Chapter 5 #2
“See,” Catarina said triumphantly. “The rope’s been cut. They have a dagger in there. Had you opened the door, one of us would most likely be dead now.”
“Hand over the dagger!” Lysander snarled.
Ewan scoffed at the thought.
Hand over his only weapon? Never.
“Nay.”
“Then the two of you can just stay in there then,” Catarina said.
“There’s one wee problem,” Nora said. “I really need to leave the wagon.”
“Why?” Viktor asked.
“I have to....umm... I just need to leave the wagon. Very soon.”
Ewan cursed as he caught her meaning.
Catarina was the one who answered. “Then you’d best be making your man hand over his dagger.”
Nora looked up at him imploringly.
“Nora, I can’t give them my dagger. If I do that, we’re defenseless.”
“Ewan, I have to leave the wagon. I can’t wait much longer.”
The slot opened and a metal chamber pot was slid through it. “Never let it be said we lack mercy,” Catarina said.
“Oh but you can’t be serious,” Nora said as she eyed it with distaste. “I’ll not be using that with him in here with me.”
“I won’t look.”
Nora was aghast. The man was truly a barbarian to even suggest she do such a thing while they were in such tight quarters.
He was mad!
“Nay! I’ll not be using that. You hand over that dagger right now, Ewan MacAllister, or I swear I shall talk until your ears bleed.”
He grimaced at the threat.
She could see the indecision in his eyes.
“Ewan, please,” she tried again.
Growling under his breath, he removed the dagger from his boot again and handed it through the slot to the gypsies.
“Are you happy now?” he asked, his tone surly.
“Aye. Thrilled.” She turned back toward Catarina, “Now can I be let out?”
The door opened slowly to show Lysander and Bavel holding swords.
Nora descended the wagon and watched the men carefully.
Both men had their attention trained on Ewan who stood assessing them as well. He was coiled like a snake, ready to strike and both men knew it.
Nora bit her bottom lip as she weighed what she should do. Oh bother that, she knew what she needed to do. It was the only way to keep Ewan from attacking them and killing one of the fools.
Stumbling against Lysander, she caught his wrist that held the sword with her hand and gave a sharp twist.
The sword came free as she used her unexpected weight to off-balance him. She pulled her skirt up and wrapped it around her left hand, then turned to face Bavel whose face paled considerably as he looked about trying to decide if he should fight her or not.
Ewan was beside her in an instant. “Give me the sword.”
She stiffened at his implication. “You know, I am quite capable of fighting him. My aunt sent a tutor to me when I was scarce more than a child and at her behest, I studied for years even though it made my father livid that she would dare acquire such without his approval.”
“The sword, Nora. Now.”
She made a face at him as she handed him the sword hilt first. There was no use in arguing with him while they needed to escape. That wasted time, and the distraction would only get them taken again.
“Get him, Bavel,” Lysander said as he came to his feet.
The two men clashed swords.
Nora watched in awe of Ewan’s skill. For a bear, he was quite nimble. He moved like fluid. Graceful. Powerful. He was quite a handsome sight.
And it was quite apparent who the better swordsman was. She doubted if anyone could best Ewan’s skill.
Then Bavel did the unexpected. He ducked beneath one of Ewan’s parries, spun on his heel and handed the sword off to Catarina.
Nora gaped at his actions.
Catarina tested the sword’s balance, then moved in to engage Ewan who backed up in disbelief.
“Afraid of a woman?” Catarina asked.
Ewan shook his head. “I’ll break your arm if I hit your sword.”
“Try me.” She swung, but Ewan didn’t even attempt to parry.
Instead, he ducked and twirled away from her.
“Ewan!” Nora cried, holding her hand out for the weapon.
Nora didn’t really expect him to return the sword to her, but he did.
She inclined her head at him in thanks, then turned to face Catarina. “Shall we?”
Catarina’s eyes glowed. “Let’s.”
Ewan stood back with the men as he watched the women fight. He’d never in his life seen the like. They fought like two champions.
At first, Ewan had almost not handed the sword off to her, but he’d been completely unwilling to hurt Catarina by fighting her. Now he realized he had made a very wise choice in trusting Nora.
“Amazing, eh?” Viktor said, coming to stand beside him. “Catarina is one of the finest swordsmen you’ll ever see.”
Ewan frowned as he looked at the three men beside him, all of whom were watching the women.
He should be fighting the men, but he couldn’t quite manage it while the women were at it. They were fascinating. Not once in his life had he ever seen two women fight with swords.
“Cat was trained by King Phillip himself,” Viktor said. “He always said she had the skill of ten men.”
Ewan agreed. “I’m impressed. She fights well.”
