Chapter 13
“ D arien?”
They’d been on the road a short time, Liana happier to be reunited with Darien than she should be. Though they’d not met many travelers on the road, the men coming toward them were the first to unsheathe their swords in preparation. There were three men, all knights by the look of them.
“Fall back,” he said. “If I am injured, ride back to the abbey, as fast as you can.”
“Injured?” She wanted to ask more but Darien rode too far ahead of her. The forest was thick on either side of them. She thought of dismounting and hiding, if something did indeed go amiss, but remembering Darien’s words, she remained mounted. They had not traveled very far, but surely these men on their great destriers, like Darien’s, could outrun her?
The danger that Darien warned about was no longer faceless. None of the men wore helms or plated armor, but they still appeared as if ready for battle. Or a fight. Why had they taken out their weapons? Surely it was not typical to do so when coming upon other riders?
“Why do you bare your weapons?” Darien called to them, asking the same question she’d been asking herself.
“Identify yourself,” the man in front called back. His hair, a brighter red than any Liana had ever seen, matched the man’s full beard. The others watched him, seemingly taking their cues from the one that must be their leader.
“I am Sir Darien of Crimson Hollow, son of the Earl of Ellsworth. And I ask again, why do you prepare to fight when I’m but one man who has not reached for my weapon?”
The second riders laughed. “If you truly are Sir Darien of Crimson Hollow, you’d have a bow in hand?—”
Before he even finished, Darien had reached down where his bow was strapped and, so quickly she could hardly comprehend what had happened, had an arrow ready, the bow pointing at the man’s chest.
“Your padded gambeson will do little to protect your neck. If you doubt that your mouth will fill with blood quicker than your companions can attempt to disarm me, which neither will do, please, finish what you were saying.”
That was not the Darien she knew.
His voice did not sound the same. His position was not the same. Darien was anything but relaxed, as he’d been when he fetched her that morn. This was the knight, the man who fought in a secret army to overthrow the king. This was the earl’s son, whose reputation had spread far and wide, his ability with the bow and arrow the reason he’d been recruited to Castle Blackwood in the first place.
He was magnificent.
And terrifying.
“It is he,” the same man said, re-sheathing his sword. “Not a part of their band.”
They seemed to notice her for the first time as all three lowered their weapons.
“Which band?” Darien asked as she rode forward to hear them more easily.
“A band of the king’s men wreaking havoc on these roads, looking for traitors.”
Darien lowered his bow. “How do they intend to rout out traitors by glance? Is there now a crest for Matilda’s cause I am not aware of?”
“Precisely,” the leader said, glancing at Liana but giving his attention quickly back to Darien. “Why were we so quick to arms? They have been attacking first, asking questions afterward. Killed two of the baron’s retinue just yesterday.”
“The baron is a supporter of the king.” Darien’s impatience was evident.
The three men fell silent.
“Was he not?”
“Aye,” the one who remained silent agreed. “But the baron is dead. His son supports Matilda’s cause.”
Liana did not know of the baron, or his son, but at least these men appeared to be on the right side of their cause.
“I wish you a safe journey,” Darien began with a quick nod forward to Liana. He wanted to get away from them and Liana was just as eager to do so.
“Ellsworth,” the red-headed man stopped him. “Who do you support?”
She froze. It was the most dangerous question one could be asked. On Ely, they were isolated. Visitors were few, kept away by the legend and lore that Liana’s family helped to cultivate. Isolated because of it, those same rumors about her and her mother were the reason the Isle of Ely had survived these past twenty years, as well as the many wars and political upheavals before it.
“I support the rightful ruler of England,” he said. “And will be moving along. Now.”
That last word was not said like the others. It was a command. A warning. One, despite their being three men to Darien’s one, they heeded.
Liana had lifted her hood when they first stopped. As she and Darien rode forward, she looked down, not willing to give any further reason for questioning. It seemed to work. Nothing more was said as she and Darien moved past them. Eventually, when it felt like they were far enough along, she removed her hood.
And stared at her companion.
“They were terrified of you,” she said. “And maybe I was a little too.”
“You never have cause to be afraid of me, Liana.”
“I know as much,” she reassured him. “But it was...not you back there. At least, it was not the man I’ve come to know.”
When he smiled at her, Liana forgot instantly about that other Darien. The one that had struck fear in three armed knights.
“I am both men,” he said. “And am fortunate to have my bow arm to back up any claim I may have had against their attacks.”
In other words, he could have done precisely as he’d threatened.
“How did you come to be so proficient with the bow? As they say, ’tis not typically a nobleman’s choice of weapon.”
“Do you remember, years ago, the Solstice Festival?”
“Of course,” she said. “Everyone in Ely looked forward to it. If not for that festival, I’d never have seen the inside of the castle walls. I remember, as a child, the first time the drawbridge was lowered. It was an exciting time, and one I cherish as my father was still alive.”
“There, a young knight had heard of the festival and came to Ellsworth Castle to partake in the festivities. When he won the archery contest so easily, my father asked if he might stay to train me. It was lucky that he had come and agreed to stay.”
“I do not believe it luck at all,” Liana said as the sound of running water reached them. Another river ahead, and hopefully one they would not need to cross. “He was meant to be there. To train you. For you to become the greatest archer in all of England.”
“I am not?—”
“You are. All know it. Those men knew it.”
Darien’s skepticism was apparent, but his humility only added to his appeal. They rode in silence, her compliment having an effect she had not anticipated. At times, he opened to her, but most often, the elusive earl’s son was in full evidence.
“Your reputation for being secretive seems warranted at times to me. Yet at others, you surprise me with your forthrightness. You are an enigma to me, Sir Darien of Crimson Hollow.”
“I am an enigma? If ever a woman embodied the word, ’tis you, my lady.”
She did not agree.
“Why,” she asked, the question popping into her mind, “did the Solstice Festival end? I remember it so fondly.”
Darien stared straight ahead. For a moment, she thought he might not answer. But then, as the river came into view and Darien slowed as they approached it, he turned toward her.
“It was my mother’s crowning jewel. She loved to plan it. To bring all of the villagers into the castle walls and make all of Ely feel welcome. When she died...”
Liana had been too young to make the connection between the festival’s ending and his mother’s death. “I am sorry,” she said, wishing she’d not asked.
“Do not be sorry for what cannot be changed. The past is past.”
His words were very true. “Perhaps it is a tradition you can begin again?”
“Perhaps.”
He was looking at her oddly as they came to a stop.
“What is it?” she asked.
“’Tis simply that...” He stopped. Looked at her in a way she’d dreamed last eve he might. It was a dangerous look, only made so because Liana had little control over how easily her heart could be lost.
Holding her breath, she said nothing.
“We will need to cross this river.”
That had not been what Darien intended to say. She was certain of it.
“There is a bridge that would add two days to our journey to reach. But I’ve crossed many times before. ’Tis possible.”
She looked at the river with skepticism. This was no stream, like the one they crossed before. Surely, they would be swept away in the currents.
“You will ride with me,” he said. “And we can pull your mount along. It is the safest way, and the final river crossing of our journey.”
Ride with him?
Liana nodded, knowing she had no other choice. The question was...which was more dangerous? Crossing the river before him? Or the fluttering in her stomach at the thought of riding beside the man she was destined to serve?
As he dismounted and walked toward her, Liana chided herself for asking such a question. There was no contest.
The river might as well be a trickle compared to the beating of her heart as he approached, a sure sign that Liana was, indeed, in trouble.