The Dark Lady (28 page)

“
You need to realize they are not your men anymore. They are your husband’s.”

Pain filled Van’s heart for she knew this was true. Her life felt empty once again. Her good feelings from earlier were quickly dying.

Amy threw her hands in the air as if in surrender. “It is not going to get any easier if you continue fighting it.”

Van’s gaze took in the hall and she listened carefully for anyone who might be listening on the other side of the wall. She looked back at Amy sadly. “I know. I did not think it would be this hard. It was easy for me to pretend to be a man, to pretend to be the Dark Knight. That came easy to me. If I could pretend to be something I am not, how can it be so hard to just be who I am?”

Amy smiled. She touched Van gently on the heavily powdered face. “And do you know who you are?”

Van just looked at her. She didn’t know. Her brow furrowed. She didn’t have an answer and felt momentarily lost and confused.

A noise penetrated Van’s concentration. She looked up. A young girl with long brown waves, that spilled unbound around her pretty face, walked around the corner already talking. “That is a silly question, if I have ever heard one. Everyone knows who they are.” The girl was all of about fifteen and her beautiful brown eyes were set deep in a delicate face.

“
May I ask who you are then?” Van smiled at her and thought that she was about as innocent a child as she had ever seen. Her eyes were that of a child, but that was well surpassed by the body of a grown woman. It made for a dangerous combination.

“
I am Anna Puelo. I stay here in the castle, milady. I hoped to meet you yesterday, but I imagine you were tired.” Anna talked with the open abandon of a child—a sheltered child.

“
Aye, that I was. How is it that you came to be here in the castle? I assume you came with your brother. Gary Puelo is quite good with the daggers. He showed me his juggling trick.”

The young girl’s eyes grew wide and her words came rapidly. “He must really like you. He does not show many people that. I did come with him. He’s been here a long time. I was seven and Momma and Papa...” Her eyes welled up, but she sniffled back the tears before they could completely form.

Van’s brow furrowed and Amy laid a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder. “It is all right.”

The young girl smiled sadly at Amy’s soft voice. “They died,” she said quietly as a tear slid down her cheek.

Van fought a jolt of worry. She felt drawn to this child. Caring for people was a weakness, and she knew if anyone found out she had a weakness they would use it against her. She shuddered as a chill swept across her now sweat-dampened skin.

Anna’s voice continued louder and surer now, the grief pushed away at least for the time being. “Gary came here to be a warrior and I came to be with him.” Anna’s face brightened and the sadness faded to nothing as she was off onto another subject. “I heard you saved Joseph. Me and Joseph are friends.”

Van couldn’t help but smile in spite of herself as the girl’s chipmunk chatter continued uninterrupted.

“
I had come in to see him. Is that all right?” She looked unsure for only a moment, before Joseph came bounding around the corner in a freshly made shirt and pair of trousers.

“
Anna.”

His bright smile brought warmth to Van’s heart. She had hoped he would not retain any ill effects from the treatment he had been given. And from the look on his freshly washed face, it didn’t appear that he had. “Anna, you met the Dark Lady? She saved me.”

He threw his arms around Van’s legs and her heart stopped. All she could do was look down at Joseph in wonder. Her heart seemed to skip a beat and a pleased smile touched her lips.

Joseph pulled away after a moment and she looked down at him. He was a small boy, even for only being eight. He walked with a slight limp, but with his thick black hair and dark brown eyes, he made a handsome child.

“
I have been asked to stay by the castle and away from the men training for today—”

Amy shook her head with a smile. “For today, milady?”

“—
and as that is the case—” Van didn’t even look at her insolent little maid, but could feel the corners of her lips twitch as she fought a smile. “I am in need of a couple of guides to show me around. I want to see some interesting places. Lord Grayweist showed me all the ordinary places. I would like to see something special.”

Anna was the first one to speak. “I can show you. I have secret place.” She bit her bottom lip and looked pleadingly up at Van.

Van smiled and nodded her head in encouragement.

Anna took a deep breath and nodded in return. “You cannot tell anyone. I go there to be alone. Gary does not like me to spend much time around people, but I hate to just stay in my chambers all day.” She stared shyly at her feet. “You will not tell anyone will you?”

“
Certainly not. I would never betray a friend.” Van’s heart lurched. The concern was stronger now. She was risking a lot by allowing herself to care for these children, but looking down at their anxious and excited faces she could not bring herself to push them away. She took a deep breath and smiled. “If you trust me, you can take me to your special place.” Van grinned as Anna bounced up and down in excitement.

A half an hour later Van, Amy, Joseph, and Anna stood in a small, hidden glen. Wild flowers wove a carpet of vivid colors that was surrounded by a tall wall of hedges and bush. From the inside you could see nothing of the world and from the outside you could not see the small sanctuary unless you knew where to look. It was just large enough for the four of them.

They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes. Van turned to Anna. “Anna?” She kept her voice light.

Anna looked over to her with a smile. “Yes, my lady?”

“
Would you mind telling me about what happened to your parents?” Van cringed as the beaming smile disappeared from Anna’s face and her eyes clouded over. Curiosity about Anna and her brother Gary had pushed at the back of Van’s mind since she had met the young girl, but she forced a smile and patted her on the arm. “If you don’t want to tell me, you do not have to.”

Anne shook her head, looked at the hands on her lap, and was silent. Van thought that meant that she did not want to talk about it, but the girl began to speak in a soft, trembling voice. “Our village was raided eight years ago. I was seven. Gary was fourteen.”

Van turned her attention to the loudly chirping birds that flitted from branch to branch above them as she listened to Anna’s sad voice. “He saved me from the Knight of Fear.”

