Lady Gallant (52 page)

"Coy little bitch, I've found you."

Blade dodged aside, whipping around to face Christian, and put his hand to his dagger hilt. Christian jumped, landing on top of Blade and squashing the youth's lighter body beneath his own. In a heart's beat his dagger was nicking the flesh at the side of Blade's throat. The youth went limp.

"Giving up so quickly?" Christian asked. "Unsporting of you, marchpane, for I lust after your suffering as much as for your blood."

Blade turned his head to the side as if to avoid the prick of the dagger. "I told you. I was grateful to Nora because I finally remembered who I was."

"How unfortunate that your discovery will do you no good."

"My father was dying when last I saw him."

"Be quiet."

"There is only me. I know that much. I'm his only child, spawned when he was already old. Think you he still lives, after grieving for my loss?"

"Keep silent, you whoreson infant cuckolder."

"Your father was quite young, but mine—"

"Damn your soul." Christian eased the dagger tip from Blade's throat. "Your name?"

"Nicholas. Nicholas Edward Fitzstephen. My home is on the Scottish border, a crumbling pile of stone and lichen, if I remember well. The Scots' raids have drained us, and Father likes not court or city life, so we kept to ourselves. You told me I sounded like an Oxford don. That's because my old tutor came from there. Father's mistake was to send me south to Oxford for more study. I never got there."

"You still might not."

"God's arse, Christian, I told you."

"Cease your protests." Christian shifted his weight, but still pinned Blade to the boulder. "Curse it, I could have killed you if you hadn't remembered."

From behind a tree a voice called, "Lies. If he was going to kill you, you'd be dead."

Christian sprang off the boulder, whirling to face the owner of that voice. Blade dropped to his side as Jack Midnight sauntered into view followed by a half dozen minions.

Christian stared at his old enemy and cursed his own schoolboy jealousy for leading him into Jack Midnight's snare.

Midnight guffawed at Christian's expression and spoke to Blade. "He's wondering now. Wondering if you tricked him. His brain's bubbling and simmering with it, trying to decide if he can trust you. You were always quick, my treasure." Midnight held out a hand, palm up. "Come closer."

Christian held back, as did Blade.

"Don't make me send someone after you. So undignified for two lads of such noble lineage to be manhandled nd trussed up like geese."

Christian walked toward Midnight, halting at sword length. Blade followed to stand at his side. Midnight smiled at them, his gaze lingering to catch Christian's eye and hold it. Laughing softly, he walked in a circle, inspecting his two captives. He clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"For shame, rushing away without swords. Hot-blooded youth is your downfall."

Midnight stopped in front of Christian and drew his sword. His men closed in, weapons drawn. Christian dared not move.

"Throw the daggers in the pool," Midnight said. Christian obeyed, and Blade also. As the daggers hit the water, Midnight raised his sword and touched Christian's cheek with the tip.

"I’ve been waiting a long time, love." Mouth closed, Christian remained silent while he assessed his chances. He couldn't move until he knew whether Blade was an enemy or not. As if he sensed Christian's dilemma. Midnight chuckled.

Crooning softly, he said, "Ah, no, it's not what you think. One of my men spotted the boy. I thought to catch one pretty rooster and got two instead. Blade was always a bloodthirsty little cock, so I had to wait for more men. You see, it's a hard task to catch a beast rather than kill it, but I'm patient, and look at my reward."

"I'm not a child anymore," Christian said. "What do you want with me? Or with Blade?"

"That is my secret, love. And besides, you've hunted me from one end of this island to another for vengeance's sake, so you shouldn't be surprised."

"Where do you think I learned it?"

"Enough talk." Midnight traced a line down Christian's cheek with the sword and rested the point at the base of his captive's throat. "Now be a good boy and let Odo tie your hands."

"No. If you want me, you'll have to kill me." Midnight hesitated. Christian tightened his leg muscles for a jump backward, but the highwayman's next words sucked the strength from his body.

"You don't want to die, Kit my love, for then you won't hear who it was who brought me out on this day of all days." Midnight paused to heighten Christian's interest. "Not Blade, love. Nora."

Christian shook his head.

"Oh, yes. The lady sent a message. Take him away, she begged. Kill him. A determined woman, your wife."

The world grew cold as Christian listened. He tried not to
i
hear,
but the words sank into his brain like arrows shot from a crossbow. Had he been fooled all along?

Blade jerked at his sleeve, rousing him. "It's another lie. Don't let him deceive you."

