Reaching out a hand, Madelayne staggered over to him and he captured her hand, pulling her against him, as she fell into him. He could feel her tremble.
“Madelayne,” he pleaded softly, with urgency in his tone. “What has happened, dearest?”
Madelayne pointed to Nicholas, who was struggling to stand. “I discovered that Nicholas allowed Cairn to be killed,” she said, her voice quivering “I was told that he stood by and watched as Cairn was killed and then rushed in to collect the body, telling everyone he was too late to help. It simply wasn’t true. Many soldiers saw this happen, trustworthy men. I was further told that he put Ewan into an impossible situation, which allowed the knight to be killed. Of course, we all know what happened to Mavia. Kaspian, he is as guilty for their deaths as if he killed them himself. And then he tried to tell me that you were the one responsible for Cairn’s death. He said you did it because you wanted to marry me!”
By the time she was finished, Kaspian was looking at Nicholas with nothing short of hatred. Shock, to be sure, but in truth, it wasn’t so much shock as it was realization… realization that Nicholas’ character was as dark as his soul. Kaspian knew of the man’s ambitious reputation, but a murderous reputation… he felt foolish for not having realized it all along. Nothing in his life had ever made so much sense.
“Is this true, de Dalyn?” he asked, his voice rumbling like thunder. “Did you tell her I was responsible for Cairn’s death?”
Nicholas was on his feet, dealing with two puncture wounds to his back now and feeling a good deal of pain. He was cornered, caught, but he would not go down without a fight. His arrogance wouldn’t let him. He wasn’t about to let all of his ambitions, his planning, go to waste.
He had to fight!
“It is true,” he insisted. “I was at Beeston, St. Hèver; you were the one that sent Cairn into a situation where he was overwhelmed by the Welsh. I did not imagine that.”
Kaspian lifted an eyebrow. “We were all overwhelmed by the Welsh,” he said. “It was your task to assist Cairn while the man was still alive. Did you do that?”
“I did what I could!”
“You did not.”
The statement came not from Kaspian but from one of the Lavister soldiers who had come to Madelayne’s aid; the man was older, seasoned, and had fought with Edward for years. He had been stationed at Lavister for as long as Kaspian had commanded the outpost; therefore, Kaspian knew the man. He was loyal and brave. Kaspian pointed to the soldier.
“Tell me what you know,” he commanded quietly. “What did you see?”
The soldier didn’t hesitate. “I was fighting with Sir Cairn that day,” he said. “I saw Sir Nicholas ride to the edges of the skirmish and watch as Sir Cairn was killed. He never made a move to enter the fight or even help. He just stood there, waiting. When Sir Cairn was killed, Sir Nicholas rode in and brought the body out. That is what I saw with my own eyes.”
A distinct sense of shock settled around those who were listening and accusing eyes turned to Nicholas, who was red in the face with rage.
“That is a lie!” he said. “I did what I could for him! It is Kaspian’s fault for sending him to fend off too many Welsh!”
The soldier simply shook his head at Nicholas’ denial, looking to Kaspian. “Forgive us for not saying anything sooner, my lord,” he said. “We were afraid… we knew… that Sir Nicholas’ word would be believed over ours and Sir Nicholas has it within his power to make our lives miserable. I have a son I am responsible for. I had to think of him. But I cannot be silent any longer; with God as my witness, that is what I saw. Sir Nicholas left Sir Cairn to die.”
Nicholas simply snarled and hung his head, cursing under his breath. But he was no longer loudly denying the accusation, perhaps sensing there was no use in doing so. “Lies, lies, lies,” he muttered. “Men who would lie!”
Madelayne heard Nicholas but she was looking up at Kaspian, who seemed rather pale and drawn. It was sickening to realize the depths of Nicholas’ betrayal.
“I was afraid his next victim would be you,” she whispered to Kaspian. “For Cairn and Ewan and Mavia… I had to avenge them, Kaspian. I could no longer stand idle and hope you would not be his next victim. I had to do something.”
