The baron was clawing at the water, searching for the bag he'd thrown. The waves had risen higher, covering up the sandbar.
Ewan held Honora in his arms, watching as John searched for the treasure. "You didn't have to throw it into the sea," she whispered.
"Your life is worth more to me than any treasure." He pressed a kiss against her brow. "Let it go, Honora."
"But, you don't understand—"
She was cut off by the murmuring of voices upon the hillside. Trahern approached on horseback with a gathering of men and women behind him. The men looked murderous, with weapons of every sort in their hands. Knives, sickles, even hammers were grasped in their fists while the women hung behind.
As a group, they advanced down the pathway, and behind them was Honora's father Lord Ardennes. The baron was filthy, his hair matted. In his hands, he carried a sword, and he brought up the last of the people with his own army.
The two guards holding Katherine clenched their weapons, eyeing John for his orders.
"Kill her," John snarled, over the din of the waves. Honora jerked, her gaze terrified. Ewan raced toward her sister, even as he feared he wouldn't make it in time. Honora followed behind him, her own sword in hand.
The guard held Katherine with both arms across her shoulders. The other soldier lifted his own dagger. With her hands bound in front of her, Katherine could do nothing.
Then, another man appeared above the hillside. Sir Ademar dismounted from his horse, roaring, "Katherine, the sword!"
Katherine struggled against the soldier, bashing her head backwards against his nose. Grasping his sword with her bound hands, she unsheathed the heavy weapon.
Ewan could hardly believe what he was seeing. Gentle Katherine swung the soldier's sword against two attackers. She shouldn't have been strong enough to lift the weapon, but she moved with the same lethal swiftness as Honora. Even with her hands still bound.
When he and Honora arrived at her side, Ewan finished the fight, killing both soldiers. Honora could only stare at her sister. "I never knew. All this time, and you never once spoke of it."
Katherine managed a weak smile. "You weren't the only one who learned to wield a sword. I knew that one day, you'd do something foolish. Someone had to protect you."
"That night . . . in the chapel," Honora breathed. "It was you. You defended me against John's man."
"I did." Katherine lowered the weapon, but did not relinquish the hilt. "I saw you leave our room, and I knew someone had been searching your belongings."
Sir Ademar reached Katherine at last, his face rigid with fury and fear. "Katherine," he breathed. He embraced her tightly, touching her hair, her face, to ensure she was all right.
"You're alive," she whispered. "I can't believe it."
Ewan exchanged a glance with Honora as the pair kissed, murmuring softly to one another. He guessed that after he'd taken Honora to Ireland, the pair of them had made a match of their own. Ademar stared at Katherine as if she held the world in her hands, and she smiled at the knight with joy.
Honora squeezed Ewan's hand. "I am glad for them."
"As am I," he said. "And when this is over, I want you to marry me." He lifted her hand to his mouth, and in her eyes, he saw emotions that mirrored his own. "If you'll have me as your husband."
"When this is over," she promised, reaching out to touch his cheek.
But they were interrupted when John stood, immersed up to his chest in water. In his hands, he held a dripping sack. And his face held a dark fury.
"Did you think I wouldn't find it, bitch?" The baron strode toward the edge of the beach, but the people of Ceredys blocked his path and moved closer. Incredulous, John raised his sword. "I am your overlord. Let me pass."
Before he could move, one of the larger men smashed a hammer into John's face. "You violated my wife."
Enraged, the baron slashed his weapon down, blood pouring from his nose. Trahern stepped forward and blocked the sword with his shield. The fight was short-lived, for Trahern disarmed him within moments.
The people of Ceredys encircled in. They took the baron and lifted him up, tossing him backwards into the sea. The weight of his armor pulled him down, and Ceredys scrambled to regain his footing. But he seemed to be trapped, as if he'd stepped into quicksand.
A wave crashed into him from behind, knocking him down. Though his head bobbed up, another wave sent John slamming against the large rock. When the water receded, blood stained the surface of the stone.
Ceredys did not rise again.
John'scousinEdwardtookpossession of Ceredys, as the next heir in line. A soft-spoken man with a fair sense of justice, Edward had been appalled to learn of John's doings. Within a matter of weeks, the new baron worked to restore peace among the people, helping them rebuild. Honora stayed for a time, with Ewan at her side, until she felt confident that the men and women were now protected by Edward. Once Honora was confident that the people were in good hands, she returned to Erin.
