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The abrupt rustling of bushes and tree limbs from farther up the path signaled the approach of riders.
Lyonesse peered through the branches and smiled. Their wait was almost at an end.
Rhys tugged lightly at the reins. The stallion suddenly became skittish. Steps that had been sure and steady a moment ago, now faltered. The horse weaved back and forth across the road, snorting and tossing his head.
“Easy, boy.” He patted the thick, black neck in an attempt to calm the animal. The usually placid beast rolled his eyes to look up at the rider. Rhys agreed with the wild glance. He felt it, too—something was wrong. The hair on the back of his neck tingled with anticipation. A flash of cold passed down his spine.
He raised his hand, bringing the five men following him to a halt.
Rhys slowly continued ahead. He stared into the woods, but could see nothing that should upset the horse, or himself, in this manner. Yet the forest was too silent. He reached down and touched the wooden scabbard encasing his sword.
A shrill whistle split the air. Rhys gripped his knees tighter into the rearing horse’s ribs. He grasped the hilt of his sword with one hand and yanked at the reins with his other.
His men charged forward. In the same instant another force dropped from the trees and sprang from behind bushes, effectively cutting Rhys off from his men.
Before he could pull his sword free, a thick fisherman’s net dropped over him and his horse. He clawed and tore at the confining snare, cursing his inability to free himself.
“Nay. Hold.” In the din of swords crossing and men cursing, his shout went unheeded.
Gloved hands reached out and jerked at his steed’s bridle. When the animal was brought to an unwilling stop, Rhys felt the sharp tip of metal press into his side.
Unable to swing his sword, he kicked out and knocked the threatening blade away. Three more blades quickly replaced the one. After forcing his fingers to relax, he dropped his own sword and shouted for his men to hold their weapons.
They immediately followed his order and offered no resistance as the enemy escorted them back down the road.
One of the men holding a sword to Rhys’s side asked, “Are you prepared to die, Faucon?”
Rhys gritted his teeth against the sharp pain of a blade twisting through the links of his chain mail and into his flesh.
A small figure dropped from a tree limb. “Nay! Hold your sword, Sir John. I want him taken alive. For now.”
Rhys sucked in a quick breath when his assailant pushed and twisted the blade a little more before pulling the tip free. The jagged cut would not heal as quickly as a clean slice. He had an insane urge to bellow in rage when his blood ran hot down his side. He would rather die from a well-aimed blade than from an infection.
Aiming his attention down at the newcomer, Rhys sought to ignore the fire burning from his wound. Surely this wasn’t their leader? Huge, green eyes stared out of a small, pale face. This was nothing more than a child.
Rhys lifted one eyebrow. A child playing knight in his grandsire’s old, hardened-leather armor. How long was the lad going to just stand there and say nothing? Rhys had not the leisure to partake in any childish pranks.
A leather glove too large for the hand it covered quickly swiped through the air. Rhys growled as the men around his horse reached up and pulled him from the animal.
The confining net prevented him from landing on his feet. He gasped at the pain jolting through his side, yet Rhys rolled to his knees the instant he hit the ground.
He swung his tightly balled hand at the closest face. The pleasure he felt as his fist made contact with flesh was short-lived. He immediately quit struggling when the cold bite of a sword slipped easily between the links of his hauberk and coif to press briefly against his neck.
While three men kept their swords trained on his chest, two others tore away the net. Thoughts of escape flooded his mind, but the idea vanished as the man called John leveled the side of his blade against Rhys’s neck. No one moved. Instead, they looked to the boy for guidance.
Rhys glared at the lad. His heart lurched to his throat at what he perceived.
Unblemished, pale flesh was broken by full, rose-hued lips. A courtesan would kill for lashes as long as the red-tinged ones framing the overlarge eyes. It would take more than ill-fitting armor to hide the female beneath men’s clothing.
Certain the shimmering glare would lacerate him as surely as any uncut emerald, Rhys returned the glowering stare and asked, “What do you want from me?”
“I want nothing from you, Faucon.” She laughed at him. “Nothing, except your worthless soul.”
He already knew the answer, still he asked, “Why? Why do you seek my soul?”
“Why?” She ripped off one of her metal-studded leather gloves and slapped his face.
A trickle of blood ran down his cheek. “If I am to die, I would at the very least like to know the reason.”
She lifted her glove, as if to strike him again and paused. With one hand raised in the air and one red-tinged eyebrow higher than the other, she stared at him for a moment. “No.” She shook her head and lowered her hand. “No. You do not play with a simple girl, Faucon. You will not force me to forget my motives in a fit of rage.”
“Then answer my question.”
Calmly slipping the overlarge glove back onto her hand, she said nothing.
