Chapter Seventeen #3
Breck screamed like a woman, releasing his hold on her arm.
Whimpering in panic, Summer stumbled away from him, struggling with every ounce of strength to reach Bose as he engaged several men on the chalky dirt road.
Crying his name, fumbling in a blind panic, she was entirely focused on his armored charger when something grabbed her about the ankles.
Falling heavily, Breck’s bleeding, furious face loomed over her and she opened her mouth to scream at the terrible sight of him.
A scream of terror that never came as a blow to the head jarred her into blissful darkness.
Heaving and panting, Breck grabbed his unconscious quarry by the arms, slinging her limp form over his shoulder.
He began to shout Bose’s name, struggling to be heard over the sounds of battle.
But no amount of shouting would gain him the man’s attention until Bose happened to turn in his direction, his panicked black eyes searching for his wife.
He found her lying across Breck Kerry’s shoulder.
His sword clattered to the ground. The shield did not and he fought off several heavy blows before Breck’s order to cease was obeyed.
Slowly, the mass of men came to an unsteady halt as all concerned focused on the red-haired knight bearing the lifeless lady.
And none more focused upon the man’s face than Bose himself.
The shield fell beside the discarded sword as Bose swiftly dismounted, shoving his fist into the face of a man who attempted to stop him. As the wounded soldier fell away, Bose’s black eyes were smoldering as he focused on Breck.
“Give her to me.” It was not a request; it was a command.
Shifting Summer’s weight, Breck wiped at the blood on his cheek. “I have come to claim my bride, de Moray, and to escort you back to Chaldon to stand trial for thievery.”
Bose maintained his advance on the small man, shoving aside another soldier who was foolish enough to get in his way. Ignoring the knight’s statement, he extended his arms demandingly.
“Give her to me now.”
Breck stumbled back, away from the approaching knight, tripping over his feet in the process.
Bose seemed to lose a measure of his composure as Breck struggled to regain his balance, fearful that his wife would be dropped to the unforgiving ground below.
He slowed his advance somewhat, but not entirely.
He meant to regain Summer and was determined to accomplish his goal.
“Come no closer, de Moray, or I might not be able to keep your lover from falling to the ground the next time,” his threat was confident. “There is no way to know what she would strike upon landing. Her head. Her beautiful face. Would you see her come to ruin?”
Bose’s expression darkened as he slowed his pace. “You damnable bastard,” he growled, an accusation and not a display of emotion. “You’ve no quarrel against her. Give her to me this instant.”
Breck cocked an eyebrow. “Not until I extract a promise first.”
Bose came to a stop. Standing a few feet in front of Breck, there was nothing more he could say or do to turn the situation in his favor. Already, the circumstance was out of control.
“What is it?”
Breck eyed him. “I will return her to you for safekeeping if you promise to return to Chaldon peacefully. Do I have your vow in the matter?”
“Aye.”
“Any deviation will be swiftly met. Against the lady, of course.”
“I gave you my word, Kerry. Now give me my wife.”
Breck’s eyebrows rose in genuine surprise. “Wife? Do… do you mean to tell me that you have actually married her?”
Bose regained some of his lost composure as Breck seemed to falter.
“She was my betrothed before she was erroneously pledged to you,” he said coolly.
“Did you truly believe I would abduct her from Chaldon for any other reason but to marry her? To consummate our marriage so that you could never have her? A foolish belief if those were indeed your hopes, Kerry. I have done all of that and more.”
Breck’s red face washed a deeper shade of color.
“I… I knew you left Chaldon to elude me, of course. But I also knew, eventually, you would have to return to Ravendark and therein would lie your capture.” Taking a deep breath, he shifted Summer again upon his tiring shoulder.
“After you are executed for your deed, I will annul the marriage and the lady will become my legal wife. And I shall take pleasure in erasing all memory of you upon her mind and body. Especially her body.”
His men chuckled rudely but Bose refused to react. Consummately controlled, he maintained a steady expression.
“I have given you my vow to return peacefully to Chaldon,” he rumbled. “You will give me my wife.”
Still chortling with his lascivious thoughts, Breck shifted Summer’s body from his armored shoulder and practically threw the woman into Bose’s waiting arms. Cradling his wife to him tenderly, his heart sank when he noticed blood trickling from her left ear.