Shaking his head again, Christian said to Midnight, "You always did have a facile wit for a peasant, but you'll never convince me that Nora would—" He forgot what he was saying when Midnight held up a letter with a broken seal.

"An entreaty in your wife's own hand, love."

Christian slowly took the proffered letter. A few words crawled on black legs across the page.
Come to Falaise and he will be yours.
At the sight of Nora's name beneath the message, he shut his eyes. The letter was taken from him while he tried to stop the destruction of his very being.

Pitting all his will against it, he still lost, and hope died. It was if he were a castle and his foundation stones had turned to water. He could feel their massive support dissolve.

"You fool," Blade said. "That letter is false. She would no more betray you than light the faggots beneath a heretic at the stake."

"I hurt her so much," Christian said, not seeming to notice when Blade was pulled away from his side.

He stood motionless. With a ring of swords around him he couldn't dredge up the will to resist as Jack Midnight closed in on him.

"Christian!" Blade shouted, straining against the men who held him.

While Christian studied a dead log with blurred vision, Midnight grasped his arms and pulled them forward. With elaborate care the thief slipped a pair of manacles around Christian's wrists. Midnight's palm brushed his cheek, and Christian looked .up to meet his enemy's bemused gaze.

"I expected fury and a fight."

Giving his head a slight shake, Christian tried to summon his old venom but found it drained along with his will.

"Have I your attention, love?" Midnight lifted Christian's chin. "Have I won at last, without having to put you to the scourge?"

"I would have preferred the scourge. Now I don't care what you do with me."

Christian watched without much interest as realization suffused his opponent. Midnight swore and yanked on the manacles.

"Bestir yourself. I want a fight."

His voice faint, Christian said, "There is no reason."

"There is reason!" Midnight shouted. "God's cock, your lineage is reason enough. And I want my final vengeance. I want you to fight and writhe when I break you to the saddle. There's no satisfaction in commanding a docile slave. Why do you think I chose you, and then Blade as your second?"

"I don't care."

Midnight sprang at Christian, slapping him across the cheek, then crashing his fist into his jaw. Christian reeled under the blows, his head near bursting. He sank to one knee, but two of Midnight's men hauled him upright to stand between them. Christian tried to pay attention, but the death of hope was smothering him.

He felt as if his wits were seeping from his body, trickling out on the ground and bleeding into the soil where they would be lost. He couldn't summon the will to protest, even when Midnight grabbed the chain between his wrists and dragged him to a tree. He heard Blade shouting, but it was too much of an effort to attend to the meaning of the words.

Vaguely surprised when someone unfastened his manacles, Christian's interest ebbed when they were replaced with his hands held behind him. Midnight tied a rope to the chain between the iron cuffs and tossed the other end of it over a branch overhead. He appeared at Christian's side, rope gathered in one hand.

"You need reminding of who is master," he said.

The highwayman began to tighten the rope, and Christian's arms inched backward until they were taut.

Blade hurled obscenities from where he had been tied to another tree. "Midnight, you son of a dog bitch, let him go!"

"Do be silent," Midnight said. "Your turn will come soon enough."

At this, Christian roused. "Midnight, release the boy. You have me."

"I want you both. Feel how much I want you."

Midnight yanked on the rope. With a snapping sound, it pulled tight, and pain stabbed through Christian's shoulders and arms. His body jerked. He bit back a cry as a burning sensation fired along his strained muscles and tendons. Midnight released the rope, and Christian's arms dropped.

The movement caused greater agony as the tension on His muscles was released. His jaw clamped shut to prevent a scream of pain. Sweat beaded his face, arid his breath hissed through locked teeth. Midnight jerked the rope once more, and pain tore through his flesh again as the weight of his own body ripped at his chest and arms.

At last Christian cried out, then sank his teeth into his lower lip to prevent another lapse. Midnight loosened the rope, and waves of pain washed through Christian's arms, turning his leg muscles to water. He wobbled, but Midnight caught him around the waist. The thief shouted something at him, but Christian was deep in the anguish and couldn't hear.

As he felt himself losing the ability to control his responses, he decided that he didn't like pain any more than he had before Nora had made him want to die. A pity he'd not discovered this important truth a little sooner.

Christian chuckled at himself, and the chuckle fermented and frothed until it became laughter. Leaning against the highwayman, he shivered. Old memories of beatings came to him in red-tinged images of Midnight's face. Midnight's hand on a whip. Shivering again, Christian realized he hadn't stopped laughing.