He looked down at her, into that sweet face, and he was both puzzled and astonished. “Do something?” he repeated. “What did you do?”
Madelayne’s gaze moved to Nicholas. “I took it upon myself to dispense justice for those we love,” she said quietly. “I struck him in the head and knocked him out. I used one of your dirks to stab him but it did not do enough damage to hurt him. I… I was going to kill him.”
He was astonished. “For me?”
She nodded, averting her gaze. “For you,” she said quietly. “For Cairn, for Ewan, and for Mavia. Nicholas must be stopped, Kaspian. He must be made to pay for what he’s done.”
He could hardly believe what he was hearing, but on the other hand, he wasn’t surprised. Madelayne was fiercely loyal and protective of those she loved. He remembered thinking once how odd it was to have a woman be so protective of him, but it wasn’t odd at all, really. It was wonderful. Madelayne had been prepared to risk her life to do away with an injustice, to seek justice for those who had been wronged. Kaspian had never heard of anything more noble in his life, coming from a woman, no less.
A very special woman.
For a moment, he was actually speechless. He looked at his wife, a million thoughts rolling through his head but unable to think of anything to say. But he did know one thing; she had set out to avenge the deaths of their friends and colleagues. What she had started, he would now finish.
Now, he knew why he had been compelled to return to Kirk, why something had been driving him to go. Some manner of inner voice had him riding at top speed all the way from Shrewsbury like a madman. He thought it had been his overwhelming desire to see his wife, but it was more than that. Perhaps it was God telling him that, at this moment, he was most needed by his wife’s side as she struggled with Nicholas. It was God telling him that she needed saving.
That they all needed saving.
… from Nicholas.
He didn’t trust the man; any semblance of trust he might have had was gone, erased forever by the revelation from the soldier. Now, Kaspian had a job to do. For all of their sakes, he would end this.
“Then it is a good thing I returned when I did,” he said to Madelayne. “You no longer need worry about Nicholas. I will take care of him now.”
Madelayne gazed up at him with all of the confidence in the world. “I fear that I have failed in my attempt,” she said. “I know you will not.”
He touched her cheek. “Indeed, I will not,” he said. “But for trying… know that I love you very much for trying.”
“And I love you.”
There was warmth in the air between them, both of them feeling the joy and faith and hope that had comprised their relationship. But it was particularly poignant to Madelayne; so much joy had come out of so much darkness, the darkness that had once been her life. The darkness that she had been wallowing in on that day those weeks ago when her son had been born dead and her husband had lost his life.
Such a dark, dark day. But without the darkness, she would have never appreciated the light so much. Gazing up at Kaspian, all she could see when she looked at him was light. Great, bright light. Before she could reply, however, they all heard Thomas growl.
“This is for my wife, you bastard,” he said as he thrust his sword at Nicholas. “May you never do another treacherous thing again!”
He was far enough away that Nicholas was able to dodge him and, in Thomas’ inebriated state, Nicholas was able to yank the sword away from him and turn it on him. He sliced into Thomas’ gut, sending the man to the ground, as Kaspian pushed Madelayne away from the fighting and charged him. Nicholas managed to lift his sword to fend off what would have surely been a terrible blow and from that point, the fight was on.
So he fought back, matching Kaspian strike for strike as their battle moved across the bailey. At one point, Owain and Hawys had been alerted to the battle and emerged from the hall to see the combatants fighting it out. Hawys then quickly retreated back into the hall, unwilling to see men try to kill each other, but Owain was most interested in what was happening. He was also coming to think that the inhabitants of Lavister were, indeed, troublemakers and he made a mental note never to let them back into his castle again. But, for now, there was great entertainment to be had from the two seasoned knights fighting in his bailey. It was truly a sight to see.
The battle was brutal and bloody. Nicholas wasn’t wearing any armor; he had nothing on his body but a tunic, breeches, and boots. Therefore, the hand holding the sword was being cut to pieces by Kaspian’s sword. Every time the blades would come together, some portion of it was nicking Nicholas’ hand. It wasn’t long before the blood was streaming, spilling onto the ground in droplets every time Nicholas moved. It was a horrific and messy thing to watch.