“God’s Beard,” he muttered, smoothing the hair away from her pale face. “She needs a physic, Kerry. I have a man who tends my soldiers and….”
Breck waved him off disinterestedly, more concerned with regaining his wandering charger. “We’ve no time to spare. The surgeon at Chaldon will attend her.”
For the first time since the ambush, Bose’s cheeks colored with his surging fury and concern.
“For the sake of Mercy, Kerry, allow me to send to Ravendark for my surgeon. He is less than two miles away and I refuse to allow Summer to be carried over miles, injured, simply because you are intent to return me to Chaldon as soon as possible. She needs to be tended to immediately.”
An obedient soldier had captured Breck’s unruly charger, handing the reins to his smug liege.
“If she is still breathing, she can make it back to Chaldon. Moreover, your surgeon will have his hands full when your men hap across the patrol I was forced to subdue. The patrol that was waiting for you, I suspect, to escort you home.”
Bose’s expression hardened. Momentarily diverted from Summer’s injured state, he found himself disturbed by Breck’s callous statement; no wonder a welcoming escort of soldiers had not awaited him as he approached the fortress.
Kerry had disposed of them all in his murderous determination to capture their evasive liege. “Subdue? Or murder?”
Breck mounted his great beast. “I had no choice but to disable them. Not only would they have made your capture quite difficult, but they would have alerted the troops within Ravendark’s walls to my presence. I could not take that chance.”
Bose sighed faintly, with tremendous disgust. “Where are my men, Kerry? What have you done with them?”
Breck tilted his head toward the southeast. “In the woods beyond. Adgar put up an admirable fight, but he was simply overwhelmed by our number. A shame, truly. He was a fine knight.”
Bose closed his eyes tightly, briefly, in a painful display of emotion.
Adgar Ross, a knight whose intelligence and wisdom had been an immense source of comfort, had been a great asset to Bose’s company of fighting men.
Already, Bose missed the man and his quiet sense of humor and as the news filtered deep into his heart, the more enraged he became at the senseless, needless action.
“You did not have to kill him,” his bass-toned voice was scarcely audible. “’Twas me you wanted. There was no need to take Adgar’s life.”
Breck gathered his reins, fussing with the leather straps.
“Aye, it was completely necessary,” he replied carelessly, gesturing for his men to escort the two captives to de Moray’s subdued charger.
“Mount up, Sir Bose. If we ride hard, we can make it to Chaldon come sunrise and be done with this unpleasantness.”
Bose stared at the sinister knight, feeling the piercing jab of a collection of broadswords against his backside. Afraid Summer would be taken from him if he did not comply, he kissed her softly and gathered his reins as an escort of armed men surrounded him.
The horses began to move and Summer abruptly stirred, breaking Bose from his train of thought. Features etched with great concern, he patted her cheek lightly in an attempt to bring her out of unconsciousness.
“Summer?” he whispered, kissing the hand that flailed against his face. “Can you hear me, love? Open your eyes and look at me.”
She sighed raggedly, batting at the left side of her head. “Bose?” she murmured thickly. “What… what ha-happened?”
Her golden eyes rolled open, glazed and cloudy and he smiled, partially with relief and partially to ease her dazed mind. “A small setback, love. Nothing to worry over. We are returning to Chaldon.”
The half-lidded eyes suddenly opened wide. “Breck!” she gasped, her hand still to the left side of her head. “He f-found us! He grabbed me and…Good Lord, my head hurts terribly.”
A massive hand stroked her hair gently as Bose attempted to mask his anxiety; a blow to the head, no matter how weak or insignificant, was not a good thing and he struggled to contain his concerned demeanor. “I know, love. I am sorry I could not protect you better.”
Rubbing at her ear, she shushed him softly. In spite of her throbbing head, she was coming to think rationally and she sat up slightly, the sway of the horse and the pounding inside her skull causing her stomach to twist.
“You were correct all along,” she murmured, glancing about at the Kerry guards and swallowing her nausea. “Breck and my father were indeed on our trail. But I d-do not see any du Bonne men. Where are they?”
Bose shook his head, holding her tightly, protectively, as she endeavored to sit upright on his thighs.
“There aren’t any,” his reply was soft. “’Twould seem that only Breck and his troops have managed to capture us.
I’d be very interested to know where Edward du Bonne’s interests lie in all of this. ”