Wildewood Revenge (26 page)

“Where did he go?” he snarled at Simon, who had dropped to the ground for cover.

“I know not, my lord. One moment he was there, the next he was gone. There is witchcraft afoot.” He cast a wary eye about the clearing.

“Forget witches, you sorry son of a pox ridden whore. Find the bastard or it will be you who will burn.” He spun around, dragging Grace with him as he scoured the trees for a trace of movement.

“I’ll slit her throat right here if you don’t show yourself,” Guy spat into the surrounding woods. “Or maybe I’ll have her first. Would you prefer me to do that, Miles?” Grace struggled vainly against him. “Would you like to witness how loudly she whimpers when I take my pleasure...?” He increased the pressure of the blade and her pale skin pricked with the crimson of fresh blood.

Simon fell a moment later with an arrow in his chest and a dull thud as he hit the ground. Neither he nor Percy remained of any further use to Guy. Miles stepped out from behind a tree and held the bow out to his side.

“Let her go, Guy, she is not part of our fight.” He called on his
reserves of self-
control and hung tightly to the bitterness which swirled in his head and pulsed through his veins. He could not bear to see the man near her, let alone with his hands upon her. His eyes locked on the trickle of blood at her throat.

“Ah, but that is where you’re wrong, Miles. She is at the very centre. Gerard reckons you are all in league with each other.
You, Hugh and the king.
She is the glue which holds you together, the power keeping you
alive and invincible. He intends to cut off your power source. He plans to burn her as a witch. He awaits the bishop as we speak.”

“That will never happen, Guy, and you know it. Let her go and I’ll give you your fight if that’s what you want.
Fair and square.
Just you and me.
Not a sword in the belly in the middle of the night but one on one, hand to hand combat here and now.” He glanced at Grace and held himself in check. “Whoever wins takes the girl.”

“Do you think I’m a fool? As soon as I release her, you’ll put an arrow through my heart.”

“No, I won’t,” said Miles. “You have my word, as a knight.” He placed the bow on the ground before him, and Grace stared at him, open mouthed.

Miles knew Guy thought him the fool for giving up his advantage, as if he didn’t realise the knife currently pressed against Grace’s tender flesh could just as easily be flung at his own chest after slitting her throat. He was, however, wagering that Guy would be unable to resist the lure of a fight which he was sure he would win.

“It seems your lover is keen to be rid of you my dear.” Guy pushed Grace to the ground and turned a cold glare on Miles. “I will happily take her off your hands when you lie beaten and bloody on the ground. The last thing you will see in this life will be me thrusting between her thighs.”

“Grace, wait by the horses,” called Miles with a reassuring nod. He clenched his fists as he shot Guy a murderous look. He had an urge to cut out the man’s tongue. “We will be leaving soon.”

“Oh, the confidence of the man,” laughed Guy as they circled each other. Miles did not share his laughter. A cold calculating look transformed his face as he sized up his opponent and unsheathed his
sword.

Miles bided his time while Grace moved the filly alongside his own horse, standing beneath the trees away from the ensuing fight. He watched her edge carefully past Guy’s fallen men. When he judged her to be safe he turned his attention back to his opponent and began.

Each held their sword in a two handed grip. Guy advanced first and swung for Miles. The weight of the parried sword caused Miles to steady his stance following the blow.

“You see, Miles, you are getting too old for this,” taunted Guy. “Give up now and I shall kill you swiftly and save you the sight of me taking your whore.”

Miles brought his sword down and then, Guy too, was required to defend himself from the weight of the blow. The inertia knocked the breath from him, momentarily silencing his taunts.

“With age comes experience, Guy.
Experience and intelligence.
You have neither.”

Guy sneered.

“Intelligence?
You had the chance to kill me with your bow and declined. Where is the sense in that?”

Miles shook his head derisively. “You have neither brains nor the stamina for the game, Guy, admit it.”  Miles was the stronger. He assumed he would soon have Guy beaten, but the swordplay went on at length without either man seeming to take the advantage. Guy was the more agile and, despite his bravado, Miles began to favour one side, protecting his belly from a further blow, conscious of a weakness and unwilling to allow Guy to monopolise on it. Yet, Miles’ own skill with the sword was second to none and Guy spent a great deal of his time and energy avoiding the weight of the blade. On balance it was an even
match and Miles wondered how long they could realistically keep it up. He needed to change his tactics.

Miles caught Guy off guard and ripped Guy’s sword from his hand, sending it crashing to the ground. He paused and both men took ragged, desperate breaths. A sudden stillness encompassed the clearing. The horses stilled and Grace closed her eyes, the fight had reached a conclusion.

“Come, Guy,” taunted Miles as he dropped his own sword and gestured with his open palms. “I said it would be a fair fight. Not scared to get up close are you?”

Guy spat venomously on the ground before Miles. “Scared of a bastard like you? I think not, Miles.” He charged at him. Miles sidestepped him easily and landed a crushing kidney punch that left Guy gasping. Guy caught his breath, hands on his knees while Miles waited. When he swung round and launched his return attack, Miles was ready and sent him sprawling.

“You’ll have to do better than that,” said Miles and then regretted his jibe when Guy rose up catching him on the side of the jaw with a gloved fist. He felt his teeth rattle. He caught hold of Guy by the shoulders and head butted him. Guy’s nose burst in a spray of blood as did Miles’ brow; the blow merely served to inflame Guy further. He flew into an undisciplined manic rage landing punch after punch, until one lucky blow caught Miles in the belly and he dropped to his knees, clutching his abdomen.

