Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cam didn’t want an audience for what was to come and, evidently, Drostan felt the same way.
Ternan cleared out what men happened to be in or near the hall.
Usually, witnessing combat like this was highly prized, but Drostan didn’t want an audience for one very good reason—in case Cam won.
It would be demoralizing to his men to see The Beast defeated, especially when Drostan himself had touted the man’s unbeatable skills, so if it was going to happen, he didn’t want anyone to witness it.
As men wandered from the hall, Cam noted that Drostan went to speak with The Beast and it gave Cam an opportunity to move unnoticed. While those two were occupied, Cam removed a tiny dirk from the belt on his waist and turned to Isadora, who was still propped up against the stone wall.
Standing over the woman, he palmed the dirk and assumed a hostile pose with his arms folded over his chest. Posturing over her, he glared at her so if anyone saw him, it looked as if he were menacing her.
“Ye must act fearful of me, Issie,” he whispered. “Look at me as if ye’re terrified.”
She nodded obediently, her eyes filling with tears. “What is going tae happen now?”
“I dunna want ye tae worry,” he muttered. “I’m going tae grab yer hair now, as they might expect me tae do, but I have a dirk in my hand. Yer da gave it tae me. I’m going tae drop it intae yer hands, or as close as I can get it. I want ye tae try tae free yerself. Do ye understand?”
The tears spilled over. “I will,” she said. “But what are ye going tae do?”
“Kill The Beast.”
She closed her eyes and hung her head, utterly terrified. For a woman who didn’t show her fear, that meant something to Cam. It broke his heart. He dropped to one knee and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her head back gently, but making it look like a sharp movement. He put his face in hers.
“Ye may have tae fight yer way out,” he rumbled, slipping the dirk into her hand.
“If The Beast somehow defeats me, dunna try tae save me. Do ye understand? Ye must run. Run out of here and use that dirk on anyone who tries tae stop ye. The horse that Clegg gave me is in the bailey. Get on that horse and ride. Ride home, Issie. Promise me.”
A sob escaped her lips. He was holding her head tightly, but her crying wasn’t from pain. It was from the fear of losing Cam.
“I love ye,” she whispered. “Until the end of all things, I’ll love ye and only ye.”
He hoped it wouldn’t be the last time he heard that from her. He let her go.
Thu fhèin, he mouthed.
Only you.
Those were words that belonged only to them and always would. Turning around, he could hear her sniffling behind him. When he saw Ternan heading in his direction as if concerned he’d done something to the lady, Cam raised his hands to signify that he was finished with her before moving away.
Ternan seemed rather protective of Isadora and he eyed Cam suspiciously before asking Isadora if she was well enough.
Isadora nodded and averted her gaze. When the man finally sidled away, Isadora cast Cam a sidelong glance, watching as he stripped off his tunic, as was the fashion of the Ludus Caledonia.
He was preparing to do battle.
Across the hall, The Beast was doing the same thing. Drostan, finished speaking with The Beast, came out into the middle of the floor and looked at the two combatants.
“There will be no weapons in this fight,” he told them both. “This will be by strength only. If a man falls, the fight will continue until he is undeniably subdued. That means unable or unwilling tae fight any longer. Do ye understand?”
Cam nodded, watching The Beast do the same. Cam thought back to the last time he’d fought the barbarian. He’d had a club that time at least, something he’d been able to knock against The Beast’s skull. He’d also used that club to choke The Beast, but that wasn’t going to be the case today.
He was going to have to use his brute strength.
Cam was strong, but The Beast was stronger.
He was bigger, heavier, and more powerful.
Cam knew he was at a disadvantage right away, but that didn’t stop his determination.
He knew he was going to have to bring the man down any way he could and he wasn’t going to fight like an honorable gentleman.
He was going to fight like a brute and use any and all tactics available to him.
Drostan backed out of the center of the hall, moving to the feasting table which was over near the hearth.
The hall was big enough that there was a great open area on the south side of it, which was where Cam and The Beast were now sizing up each other.
Drostan settled down at the feasting table and clapped his hands loudly.
“Begin!” he boomed.
Cam and The Beast moved toward each other.
