Madelayne didn’t hesitate in her response. “Aye,” she said. “I need for you to send word to my husband and tell him that Nicholas de Dalyn is threatening me. Kaspian is in Shrewsbury but he must come back immediately.”
The smile faded from the sergeant’s face. “May I ask what de Dalyn has done?” he said. “Of course I will send word to Lord St. Hèver, but what has that knight done?”
That knight. It was clear from the way he said it that he didn’t have much love for de Dalyn, either. Madelayne was coming to feel a good deal better with the sergeant’s presence. At last, someone who could help her!
“He has been spewing lies,” she said. “He harasses me and will not leave me alone. I have this stick now because if he tries to harass me again, I will beat him.”
The sergeant saw the big stick in her hand. “No doubt he deserves it, my lady,” he muttered. “I will send word to your husband right away. May… may I ask what de Dalyn has said to you? Is there something I can do?”
Madelayne looked at the man; since he had been with Lavister’s army a long time, he had been under Cairn’s command. She was fairly certain he had been at the battle of Beeston, as well. Nicholas’ words came tumbling down on her and try as she might to resist them, they still upset her. St. Hèver killed Cairn because of you! Nicholas was the epitome of a lying bastard, a dishonorable rake as far as Madelayne was concerned. She was furious and hurt by his attempts to upset her. But there was something in his words that had planted a seed of curiosity, and perhaps confusion, in her mind. She wanted to know the truth.
“I am not sure if you can do anything,” she said. “But may I ask you a question?”
He nodded. “Of course, my lady.”
“Were you at Beeston?”
Again, he nodded. “I was indeed, my lady,” he said. Then, he appeared somewhat hesitant. “If it is not appropriate for me to speak on the subject, then I apologize, but I would like to say that I am very sorry for your loss of Sir Cairn. He was a good man. Sir Kaspian is also a good man and greatly respected. My best wishes for your marriage to him, my lady.”
Madelayne simply nodded. “Thank you,” she said, still eyeing the man. “It is about Kaspian, in fact. Did you… while you were at the battle at Beeston, did you hear… did anyone ever say… that Kaspian was responsible for Cairn’s death? I insist you tell me the truth, sergeant. I must know if you heard anything to that regard.”
The sergeant appeared rather uncomfortable. He scratched his head and averted his gaze, eventually shaking his head. “Nay, Lady St. Hèver,” he said. “I heard nothing of the sort and if you have been told that, it is not the truth. Sir Kaspian would have sacrificed himself if it would have saved Cairn. You must believe that.”
Madelayne felt a wave of relief wash over her, confirming what she already knew. Damn Nicholas and his lies! “I know,” she said. “But I was told… that is to say, I heard that Kaspian sent Cairn to his death.”
The sergeant continued to shake his head, the wagging more pronounced now. “Never, my lady,” he said firmly. “He would not do that, at least not knowingly.”
“That is good.”
“But….”
He suddenly stopped and she peered at him curious. “But what?” she said. “Go on, man. If you have heard something else, you must tell me. I must know.”
The sergeant was quite reluctant. “I do not want to fill your head with soldiers’ rumors.”
“Tell me!”
He grunted unhappily before continuing. “If you insist,” he said. “But Sir Kaspian will probably have my head for telling you such gossip.”
“I will not tell him that you told me. Please, sergeant. What more did you hear?”
He lifted his eyebrows with resignation, knowing he had no choice. Oddly enough, he was rather glad to be telling her. Perhaps if she knew, then something could be done about it.
Done about him.
“Sir Cairn was fighting the Welsh with several Lavister men by his side,” he said quietly. “You must understand… I heard this from men who saw Sir Cairn’s death. They have said that Sir Nicholas had the chance to save him and did not. As Sir Cairn begged for help, Sir Nicholas did nothing to fight off the Welsh that were attacking Sir Cairn. The men have said that Sir Nicholas stood by and did nothing while Sir Cairn was killed, and then he rode in and collected the man’s body, telling everyone he was too late to save him. That is what I have been told, my lady, by men I trust.”
