Lorena sat up straighter in her chair. “They are here,” she said.
He turned his head to the entrance, half hoping that Jared would have Rowena in tow, but the only person by his side was Lorena’s cousin.
“And they have yet to find my daughter,” he said flatly.
“At least we can question Jonathan. Perhaps he knows what has happened to Lady Rowena.”
Both knights came to stand in front of the high table.
Jared stared at the spot just in front of the dais as if he wished that he wasn’t the bearer of bad news. Jonathan meanwhile looked grimly at Jared, waiting for him to speak.
“Well, what news?” Philip asked.
“We searched everywhere, sire,” Jared said, his face pinched. “There is no sign of Lady Rowena. Her palfrey is in its stall, still untied. There seemed to be some sort of struggle and we found this lying on the ground.” He held up a piece of parchment. He unfolded it and brought it over to Philip, laying it flat on the table for him to see.
Philip looked at the parchment as if it was a piece of dirt. “What is this letter?”
He scanned the parchment, and raised questioning eyes to Jonathan.
Jonathan stared back at him. “The letter was not written by my hand, sire,” he said.
“I see.”
But it didn’t appear that Philip saw the significance of the letter.
Jonathan clenched his jaws, a muscle working at the side. It was the Grey Knight, he was sure of it. No one else would dare cross him like this. Somehow the bastard found out about his secret marriage to Rowena and because of her connection to him, he placed her in danger.
Jared cleared his throat. All eyes turned toward him. “Ava said that the man who ordered Lady Rowena’s abduction was referred to as Lord Knight and that he had special feelings for her.” He looked torn as if he was trying to decide whether he should continue. Then shaking his head, he said, “I have been thinking about this for a long while. And while I am sorry to say this, my nephew Derrik fits this description rather well. He hasn’t been himself of late, and seems to take a disliking to Sir Jonathan here. And his absence makes him suspect.” He heaved a heavy sigh. “No one has seen him since last night’s supper.”
Lorena gasped. “You don’t think Sir Derrik has anything to do with this, do you Sir Jared? Lady Rowena has told me he was like a brother to her.”
“If he is the culprit behind this abduction, he will pay with his life,” Philip said, his voice turning fierce. “And if he took my daughter for ransom, it shows how little he regards me and all I’ve done for him.”
Lorena grew alarmed. “Let us not be too hasty. We do not know for a fact that ‘tis Sir Derrik who abducted her.”
“Regardless of who has taken her, this man needs to be caught,” Jonathan cut in.
Philip nodded in agreement. “Aye, and catch him we will.” He turned to Jared. “Gather another ten men and search outside the castle perimeters,” he said. He gripped the table, trying to stop his fingers from trembling. He never questioned the loyalty of his men and the thought that Derrik, one of his rising stars, would betray him shook him to the core. He actually liked the boy and knighted him not too long ago. But what Lorena said was true. He didn’t know for a fact that it was Derrik who was behind the abduction. However if he discovered that the boy was the kidnapper, then he had no choice but to mete out severe punishment.
“I want you to find Sir Derrik,” Philip continued. “And I want him alive for questioning.” He got control of his nerves and pushed himself out of his chair. But he cursed aloud at his quick movement when a shooting pain coursed through his leg and hip, forcing him sit down again.
“Two of my men are out searching for him now, sire,” Jared said. “The rest of the men are questioning the villagers. I will send more men as you request to search the nearby forest.”
“But the sun is now setting,” Lorena said, gesturing to the small window at the far end of the hall. “Will ten men be enough to search for Lady Rowena in the dark?”
“That would not be a problem,” Jonathan said, stepping forward. “My men and I will join in the search for my wife. Just tell us where you want us to go.” He turned to Jared, his face as hard as stone. “You had better pray that your nephew is not behind her disappearance.”
Jared gave a quick shake of his head and stared at him, his eyes wide with surprise. “Did you say she is your wife?”
