William let them continue in their boasting and stared off down the road at the travelers, who’d reached the hill and soon disappeared over it. He motioned to Roger, who rode to his side.
“There is another road that leads to the village and the keep,” he explained. Raising his hand, he pointed to the east. “Through this field and the other side of this wood. We will go that way.”
“They said this is the road,” his friend replied, nodding in the direction they had been heading. Then Gautier stared at him. “You think there is danger in following them?”
“I think—I know—there is danger in Yester for us. Following them or not, it will find us.”
And know it, he did. To the marrow of his bones, he was certain with every step along this path, they were in grievous danger. When the cover thrown over the back of the wagon had shifted, he’d seen the swords and axes there. A cache of weapons for Lord Hugh’s purposes, whatever they may be. His men, his friends, deserved to know the truth of it.
“We will camp in the woods there and bide our time before we venture into Yester. I would not enter a battle unarmed and will not enter this fray unprepared. Come,” William said to all of them. “We should not remain here in the open.”
They rode through the farmland in silence as William led them along a path only he could see. The road would curve up along the stream and then come to a small clearing. He shook his head, still not believing that he could visualize this area almost as though he flew above it all. They set up a small camp inside the woods near that clearing. Once night had fallen, William shared the fantastical tale of what the king had told him. He would not put their lives at risk without them knowing why. Asking them to think on his words, he gave them the night to decide their willingness to join in his mission. As dawn’s light crept into the thickly clouded sky,
William’s three companions remained with him.
By the time the morning’s fog burned away, he was making his way, alone, into the small village to discover the whereabouts of the lord of Yester.
And mayhap a chance to observe the intriguing and puzzling young woman whose face and voice and eyes now filled his thoughts. With only that thought, he could see exactly where she stood now, sweeping in the small cottage in which she lived.
William shuddered as he realized the impossibility of such knowledge even while it flowed into his mind with a certainty difficult to ignore.
Brienne tuggedthe woolen shawl tighter around herself to ward off the chill of the morning as she walked through the village. Another errand for her father kept her busy for now. Though this was the kind of day when the cold and fog would have made her wish to remain under her blankets for a while longer, the excitement of meeting the four strangers on the road had kept her awake all night long. The anticipation of them arriving in the village and seeing their leader pulsed through her veins.
She met very few strangers here in the village. She traveled outside Lord Hugh’s lands and control infrequently. But even living such a sheltered a life, Brienne understood to her core that this man, thisWilliamas she had heard him called, was someone very important.
And important to her in some yet unknown way. The way his gaze caught hers and made her blood heat had shocked her. But it was more than a man lusting for a woman. Oh, that she’d seen before in men’s eyes enough to recognize it. Though most men here would never dare anything, even young James’s eyes had flashed with wanting when he’d wooed her gently.
No, this William’s gaze felt like a thousand suns, and something within her answered with a heat unlike any of the fires in her father’s smithy. The area on her arm yet burned, the pattern rising once more and becoming clearer to her—two flames moving on her skin, swirling and dancing and burning as they did. Brienne lifted her arm, allowing the woolen shawl and the sleeve of her shift and gown to slide up, revealing the strange patch.
She heard some villagers nearby, so she dropped her arm and let the clothing fall back in place. Continuing on her path, she considered her reactions to this stranger. For a moment, everything else had faded away but him.
And he’d seemed to grow in size and fierceness as he stared at her. Yet, instead of the fear she should have felt and should be feeling now, she felt protected and safe.
The fog thinned and the sun’s light tried to pierce the dullness of the misty morning as she brought water from the well, carried bread to the baker’s ovens, and made her way from task to task as she did on a usual day. But this day was different from all that had passed before. Brienne knew that but would never have been able to explain her certainty. As she spoke to the miller’s wife, her body changed.
As though a strong storm’s wind had blown over her, something moved over her body, awakening the heat within her. The fire within her pushed at its bounds, strengthening and filling her in a way she’d never known before. For a moment she wanted to hold out her hand and let it escape. Turning to see if the change within her was noticeable by anyone, she saw that she’d walked away from the miller’s cottage and down the path without even noticing where her steps had been taking her.
She’d controlled the flames with her power, but she’d never created it. Yet from the strong urge within her, she thought she could. Shivering against such a thing, Brienne glanced around to see if anyone was near.
And that was when she spied him.
William.
Brienne stepped back into the shadows of the cottages and watched him, for from his demeanor and gait, it was clear he did not wish to be recognized or seen. He’d taken only a few strides toward the village when he lifted his head and met her gaze.
The fire pulsed in her now, not just heat or something indefinite as before. The flames urged their release from her. She closed her hands into tight fists to keep them within.
“Brienne.” His whispered voice spoke her name. He took one step toward her and then another and again until he stood before her.
Power flowed from him, much as hers had in the presence of her fath—of Lord Hugh. But his was different and didn’t seem to come from fire. Strength. Loyalty. A man of war. A defender.
Brienne shook her head and realized where she was. She stood barely a pace away from a complete stranger, a man, a noble perhaps, but at least a knight, capable of all manner of things. Her parents had warned her of the danger in such situations as this, and yet she did not feel threatened.
Intrigued. Curious. Drawn. But not threatened.
When his gaze moved to her mouth and then down her body, a shiver passed through her. Those eyes, like the icy surface of the loch when it froze, seemed to look right through her.
What would his touch be like?