They stopped when they came to within a few feet of one another and Cam put up his fists, preparing to defend himself from a punch and also to throw one when the time was right.
But The Beast used his height and his longer arm reach to lash out, clipping Cam on the nose.
As Cam stepped back, out of the way, The Beast aggressively charged him and landed a heavy blow on his jaw.
Cam went down.
On his backside and seeing stars, Cam knew he had to come back strongly. The sooner he ended this, the better, so as The Beast loomed over him, he lashed out a foot and caught the man right in the groin as hard as he could.
It was a dirty move, but it worked. As The Beast groaned and collapsed, Cam lurched to his feet and latched on to The Beast’s back because it was the safest place to be. He’d subdued the man like this once before and he was going to do it again.
But this time, he wasn’t simply going to subdue The Beast.
He was going to kill the man.
When The Beast realized Cam was climbing onto his back, he reached up and grabbed Cam around the head, flipping him off and onto the floor. Cam landed on his back and The Beast pounced.
After that, the brutal fight commenced in earnest.
*
She had the dirk in her hand.
It had taken some doing, but Isadora managed to get a good grip on the little dirk that Cam had given her and as Cam and The Beast rolled around on the floor of the great hall, Isadora began to slice furiously at the ropes binding her.
She didn’t want to watch the fight, especially when The Beast got his hands around Cam’s neck.
It sent her into a panic but as she watched, Cam raised a knee and caught the big man in the gut, causing him to falter.
Cam then gouged at his eyes and The Beast wailed, momentarily blinded, as Cam threw a series of punches into his sensitive nose and mouth area.
It was turning into a bloody mess.
Isadora looked away. It wasn’t that blood bothered her on the whole; it was simply that seeing Cam in the fight for his life and knowing there was no way she could help him made her sick.
Using the dirk, she sawed faster.
The dirk was sharp and, soon enough, it broke through and she could feel the bindings loosen. In fact, everything seemed to be unraveling but she didn’t move too much, afraid Drostan or Ternan would take note.
They were riveted to the fight, however, and not looking at her, so Isadora slowly shifted her body to bring her bound ankles near her buttocks.
Eyes on her captors to ensure they didn’t notice what she was doing, she used the sharp dagger to slice through the bindings around her ankles without being seen.
Realizing she was nearly free, she felt her heart begin to race with excitement.
She dared to take her eyes from Drostan and Ternan, looking to the fight taking place in the hall only to see that Cam had managed to get in behind The Beast and as she watched, he threw his arm over the man’s throat and held him in such a way that he was slowly strangling him.
Realizing that the battle might soon be over, Isadora fought down her panic.
The Beast was turning shades of red, trying to grab Cam around the head to flip him off again, but Cam was holding on to him so tightly that the man wasn’t able to get a grip on him.
The Beast coughed and choked, his face starting to turn purple, but Cam didn’t let go.
He had his head tucked in behind The Beast’s head, avoiding the enormous hands that were grabbing at him.
The Beast was losing consciousness.
Onto the floor, The Beast sprawled with Cam on his back as Cam slowly squeezed the life from him. Seeing this, Drostan realized he had to break up the fight and he stood up from the feasting table.
“Enough,” he said. “Cam, let him go. Cam! Do ye hear me?”
If Cam heard him, he didn’t acknowledge it. He kept squeezing and The Beast’s movements were growing less and less as his life slipped away. Enraged, Drostan marched over to the edge of the fight area but he didn’t get too close. He didn’t want to get caught up in the battle.
“I said let him go!” he bellowed. “Cam, I command it! Ye won the fight, man! Release him!”
Cam didn’t respond and The Beast stopped struggling.
As Drostan stood there and shouted at Cam, Isadora leapt to her feet, the ropes falling aside.
For her sake, for her father’s sake, and for Cam’s sake, she was going to finish this.
Before anyone realized she was free, Isadora was running across the hall floor and heading straight for Drostan.
Caught off guard, Drostan looked up in time to see Isadora as she threw herself against him, toppling him to the ground. As he cried out, the tiny dagger in Isadora’s hand plunged straight into his neck.
And that was where it remained as Drostan Lindsay bled out onto the cold stone floor.