Madelayne stared at him in horror. She could never have imagined that the man would tell her such a thing and the impact of the words was like a punch to the stomach. She could hardly breathe.
“My… God!” she gasped. “Is this true?”
The sergeant lowered his head in sorrow. “I believe that it is.”
“Do you really?”
He sighed heavily. “I do, my lady,” he said firmly. “There have always been rumors about de Dalyn and his ambitions, how he would sacrifice men in order to achieve his posts. Soldiers talk, my lady. We face a good deal of life and death together, and we talk. We see things and we hear things. I do not doubt that Sir Nicholas is capable of doing what my men said he did.”
Madelayne realized she had no doubt, either. With what happened to Mavia and with the behavior she had witnessed from the man, she was fully willing to believe the sergeant’s truth. She was seized with utter distress.
“But what of Sir Ewan?” she wanted to know. “Have you heard that de Dalyn had anything to do with his death as well?”
The sergeant cast her a long glance. “He was under Sir Nicholas’ command at the time,” he said. “Although I did not see his death, the men said that Sir Nicholas put Sir Ewan in an indefensible situation and the man took an arrow to the neck for it.”
It was all so horrifying to hear that Madelayne actually grabbed hold of the stall next to her, holding on to the wood frame to steady herself.
“Why have you not told Kaspian any of this?” she demanded. “He will want to know.”
The sergeant shook his head. “What good would it do, my lady?” he said. “Sir Nicholas would only deny it. The men who saw him refuse to save Cairn could take an oath of truth and swear they saw his actions, but they are only fighting men. They would not be believed over a knight with a reputation like Sir Nicholas’. It is said that de Dalyn is a favorite of Edward, in fact. Do you truly believe lowly fighting men would be believed?”
He was right. God help them all, he was right. Madelayne stared at the man, her horror turning into something deeper and darker, more indefinable in the sense that it was more than pure shock that she felt. It was far more than that. And then she suddenly remembered what the old crone had said earlier in the day as she stirred the dirt and blood and spit together.
Those who were betrayed.
Dear God, those words that made no sense at the time suddenly made a good deal of sense now that she’d heard the sergeant’s tales. Never for one moment did she doubt what the man was saying, for she knew that fighting men sometimes saw more, and knew more, than the rest of them did. They saw the worst of life at times and, in this case, they had seen the betrayal of good knights by one they were supposed to be allied with. But it was clear that the only side Nicholas was on was his own. Whatever his goals, whatever his aspirations, he was killing men to get it. First Cairn, then Ewan. He’d already tried to get to Thomas through Mavia. Madelayne was coming to think that Kaspian would be next on Nicholas’ list and that thought scared her to death.
She couldn’t bury another husband and especially not the man she loved with all her heart.
“My God,” she breathed, sagging against the wall of the stall. “You are correct; you are absolutely correct that fighting men would not be believed over an honorable knight but in this case, I believe what you tell me because I have seen what Nicholas is capable of. He came to Lavister and has nearly destroyed our little world with his evil. But for what? Why would he do such a thing?”
; The sergeant could see how shaken she was. “Who is to say, my lady?” he said. “It is possible he wants command of Lavister and control of her wealth. That would be my guess.”
Madelayne looked at him, greatly distressed. “But killing knights to do it?” she said. “Why would he kill Cairn and Ewan? And if he has killed them, surely he will not stop. Kaspian and Thomas will be next.”
The sergeant nodded his head faintly. “I would surmise that as well, my lady.”
Madelayne pondered the situation for a few moments longer before realizing she had to do something about it. She couldn’t stand by idly while Nicholas killed everyone she loved or was fond of. Cairn and Ewan were already gone. So was Mavia. But, God help her, that was where it would end. If, for no other reason, the old crone had been right – the dead needed to be avenged. Cairn and Ewan and Mavia needed to be avenged.
