“Well, priest, what the bloody hell do we do now?” Roger called out to him. His men were trained fighters, but to kill these people was wrong.
Brienne screamed again, struggling with Hugh, who nodded again and called out some word he did not understand. But those under his power did, and they began to run now, growing closer very quickly.
“Gavin! Father!” she screamed, but the man who used to be her father did not even blink at the sound.
“Roger, Gautier,” William called out. “Tell the others. Knock them down. Do not strike them unless you must!”
He had expected a diversion. Any good battle commander would. However, this was not what he’d expected at all. A counterattack mayhap. More men attacking from a different direction. But not this depravity. Now he watched as Gavin turned and stalked him.
“William.” She called out his name once, and when he looked at her, she fainted. Hugh mocked with a salute and rode off carrying her unconscious body with him. He had barely turned back when Gavin launched his attack.
Being a blacksmith, Gavin had the strength and experience to wield a sword well, and he did it in spite of whatever spell controlled him. William felt his blood rise as he faced the challenge, but he forced it back, preferring not to slaughter this man. Using his own skills, he pushed him back and back until one of his men came up from behind Gavin and hit him on the head with the hilt of a sword.
He joined his men, and they did the same all over the field, though fighting children was the most sickening thing he’d ever faced in battle. Finally, after more than an hour of fighting, they had prevailed. A number of villagers had been wounded and a few of his men as well, and it would take time to see to them. Roger approached as he spoke with Marcus about the spell used on the villagers.
“Gavin is . . . awake and would like to speak to you, Will,” he said. There was a distance in his friend’s tone that bespoke of trouble.
“Is aught wrong, Roger?” he asked, following him to where the blacksmith was tending to his neighbors.
“I just look at you and see that . . . warblood creature. How?” Roger let out a breath and stopped. “Do you have any idea what you look like when you change?” He shrugged and shook his head in reply. “I thought I was prepared. I thought I’d seen it before, on that day, but Sweet Christ, Will! You turned into a seven-foot-tall, blue berserker before our eyes.”
Roger raked his hands through his hair and shook his head.
They’d faced so many shocks this day, William had no doubt they all wanted to leave and go back to their customary existences.
“And I will again, Roger. From what Marcus tells me, I will often, and I may not have seen the full extent of whatever my powers might be. And there will be others with other powers.”
He noticed the others were listening and decided it best to sort this out now.
“This is unlike anything I have faced before in my life, and it is not over,” he called out to his men. “We are being called to a purpose unlike any we can imagine. Some of us will survive and some will not. In good faith, I cannot force you to keep your pledges of service to me now that this has been thrust on me.” He met the gaze of each of his men and then Gavin’s. “But I must answer this call. I must stop this man—this monster—who would destroy everything that is good.”
“So, each of you, examine your own consciences and make your decision. Those of you willing, those of you able, we leave in two hours. Those of you who cannot commit your lives and souls to this endeavor are free to leave with my blessing and my thanks for your service.”
As he walked over to where Gavin sat, he heard Marcus’s words to Aislinn the seer.
“As you told us, the prophecy said the warrior will lead us.”
It struck him then—he had not considered the priests and their pivotal role in this. Marcus spoke of chanting at the stone circle and reading the signs, but if they all knew . . .
“Marcus, do all of your priests know the signs? Do they all know how to chant at the circles?”
“Aye, William. They share the visions and the dreams, though Aislinn is the most powerful and will be the one to close the circle.”
“And you sent one of your men after Hugh?”
“Ahead to watch and follow,” he said, nodding. “What troubles you, Will?” Roger asked, listening to the exchange.
“If they all know, then they each know,” he said.
“What do you want us to do?” Roger asked, understanding the problem.
“I fear there is nothing we can do for the one sent ahead, but we must guard the rest of you.”
The problems and challenges piled up in front of him with every passing minute. His only hope was that Hugh wanted him to follow to rescue Brienne, because if he did, he’d keep her alive. He hoped that Hugh would find the prospect of luring Will to her pivotal right now. Marcus had explained that either she or Hugh could be used in sacrifice to open the gateway, but chances were that Hugh would sacrifice her. And William knew he would do anything necessary to rescue and claim her.
He just prayed Brienne could do what she must to stay alive until he could reach her. Once she was safe in his arms, he would claim her heart and let the warblood inside tear Lord Hugh de Gifford apart with his bare hands.
ChapterTwenty-Two