“As does your lady”, Bavel added. “Truly she is Cat’s equal.”
Aye, she was.
“How is it King Phillip trained a Gypsy lass to fight?” Ewan asked.
Viktor and Bavel exchanged uneasy glances. “He’s a friend of the family. Sort of. He’s known Cat all her life.”
Hmmm... how very odd.
“Shouldn’t we be fighting?” Lysander asked.
Ewan unfolded his arms and turned toward the men. “Most likely. Shall we?”
The three gypsies gave each other nervous looks. Viktor and Bavel took a step back.
“Shall we let the women decide this, then?” Viktor asked.
“Aye,” Lysander agreed. “Whoever wins gets...” he paused as if a thought had just occurred to him. “Well, if we let them go we won’t get paid, now will we?”
Viktor sighed. “Most likely not.”
“Get paid for what?” Ewan asked.
“We were hired to abduct you,” Bavel said.
“Why?”
They shrugged. “We were told to ride you and the lady about for a few days and then leave the two of you alone to find your way home.”
“Why?” Ewan repeated.
Again they shrugged.
Ewan whistled at the women. “Ladies, please rest your weapons.”
The women did.
Ewan turned back toward Viktor. “Now tell me again who paid you?”
“No one has paid us yet. We was just told to get you out and then go pick up our money.”
Ewan was completely baffled by their unexpected words. “Who is going to pay you? Did you not see the man who hired you?”
“Well, aye. But we never saw him before,” Bavel said. “He just showed up while we were visiting—”
Lysander cleared his throat and stepped on Bavel’s foot.
Bavel cursed and pushed the man away from him. “I wasn’t going to tell him that.”
“Tell me what?”
“That were visiting Cat’s godmother.”
“Bavel!” Viktor took his hat from his head and hit Bavel with it.
“Ow!” Bavel snapped. “That hurt.”
Ewan moved to stand between them. “Gentlemen, please. Who you were visiting doesn’t concern me. The man who hired you does. What exactly did he say to you?”
Catarina came forward and handed her sword back to Bavel. There was a calculating gleam in her eye that Ewan didn’t quite trust. “He said he would pay us twenty silver marks if we were to grab you and then we’re to get twenty more if we get you to Drixel and then let you go.”
“I thought Viktor said it was to ride me and Nora around.”
“Viktor was mistaken. We were paid to abduct you.”
Ewan frowned at that. That wasn’t what he’d heard while he and Nora had been inside the wagon.
The gypsies were lying to him, but he didn’t know about which part.
Could they have another reason for abducting them?
“Do you know why he wanted you to kidnap me?” Ewan asked.
“He said he wasn’t going to harm you,” Viktor said. “I made a point of asking him that. I didn’t want to take part in killing anyone. He just said that he needed for you to be gone for a short time and that once we had you a few days away from your home, we could let you go.”
“But you didn’t abduct me from my home.”
Viktor squirmed at that. “We were going to, but when we got there, we saw the lady and her man and maid. So we waited until they left and then you left, and then we followed the two of you to the village. It was Cat’s idea that we head out a little early and wait for you in the meadow.”
Ewan’s scowl deepened. How had he missed something as important as four people following them? It wasn’t like him not to have a sixth sense for such things.
No one had ever caught him off guard before.
Of course, he had been drunk and then hung over the entire way to Lenalor. Mayhap Nora was right, he needed to stay sober a little more often.
Ewan rubbed the back of his neck as he considered what he should do about the gypsies and the man who had ordered him taken.
Who would dare such a thing and why?
“What did this man look like?” he asked.
“About this tall.” Lysander held his hand up to indicate the man would be around five six or so. Far too short to be one of his brothers.
Who then?
Who other than one of them would say such let alone pay for it? It didn’t make a bit of sense.
“Is he planning on meeting you in Drixel?”
“That was the plan.”
Ewan turned to Nora. “Would you mind if we traveled with them for a bit longer?”
By her face, he could see she was torn. But when she spoke, her words surprised him. “I’m always up to a bit of adventure.”
“Then you’re not mad at us?” Bavel asked hopefully.
“I’m not particularly amused by the throbbing in my skull, but if the four of you can refrain from drugging me, I think I can manage to forgive you.”
Viktor clapped him on the back. “You’re a good man, Ewan MacAllister. Bavel, get the ale.”
Ewan shook his head as the three men went to the wagon to search out the ale. “I can’t believe I’m traveling with gypsies.”
Nora smiled. “I can’t believe you’re not angry at them.”
He turned to find Nora standing beside him, looking up at him with an appreciative glint in her eyes. The light on her face made her skin look even softer, more touchable. More delectable.