Chapter 17
Baron kept an unusually close watch on me after that. Before my most recent escape, he generally left me to my own devices with twelve feet between us. Now, I noticed him watching me constantly out of the corner of his eye, wary of what I was up to.
It used to be that I was able to go in and out of the tent at my own discretion, but now the shorter chain made it so we went everywhere together.
We worked out a deal for visiting the privy and rigged up a partition in the woods and would take turns behind the screen.
I was grateful that, as limited as my freedom was, Baron was still considerate enough to allow me to maintain some semblance of my dignity.
We also would take turns bathing in the tent every few days while the other stayed just outside the tent flap, which was the farthest distance the chain would stretch.
A wash basin had been available before my most recent escape, but I had refused its use prior; I wouldn’t subject myself to being that vulnerable in the presence of my enemy.
But I couldn’t stand going without washing for two weeks again, and Baron seemed just as eager as I was to not stink to high heaven.
Since I now had the dress given to me from the kind old woman in addition to my usual tunic and leggings, I was able to wash a change of clothing as well as my body, then hang my alternate clothing out to dry overnight. It was far from ideal, but adequate for the time being.
As for my quarter rations, I fully expected to become emaciated, but was pleasantly surprised.
The first meal I got, breakfast the morning after we got back, Baron plunked down a platter with a very small portion of food on it in front of me.
“Quarter ration,” he said gruffly, then heaped his own plate even higher than normal, saying while he did so, “Boy, am I hungry this morning!”
After he ate his usual amount, there was still a generous serving left. He placed his platter to the side, just a few inches from me. “What a nice sunrise!” he said meaningfully, and stared in the opposite direction, back turned to me. “I just love watching the sun rise.”
I understood his meaning and finished his portion as well. Perhaps Baron wasn’t as bad as I had first imagined.
I knew it wouldn’t be much longer before Father attempted another rescue.
He would come for me, I just knew it. Our band never left anyone behind if they could help it.
All I had to do was wait patiently. I racked my brains constantly but couldn’t think of a way to break this shorter chain without being spotted.
That afternoon, Dorian and a crowd of his cronies strolled into our campsite.
I was glad to see that Dorian still limped heavily and that the ugly red marks stayed streaked across his throat.
“Well, if it isn’t the witch! I see you are still enjoying our hospitality.
Couldn’t stay away, could you?” Dorian called aloud.
Several men also mumbled insults, but they seemed more hesitant to be in any vicinity that included me. I narrowed my eyes at them.
“If it isn’t Dorian. I see you are still as spry as ever.
Oh, wait…” I took an exaggerated look at his mangled leg, which was perfectly in my line of sight due to my seated position on the log we used for a bench.
“Well, at least you still have your dashing good looks. Although, it seems like you have something on your neck.” I pointed to his rope burns.
Dorian flushed, then retorted, “Seems you do too,” he nodded at my collar.
“Yes, I can see how brave and chivalrous you lot are, keeping a girl in chains. Are you really such cowards that you are afraid of a woman less than half your age?”
The group of men shifted uncomfortably, and I saw several exchange furtive glances. Dorian was far less embarrassed. “I’d love to teach you a few manners,” he sneered.
I pretended to think. “Wait, didn’t you have that opportunity? What was it—twice? Seems you didn’t do so well either time. Shame you can’t even handle a little girl. Makes you a pretty pathetic excuse for a man, if you ask me.”
Dorian stepped aggressively in my direction and I stood, ready for a fight.
That’s right Dorian, just a little closer, I thought.
I could vividly visualize each and every maneuver I would perform.
I wanted to do something about the predicament I was in.
Chained or not, I could still handle Dorian, I was sure.
I even looked forward to it. But Baron’s large hand closed on my upper arm and held me back.
“Don’t,” he warned me softly.
Dorian seemed to interpret Baron’s gesture differently. “Yes, Baron! You hold her, and I will repay her for what she did to me. What she did to all of us!” The men began to cluster nearer and they all clamored agreement.