Especially Cairn. As he was her former husband, it was her duty to seek justice. For a man who had protected her and tried so hard to make her love him, perhaps after death, she would show him just how much she had appreciated him. Nay, she didn’t love him and never would, but he had meant a great deal to her. Through him, she had met the love of her life in the form of Kaspian.
As odd as it seemed in that sense, there was a great deal to be thankful to Cairn for and she would not let Nicholas de Dalyn’s treachery go unanswered. For Cairn, she would do this. It was her duty as much as her right. But she had another stake in it as well; as much as the dead needed to be avenged, the living needed to be protected.
Kaspian.
Rage filled her, the likes of which she had never experienced before. She was so angry that she could hardly breathe. She turned to the sergeant, who was watching her somewhat anxiously.
“What is your name?” she asked him.
“Bouse, my lady,” he said. “I am known as Bouse.”
Madelayne reached out and grasped his arm, squeezing it in a gesture of gratitude. “You have my thanks, Bouse,” she said. “Go now and send the missive to Kaspian. And tell no one what you told me; when Kaspian returns, you will tell him personally, do you hear?”
Bouse nodded faintly. “Aye, my lady.”
“Good.”
She started to move out of the stable but he followed her. “Allow me to escort you to the keep, my lady,” he said. “If Sir Nicholas is about, you will need protection.”
Madelayne looked the man in the eye as she lifted the stick in her hand. Strangely, she felt no more fear of Nicholas, not in the least. She had been fearful of the man when she had entered the stable but upon exiting the stable, there was no fear at all. In fact, she very much hoped she ran into him.
A killer of men.
“It is he who will need protection from me,” she said quietly.
Bouse didn’t doubt her for a moment. But the moment she went into the keep, he went in search of Thomas. Something told him that Lady St. Hèver might need help.
Or saving.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
He would be back to Kirk in an hour.
Thundering up the road from Shrewsbury, Kaspian and about twenty men were riding at breakneck speed back to Kirk Castle to solicit assistance from Lord de Kirk. Shrewsbury’s garrison was already preparing to march on Lavister and Kaspian had left the small Lavister force he’d taken to Shrewsbury, including Reece, to assimilate with the Shrewsbury troops, but the garrison commander of Shrewsbury was convinced they also needed Kirk’s help. The larger the force, the easier it would go for them in regaining Lavister, so Kaspian was headed back to Kirk to ask Owain for his assistance.
Owain had, indeed, offered manpower at one point and Kaspian had tentatively accepted, but he was more concerned with soliciting Edward’s troops at Shrewsbury because he hadn’t wanted to take de Kirk’s men away from Kirk Castle with Dafydd so close. He’d already put de Kirk out enough. However, the truth was that it was better if they all banded together to drive Dafydd away. A united front, and more men, would do that.
So, with Lavister men integrating with Shrewsbury men, Kaspian was on his way back to ask Lord de Kirk for a couple hundred more men. Then, they would all converge on Lavister in two days to drive out the Welsh. At least, that was the plan. Kaspian wasn’t looking forward to battle so soon again, and especially in light of his injury which wasn’t fully healed, but he had little choice. He wanted his fortress back.
But he had another reason for returning to Kirk Castle – he wanted to see Madelayne before he went to battle again. He had told her that he would probably go straight to Lavister from Shrewsbury and he could have very well sent a messenger back to Kirk to request men from Lord de Kirk, but the reality was that he wanted to see his wife one last time. He couldn’t stand to be away from her, not even for an hour, so he pushed his men and the horses hard, hoping to make it back to Kirk Castle before sunset. The more time spent at Kirk, the more time spent with Madelayne. From the consummate knight who, for most of his life, had breathed and slept and ate war, the introduction of a wife he was mad about was something he was wholly unaccustomed to.
But it was something that consumed his entire being… and he didn’t care in the least.
Still, there was more to his desire to see her than simple emotion. There was concern as well. Even though he knew de Dalyn was very ill and unable to move about, there was still an inherent distrust of the man. He knew, if Nicholas was able, that he’d drag himself out of his deathbed if it meant he could get close to Madelayne without Kaspian hanging about. Kaspian didn’t want to admit that very reason was predominantly why he was racing to Kirk at breakneck speed.
