Return of the Rose (29 page)

Her eyes widened at the sight before her. Braddock Castle was under siege. A massive catapult hurled a barrage of rocks and hand-crafted missiles toward the main entrance. Through the fog of smoke she could see the enemy scaling Braddock’s walls only to be assaulted by arrows from the high towers. What in heaven’s name was Derek doing riding into the midst of all that danger?

She tasted blood on her lip as she ducked low. Someone was coming toward her. As the shadowy figure came under the moon’s light, she saw that it was Odelia.

She headed toward her. Terror filled her as she saw another dark figure grab Odelia and drag her back toward the castle. From here, with the moonlight on his face, she saw the man all too clearly. Otgar!

Frantically, Morgan searched for something to hurl at the hideous man. “Odelia, fight him,” she whispered to herself, but Odelia’s struggles appeared useless.

The dagger! Lifting her skirts, Morgan unhooked the knife she carried with her and ran forward until Otgar was in her line of vision. Two of Otgar’s men stood close by. Kneeling down, she held the knife straight out, calculating the distance.

Odelia kicked and screamed while Otgar dragged her closer toward the castle.

Acrid smoke stung Morgan’s eyes, blurring her vision. She swiped a dirty sleeve across beads of perspiration, squinting until she could see her target again. If she missed, it could be Odelia she hit. She took aim, the jagged point of the sharp blade aimed at Otgar’s back. She couldn’t do it, couldn’t risk hurting Odelia.

She had to find a way to save Odelia and the others. Again, staying low, she ran until she came to a large oak further away from the commotion. She looked from her left to her right. She needed help.

The stables appeared quiet as she jogged that way, stopping at every tree and shrub to stay hidden. Within minutes she had made it to the first stall. The only noise she heard was her own heavy breathing and the nervous whinnies of the horses. And something else…the soft whimpers of a child. She tiptoed through the stables. The sound appeared to be coming from beneath the mound of hay. One of the horses neighed as she passed by. Taking hold of a pitchfork, she used it to toss back a pile of straw before she jumped back, keeping the blunted tips of the pitch fork pointed outward. A small head popped up.

“Joseph! What are you doing here?” Morgan dropped the pitchfork and Joseph leapt into her arms. He clutched at her waist with one hand and his slingshot with the other.

“‘Tis terrible, my lady. There is a spy within Braddock who helped those awful men through the gates.”

“Who?”

“I am not certain, my lady. After the midday meal I found Thomas sleeping over his plate. Thomas never sleeps, and he had promised to help me train with a real sword.” Joseph looked suddenly guilt-ridden. “‘You will not tell his lordship, will you?”

“Of course not.” That was the last of their worries.

“I ran outside to find my friend, Matthew,” he continued. “I climbed a tree to get a better look and that is when I saw the enemy surrounding Braddock. After that, I hid.” Joseph looked down at his feet as if he had failed somehow.

“Joseph,” she said, smoothing his mop of tangled red hair. “You did the right thing and everything will be okay. But right now the people inside Braddock need our help.” She hugged Joseph tight, wondering if Derek had been taken prisoner. And Odelia…poor Odelia.

“Joseph,” she said with renewed urgency. “Can you ride a horse?”

His round eyes rolled upward as if that were the most lame-brained question in the world. He followed her as she haltered the smallest horse, oblivious to the animal as it nudged her with its nose. “If I can get you outside the gates, do you think you could get to the village?”

He nodded, his eyes wide and hopeful.

“Oh, Joseph, you’re so brave.” She tossed a pad over the horse’s back and tightened the cinch, buckling it tightly in place just as King Henry had shown her. “When you get to the village I want you to knock at the first door you come to. Tell everyone you see that Braddock is under siege. Tell them Lord Vanguard needs their help. Tell them everything, Joseph, and you stay in the village until it’s over. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my lady,” he said bravely.

Morgan linked her fingers together and gestured for him to use her hands as a stirrup to get on the horse’s back.

“Good,” she said as she handed him the leather straps. “Joseph, can I have your slingshot?”

He smiled, pulled the toy from his back pocket and handed it over. He reached into a leather pouch attached to his breeches and pulled out a large, deadly looking stone that had been sharpened to a fine point.

“Joseph! What wonderful ammunition you’ve made.”

He grinned.