Guy whooped with delight. He aimed a kick which caught Miles cruelly under his chin and sent his head flicking back. Miles lay for a moment, stunned. Pain and rage swirled madly together. His vision blurred but his focus remained intact. He shook his head, swung his
gaze as he sought to clear his vision and caught a glimpse of Grace’s terrified face.

“Is that good enough for you?” taunted Guy and he landed another booted foot in the small of Miles’ back. Miles rolled over with a groan. He needed to finish this quickly.

Guy continued to circle him, landing a kick at his shoulder, another on the side of his head. Grace stepped forward, away from the safety of the tethered horses, as he delivered a further brutal kick. Miles groaned, aware, despite his condition, that Grace was vulnerable and Guy, so easily distracted. He expected her to do something foolish, he willed her to desist. He had everything in hand.

Miles watched in dismay as she ran to where his sword lay in the dirt and grasped it with both hands. She tried to lift the weapon but struggled to manage the weight. All she could do was drag it along the ground. He opened his mouth to deliver a warning and received a further kick to his belly which knocked the words and what was left of his breath right out of his mouth. He focused on her again as she lifted the sword and attempted to swing it at Guy. Guy ducked out of her way and as the effort of the swing spun her round, he put his foot on her derriere and sent her sprawling.

“Got your little lady fighting your battles for you now, Miles, what is the world coming to?” Guy aimed another kick at Miles prone body.

All the while, Miles waited and he took the blows. Then, when it appeared by his stillness that he had lost consciousness, Guy made to kick him again and Miles caught hold of his booted foot with both hands, one at the heel and the other at the toe, and with a quick twist of his wrists and a considerable amount of strength, he snapped Guy’s ankle with a satisfying crunch. Guy’s scream of pain resonated
throughout the forest. Grace stifled a sob and ran to Miles.

Struggling to rise, he waved Grace away as she tried to help him. His face was slick with blood. One eye was swollen shut and he spat blood onto the ground. With difficulty he stooped, picked up his sword and bow, and straightened himself before walking slowly to where Guy writhed on the ground. He held the point of the sword at Guy’s throat and allowed its own weight to indent into the soft flesh.

“Take a message to Gerard,” he growled.

Guy opened his eyes and captured Miles with a malevolent glare.

“Tell him that Miles of
Wildewood
is back - and I will have justice.”

Despite much verbal abuse, Miles ensured all three men were secured in their saddles before he applied a whip to the horse’s rumps and sent them back to
Ahlborett
. Finally he turned to look at Grace.

She had placed herself in danger to try and protect him but it could have gone terribly wrong. He drew an arm around her shoulder and tucked her into his side.

“We must get back, it will soon be dark.” He was weary, his body racked with pain.

“We can’t go back,” cried Grace, “Not yet, the boys are missing. I came to look for them, I called for them, I looked everywhere,
I
couldn’t find them. They could be out here, lost.”

Miles attempted a tired smile. Edmund was correct. She had not been leaving him. “The boys never left
Wildewood
.”

“But Belle...”

“Belle deceived you.”

“Why? Why would she do that,” she faltered. “I could have been killed...You could have been killed.”

He shrugged painfully. “Who knows what goes on in her head, I certainly don’t. Her grandmother will no doubt get to the bottom of it.” He glanced at the darkening sky. “We must leave now; I will not relax until you are safe within the walls of
Wildewood
.” The wound dissecting his eyebrow reopened and he wiped the blood from his eye with the back of his hand.

“Sit down a moment,” said Grace. “I have something that may help to stop the bleeding.” She pushed Miles gently onto a log and he sat wearily as she rifled in her pockets. “Do you have a sharp knife?” she asked as she pulled out the roll of electricians’ tape.

“I have your knife, freshly sharpened.”

“Shame I didn’t have it with me earlier.”

Miles shook his head slowly as he pulled the knife from his belt. “I take back what I said earlier, I don’t want you killing anyone. I don’t want you near any of them again.”

Grace took the knife from him and he realised that despite her bravado her hands were still shaking. He took hold of them gently. “You’re safe now, Grace. You did well, but they’ve gone now, they cannot hurt you.” He smiled as he recalled her attempt with the sword, it was almost as heavy as she, and yet she had tried, risking her own life for him.

“If you hadn’t come along when you did then, Guy would have....” she bit her lip to stop its involuntary quiver.

Without a doubt she looked more scared now than he had ever seen her. Even her reaction to his appalling behaviour the previous night as he forced her up against the chamber door, was nothing compared with what he saw in her face now. The idea that anyone would want to do her harm ignited flames within him that seared his soul. But the realisation
this had become personal and was gathering momentum, lit far darker flames of revenge and deadly retribution. He wondered at his own self-control.

She took a calming breath and used the knife to cut thin strips from the plastic tape. She wiped the worst of the blood away with the corner of her sleeve and when the edges of the gash were visible she used the sticky tape to pull them together. She did the same with the wound on the side of his head.

“I’m afraid you may have a few more scars to add to your collection.”

“That’s useful stuff.” Miles observed wearily, distracted equally by her soft touch and the thought of other scars, those he would inflict on his enemies. “What is it?”

“Just sticky tape, nothing special.”

“Another one of your secrets?”

Grace smiled, “Perhaps.”

“You have others?”

“One or two.”

Miles dragged himself up and took Grace’s small hand in his. He pulled her to him and simply held her, gaining immeasurable strength, from the feel of her in his arms. He dipped his head and sighed regretfully when he noticed the thin mark of Guy’s blade on her skin. He pressed a gentle kiss before pulling away.

“Do you plan to share them with me?”

“You wouldn’t believe me anyway.”

“Try me.”

“I’m a time traveller from the future...”

Miles looked at her blankly. His head hurt and he could make no sense from her words. He opened his mouth to respond to her nonsense
and for once was too weary for her games.