It mattered not. Rhys did not need to hear the words from her lips. Guillaume du Pree had no sisters, but he had been betrothed. The hatred written plainly on the face before him held the answer to his unasked question. Lyonesse of Ryonne had captured him.
The lady’s well-planned actions would likely end in his death. King Stephen and The Earl of York had been wrong in their assumption that none from Ryonne or du Pree’s holding would seek retribution for du Pree’s murder until the month was up.
Her continued silence filled him with sudden rage. Rhys sought words to reason with her.
“I did not murder your betrothed.”
“You lie, Faucon.”
“Waste no more time talking.” Sir John interrupted the debate. His menacing tone fit the evil scowl covering his face. “I will kill him now.”
Rhys’s attention shifted to John. Whatever held the knight in check thus far was quickly losing its tenuous hold. Every muscle in the man’s body was poised for battle. The air around him was thick with the scent of blood-lust.
“Nay, be patient a few moments longer.” Lyonesse placed a restraining hand on John’s wrist. “I want to remember this moment for the rest of my life.”
Thankfully, the man retained enough sense to listen. Rhys returned his focus to his captor. “I tell you for the last time, I did not kill du Pree.”
“Silence, Faucon. Save your lies for your maker. I’m certain in hell they are worth something.”
Fear was nothing new to any sane fighting man. Sometimes a healthy respect for fear could save your life. This would not be one of those times. Tendrils of both, fear and regret snaked through his veins.
Anger at the unjust accusation and rage at the coward’s death he now faced, gave him the strength to fight off the creeping tendrils. Certain that his own death was imminent, he asked, “What about my men?”
“They will not be harmed. They have been taken to safety.”
“Safety?”
“Aye, Lord Faucon, they are safe. However, it may take them a while to find their way free.”
The men surrounding them laughed.
He ignored their oddly placed humor and took a deep breath before asking, “And how do you plan to kill me?”
“You ran a sword through Guillaume’s back.” Sparks of fire shot from her eyes. “You will die the same way.”
She removed her gloves and ordered, “Get him up.”
John lifted his blade against Rhys’s chin, forcing his head up. He had no option but to follow the upward motion of the weapon. He silently cursed as two soldiers began to secure his arms behind his back with leather straps.
He would rather die fighting than be slaughtered like a trussed boar. “No!”
Mindless of the weapons aimed at his body, he violently jerked around, shoved past John and sprinted toward the safety of the forest.
“Stop him!”
His escape was short-lived. Five men flew at him, knocking him from his feet. Fists pummeled him about the head and body. The gash on his side tore even more from the blows. They shoved his face into the dirt, quickly securing his arms and legs. Then they hauled him to his feet and led him back to Lyonesse.
His heart pounded loud in his ears. Rhys shook with a helplessness he’d never before felt. He riveted his attention on the woman before him and shouted, “Get this over with.”
“In all due time, Faucon.”
Lyonesse savored the deliciously sweet taste of her victory. Certain the restraints would hold, she allowed her gaze to slowly roam up her captive’s massive form.
The stories had not been completely accurate. This man was not simply big. Like the fabled warriors of old, he was a huge dangerous giant. Gaps in the laced seams of the chain mail protecting his legs gave evidence to tightly corded muscles bulging toward freedom.
She admired the richness of his plain, black surcoat. Even hanging in torn disarray, the fabric bespoke of quality. Lyonesse knew that while the material would be as strong as the muscles it covered, beneath her fingers it would feel as soft and silky as a kitten’s fur.
Her attention trailed up the long, wooden scabbard hanging at his side. Soaring falcons were artfully carved into the sword’s case. The wide belt at his waist served not only to anchor the scabbard; it also did much to accentuate the outward flare of his chest.
Muscles strained violently below flesh in his silent struggle to break the bonds holding him. Lyonesse could see the fierce expansion of his chest and arms with each effort.
She glanced up and shuddered. If his strength were as great as the determination etched on his face, he would soon gain his freedom. His full lips narrowed into a grim line. A rapid pulse beat against one cheek. His swarthy complexion was broken by the cuts her glove had made on one side of his face. On the other side a thin white scar trickled like a tear from the corner of one eye to his mouth.
He leaned forward. For a brief moment unruly hair hid his face. Sunlight glistened off the shoulder-length mane. When he straightened, one raven lock fell across his face. Lyonesse’s fingers itched to smooth the wayward strands back into place.
She peered into his eyes and was horrified to find Faucon watching her perusal. Flecks of gold sparkled against his light brown orbs. The shimmering brightness flared and paled with a life of their own.
“Look your fill, milady,” he taunted. “For I will be the one who haunts your nightmares. You will wish you’d never beheld me.”
She quickly turned away to hide the rush of embarrassment that heated her face. Lyonesse gritted her teeth. What evilness possessed her to so intently study this vile beast? After collecting her wits, she turned back to him. “Those are bold words for one trussed like a gutted stag.”