At Jonathan’s nod, the commander swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. “I was only voicing my speculation from the little information we received from Ava,” he continued. “There’s still a possibility that my nephew has nothing to do with your wife’s disappearance…”
“‘Tis true,” Lorena said, her voice calm. “We must be rational. We do not have proof that Sir Derrik is behind Lady Rowena’s disappearance. I would find it hard to believe that someone who cares for her would do her harm.”
Jared looked at Lorena as if she was a saint. “Aye, the boy cares for Lady Rowena,” he said.
“Whether the boy cares for my wife matters not. He must be found. Where do think your nephew went?” Jonathan said, turning to Jared.
Jared was spared from answering when Roland, one of Jonathan’s men arrived in the hall, half pulling and half dragging a man behind him.
“We’ve found Sir Derrik, sire,” Roland said unnecessarily. They stood in front of the dais with Derrik leaning heavily at the guard’s side. “He was in one of the stables. A hound found him buried under a pile of hay near the back, all tied up tight and pretty.”
Derrik pushed away from Roland and stood on unsteady legs.
The smooth faced knight hardly looked recognizable. His right eye was bruised, and his lower lip swollen to double its size. His hair was also streaked with dried blood. But despite his weakened condition, he had a fierce expression on his face. “I want vengeance on the bastards who did this to me!” he cried.
“Explain yourself,” Philip said. He unclenched his fists, trying to stop the trembling that was starting again. He willed himself not to panic until he heard the entire story.
Jared stepped closer to his nephew to help support him, but the young knight brushed him aside.
“I received a missive from Lady Rowena to meet her at the stables last evening, sire. When I arrived at the main one, I was attacked by two men and an unknown knight.”
“Have you seen these men before?”
“Nay, I didn’t recognize them. Two men were serfs and the knight with them had his head covered to disguise his face. They took me by surprise. And by the time I realized what was happening, I was tied up with a sack thrown over my head and beaten unconscious.”
“I hope that Lady Rowena does not come to harm,” Lorena said worriedly. “She also received a letter instructing her to go to the stables.”
“I didn’t see Lady Rowena at the stables,” Derrik said.
“Nor do I think you were meant to see her,” Jonathan said. “This entire scheme was a set up to lure Lady Rowena away and to throw us off their scent.”
“Aye,” Derrik said, nodding with distaste. He fingered an object almost absentmindedly. “‘Twould appear that we are victims of some form of trickery.”
Jonathan’s gaze fell to the knight’s hand. And when he saw the piece of darkened wood with a red cloth tied at the end, he froze.
“What is it that you are carrying?” he asked.
The young knight looked at his hand as if he had forgotten that he held the object. “Perhaps you can tell me. The attacking knight shoved this in my tunic before I was tied up. He ordered me to deliver this to you, sire.” He drew his eyebrows down in confusion as he handed the wooden sword over to Jonathan. “I don’t understand why you would need a toy sword.”
Everyone in the room turned to look at Jonathan, a varying degree of puzzlement reflecting on their faces as he accepted the sword. He looked down at his hand as if it belonged to someone else. Raising the small wooden toy s
word, he twisted it around and saw the unmistakable J burned into the hilt. And tied around the wooden toy was the distinctive strip of red fabric…
He clenched the toy sword in his hand. Whoever held Rowena captive knew quite a lot about his history.
“You keep us in suspense, sire. What do you know of this toy?” Philip said impatience clearly evident in his voice.
Jonathan snapped his head up at the sound of Philip’s voice. “This toy sword belonged to me. It was given to me as a gift from my mother,” he said. His large hand engulfed it but the weight and feel of the wooden sword was as familiar as the day he first got it. He looked at Philip, his expression hard. “Raulf, my father’s ward, was the last person to see it before it disappeared many years ago. And this cloth — ‘tis a piece torn from my father’s standard, one which the Grey Knight sends me whenever he wishes to taunt me.”
“Your former garrison commander and the Grey Knight?” Lorena gasped. “Do you think they are working in conjunction with one another?”
“This I don’t know,” Jonathan said grimly. “Although I intend to find out.”
