“Ah, I should have cowered in here until we slowly starved to death.”
“Gisele—”
“I did what I had to do. It is unfortunate that the DeVeaux were about, but I do not believe they will be storming our little castle. Now I have the food to help you heal and get strong again. Then we can leave here. Nigel, even I can hold you in place with little effort. You cannot fight, and neither can I. Here is where we must stay, at least for a little while longer.”
Nigel said nothing for a moment, hating to admit that she was right, then he curtly nodded in agreement. “Your disguise fools no one, ye ken.”
“I am aware of that.” She told him what happened with the baker, and was pleased to see him smile faintly. “There was no choice, Nigel. You must see that.”
“I do, but that doesnae mean that I must like it.”
She just laughed and moved to get him some food. After he ate some bread and cheese and washed it down with some wine, he fell asleep. His attempt to come and find her had sapped his strength, but she felt sure he would quickly regain it, that he had not done himself any lasting damage.
As she washed herself with some of the cool water she decided that she would now have to tell Nigel what she was doing and where she was going. He was no longer sleeping the day away, leaving her free to come and go as she pleased. The man might argue her plans, but if he knew what she was doing he would not try to come and find her again, risking his health.
Nigel woke up one more time as the sun set. She washed him down, changed his bandage, and fed him. His wound was already beginning to close, but he was too disgusted with his weakness to be very pleased by that news. Gisele sighed, realizing that she had been right. Nigel Murray was going to be a difficult patient.
Just as she prepared to get into bed beside him an eerie noise cut through the still night air, and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Wolves. There was a good chance that they had finally found the bodies, and the things she had thrown on top of them were not going to immediately deter them from trying to scavenge some food. For a moment she sat where she was, frozen by her fear. Then she moved to build a fire near the mouth of the cave. If the wolves were near enough to scent the bodies, it might not take them long to smell the horses and come looking for that prey. She suspected that they could easily scent Nigel if they drew near to the cave, for they were skilled at sniffing out the weak and injured.
Using some of the extra wood she had begun to pile in the back of the cave, she made a large fire, then set a good supply of wood close at hand to feed it with. She picked up one of the swords she had taken from the dead men and sat behind the fire watching the opening to the cave. The fire should be enough to keep the wolves at a distance, but she wanted to be ready in case hunger drove one of them to try to cross that barrier. As she prepared to guard her shelter she took one last covetous glance at the bed.
It was almost dawn before the wolves drew near enough for her to see them. All of her encroaching exhaustion fled as she saw the light of the fire reflect off the eyes of at least a half-dozen of the animals. She clutched at her sword, trembling slightly as she heard them growl.
“Gisele,” Nigel called softly from the bed.
“Go back to sleep,” she replied in an equally soft voice, never taking her gaze from the enemy before her.
“Are they close?”
“Close enough.” She saw no point in worrying him, for he could do nothing to help, might even stir the animals to attack if he moved closer.
“The fire should keep them away.”
“I know. It is working well.”
Nigel cursed. “Ye shouldnae have to be protecting me.”
“Why not? You have been protecting me for a long time now. A few nights of lost sleep is but a small recompense. Now, go back to sleep. There is nothing you can do to help, and I think all this talk is making them more interested in us than they might otherwise be.”
He relaxed, forcing himself to accept her protection. Recalling her fear of wolves, he decided they could not be that close, for she had spoken in a fairly calm voice. She was right. Even if the animals did draw near enough to attack, he would be little more than an easy meal. It hurt his pride to admit that, but he had to face the truth. If he did attempt to go and help her he would only distract her from what she had to do, and that would cause more harm than good. He reached out and pulled his sword closer, however. Having it at hand made him feel a little less like a helpless bairn, he mused as his weakness slowly forced him to accept sleep despite his best attempts to stay awake.
Gisele breathed a sigh of relief when Nigel did not speak again. He had clearly not seen the red eyes she was staring into, so did not realize how close at hand danger was. That was exactly how she wanted it. At the moment the wolves stared at her, and she stared at them. Soon the sun would be up, and she hoped they would slip away. If Nigel had stumbled over to her side, he could have startled them into attacking, fire or no fire. He would also have forced her to divide her attention, and that could have been dangerous. It was terrifying to face the beasts alone, but she knew that, this time, there was no other choice.
By the time the wolves crept away the sun was already over the horizon, and every muscle in Gisele’s body ached with stiffness. Each time one of the animals had edged closer, she had carefully put a little more wood on the fire, keeping it hot and bright. Nigel had remained quiet, and the terrified horses had remained as still as she had. Gisele knew she had been lucky in that, but she still felt proud of herself. Although she knew she was still afraid of the animals, she had learned that her fear did not have to make her a coward.
She put out the fire and wearily tended to the horses. After washing her face and hands she crawled into bed beside Nigel, keeping her sword close at hand. After the long night she had just spent, she knew there was yet another thing she had to learn—how to fight. As she gave in to sleep she wondered if Nigel would be willing to teach her, or if it were going to be something she would have to try to learn on her own. No matter what, she swore that she would never spend another moment like that. Nigel could protest all he wanted, but she would never again face down an enemy knowing that she had no skill to fight them off if they attacked.
Fourteen
“What are ye doing?”
Gisele stumbled, startled into clumsiness when that deep voice sounded directly behind her. Thinking that Nigel was still asleep, she had picked up his sword and practiced swinging it, vainly trying to imitate the way she had seen men fight. She had done the same during every private moment she could steal since facing down the wolves two nights ago. By keeping it a secret she had hoped to avoid any confrontation with Nigel. That confrontation was obviously now at hand, and she slowly turned to face him. She knew she was blushing, from embarrassment over her ineptitude and not from shame over playing at a man’s game, but she was able to face him calmly. She might not be able to make him understand it or agree, but she would not allow him to stop her.
“I was attempting to learn how to use a sword,” she replied.
Nigel snatched the sword from her grasp. “That isnae something any wee lass should want to do.”
She snatched the sword back, his raised brows telling her that her action had surprised him. “There is something else thiswee lassdoes not want to do—die.”