Quickly, she led the animal around the back of the stables and to the outer gates, thankful for the lessons the king had given her. She then watched Joseph ride off.

Morgan crept closer to the castle, close enough that she could see Otgar’s men were gathering wood and throwing it to a fire built against Braddock’s outer walls. Where was Odelia now? Running into Otgar’s men in search of Odelia wouldn’t do either of them any good. Of that much she was certain. She needed to think, but there was no time for that as she watched the enemy pick up a newly downed tree and use it as a battering ram on a postern gate.

This siege stuff was tedious work, she realized, and although she hated the terrible powers of modern world weaponry—what she would do right now for a grenade or a small automatic rifle to put these awful men in their place. Where were all of Derek’s men? Certainly it would take more than two or three dozen men to take over an entire army. Derek’s men-at-arms should have easily defended the castle. It didn’t make any sense.

She ran toward the eastern side of the keep. A pitch-covered arrow doused in flames went hurling past her head. She squealed and bent down. When no additional arrows came her way she took off again. Her thin slipper-like shoes were useless as she dashed over rocks and pine needles. Hopefully the black cloak she wore would keep her hidden.

No such luck.

A hand clamped around her mouth and she bit down.

“Damn,” Robert swore, shaking his wounded digits.

“Robert, is it really you?”

“Who else?” he asked irritably.

“Thank God you’re here!” She felt a rush of relief at seeing a familiar face. “We’ve got to stop these men from taking over Braddock!”

He grasped her wrist. “Let us be off whilst we still have our lives.”

“I’m not leaving these people here to die.”

“And what exactly do you have in mind? I beseech you to tell me how one man and one very small lass is going to save the day. There is naught we can do to help. I spied on Otgar’s men. They are holding Vanguard’s men within the castle’s dungeons. Mayhap most are certainly dead.”

Morgan shuddered. “They can’t be!”

“It seems a scullery maid laced the castle’s ale and wine with potent brew, causing Vanguard’s men to sleep. That same traitor probably allowed Otgar’s men into the castle.”

“Why then,” she asked, “are Otgar’s men trying to get in the castle if they’ve already been inside Braddock?”

“I only speculate, but ‘tis obvious Otgar’s army lacks intelligence. My guess is that more than a few castle folk hid while Otgar’s men carted the knights to the dungeon. When the enemy went back outside for supplies, I must assume the gates were shut upon them once again. ‘Tis not an ingenious group of warriors that fight here,” he said, scratching his chin. “Unfortunately, trained knights or not, I am afraid it shan’t be long before Otgar’s band has access to the castle once again. Invariably, whoever shut the gate on Otgar must be unable to free Vanguard’s men, otherwise ‘twould surely all be over by now.”

Robert sighed as he looked deep into her eyes. “Amanda, my love, if we take leave now perhaps we can appeal to the villagers for help.”

“I’ve already seen to that.”

He gave her an incredulous look.

“I ran into Joseph.”

“So many men at your beckon call,” he said mockingly.

“He’s nine years old and he’s probably half way to the village already.”

“Clever girl.”

“It could take hours for him to gather enough people to make a difference, though. I need to free Derek’s men. It’s the only way to save Braddock.”

Robert’s mouth angled upward. “Do the wheels in your pretty head ever stop their spinning?”

Morgan grabbed his arm as an idea came to her. “Robert, there’s a way but I’ll need your help.”

His cumbersome sigh cut through the air between them.

“My friend, Matti, showed me a hidden passage. We could—”

“I’ve already tried the eastern door; ‘tis guarded by two men,” Robert told her.

“There’s another way. An underground tunnel.” She glanced around in all directions. “If you could catch those guards’ attention over there, create a diversion of some sort, I could make my way to the tunnel.”

He shook his head, clearly unconvinced.

“Please. If it doesn’t work I’ll go with you to the surrounding villages and we’ll gather what help we can there.” She looked up at him with pleading eyes. “I beg of you. Will you do it?”

“How could I do anything but?”

Morgan threw her arms around him and gave him a fierce hug. When she tried to push away though, Robert took full advantage of her close proximity and put his lips to hers.

“How touching,” a deep voice drawled from behind them.

Startled, Morgan jerked around to see Derek standing in the shadows. The expression on his face sent a chill of dread down her spine. She shook her head at him as she stepped fully out of Robert’s arms, denying whatever it was he was thinking, which was obvious to everyone involved.

