “She is often right. She means no harm and tonight she aided our cause.” Royce didn’t know why he felt compelled to defend her, ignoring the image of Alyna defending her so staunchly that played through his mind.

  Hugh ignored his comment. “Did you capture him?”

  “I sent Edward after him. Told him I wanted him alive.”

  “Edward? Have you lost your wits?”

  “’Tis time to test him,” Royce answered as he stared at the destruction and the now homeless villagers, his heart heavy. “We shall see if he sinks or swims with this task.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “Lavender used in a hot compress

  can ease many ills.”

  Lady Catherine’s Herbal Journal

  Royce had finished updating Lord Blackwell and Alyna when Edward and Hugh entered the hall, dragging a struggling man between them.

  “Where shall I put him?” Edward asked, his face smeared with dirt and marked with numerous nicks and scrapes. Though his voice was calm, success lit his expression. Victory had not come easily it seemed.