The truth was that he didn’t trust Nicholas in the least.
So the party raced down the road, avoiding the ruts from the recent rains and, on more than one occasion, found themselves up on the grassy shoulders of the road, running along the grass rather than the uneven road. Kaspian was still experiencing pain and fatigue as the result of his wound but he ignored it, pushing through it, because he felt such a sense of urgency to return to Kirk. Even if someone had asked him why he was so determined to return, he couldn’t have really explained it. All he knew was that the sense of urgency was clawing at him and he had to make it back to Kirk quickly, to see Madelayne and to make sure she was well. More than that, he was seriously considering asking Lord de Kirk to lock Nicholas up in the vault for the duration of his absence from Kirk. He knew he would only relax if the man was imprisoned.
In fact, it became the only option as far as he was concerned. He would seek out Lord de Kirk and ask him to put a guard on Nicholas’ room. But that thought vanished when he finally entered the bailey of Kirk to face a scene he never thought he would ever see. It was something so confusing, and startling, that once he envisioned it, all else seemed to fade from his mind. All he could think of was fury, fear, and death as he had never embraced it in his life.
Nicholas, Thomas, and Madelayne were grouped near one another and it was clear that something terrible had happened. He saw weapons and blood. Then he heard his wife’s voice; she was crying his name. Bailing from his steed, his broadsword was out before his feet even hit the ground.
Kaspian St. Hèver, in all of his deadly forms, was released.
The reckoning, for all of them, had finally come.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
After leaving the sergeant near the stables, Madelayne had returned to the chamber she shared with Kaspian. The calm she felt was quite eerie, really, a peace that had settled upon her with regard to Nicholas that it was difficult to describe. She was no longer afraid of the man, nor did she have an aversion to him as she had before. All she knew was that she was at peace with what needed to be done and she was quite convinced she was the only one who could do it.
Nicholas had caused so much death and destruction to the people of Lavister, her family and friends, that there was no one left who could avenge them – Kaspian and Reece were away and Thomas had crawled in to a bottle to fester. She didn’t even know where the ma
n was; no one seemed to know. Moreover, she was afraid that if Thomas knew what the sergeant had told her, he’d run right to Nicholas to try and kill the man and end up getting himself killed instead. He wasn’t in any shape to kill a knight.
But she was.
It was very odd that she would think so because she had never killed anyone before. She’d never even thought on such a thing. In fact, she didn’t even like to kill chickens or rabbits for the cook. She just wasn’t the killing type. But this was different; Nicholas was going to kill them all, she was sure, and she was the only one who knew of his wicked intentions. She looked at the situation as more than vengeance for Cairn and Ewan and Mavia – she looked at it as self-preservation for those left behind. She looked at it as saving Kaspian’s life. It was something she was determined to do, more than she had ever been determined about anything in her life.
It was time for Nicholas to pay.
Something changed in Madelayne that day. Gone was the woman who was rather naïve and stubborn. In her place came a woman determined to fight for her friends and family, to fight for what she believed in. If it meant taking a man’s life, then she was willing to do it to save others. The woman who had suffered such loss in her life, the queen of the lost stars that hung high in the heavens watching over her, was about to reclaim some of that sorrow and tuck it away where it could never harm her again. She was going to take back control of her life, to a certain extent, by seeking vengeance against someone who had inadvertently tried to destroy her. There was no more line between those Nicholas had harmed and those he hadn’t. Now, they were all one group.
Madelayne was about to fight for that group.
But there were obstacles to that plan. She knew that Nicholas simply wouldn’t lie down and let her do as she pleased to him so her only chance against him was surprise. He was much bigger than she was, and much stronger, and she was sure that he believed he was much more intelligent, too. But that was not to be the case – she was going to outsmart him. Since she couldn’t overpower him, her only chance was the element of surprise and being just a little bit smarter than he was because she was certain if she didn’t seriously disable him with her first strike, she might not get a second chance.