by Barb Hendee
“Megan, darling,” said a female voice to my left.
Turning, I was rendered speechless for a few seconds by the sight of Lady Rosamund Monvílle.
Looking over her shoulder, I saw Lord Allemond chatting with his brother, Phillipe.
“My lady,” I said, recovering myself and letting her kiss me.
Violette released Sebastian’s arm to join us. “Rosamund was the one who suggested I invite you,” our hostess confessed. “I must say I’m so glad she did.”
I blinked. Rosamund had wrangled this invitation?
“It was Lord Allemond’s idea,” Rosamund put in with a strained smiled. “He insisted.”
“Well then, I’m glad he did,” Violette answered, not appearing to note any tension. Perhaps she didn’t. I was beginning to like her, but a warning bell sounded in the back of my mind.
Why would Lord Allemond insist that his wife arrange an invitation for us? He hated the Volodanes. I’d need to look for a way to speak to Jarrod quietly as soon as possible.
Rosamund’s eyes raked over Sebastian, and the dinner gong sounded.
Unfortunately, I was seated between Baron Cornett and an aging gentleman, Viscount Bretagne. Jarrod was seated well down the table. I would never read Lord Allemond without Jarrod’s instructions. My father had trained me well in this regard for good reason. As I could only do one deep reading tonight, there may be someone else Jarrod might wish me to read, and he’d be displeased if I couldn’t accommodate his wish.
The room was filled with men with whom he may be seeking connection. I did notice him glancing at Allemond once or twice, but he didn’t appear concerned. Whatever Allemond’s agenda here, he was no great danger to any of us at the dinner table.
I was tired from the long day’s ride and nearly winced when Lady Violette announced dancing after dinner. Somehow, I stayed on my feet and kept a smile on my face as I danced with Rolf. I got Kai out on the floor twice, and to my surprise, he seemed to enjoy himself. Perhaps he liked having something to do.
Nothing about the evening struck me as remotely scandalous. I did notice a few men and women in low conversations with people to whom they weren’t married, but that was all. Even Sebastian, who’d expressed a plan to enjoy himself, spent much of the night speaking with Viscount Bretagne’s handsome son, Richard.
Finally, people began to drift away, and I felt it late enough to say our good nights.
Soon, with great relief, I found myself in bed beneath a down comforter with Rolf beside me.
“I found out Lord Allemond initially suggested our invitation,” I told him.
“Truly?” He frowned. “Perhaps he thought to provide us with another chance to embarrass ourselves.”
“Perhaps. I hope it’s nothing more. Remember he’s not above violence.”
“I doubt he’d try anything here, but I’ll speak to my father first thing tomorrow.”
Feeling better that this was out of my hands, I leaned back into my pillow.
Propping himself up on one elbow, Rolf touched my face. “Allemond or not, we wouldn’t be here without you, and I very much want to be here.”
Again, I couldn’t help drinking in his value of me.
“You did well tonight,” I answered. “Everyone saw you as one of their own.”
“I never thought I’d have the chance to try.”
“Surely you’ve been invited to some dinners or events.”
“No. Never. We’ve sometimes gone to Partheney when Kai’s entered a tournament, but none of the other noble families had much to do with us.”
“Tournaments?” I asked. “As in competition via combat?”
He kissed my forehead. “You’ll see tomorrow.”
Then he kissed my mouth, and we spoke no more.
Chapter 5
Everyone slept until midday and then spent time dressing. In the mid-afternoon we gathered in the dining hall for a casual buffet-styled meal.
As the afternoon waned, Henri Cornett walked to the archway and announced, “I think it’s time. Shall we go below?”
Kai’s eyes glittered, and I looked up to Rolf.
“What’s happening?”
“A small tournament, just for betting and entertainment. I heard some of the men discussing it last night.”
Of course, I knew what the word “tournament” meant, but I still didn’t quite understand how such a practice would fit into this house party. We all followed Henri out the dining room, down a passage, and through a door near the end.
I found myself in a stairwell leading downward. At the bottom of the stairs, I stepped out into a large underground chamber with no windows. Torches in brackets on the walls provided flickering light.
Rows of benches had been built in a circle all around the room, and standing on the top bench, I looked down into a pit on the floor below, about forty paces in circumference.
“An arena,” Rolf supplied.
The Cornetts had an arena built in their cellar? Had my parents ever stood here?
Kai left us, and I didn’t see where he went, but Sebastian and Jarrod stepped downward over the benches to find a place nearer the front.
They sat.
Rolf and I followed to join them. I ended up sitting between Sebastian and my husband. All around us, people began finding seats, chattering to each other, and I began feeling some trepidation over what was about to transpire.
“Who’s up first?” Sebastian asked.
“I’m not sure,” Rolf answered, “but I heard there would only be five matches, so I doubt they’d put Kai up too early. They’d want to save him for the end.”
There was a door at the back of the pit area below. That door opened and two men emerged. One of them was young Richard Bretagne and the other was a stranger, a stocky man in a leather hauberk.
Both carried swords.
I understood we were about to see a fight, but some of this still eluded me.
“Who’s the other man?” I whispered to Sebastian.
