The Dark One: Dark Knight (121 page)

     The night was bright under the half-moon as
the army made its way to Mt. Holyoak. Spies had been sent out an hour back and
Gaston eagerly await their report, although he suspected Mt. Holyoak was
holding quite nicely against Botmore and Stoneley. Truthfully, he wasn't
worried; Mt. Holyoak was so well designed that he doubted God himself could lay
a successful siege. Gaston was an expert on siege patterns and knew that even
for him, a struggle to breach the fortress would be frustrating.

     He wasn't worried about the approaching
battle. In fact, he looked forward to it. Once and for all, he would destroy
Guy and crush Botmore and Yorkshire would return to a peaceful shire. He might
even consider residing in Mt. Holyoak again, considering how much he and
Remington loved the place. Deverill, as the seat of his dukedom, was still not
home to him. And neither was Clearwell. Only at Mt. Holyoak did he truly feel
he belonged.

     They were an hour away from Mt. Holyoak and
the sun was beginning to rise. Gaston caught sight of the spies cresting the
road in the distance, confident in their report that Mt. Holyoak was still as
solid as the gates of heaven. Which was why he was shocked to the core to hear
a very different tale.

     Mt. Holyoak was breached and her bridge was
down. Systematic execution of Gaston's elite guard had taken place and headless
bodies littered the grounds.

     Mt. Holyoak, Dane and Trenton, were in the
hands of a madman.

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

     There was no easy way to go about the
attack. The only possible answer was a full frontal assault, hoping to catch
Botmore and Stoneley off guard before they raised the bridge. Not expecting
assistance so soon, Gaston was sure they would not be prepared for an
onslaught. In this case, he was pleased to be correct.

     Ingilsby's army pounded up the road to Mt.
Holyoak with grim determination, the earth quaking under their feet. Botmore's
army was in the process of burning the bodies of Gaston's soldiers in great
pyres when the army came upon them. Startled, they began to scramble for the
road that led to the keep, but by that time it was already too late and
Ingilsby's army engaged them where they stood. Inside the keep, the alarm was
sounded and chaos broke loose.

     Gaston and Taran charged the bridge, followed
closely by Hubert, Adam, and Alex.

     “Jam the wench.” Gaston hollered above the
roar of the ensuing battle. “Jam it so they cannot raise the bridge.”

     Alex promptly wedged his sword into the
wheel, jamming it solid when the soldiers on the wall tried to activate the
pulley. Adam, on the other side, dismounted his horse and grabbed a fallen
spear. Shoving it through the chain, it broke off and rendered removal
completely impossible.

     With the bridge properly waylaid, Gaston
roared into the outer bailey with a vengeance.
His
outer bailey.

***

     Guy was inside the castle when the alarm
sounded. Startled, he barely had time to make it to the nearest window when he
saw his men scrambling to ward off invaders. There was a good deal of shouting
and panic and then, suddenly, there were enemy knights pouring into the outer
bailey.
His
outer bailey.

     Rushing into the hall, he was met by Keith.

     “What's happened?” he demanded.

     “De Russe.” Keith gasped. “He's come.”

     Guy looked awestruck. “But….Christ! How
could he have come so soon? My God, we secured the castle not three hours ago.
How could he have come?”

     Keith shook his head. “Who knows, Guy? All
that matters is that he is here with Ingilsby's army. They carry more men, and
they're fresh.”

     Guy growled in frustration and pushed past
Keith. “’Tis of no matter!” he snarled. “Where are the boys?”

     The flush in Keith's cheeks drained. “In
the tower room. Why? What are you planning?”

     Guy paused recklessly at the top of the
stairs. “De Russe's defeat, what do you think?”

     Keith followed him warily to Charles' tower
room, which had become a prison for the three young men. When Guy threw open
the door, three sets of wide eyes greeted him.

     He smiled thinly at his son. “I am
returned. It would seem we have a problem.”

     Dane and Trenton were stone-faced, but
Charles was quaking.

     “What problem?” Charles asked.

     Guy's eyes riveted to his young cousin.
“Shut up, woman. I wasn't speaking to you.”

     Charles flushed, looking at the ground, but
Dane remained calm. “What problem, my lord?”

     Guy stepped into the room, followed by
Botmore. His steps were leisurely, amazing for a man who was under attack. “It
would seem de Russe is here. Will you tell me, then, if your companion is his
son? I heard rumor he had a son, and this lad looks conspicuously like the
duke. I want an answer, Dane.”

     Dane clamped his mouth shut. Already they
were in trouble. Their first mistake had been coming to Mt. Holyoak in the
first place. Secondly, when the siege started and Sir Roald told them to retreat
to the tower, they did the opposite and plunged into the battle, helping the
soldiers in their warfare. They stood atop the parapet when the enemy army shot
flame arrows into the drawbridge and partially burned it, and they furthermore
watched in horror as ladders were laid out across the moat and men began to
cross. When the bridge was burned enough for men to pass through, they went
down into the outer bailey to help in the fight.

     The break in the bridge was manageable.
But, suddenly from inside Mt. Holyoak, enemy soldiers began pouring out of the
castle and they were trapped. Dane suspected that the soldiers came in through
the blocked-off kitchen gate and he was ashamed he had not thought of the
possibility sooner. But by that time, it was too late. There were rival
soldiers everywhere, and he and Charles and Trenton found themselves in the
heat of the fight.

     It occurred to Dane that very few people
knew of the kitchen gate. Horror rose in his throat as he realized his father
must have spearheaded this attack to gain Mt. Holyoak back, and at nearly the
same moment he realized his fear, his father strolled from the interior of the
castle as if he were God himself.