A spasm of fear constricted my chest. I knew that, if Baron wanted to, he could seriously hurt me.
He hadn’t so far, but it could be that his mild manner would crumble under the threat of peer pressure.
His brute strength coupled with Dorian’s eagerness to cause me harm, and the other men now drawing in closer…
Things were looking grim. I banked on my ability to best any one or even two of the men in front of me, but I still had yet to come out on top in a fight against Baron.
Chained and heavily outnumbered, I vowed that, if I went down, I would take as many of them with me as I could.
“How about a kiss?” one of the other men piped up. “See if Sneeds was right!”
Dorian stepped toward me again, his black, pitiless eyes raking me up and down. “Now there is an idea.” He grinned maliciously.
“Try it and see what happens!” I snarled, pulling fruitlessly on the arm restrained by Baron.
I wanted him to let go of me so I could fly at Dorian.
I would not be a helpless victim. Baron grabbed my other arm as well and pulled me away from Dorian.
My back was flat against Baron’s chest, and I couldn’t throw him off.
I thrashed against his hold on my arms, but Baron’s grip was vicelike, and it didn’t feel like he was even exerting much energy to keep me in check.
I couldn’t have budged even if my life depended on it. And perhaps right now, it did.
Dorian surveyed the men around him and me being restrained by Baron. “I think I’ll take my chances, lassie. You may be a witch, but there are plenty of us and only one of you. I think I like those odds.” He took another step toward me, and a truly evil look overtook his features.
Baron pulled me back more and stepped in front of me. “All right now, that’s enough!” he thundered, sounded commanding and authoritative.
“Ah, come off it, Baron. We just want to have a little fun,” one man wheedled.
“You’ve had your fun,” Baron said firmly. “I’m in charge of this prisoner, and I won’t allow any harm to come to her. I have enough to do playing nanny and don’t want to be a nursemaid, as well.”
“I won’t harm her,” Dorian said slyly. “Much.” The men continued to move closer, trying to edge around Baron to get nearer to me.
“Are you men or swine?” Baron bellowed. “Clear out before I run you out!” He took a threatening step toward the group and swung one of his huge hands, narrowly avoiding striking their faces.
The other men seemed cowed as Baron towered over them. They began to scuttle off, but Dorian stayed put. He glared at me. “Best watch your back, little lassie. I wouldn’t close my eyes tonight, if I were you.” He finally turned and stomped off.
Baron watched them go, arms folded. “You should’ve let him try,” I said. My hands shook, and I was still full of adrenaline, ready to confront Dorian had he not slunk away like a dog with its tail between its legs.
Baron shook his head at me. “You’re impossible.”
I felt indebted to him. Without Baron, that scene would have turned out very differently. “Thank you.” Had they been conveyed with my usual snark, it would have sounded like a sarcastic response to his remark. But I was serious, for once.
Baron sat back down, calm once more. “No problem.”
I watched the men in camp get ready for the night. At dusk, a limping figure caught my eye. There was Dorian, shuffling back toward our campsite, his arms laden with a jumble of fabric and poles. He paused a short distance away and began setting up the tent.
“What are you doing, Dorian?” Baron called out loudly.
“Just setting up my spot. You two have such a cozy little campsite, I decided to join you. And besides, Baron, the sheriff said you might need an extra guard or two at night to help you with the girl. I’m more than happy to volunteer my services.” Dorian stared at me and smiled nastily.
He had been right, there was no way I would ever close my eyes that night.
For the first time, I was glad that Baron was my guard.
If I had to be held prisoner by someone, he was now the obvious choice of who I would pick.
I didn’t like him much, but he seemed just as eager as I was to keep our distance from each other, and that arrangement suited me fine.
Now that Dorian was so close to me, I felt the inexplicable urge to draw nearer to Baron for protection.
It was ridiculous to think so. I had overpowered Dorian twice before—I could probably do so again.
Though I didn’t want Dorian to think I felt threatened, the longer he stared at me, the harder it was to resist the urge to shrink at least a little.