The black brows of the captive winged higher over his amazing eyes. It would be far too easy for a person to fall helpless under that striking glare.
To her amazement, he only laughed at her. The desperate tone of his laughter sent a ripple of guilt down her spine. She studied her captive and frowned. Behind the fierce anger that brightened his eyes lay something akin to…pain.
She’d seen that expression staring back at her from the polished surface of her mirror. Pain. Loss. They already haunted her nightmares.
What did Faucon know of pain? Or of loss? This man doled out death and destruction as a pastime. He gave no thought to the lives his actions touched, or ruined in the process. Nay, even though she could not name the emotion, she knew it was not pain flickering in his gaze.
Even if the demon did possess a tiny bit of remorse in his black-hearted soul, what did it matter to her? Nothing would change. Guillaume would still lie dead. How would she find a husband within the time left to her? For without a husband, King Stephen would take Taniere.
The sound of wooden wagon wheels clattering over the hard, rutted path interrupted her disturbing thoughts. A few more of the men arrived to dispose of Faucon’s body, but John’s loud curse unsettled her even more.
Suddenly losing control, Guillaume’s man lunged toward her captive, intent on running his sword through the man.
“Nay! He is mine.” No one else must finish the deed. Only her. As Lyonesse threw herself at John she knocked him off his feet and seized his sword.
She grasped the weapon with both hands and turned toward Faucon. Stiffening her spine, steeling herself for what she was about to do, Lyonesse walked toward him. She picked a spot on his chest as her target.
“Damn you, look at me.” She did as he bid. “If you are bold enough to take my life have the courage to watch me die.”
Honor and bravery—the ideals her father lived by, the qualities she strove for in herself, shimmered in his unflinching stare.
Horror stopped her. What was she about to do? This would not be revenge.
Her stomach rolled. This would be murder.
The sword wavered. His stare bore into her. He would accept death. Unlike a coward, he would not plead for his life. The sword wobbled and fell from her hand.
Lyonesse shook herself from her trance and stared at Faucon.
He returned her steady look. “You are making a grave mistake, milady.”
She made her decision. “Get him in the wagon,” she shouted at her men.
Faucon struggled uselessly against the men who nearly carried him to the waiting hay wagon. His threats and curses fell heavy on her ears.
Not wishing to listen to his tirade during the trip back to Taniere, Lyonesse leaned over the side of the wagon and ordered, “Cease, Faucon.”
“You will pay for this. All of you.” Faucon glared at the men. “Do you take your orders from a mere slip of a girl? The king will hunt each and every one of you down.”
His empty threats infuriated her. “Faucon, I warned you once. Cease. Else I will find a way to silence you.”
He answered with a menacing snarl. “You puling little cub, do you realize what you are getting yourself into? The day will come when you regret this action.”
“I know exactly what I am about. I’ll not regret anything.” Grabbing a dirty, rumpled cloth from the cart, she rolled it into a ball. “Maybe this will stop your threats.”
The cloth stuffed in his mouth cut off Faucon’s blistering curses. Lyonesse backed away from the hate and anger glowing from his eyes. No words were needed to understand his silent promise of sinister retribution for her act.
Had her need for revenge not been so strong, Lyonesse knew she would have disgraced herself. Had she loved Guillaume less, it would be easy to order Faucon’s release and ride away. But the loss of her love hardened her heart.
Quickly mounting her horse, she left the others behind and headed toward home. Left to only her thoughts and the eerie cry of a soaring bird of prey, Lyonesse muttered aloud to the empty air. “Faucon must pay for his treachery. I have witnesses to provide proof of his guilt.”
Guillaume’s own men had brought the cold, disfigured body of their lord back to Taniere keep. They described the butcher who had ended du Pree’s life.
Even more telling than their description of the murderer was the last detail Guillaume’s men had told her. The eyes beneath the dark nasal helm glowed a riveting gold. Like the raptor he was named for, his eyes pierced their quarry just before the kill.
Aye, Faucon had mutilated the gentle Guillaume beyond recognition. Of that, there was no doubt. It mattered little if all of Faucon’s forces arrived at her gates. Let them come. They would soon learn that their name alone would not always protect them from retribution for their sins.
The thick, gray walls of her keep were a welcome sight. Lyonesse cantered ahead, her hail of “Taniere!” brought instant reaction from the men in the twin gate towers. The drawbridge slowly lowered and the iron portcullis raised, giving entrance to the outer yard.
She rode past the inner gates and into the second bailey, then slid off the lathered horse. After handing the reins to a waiting stable lad, she paused only long enough to give the unneeded order, “See that he is well cared for, Simon.” Lyonesse headed up the steep steps leading into the great hall.
