Chapter 6 #2
shiver along her spine. Her captor replied in an odd whisper that
sent tremors through her. It was a cold, deadly sound like none she
had heard before.
The babble of voices moved away, leaving her
trembling with relief. Though she strained, Lindsey could hear
nothing more of the conversation other than occasional bursts of
laughter.
She determined that there was a fire some
distance away. Each time a branch was added she felt the rush of
heat and heard the crackle of flame upon dried wood. Then it would
grow cool once more.
She shivered in the dampness of the grass. It
must be nearly dawn. Soon her father and brothers would awaken and
miss her. But how would they ever find her? Her captors had taken
so many twists and turns, it had been impossible to chart their
course. She knew only that they had left the river and had plunged
deeply into the forest.
She shivered again. She must not wait for the
others to free her. She must make her own escape.
Lying very still she moved her fingers over
the dirt until she encountered several sharp stones embedded there.
Though it was painful, she managed to rub her bindings over them.
In no time she had sustained dozens of tiny cuts, leaving her hands
raw and bloody.
She was so engrossed in her task, she failed
to hear the low rumble of conversation until she heard, “Aye. It
might work. But would they pay? Or would they assemble an army to
find her?”
Again there was that terrifying whisper. The
reply was too low to hear. But the burst of lewd laughter that
followed sent a fresh ripple of fear through her. She bent to her
task with renewed energy.
“What do we do with her until then?”
Lindsey’s head came up sharply, but all she
heard were hoots of laughter and several crude comments. She felt
the first stands of rope begin to unravel and continued to work
feverishly on her bindings. By now she was immune to the pain. Fear
and determination drove her.
She listened to the words of farewell from
the others as a horse and rider departed. Who had gone? And why?
There was an odd silence, and though she could not see, Lindsey
felt a prickle of alarm. She sensed that the strangers were staring
at her. She lay very still, not daring to move, not even daring to
breathe.
Within a few minutes she could smell meat
roasting over the fire. The distant voices told her that the men
had once again drifted away. She returned to the task of cutting
through her bindings and felt the rope unravel further. She knew it
was just a matter of time before she would be free. If only she
could manage to keep the attention of these villains away from
her.
She heard footsteps approaching and fought
down a sense of panic.
“You will not be needing this now,” came a
rough voice as the rag covering her eyes was torn away. She blinked
against the light of the fire. Already the sky to the east was
rimmed with ribbons of light.
The man who knelt beside her was the man who
had attacked her in camp. He leaned close, peering at her with an
evil grin, his single dark eye glittering like a raven’s.
“You are even more comely than I
thought.”
Lindsey struggled to hide the fear and
revulsion she felt. She could not take her gaze from the bloody
patch that covered his other eye. The man reeked of sweat and ale.
His clothes were unwashed. He had a hungry look about him that had
nothing to do with a need for food.
“Why have you brought me here?” she
asked.
“Mayhap you were brought here for my
pleasure.” He ran his hand along her throat, then caught her chin
in his hand, lifting her face for his inspection.
She recoiled at his touch.
The man threw back his head and roared as the
others gathered around. “We have been told yours is a wealthy clan.
Your father even has the friendship of the queen. That makes you an
heiress, my fine lady. And since ours is a poor clan, dependent
upon the goodness of others...” This brought a burst of laughter
from the men who had gathered around displaying gaudy jewels and
fine silk so out of place among this ragged band that they must
surely have been stolen. “We wager you will be worth a great deal
to us.” Her captor caught her by the arm and drew her close to his
face. “What do you think your father will pay to get you back?”
Lindsey swallowed back her terror. She must
show no weakness to these men.
With a sneer she scoffed at the man whose
face glowed with greed. “I will be worthless to you if you harm me.
For I know that my father will then pay you nothing.”
At her boldness, he glowered at her a moment,
then released her. She was pleased to note that several of the
others glanced nervously at one another, then moved back, as if
afraid to get too close.