On the pretext of adjusting my position on the log, I managed to inch marginally closer to Baron.
I thought I had done a good job of being unobtrusive, but Baron half-glanced at me, then stood to retrieve his water skin.
When he returned to our makeshift bench a few seconds later, he seated himself directly at my side.
We were so close that our legs and arms touched.
“I appreciate the offer, Dorian, but I have it handled. It seems like it’s only on my watch that she doesn’t escape. I wouldn’t want you to have another scar.” Baron sounded casual, but I caught the warning in his voice.
Dorian curled his lip into a snarl. The rope burns across his throat seemed to stand out, and he rubbed his leg where my knife had sunk in. “I won’t let her go again.”
“Nor will I.”
They glared at each other until Dorian dropped his gaze. All the rest of the darkening evening, Dorian sat on the opposite side of our fire and stared at me. It made me physically nauseated to have him so close.
After what seemed like the longest evening of my life, everyone seemed to be bedding down for the night. Dorian vanished into his tent. Baron waited a long time after watching Dorian enter his tent before he seemed willing to leave the fire.
We stood up and Baron ducked into the tent first. During the single unattended second I had before the chain went taut, I checked to make sure the coast was clear, then used the toe of my boot to swiftly kick a burning stick from our fire towards Dorian’s tent.
It landed right on target, at the base of his fabric tent, and continued to burn. Sleep tight, Dorian! I thought.
I feigned exhaustion and lay down. Through the tent flap, I could just make out a dim glowing light growing larger and larger. Then came the clamoring cries of, “Fire! FIRE!”
Baron got up. “What now?” he growled, obviously exasperated.
We poked our heads out. Men ran to and fro. Several carried buckets of water and were trying to douse Dorian’s tent, which was ablaze. Dorian was standing to the side, pulling at his pointed beard and wringing his hands in distress.
The sheriff was there as well, demanding to know what had happened. We were close enough that I could hear what they were saying.
“The tent, it just caught fire!” Dorian said.
“Did you pitch it too close to the fire pit? Bilius did that a week ago,” asked the sheriff.
Dorian glared at the sheriff, offended by the question. “I know better than that, Sheriff! It was as if someone set—” He stopped short and swiveled to fix his attention on me peering out of the tent. “It was HER! That witch tried to burn me alive!” he screamed dramatically.
Both Dorian and the sheriff crossed to us in a few strides and Baron and I emerged fully from the tent.
“Baron, did this girl set fire to Dorian’s tent?” the sheriff asked.
“No, sir,” Baron said. “She’s been at my side all evening. I would’ve seen her.”
“He’s lying!” screeched Dorian. “He’s on her side. I know he is!”
“Questioning your commander’s loyalties, are you?” thundered the sheriff. “Watch your tongue, snake!”
“Why would anyone think that I was on her side, when I’m the only one who has managed to keep her here and under control?” Baron responded angrily. “You lasted, what, less than a day, Dorian? Sneeds just a few hours.”
“She did it! SHE did it! I know she did!” Dorian screamed. “Just look at her smug face and you’ll know it’s true!”
I remained silent. Revenge was so sweet.
The sheriff scowled in my direction. “Just stay away from her, Dorian,” he said finally.
“In fact, don’t let anyone else pitch a tent within a hundred yards of this brat.
No one comes near this campsite at all.” He nodded in Baron’s direction.
“May the saints be with you, Baron. You’re on your own.
I don’t know how you keep her in control. ”
The sheriff walked into the darkness and Dorian bobbed alongside him, still insisting I was at fault. Once they were out of earshot, Baron gave me a long, calculating look. “Did you?”
“No,” I said easily.
“You’re lying. I can always tell when you’re lying.”
I smiled wickedly. “Maybe Dorian is the one who shouldn’t be closing his eyes tonight.”
Baron ran his fingers through his dark hair and studied my face. “I don’t know how you did it,” he said at last. “But I know it was you.” He looked at me awhile longer. “You’re a positively terrifying woman. You know that, right?”
I smiled dazzlingly. “I know.”