As Kaspian and Nicholas battled, Madelayne sat on the ground next to Thomas, who was half-laying in the dirt, watching the fight, as Dolwyd patched up the slice that ran from his midsection up to his chest. The old physic had watched nearly the entire confrontation between Madelayne and Nicholas, having come out of the keep about the time Nicholas put his arm around her neck and threatened her life.
Dolwyd had watched in horror, and then finally hope, when the Lavister soldiers moved to help her. He was considering finding his own dagger and trying to help the lady when Thomas intervened and Kaspian finally arrived. Now, he found himself tending Thomas’ wound and thinking, once again, that the inhabitants of Lavister had gone mad.
This time, however, he meant it.
Madness in the form of Kaspian trying to kill Nicholas, who was weakened and bloodied, but simply wouldn’t surrender. Madelayne, too, was watching the battle with great fear, praying that Kaspian would soon gain the upper hand. It was torture to watch. But all the while, she couldn’t shake the need to help him, to finish what she had started even though he was determined to be the one to avenge the others. Not that she blamed him; he had been through as much as any of them and probably more so; perhaps it was a matter of honor for him since Nicholas was under his command. It was his duty to deal out the punishment to the man.
But as Madelayne watched the pair of knights in their struggle across the bailey, she was feeling more and more as if this were her battle more than it was Kaspian’s. It was Cairn that Nicholas had betrayed, after all. It was her husband he had killed.
Those who were betrayed.
The old crone’s words rang in her head again. Perhaps those souls, those lost stars, were still depending on her.
Leaving Dolwyd tending Thomas, she stood up and began to move, skirting the battle area as the knights fought, her gaze seeking the dagger that had been tossed aside when Nicholas had captured her. No one seemed to be paying attention to her as she shuffled through the dirt, looking for the dagger and finally spying it over near the great hall.
Madelayne ran towards the weapon, scooping it up out of the dirt and trying to conceal it in her hands so no one would see what she had. Now, she would wait for the right moment to do what needed to be done. The longer this battle went on, the more chance there was that Kaspian might be the one injured in it. If that was the case, she knew that the men from Lavister would more than likely tear Nicholas apart but she didn’t want to give them that satisfaction. Therefore, she stood there, heart in her throat, and waited for her opportunity.
It wasn’t long in coming. Kaspian had managed to back Nicholas up, nearly boxing the man up against the wall of the bailey, but Nicholas was smart enough not to let himself be cornered. He tried to take the offensive against Kaspian, who ended up pushing him back again, only this time, they were over near the edge of the great hall. Madelayne, in fact, was just around the corner from where the men were battling. She could see their feet shuffling around and when Kaspian kicked Nicholas in the knee and the man staggered backwards, like a predator, she was there waiting.
Now!
As Nicholas faltered, Madelayne rushed around the corner with the dagger held high. Nicholas was bent over, suffering from the kick to his vulnerable knee, when Madelayne plunged the dagger into his neck as far as it would go. Nicholas stiffened and tried to scream but it was of no use; the dagger had cut through his windpipe, through a major artery, and emerged on the other side.
Wide-eyed, unable to scream or even breathe, Nicholas dropped his sword and fell to his knees as his hands went to his neck, grasping at the dagger. He tried to take it out but it was too late; he was bleeding too badly from the cut artery and as the entire bailey of Kirk watched with shock, he pitched onto his face and bled out into the dirt, never to rise again.
The wild and brutal battle was over in an instant, leaving a brittle calm in its wake. Kaspian watched Nicholas bleed out, startled to realize his wife had delivered the death blow. Breathing heavily from exertion, he looked with shock at Madelayne, who walked up to Nicholas and kicked the man in the shoulder. Kaspian would never forget the look on her face as she did; something between relief and fury and cold-hearted determination.
The expression of a woman who had done something of worth.