Van’s head spun back to her fast enough to pop her neck with a loud crack. “Eolian,” she hissed almost silently.

Anger slithered into her like worms through the dead and rotting corpses of all the men, women, and children Eolian, the Knight of Fear, had slaughtered. Her hands tightened into fists and Anna sucked in a deep breath. Joseph moved away and Van struggled to get control of her hatred.

“
My lady?” Amy’s trembling voice inquired.

“
Nothing,” Van tried to smile but could not manage anything more than a sneer. “Tell me the rest.”

This time there was no hesitation, but Anna continued with a look of fear on her face that stabbed deeply into Van’s heart and conscience. She enjoyed the look of fear, but not from someone she was beginning to care about.

“
Gary pulled me out of bed and dragged me into the woods.” Anna’s voice cracked. “We did not stop running until Peter found us and brought us here.”

Amy put her arm around the girl. “I understand. I have lost both of my parents as well.” She then told of her father dying the same way her mother had, of a lung infection. “I loved them both very much.”

Van turned to Joseph and asked if he wanted to talk about his parents, but all he said was the fire was too much to talk about.”

His eyes welled up and Van quickly changed the subject. They spoke of the woods, flowers and the animals around the castle.

Soon they fell into a companionable silence, listening to the chirping birds squabbling. The birds soon faded from Van’s conscious thought as she allowed her hatred and rage against Eolian to boil silently within her.

***

When Peter returned to the lists, Devon approached him. Stopping nervously before Peter, he stuttered that he needed to go back to the castle. “I have to see to Rebeka. I should have stayed, but with all the excitement...”

“
By all means, I would hope you get to her before Lady Vanessa does.” Peter watched him and three of the men, all men Richard had brought, leave to take charge of his former mistress. Unease itched at his thoughts. “Richard, I need to speak to you.” He gestured for Grant to join them. Peter steered them to a private spot out of earshot of the men. “Richard, I have noticed the men are still separated into groups. Yours and mine. I think it would be best to come up with some way of drawing them together.”

“
I do not think the two groups quite know what to do. My men, are not my men, my lord. They are the Dark Knight’s men.” Richard shrugged and looked apologetically at him, but Peter just waved it off. He understood.

Damn nuisance boy had always been a problem. Now he had just up and disappeared, leaving his men and heading off to God only knows where, Peter thought irritably, still in shock over his disappearance.

Richard nodded and continued. “Almost all of them have ridden with him for three years. He left us so quickly. It is a hard adjustment for us. They are loyal to him, but are still trying to find a way to be loyal to you without breaking that trust.” Richard’s gaze darted across the men and Peter thought he saw guilt on the man’s face.

“
I understand,” Peter said, and he did understand. He understood that Richard himself was still loyal to The Dark Knight. “I understand what they are going through, because you are having difficulties with it and you were once one of my men. I am expecting much from those who were never my men, but we need to come up with something to pull us all together.” He turned and walked back to the men.

***

Van followed behind her three companions on their way back from the woods. She grinned and picked up her pace as she saw Devon leading three men to Rebeka’s door. She smiled widely and told Amy to take Anna and Joseph into the castle.

“
Milady, what are you going to do? Let them take care of it.”

“
I will. I just want to watch her go.” Van could not understand the completely joyous feeling that warmed her at the mere thought of that woman being gone.

“
Promise me...promise me you will not hurt her.”

Van promised and grinned when she was alone. She could not hold in a small, enthusiastic laugh as Devon banged on the mistress’s door, but she did keep out of sight. She wanted to kick the door down herself, but figured it easier to keep her promise if she didn’t get any closer than necessary.

“
Go away.”

Van could hear her muffled voice from behind the heavy door.

Devon gave it another thunderous hit. “I cannot do that, Miss Constance. You must come out now.”

“
Go away.” Her voice was shrill now, scared.

Van’s grin widened.

“
I have orders to remove you in any way I see fit,” Devon growled.

Van beamed in pride. Her smile faltered momentarily as a wave of desolate emptiness crashed over her. She missed Devon and all her men.

She pushed away the self-pity as Devon spoke again. “I have an axe to remove the door, or it has been approved for me to burn this place to the ground, with you in it.”

That did it, the door opened. “I am not ready yet. You can just go now. Peter would never have agreed to this.”

Van leaned from her hiding place, but was unable to catch sight of the angry sounding woman.

“
I am here until I get my things together,” Rebeka continued. “I will let you know when I am ready for a carriage.”

The door began to slam shut, but Devon put out a large hand stopping it and pushing it fully open giving Van a view of Rebeka’s livid features.

“
Nay, Miss Constance. We have our orders. We are to assist you in getting what items belong to you. I would like to be done before the mid-day meal.”

Her face darkened to a deep red as she strained futilely to shut the door against him. “You cannot do this. Peter would not have told you to do this to me. I will speak to him.” She shrieked the words, but they seemed to lack conviction. “I will show you he did not order this,” she yelled directly in his face before slamming her full weight against the door. It shivered, but did not close.

“
You are right about one thing. Lord Grayweist did not order our assistance, but speak to him all you wish. You will just have to do it from Hillsford.”

Devon sounded exasperated and his neck was reddening. Van grinned. She knew he was losing patience.

“
Hillsford, that is so far away. I will not go there.” Rebeka was nearly screeching as she lost the battle for the door.

“
Look, my orders are coming from the Dark Lady.”

Van groaned and shook her head. She needed to put a stop to this Dark Lady name. It was too close to the Dark Knight to be comfortable.