Robert met Vanguard’s glare, neither man having any reason to trust one another, but plenty enough reasons to despise each other. “I suppose you intend to challenge me to a duel?” Robert questioned flatly.

Morgan cringed at Robert’s words.

An abortive laugh escaped Derek’s lips as he watched the two of them with a hawkish glare. “I fear I have been misunderstood,” Derek said in a caustic tone. “I do not bother with duels concerning objects I have no desire to possess.” He turned and walked away.

“Stop,” Morgan said as she ran to him. “It’s not what you think. He’s going to help us.”

There wasn’t even the briefest of pauses in Derek’s step as he walked off. There was nothing she could do to stop him. If she ran after him she’d only serve to get them both killed. She swiped a shaking forearm across her forehead. Her head pounded and her heart filled with grief. Turning toward the castle, she saw parts of the western side of the tower in flames. Time was running out.

“I can’t worry about all of this right now. There could be people dying inside the castle. My friends are in there.” She ran to the darkest shadows, no longer caring whether Robert followed her or not. She stopped as before, huddled behind each tree and bush as she headed toward the opening to the tunnel, intent on getting there, diversions or not. She didn’t bother glancing back to see if Robert was going to help, but before long he was at her side.

CHAPTER 16

“Where is she?” Otgar growled, spittle hitting Odelia’s face with every word. “Where is that lady of yours?”

“She’s not here. King Henry requested that she stay at Windsor.”

“She lies,” Otgar’s man disagreed.

Otgar clutched tightly at Odelia’s shoulder. His dirty overgrown fingernails became embedded within her skin as he shook her. “Tell me where your lady hides or else I will be forced to put hot timbers to your skin until you beg to tell me different.”

The walls had been doused with tar and set to fire. Flames flickered violently behind Odelia, making it all too easy for her to see the details of Otgar’s ugly face. Shivers coursed through her at the sight of his red-rimmed eyes that darted wildly about.

Suddenly Ciara stepped from the darker shadows of the outer bailey and cried, “Let her go! Leonie promised no one would be hurt. I demand that you release her now.”

Otgar peered into Ciara’s youthful face and spit at her.

Ciara stepped back, wiping spittle from her chin. His crackled snorts of laughter blended in with the flickering sounds of the blaze.

Odelia could hardly believe that Ciara was the traitor in all of this. But Ciara could not make eye contact with her, which spoke volumes.

“This is my fault,” Ciara said to Odelia. “I thought Leonie was my friend. I trusted and confided in her, eagerly kept her informed of Lord Vanguard’s whereabouts. But I did it all out of loyalty to a friend. A friend, that is, until Lady Amanda came to Braddock. That is when everything changed. Leonie began to ask me to do terrible things. She wanted me to steal and lie and when I refused, Leonie threatened to tell Lord Vanguard that I was the one stealing his livestock.”

Ciara’s head dipped low and Odelia’s heart went out to the young girl.

“I gave in to Leonie’s latest demand by slipping a potion of herbs into Braddock’s ale and cider. When Lord Vanguard’s men finally slept, I opened the inner gates and let the enemy in.”

Otgar spit. “Shut up, bitch. I care naught about your sad tale.”

“I like Lady Amanda and respect Lord Vanguard,” Ciara told Odelia, ignoring Otgar.

“Did you have anything to do with the missive sent to Lady Amanda?” Odelia asked.

“Aye, ‘twas I who left the love letter with the messenger as Leonie instructed. I also forged the missive inviting Leonie to Braddock, sealing it with his lordship’s personal seal. She promised me nobody would be hurt.”

Otgar’s pig-like grunt stopped Ciara cold. Otgar raised his hand and his palm fell hard against Odelia’s cheek.

Ciara cried out as she flung herself at Otgar, clawing into his face like a bear provoked one too many times.

Otgar fell to the ground. Odelia kicked at him, but it was a useless attempt since one of his men came quickly to his aid and pulled her away. A third man sauntered over and reluctantly pulled Ciara off of Otgar, too, but not before she managed to gouge into one of Otgar’s eyes. Otgar let out a shriek as he came to his feet, and after one swift blow of his arm, Ciara fell silently to the ground.