Lords of Retribution (Lords of Avalon series) (28 page)

As darkness fell, Senny sat cross-legged on the ground with her back against a tree. They had untied her hands after they took her off the horse. The rope had rubbed raw spots upon her wrists.

Her three captors talked about her as if she couldn’t hear them.

“It’s slowing us down having one horse overloaded with two riders!” the shorter, stockier man exclaimed.

“
We had to get rid of the horse with the marked shoe. I’m hoping we threw them off. By the time they find that farmer in Bodmin, they will have been off our trail for a while. The girl is our insurance to make certain we make it across the Tamar safely into Devon. By now, the Duke and St. Erth will have put out an alert. The Cornish are as thick as thieves, they are. She stays with us until we reach the river. She’s no trouble. She’s touched. Gentle as a lamb,” the man most recently known as Madingly said. He looked over at the silent little imbecile. His blood raced in anticipation of the plans he had for her that night.

“What are we going to do with her tonight?”
the taller man asked far too eagerly.

The Reverend turned
his attention from her back to his two henchmen. “She is no concern of yours. I’ll take care of her. She and I will sleep further into the wood. I’ll make certain she can’t get away.” He had long wanted to fuck Senny Penrose. Tonight, he would. For hours!

“You could at least share, Reverend
. For being an idiot, she’s a comely little thing.” The taller and thinner of the Reverend’s accomplices rubbed the front of his trousers as he spoke.

“I am not sharing. She is mine
tonight. I will break her in for you. Perhaps after we cross the Tamar and no longer need her, you can have her, before we put her out of her misery,” the Reverend said matter-of-factly. He was suddenly eager to haul Senny Penrose into the wood. She was lovely and had a very pleasing figure. He could do anything he wanted to her tonight. She was probably so frightened and so stupid she’d do whatever he told her to do. He hardened as numerous possibilities for his evening’s entertainment presented themselves in his mind. They’d cross the Tamar tomorrow. Before they did, he might let his men have a go at her before he killed her. He’d put the little idiot out of her misery. She wasn’t all there. He’d be doing her and the world a service.

Senny realized as long as they thought her meek and afflicted, she had a better chanc
e of escape. Escape she must, and very soon.

Then the idea came to her.
Perhaps she could connect to Gabriel in the way they had joined before he left for London. She called out to him in her mind. “
Gabriel
?” She hoped she could reach him. Perhaps he could hear her. She tried again.
“I need you Gabriel! I need you now! Please hear me.”

“Zenny?” Gabriel rose quickly from the comfortable chair where he sat in his chamber. The book he was reading fell to the floor. Alarm and fear washed over him.

He closed his eyes and entered the
in-between. He saw her in the dark, in the trees.

“
Where are you Zenny? What is wrong?”

“Gabriel, I need your help. Madingly took me from Menadue. He hurt Wenna. He is leaving Cornwall. He means to hurt me tonight. He means to give me to his men then kill me tomorrow once he reaches the Tamar. I – I need to get away, but I’m not certain how to go about it. Please tell me how I can best get away from him.”

Gabriel
swore under his breath. His heart stopped momentarily. Icy fear for Senny traveled down his back. He forced away all thoughts of fear. It would not do to let Zenny know he was frightened for her. She would be able to feel what he felt. He forced himself to be calm.

“Do you know where you are
, love?”

“No
, not precisely. I am in a wood somewhere past Blisland and Temple. We left the road some time back. We’re still on the moor, I think. He said he’s going to cross the Tamar near Saltash. He plans to take me in the woods, Gabriel, t-to hurt m-me. There has to be a way I can escape him. Can you tell me how? I can’t think straight, for there is noise in my head.”

Gabriel felt fury race through his body. He
again struggled to stay calm. He had to be strong and in control for Senny. It was imperative that he do so.

“
You must stay calm. Take the time to send the noise away, the way I taught you to do. You will get away. You need to kick him or knee him between the legs, Zenny. Make certain you hit his private area. Hit him in the nose with your elbow or the heel of your hand. Find a weapon, a branch, a stone, anything that will damage him. Hurt him enough so that you can break free, Zenny. Then run. I’m close. I’m in Launceston. I’m leaving right now. I will try to keep the connection. Promise me you will too. I must grab my things and I will contact you once I’m on my way.”

“
Yes, Gabriel. We must stay connected. Hurry! Please?
”

Gabriel was already packing his bag
. He exited his room, leaving the door wide open behind him. He knocked upon Micah’s door.

It seemed to take forever when in truth it was only minutes
.

Micah cracked the door open
.

“Z
enny is in danger. I must find her. I can’t explain. Thomas and my men will take you on to Menadue on the morrow.”

Micah nodded
. “I hope you find her, Gabriel. Do not worry. We will be fine. Is it Brown Coats?”

“Possibly
. Be careful. I have to find Zenny, Micah. She is everything to me. I wouldn’t leave you otherwise.”

“
Go, Gabriel. I understand completely. We are very close to Menadue, we will be fine,” Micah assured him. “Just find Miss Senny.”

Gabriel next informed his younger brother, Thomas, to take the others to Menadue for him
. He gave him the direction Senny thought they were going. He asked his brother to send reinforcements when he arrived at Menadue. Thomas woke one of the other men, gave him the instructions then grabbed his bag and followed his brother from his chamber.

“Thomas, we promised we would get our party safely to Menadue
. One of us has to go with them,” Gabriel’s eyes narrowed as he looked upon his younger brother.

“Roche can take them in
. He’s our best man. I’m going with you,” Thomas said.