Lorena hugged her arms as if she felt a sudden chill. “Will they harm her?”
“If we move quickly, they will not get a chance to harm her.”
“Where do you think they have taken Rowena?” Philip asked.
“Blackburn castle,” Jonathan said without hesitation. There were a handful of armsmen left behind to guard the castle. The number was adequate, but it was still vulnerable for attack. Most castles kept a skeleton crew during peaceful times, and Raulf knew this. He was also familiar with Blackburn and was well aware of its vulnerabilities. And the Grey Knight…that knight seemed to know his every move, his every weakness. And even though Jonathan tried to hide it — even deny it, his adversary somehow found out about his new weakness — Rowena.
Philip rubbed between his eyes as if the act would take away the burden thrust upon him. “Do they mean to hold her for ransom?” he asked tiredly. “If ‘tis the money they want, I will pay whatever price they name.”
“I am uncertain if that is their sole motive, sire,” Jonathan said. “Raulf led a band of outlaws to steal from me, and I banished him from Blackburn. He has a personal vendetta against me. As for the Grey Knight, our history is old and ‘tis a fact that he has done great harm to the people I care about.”
Philip dropped his hands from his face and fixed his gaze upon Jonathan. “What if they kill her?”
“That will not happen,” Jonathan said in a steely voice. He clenched his fists at his side.
Jonathan took his commander aside and directed him to mobilize his men.
“Damn those whoresons!” Philip burst out in frustration as he watched the guards begin to assemble. He tried to get up again and sat back down in disgust. “I wanted everything to return to normal, but now I must go and search for my daughter and her captors!”
“Are you in any condition to go after her, my lord?” Lorena asked in alarm. “You have just injured yourself. Let my cousin lead the search. I have ever faith that he will bring her back unharmed.”
A look of pain crossed Philip’s face. He was torn as to what to do. He put his hands on the table and pushed himself up again, this time ignoring the pain shooting up his leg and hip.
“I will not turn down your cousin’s offer to help. However I will need to go after her myself.”
Philip sensed Lorena watching him but he didn’t return to look at her, knowing full well that she could sway him. “I will join Sir Jonathan in the search,” he said, his voice full of determination. “And together we shall bring Rowena back.”
“I’m coming with you,” Derrik said, his lips set in grim resolve. His tone increased as if the volume and anger in his voice somehow lent him strength and courage. “I want those bastards who trounced me.” His eyes glittered. “I want them to pay. And if they touch Lady Rowena, I want them dead.”
“You will have to wait in line,” Jonathan said. He made a move to leave but then stopped when he saw a boy making his way across the hall.
Philip also caught sight of the youth.
The boy, wearing the unmistakable colors of Airndale, looked as if he rode long and hard, and was ready to collapse. Yet still he pushed on and stumbled toward Philip, exhaustion etched on his young face.
Standing in front of Philip, he seemed oblivious to all the people around him.
“My lord,” he said, his breathing uneven. “We — Airndale is under attack!”
Philip exchanged alarmed glances with Lorena.
Blindly, Lorena reached over and gripped Philip’s hand. “Are the people safe?” she asked, unable to keep the fear from creeping into her voice.
The boy nodded. “The people are all safe in the confines of the castle, my lady,” he said in a rush. “But Sir Robert de Clait is attacking our stronghold, and we see no other way to defend against him,” he took a deep breath and continued, “Sir Robert has a large number of men and is causing damage to the fortress as we speak. Several of our men have already perished and we don’t know how much longer we can hold out!”
“How did you manage to escape from Airndale?” Jared asked the squire. The turn of events were now throwing everything into confusion.
“‘Twas the guards that helped me. A number of them began attacking the enemy to create a distraction, and I was able to ride out of the castle undetected. I don’t know how many men died in the skirmish.”
Lorena pressed a hand to her mouth to muffle her cry of distress. Philip squeezed her other hand in reassurance. “How many men?” he asked, his tone brisk.
“At last count, two hundred men, sire.”