“The lass is right, Argus.”
Argus. At last, Lindsey had a name from among
this clan of monsters. Growing bolder she turned to her captor.
“Why did you cover my eyes when we first arrived? Was there
something or... someone... I ought not to see?”
He scrambled to his feet and snarled, “I
think you ask too many questions, my fine lady.” Stalking to the
fire, he tore a piece from the meat that had been roasting over the
coals. A lamb, stolen from a nearby farmer, Lindsey surmised.
As the others drifted toward the fire, she
renewed her efforts to free her hands and was rewarded when the
rope fell away. Once loose, she picked up the strands of the rope
and folded her hands behind her back to give the illusion that she
was still bound.
She studied the camp for the best means of
escape. The horses were tethered near a stand of trees. But how
could she cover the distance without being seen?
Argus began to walk toward her, and she felt
her heart begin to pound. All would be lost if he discovered that
her ropes had been cut. She swallowed her terror and cautioned
herself to show no emotion.
In his filthy hand was a strip of meat, which
he held out to her.
“Eat.”
“Nay. I cannot.” She turned her head away
when he lifted it to her lips.
“This is all the food you will get, my fine
lady. Eat. Or shall force it down your lovely throat.”
She thought about the knife at her waist and
fought back the temptation to reach for it. With a feeling of rage
and helplessness she allowed him to feed her and struggled not to
gag. She must not draw undue attention to herself, else all would
fail. By sheer strength of will, she managed to swallow the
meat.
Satisfied that he had managed to dominate his
prisoner, Argus swaggered back to the fire.
“You see. Already the lass is eating out of
my hand. ’Twill be only a matter of time before she succumbs to my
charms.”
At his continent the others burst into coarse
laughter.
Lindsey could afford to waste no more time.
The man would return to her side again soon. And the next time he
would be even bolder. She knew what men like this did to their
female captives. But she would not allow herself to dwell upon such
thoughts.
Flattening herself to the ground she began to
crawl toward the line of horses. If she could make it without being
seen, she could escape into the forest. She decided to take the
rest of the horses with her so that these villains could not
follow. With her pulse roaring in her ears she scrambled forward,
the unnamed terror driving her.
It seemed to take forever to crawl the
distance that separated her from freedom, but at last she reached
the horses. With a surge of anticipation she came to her knees,
ready to spring.
A heavy boot came down on the small of her
back, crushing her into the grass. A deep voice said, “So, my fine
lady. You are more clever than I thought. Even rope cannot hold
you. Were you hoping for a stroll in the forest? Surely you would
not go alone? Come, we will go together. Who knows what adventure
can be found?”
Bending, Argus rolled her over and caught her
roughly by the front of her gown, dragging her to her feet.
He threw back his head and roared with
laughter as she struggled to evade his cruel hands. “What? Could it
be you had hoped to leave our pleasant company? Ah, my fine lady.
There is so much pleasure still awaiting you.”
He pinned her hands behind her and dragged
her close. “I have something very special in mind for you.”
She cringed as his hot breath stung her
cheek.
Tangling his fingers into her hair, he forced
her face close to his and gave a cruel laugh. “I have decided that
your father will pay the same price whether you are touched or
untouched. And as for me, I have every intention of touching and
enjoying the pleasure of your company while I may.”
He ground his mouth over hers until she
tasted her own blood. Though she kicked and fought, she was no
match for his strength. She struggled to free her hands from his
grasp.
He seemed surprised by the fury of this
fragile-looking female. As she continued to struggle his smile
disappeared. His face suddenly became contorted with rage. “I have
indulged you long enough. Now I will take what I want.”
As if in slow motion, Lindsey saw his hand
swing out in an arc. She heard the sound of his palm connecting
with her face and felt an explosion of pain that sent tiny star
fragments dancing in front of her eyes. Then the pain grew hotter
and hotter, until she cried out. A terrible roaring sound filled
her brain, and she drifted into a cushion of darkness.