     Charles, Dane and Trenton were all that
remained of Gaston's elite force. Dane had watched in horror as Roald lost his
head. After that, they were sequestered in the tower.

     Until now.

     Dane stared back at his father, into the
hated eyes. “I am not going to tell you anything.”

     Guy did not react for a moment. Then, he
charged at Charles and grabbed the young man around the neck. Charles shrieked
and Dane and Trenton yelled loudly as Guy carried Charles toward the narrow
window. They watched in horror as Guy thrust his cousin into the windowsill and
half-hung him from the opening, a gaping five-story drop below.

     “Tell me or he dies!” Guy yelled.

     Dane hurled himself at his father, pounding
him with his fists and Guy kicked his son away brutally. Dane slammed to the
floor, dazed, but scrambled to his feet for another try. Over his shoulder he could
hear Trenton yelling at him to stop.

     “Yes, yes, yes.” Trenton was shouting.
“Yes.”

     Dane charged his father again, but Guy
reached out this time and grabbed him by the tunic. Holding his terrified
cousin in one hand and his struggling son in the other, he focused on Trenton.

     “What did you say?” he asked, almost
calmly.

     Trenton’s handsome face was dark. “I
said…yes. I am his son.”

     Guy let both young men go just as they
were. Charles would have tumbled to his death had Dane not rushed to grab him.
Guy crossed the floor to Trenton, eyeing him intently.

     “I knew as much. What is your name?”

     “Trenton,” the youth replied with a steady
voice.

     “Trenton de Russe,” Guy repeated, flashing
Botmore a confident look. “You see, Keith? The battle is won already.”

     “What do you plan to do with the lad?”
Botmore asked warily. “He's just a boy, Guy. Surely you are not thinking
to....”

     “Of course not; not yet, anyway,” Guy
crooked his finger at Trenton, indicating for him to stand. When the boy was on
his feet, Guy silently motioned for Dane to take position next to Trenton.

     With the boys side by side, Guy grabbed a
length of leather and lashed their hands together, Trenton's right to Dane's
left. Dane and Trenton passed glances at one another, wondering what was in store
for them, yet neither one was truly frightened.  Dane was too busy hating his
father to be frightened, and Trenton was simply angry. Over near the window,
Charles was exhibiting enough fear for all three of them.

     “Come with me,” he motioned the two young
men, exiting the room with Botmore bringing up the rear.

     Charles continued to hover by the window,
his heart still in his throat from his fright. It was all he could do to stand,
much less follow. Guy had not even bothered to close the tower door, knowing
Charles was no threat.

     Charles swallowed hard, regaining his wits
about him and trying to steady his shaking. He truly had no idea what Guy was
planning for Dane and Trenton, but he was terrified that whatever it was, the
boys were in mortal danger. Far below in the double baileys he could hear
shouting and sounds of combat engagement and he peered from the window to
observe the clash.

     He would have liked to help. Roald had been
kind to him in recent months, training him with various weapons and schooling
him on the knightly arts. The thought of his mentor killed before his eyes were
almost more than he could bear, but with it brought an unfamiliar anger. An
anger so deep that he realized it could only be the fire of revenge.

     Dane and Trenton needed his help. Roald was
dead. 'Twas time to stop cowering or he was truly the woman Guy accused him of
being.

     Squaring his narrow shoulders, Charles
moved to his work area that housed all of his potions and experiments.

     No threat indeed.

***

     Guy took Dane and Trenton down into the
foyer area, but he paused at the base of the stairs and turned to Keith.

     “Do you know de Russe on sight?” he asked.

     Keith shook his head. “I have never seen
the man. I'm told he’s a big bastard.”

     Guy glanced around him as if looking for
something. Keith watched him curiously for a moment, but Guy focused on him and
smiled. “He's in the outer bailey, I suspect. You will send him to me.”

     Keith's eyes widened. “He shall kill me if
I approach him.”

     “Then send one of your men if you are a
coward. If you mention his son's name, then I am sure he will do nothing rash.”

     Keith cleared his throat, glancing at the
boys before doing as he was asked. Guy waited until he was gone before turning
his attention to the young men in his control.

     His smile was most sinister.

     The battle in both baileys was raging.
Keith exited the castle and promptly took to the inner way, scanning the
boiling mass of men for the largest man he had ever seen. 'Twas not difficult
to spot the duke of Warminster, cutting down men with a broadsword as tall as
the young boys held captive inside. It was the biggest sword Keith had ever
seen and he was struck with fear as he watched the man fight.

     This was the man he had wreaked havoc on
ever since Derek's death, the man who had not retaliated. Keith had felt
powerful running amuck over the Dark One until now. It was plain that the duke
could have easily crushed him had he so desired. As it was, he still could
crush him and Keith decided to stay where he was and not venture into the
melee. From the looks of it, the Dark One was cutting down soldiers like blades
of tall grass and Botmore had no desire to be mowed.

     So he began to yell. Hollering de Russe's
name, screaming at the top of his lungs. The closer the duke came, the more
Botmore maneuvered himself closer until he was standing directly over Gaston as
he fought his way into the inner bailey. He continued to yell his name, finally
resorting to yelling Trenton's name. Within the second shout of his son's name,
Gaston came to a halt and turned his head upward.

     Keith felt a bolt of fear shoot through him
as Gaston de Russe focused on him. Although he couldn’t see his face, he knew
his expression to be most intimidating.

     “Guy wishes to see you.” Keith yelled down.
“Dismount your horse and release your weapons.”

     “Where is he?” Gaston bellowed.

     “Inside,” Keith responded. “Do as you are
told. He holds your son captive.”