“Probably a mercenary,” he answered. “This isn’t a formal competition, just a bit of sport, so Henri must have hired a few men for the day.”
Standing, Lord Henri called, “Second blood!”
I glanced to Sebastian again.
Seeing my discomfort, he leaned closer. “It’s all right. They’ll only spar with each other, and no one aims for the face. The first man to strike a second cut on his opponent wins.”
“Oh, and Kai will take part in this?”
“Wait until you see him. He started competing at sixteen, and he’s never lost a match.”
I felt myself relaxing somewhat. Even if the men would cut each other once or twice, this didn’t sound like too violent a blood sport, and there were rules.
Sebastian looked over my head at Rolf. “Two silver pieces on Richard.”
Rolf studied the mercenary for a moment. “Done.”
Others around us began calling bets.
Henri stood waiting until all bets were placed. I could see him enjoying his role as host for this portion of the entertainment.
Once the small crowd fell silent, he nodded to Richard.
Within seconds, the bout began. Richard was slender but quick. His opponent was larger, stronger, and a little slower. The two men circled each other and then the mercenary took a swing. Richard dodged it easily and cut the man on the shoulder.
Sebastian and a few others cheered.
But as Richard drew his sword back to block, the mercenary took a back swing that was faster than I would have expected, and he nicked Richard’s collarbone. A line of blood flowed out.
This time, more of the small crowd cheered. It seemed most people had bet on Richard’s opponent.
The two men circled again, each one taking a few feints but not striking. Then, without warning, R
ichard darted forward and slashed. He barely missed, but the other man took advantage of the moment and stuck Richard across the arm, cutting through his wool shirt.
“Second blood!” Henri called.
The crowd cheered again.
“Bad luck,” Rolf said to Sebastian. “That’s two silvers.”
“The afternoon’s not over yet,” his brother answered.
Down in the pit, Richard smiled openly at his opponent, and the two men shook hands. I relaxed even further. Although I’d never seen anything like this, it did appear to be more of a game than anything else.
More matches followed, all between one of the nobles and a paid fighter or soldier Henri had hired. Each fight was similar to Richard’s with a display of footwork and circling and swinging. One of the nobles won and then two of the mercenaries, but each match ended with smiles and the shaking of hands. By the close of the fourth match though, Sebastian owed Rolf five silvers. Jarrod never placed a bet.
Finally, I heard a few loud cheers and looked down to see Kai coming out the door and taking his place in the pit for the final match.
People in the crowd were smiling. They might not invite the Volodanes to house parties, but apparently, quite a few of them had already seen Kai fight.
“No one will bet against him,” Rolf said in my ear. “This one is just for show.”
I watched in anticipation, my expectations high . . . but then I looked at Kai’s opponent. He was tall with long arms. His head was shaved and beads of sweat ran down his temples. It wasn’t warm down here.
There was a sheen across his face, and his eyes were glazed. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.
“Something’s wrong,” I whispered to Rolf. “You need to stop this.”
He glanced down at me. “Don’t say that aloud. You’ll embarrass Kai.”
The fear inside me grew as the two men began circling each other. This mercenary was different from the others. His expression was desperate.
“Ask your father if I can read that man,” I begged Rolf in a low whisper.
I dared not act without permission as Jarrod might want me to read one of the nobles later, and I dared not use up my strength now without his agreement.
“Megan, quiet,” Rolf answered in what almost sounded like annoyance. “Kai knows what he’s doing.”
As if to entertain the crowd, Kai flipped his sword once and caught it. People applauded and cheered.
Then, in a flash, he moved fluidly inside his opponent’s guard and nicked the man’s shoulder.
As he continued moving past the man and was turning back, the mercenary abandoned all rules of the match and swung for Kai’s face, slicing his cheek open. Unprepared for this, Kai stumbled, and the man swung downward, cutting through the back of his right knee.
“No!” Sebastian cried, jumping to his feet.
People in the crowd gasped.
But it was too late. Kai fell backwards onto the floor of the pit. The man gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands and rammed it through Kai’s chest.
Sebastian was screaming. He and Rolf both jumped down into the pit, but guards were pouring out the lower door, and one of them reached the scene on the ground first. That guard thrust a dagger through the side of the mercenary’s throat.
“No!” Sebastian cried again, still running, and he shoved the guard away.
I knew why. He wanted someone to question.
Rolf was on his knees beside Kai, his face a mask of disbelief.
Kai’s eyes were open, but he wasn’t breathing. He was dead. Had he been expecting a death match, he could have defended himself, but he’d gone out only to spar. Jarrod stood beside me with his eyes on his dead son, as if unable to absorb what had just happened.
The guard who’d killed the mercenary wore a light green tabard bearing the crest of the Monvílles.
I looked instantly to the Monvílles. Both Rosamund and Phillipe were on their feet with expressions of equal shock. Only Allemond remained calm and seated.
I knew I should wait for permission from Jarrod, but this wasn’t my old world, and the rules here were different. Focusing all my strength, I reached out for Allemond’s thoughts, and a wall of satisfaction hit me.
His thoughts and emotions rushed through me as he looked down. He’d been frustrated by Jarrod’s continued postponements to ride out to meet him, so he’d decided to try another tactic.