“Two hundred men?” Lorena’s face went pale. “Airndale is a small estate, and is ill equipped to survive a siege,” she said. “I do not understand. Why would Sir Robert attack us now, knowing that we are at peace, and Airndale is under your protection?”
“‘Tis not hard to understand. Airndale borders Cornwall, which is known for their precious metals,” Philip explained. “If Robert controls Airndale, he would no doubt expand to Cornwall and take control of the nearby mines. With that, his wealth would increase, and he will become a very powerful and dangerous threat to Ravenhearth.”
“But he risks war and the loss of many of his men, not to mention the lives of innocents,” Lorena said.
“Robert is a fool,” Philip said flatly. “King Edward will be angered when he hears of this attack on Airndale. And when he sends his allies to assist us, Robert’s attempt for expansion and power will be squashed.”
Philip raked his fingers through his silver streaked hair. He had hoped that King Edward’s blessing, and his claim on Airndale was be enough to deter Robert. Yet he made a foolish mistake and sat on his laurels with no back up plans in place to prevent a surprise attack.
Turning to Jared, “Send word to all my vassals,” he said. “Gather all available men. We ride to Airndale immediately.”
“But what of Lady Rowena?” Derrik asked.
Philip let out a sharp hiss. Raising his hands, he began to rub his throbbing temples. Rowena. In the ensuing confusion, he had forgotten about her. “This is madness,” he said. “We have Robert attacking Airndale, and we have Rowena abducted by unknown criminals…”
He couldn’t sit idly by and let Robert take his land without a fight. Nor could he leave Rowena to the mercy of her captors. Philip let out an explosive curse, and slammed his fist onto the trestle table.
“By God, I cannot be at two places at once!” he shouted.
“You won’t have to,” Jonathan interrupted calmly. “You will need all your men to defend Airndale. I will take my men, and go after Lady Rowena myself.”
“You’re right,” Philip said, relief evident in his voice. “I will need every spare man at Airndale. But how many men do you have? Will they be enough?”
“I have seven who I trust with my life,” Jonathan said. “That ‘tis all I need. My knights are highly s
killed and already know how I fight. If I can keep the number small, we may have a chance to surprise Raulf with an attack. Too many men will be a hindrance to Lady Rowena’s rescue.” Jonathan paused, seeing Philip’s face twisted in conflict and sensing at once his dilemma. “However if it makes you feel better, I will take one of your most trusted knights with me. The rest of your men can assist you in freeing Airndale.”
Philip nodded. “I need my entire garrison at Airndale but one man I can spare.”
“I will be this man,” Derrik said, stepping forward. “I offered to go before we learned about the attack on Airndale and my offer still stands.” His face was a swollen mess, but pure determination glittered from his eyes. “I will not be denied.”
Philip let out a long breath as if a burden lifted from his shoulders. “So be it,” he said to Derrik. He moved to get up. “Let us mobilize the garrison.”
Lorena put her hand on his arm, stopping him. “Please reconsider your actions, my lord,” she said in a low voice. “Need I remind you again that you may not be in the best condition to go yourself?” She looked pointedly at his injured side. “Jonathan will bring back Lady Rowena. But let Sir Jared command the garrison and free Airndale.”
He removed Lorena’s hand from his arm, and brought it to his lips. “I know Rowena will be returned, but I must do my duty,” he replied in a soft voice. God knew his presence was needed to free Airndale, and lead his men into victory.
Lorena watched him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. And ever so slightly, she gave a nod showing that she understood. It was amazing that even though they were married for a short while, Lorena understood him so well. Her eyes moved from Philip to Jonathan. “Then Godspeed to you both,” she whispered.
CHAPTER 27
When Rowena awoke, she realized that a burlap sack covered her body and a dirty rag was stuffed in her mouth. She could smell the dampness that clung to the area that surrounded her, could feel the cold stone floor beneath her. She knew in her heart that this wasn’t Ravenhearth.
One True Knight (The Knights of Honor Trilogy) Page 21