“That,” she hissed at Nicholas, “was for Cairn. I hope you can still hear me, Nicholas. I hope Cairn’s name is the last thing you hear before you pass into hell.”
Nicholas didn’t move; he was clearly dead. But Madelayne simply stood over him, watching the blood run in rivers through the dirt. Kaspian, exhausted and cut, took a few steps towards her.
“It is over,” he said quietly. “Are you well, Madelayne?”
“I am very well.”
“Are you sure? Do you feel faint?”
She thought a moment before shaking her head. “I feel fine,” she said. “I feel… relieved. Relieved as I have never felt in my life.”
Kaspian could see that. Surprisingly, she didn’t seem upset by what she’d done in the least. He thought she might be in shock so he lifted a hand to her. “Come with me now,” he said. “Let me take you away from this.”
Madelayne didn’t move. She was still looking at Nicholas. “Forgive me if I upset you by doing this,” she said. Then, she finally looked at Kaspian. “Something inside me was telling me that I must be the one to punish Nicholas. I did not mean to interfere in what you were doing, but this… Kaspian, I saw a mystic earlier today. Aye, I did, and you can scold me for it later, but she told me that I was to avenge those who had been wronged. She did not even know about Cairn or Mavia, but still, she told me what I must do. Mayhap… mayhap it was my destiny to do this, to put an end to Nicholas and his treachery. Cairn had to know justice. He was my husband and your friend. Don’t you believe he deserved to be avenged?”
She didn’t sound like a woman in shock to him. In fact, she sounded quite lucid and Kaspian nodded.
“I do,” he said. “I was going to do that for him and for you. But you did not let me finish.”
He was smiling faintly as he said it and Madelayne knew that it was his way of telling her he was not angry with her. As shocking as it was for her to have taken a dagger to Nicholas, for there was no doubt the story of Lady St. Hèver and her dagger would become fodder for the rumor mills on the Marches, Kaspian didn’t seem to be upset about it in the least.
“I do not think I was meant to let you finish,” Madelayne said. “I think this is something I had to do. I have spent so much of my life being helpless to my situation and to events in my life…
my children, Cairn… so many things. For once, I had to take control. Does that make any sense?”
Kaspian nodded, reaching out to gently take her arm and pull her away from Nicholas’ body. “It makes sense,” he said. “It was something that you needed to do.”
“It was.”
“I understand that need.”
She looked at him. “You do?”
He nodded, putting his arm around her as the men collected in the bailey began to break up and a few Lavister soldiers moved, with disinterest, to Nicholas’ body. Even Dolwyd was moving towards the knight rather slowly, as if the dead knight was of no matter to him.
“I understand the need to avenge family,” Kaspian said quietly. “I understand the need to ensure the safety of those you are responsible for and those you love. Mayhap I understand a wife who is much stronger than I ever gave her credit for, strong enough that she should kill to protect me. Mayhap I understand that you have a little bit of a knight’s heart in you, Lady St. Hèver. It would be quite easy to be shocked by what you have done but I find that I am not; I am proud. Proud of a woman who would be strong enough to do what needed to be done.”
Madelayne paused, turning her face up to him as the light from the coming sunset caressed her delicate features. The sky above was turning shades of pink and blue and as Kaspian pulled her into his arms, she glanced up at the sky and the brilliant dusk colors. Beyond the shades of pink and blue, she could see a faint smattering of stars beyond. A smile creased her lips as she pointed upwards.
“See the stars?” she said as he looked upward to see what she was pointing at. “My mother once said that the souls of the dead were lost stars. I have seen so many lost stars in my lifetime that there were times I felt as if I was the queen of all things lost. Surely no one has suffered as much loss as I have in my short life. Being the queen of the lost used to have such a sad connotation to me but now, as I look in the sky and see those stars, being a queen also means benevolence and goodliness. Queens protect those that belong to them, do they not? Mayhap I have done that today. I have protected those lost stars by punishing someone who had done them great harm.
Mercenaries and Maidens: A Medieval Romance bundle Page 109