He found an ex-soldier who’d married, had children, and tried his hand at farming. A bad crop had forced the soldier to borrow money at high interest. Another poor year had left him in dire straits. He and his family were about to be turned from their home to starve.
Allemond had offered to pay the entire debt and interest if the man would kill Kai in the ring. This man had killed before, many times, and he agreed.
He’d probably known he was signing his own death warrant as well, but at least he’d saved his family.
Allemond sat looking down at Kai’s dead body with great satisfaction. Kai was the one the others had loved. Allemond had spotted that much at the dinner party at the Volodanes. Now, not only had their numbers been decreased by one, but the three other men would be thrown into mourning. They would be careless and easier to manipulate.
I pulled from Allemond’s mind and looked down into the pit. Rolf was still on his knees, his face white. Sebastian wept openly as if he didn’t care who saw him.
* * * *
Not long after, Jarrod, Sebastian, Rolf, and myself were alone in a cellar room beneath the manor. Kai’s body had been laid out, and Lord Henri had ordered we be given a moment of privacy.
Kai’s eyes had been closed, and his long, brown hair spread out around his head on the table. There was a bloody hole in his chest where his heart should have been.
The pain and rage in the room were palpable.
Jarrod could barely speak. Sebastian couldn’t seem to stop moving, and Rolf simply stood by his dead younger brother.
Quietly, I told them what I’d seen in Allemond’s mind, and Rolf’s eyes lifted to my face.
“I’ll kill him,” Rolf whispered.
“What do you mean, you saw these things in Allemond’s mind?” Sebastian asked.
Jarrod raised a hand. “Not now.” His breathing was ragged. “That’s why his guard reached them first. He ordered the mercenary to be killed so the man couldn’t be questioned.”
Rolf started for the door. “I’ll kill him,” he repeated.
“No!” Jarrod barked. “You cannot start a blood feud here!”
Rolf whirled, glaring.
“There’s no proof,” Jarrod added. “If you run a sword through Allemond, we’ll lose all the ground we’ve gained.”
“I don’t care! Kai is dead, and you don’t seem to . . .” Rolf trailed off and choked once. “Kai is dead, and I’m killing his killer.”
“Let me do it,” Sebastian said quietly. His eyes locked on Jarrod. “Give me a free hand, and there won’t be a blood feud.”
Rolf shook his head. “Father, no. You can’t turn him loose. There’s no telling what he’ll do.”
“I know exactly what you’ll do,” Jarrod returned. “You’ll walk out there and attack Allemond with no proof. What will you say? That your wife read his mind?” He turned to Sebastian. “No, blood feud?”
Sebastian shook his head. “Give me one more night here. No one will even blame me.”
Slowly, Jarrod nodded. “All right.”
Rolf exhaled through his teeth.
After that, Sebastian walked back to the table and leaned over Kai’s body. For a moment I thought he would begin weeping again. I didn’t know what to say or do. I wanted to offer comfort but didn’t know how. I wanted to weep for Kai myself, but I felt an outsider in this scene, someone who had no part in this mourning.
Light footst
eps sounded outside the room, and Lady Violette walked in. The regret on her lovely face was genuine.
“Forgive the intrusion. My lord Jarrod, I cannot tell you how sorry we are for your loss, and we cannot fathom how this happened. I assure you that my husband is questioning the other men he hired for today’s match, to see if they know anything. He will get to the bottom of this, but there is no way we can amends.”
“It’s not your fault,” Jarrod answered, but his voice was strained. He loved Kai as much as Rolf and Sebastian did. “None of us blame you.”
“Perhaps the man was mad?” Sebastian said to her. “He hated nobles?”
“Perhaps so.” She seemed quite relieved by both their responses. “But please don’t take Kai’s body and ride out tonight. Stay here at least until morning. Dinner will be served, but we’ve cancelled any dancing. Stay and let us try to offer comfort.”
Jarrod glanced to Sebastian and then back to Violette. “Thank you, my lady. We’ll stay tonight.”
* * * *
That night, at dinner, I couldn’t help feeling anxious. We were all supposed to pretend we knew nothing and were as lost regarding Kai’s death as everyone else.
I could feel that Rolf was on the edge of his own self-control, but he obeyed his father and simply avoided speaking to any of the Monvílles. In my mind, I kept seeing Kai laid out on that table, his life cut off in such a brutal and senseless way.
I wish I understood what Sebastian was going to do.
I knew better than to ask him.
Everyone was kind to us, and when Lord Allemond offered me his condolences, I managed to accept gracefully. Thankfully, he didn’t approach Rolf.
To my surprise, Sebastian not only accepted such sympathies, he treated Allemond like an old friend, and he sat with Lady Rosamund at dinner. I was convinced that neither Rosamund nor Phillipe knew anything of Allemond’s carefully orchestrated murder of Kai.
Still, I wondered what Sebastian was thinking by sitting with Lady Rosamund all evening, and letting her comfort him as if he were a child. She patted his hand and stroked his back and spoke softly in his ear. I noticed Lord Allemond glancing at them once or twice and frowning.