“If you can keep up,
” Gabriel grumbled.

“I can!
I’ve always been able to keep up with you. I’m not stopping now.”

“
Zenny?
” Gabriel called to her in his mind again after saddling his horse. No response! “
Zenny
?” His heart hammered in his chest. Still, she did not respond.

“Where are we headed?” Thomas Chynoweth asked
his brother.

“Toward Saltash by way of Blisland and Temple until I ca
n make contact with Senny again,” Gabriel said. “We’ll stay on the road until daylight comes.”

Agonizing over thoughts of Madingly harming his precious Zenny, Gabriel rode out in
to the darkness.

After sharing several rounds of gin with his men, Madingly pulled Senny along behind him deeper into the wood.

Senny didn’t fight him
. She knew timing would be incredibly important in her plan to get away. She called to Gabriel in her mind. “
Gabriel? Gabriel
!”

“Z
enny, my love, I’m on the way. You have no idea where you are?”

“It’s dark
. Madingly is taking me deeper into the woods away from the other two men as we speak.”

“P
ick up a stone or a branch when you can, kick him between the legs, hurt him however you can and run! Run and hide, Zenny! I will find you, I promise.”

“
Yes, I will get away, Gabriel. Please find me. Perhaps in the morning I will recognize where I am.
”

Senny cried out as Madingly stopped and pulled her against him.
Her connection to Gabriel was lost. Fear threatened to incapacitate her. She could no longer feel Gabriel in her mind. She pushed away the fear and the noise building in her head. Her salvation depended upon it.

Madingly
tried to kiss her, but Senny was able to avoid his kiss by squirming and turning her head.

He slapped her cheek
. Her face burning, he pushed her backward. Senny tripped over a large branch and fell backward. She landed with a thud upon the hard ground. She felt around with both hands. She found a jagged stone bigger than her palm with one hand and the fingers of her other hand closed around a thick branch a couple of feet long.

Suddenly he was lowering himself over her
. Senny forced herself to breathe so she would remain calm. She concentrated on sending the noise that began to crowd into her head away.

“Be still! You’re going to like this. Even if you don’t, I will. Just lay completely still.” Madingly growled.
He roughly groped her breasts.

When he turned his head toward her legs an
d began bunching up her skirts, she raised her arm and brought the branch down hard upon his head. When Madingly’s head snapped around, Senny scraped the jagged edge of the stone down his face.

“Bitch!”
Madingly howled as he scrambled to get off her. Even in semi-darkness, the only light being from the moon weakened by cloud cover, she could see the glint of wet blood streaming down his face.

Senny rolled and was on her feet in an instant
. She ran in the direction opposite from where the two other men waited. She ran from the small clearing toward the darkness of the trees ahead of her.

She heard the boom of a pistol
. She clasped her upper right arm when she felt the searing pain. She felt the warmth of blood as it oozed between her fingers. She continued to run. She could hear shouting for several minutes. After a time it grew fainter, then stopped. Was he following her?

She could hear
the crunch of leaves and twigs beneath her feet. She had to get out of the trees! Surely, he could hear her and was following her.

She became aware of the
sound of moving water ahead. Senny moved toward the sound. She knew she was leaving a blood trail and reasoned moving through the water would make it more difficult for Madingly to follow her. She kept on and nearly tumbled into the stream when she slipped on a clump of slick grass at the edge.

She slid
often as she tried to walk through the stream. Her skirts soaked up the water and became heavier by the moment.

She was able to catch her balance and keep herself from falling a few times
. Her half boots slid over the slick rocks as she waded downstream. She walked for what seemed hours, then suddenly the water began to run swifter and the current threatened to knock her off her feet entirely. She slipped a couple of times while trying to walk and fell to her knees. Only once, did she fall and find herself fully immersed in the water.

Occasionally she heard Gabriel
’s voice in her mind urging her on. She didn’t always understand his words; she concentrated on not slipping, falling or being carried away by the force of the water. Just the sound of Gabriel’s voice calmed her. She could feel his presence. It helped her to stay strong. Occasionally she found the ability and the strength to answer him.

The stream gained
momentum as it sloped downhill. She was tiring. She realized she must get out of the water. She needed to keep going across the moor and put distance between herself and Madingly. She carefully crossed to the other side of the stream. She slipped trying to get out but managed to pull herself back up the bank by grabbing handfuls of the tall plants growing there. Her wounded arm protested. The pain made her dizzy. It took nearly all of her strength to get to her feet. But she did it.

She heard Gabriel’s voice, “Keep moving
, sweetheart. Keep walking.”

She
walked for a bit, allowing herself to catch her breath. Then Senny ran, and kept running across the dark moor. She had to get away. She must find Gabriel. Her skirts were heavy and water logged. She watched the ground in front of her carefully, looking for evidence of dark cavernous mine pits or old rock quarries. She had grown up on the moor and she knew the dangers.

Awhile later, the moon emerged
from behind the clouds. Senny dared to turn around. She could see no movement on the moor behind her. She watched for several long minutes.

She look
ed at her arm and saw the dark stain of blood covering her sleeve. It alarmed her to see her arm almost completely wet with blood. She fought the light-headedness that came over her.

She took the time to rip the ruffle from her petticoat
. She wound it around her arm and secured it as best she could to keep from leaving a blood trail. She moved diagonally away from that point and later cut back across to go the opposite way. She was not certain what direction she was going only that the way she had started had felt wrong to her. She walked for what seemed hours. Her arm ached. She shivered with cold, and possibly shock, she wasn’t certain which. Her feet seemed to grow heavier with each step she took.