Shesensed someone approaching even before she heard her dogs growl softly inwarning. As the crack of a twig sounded in the stillness, Eada moved to shelterthe baby with her body. When she looked up, she found herself staring at thepoint of a sword. She tore her gaze from that threat to look at the one whoheld it. Inwardly she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the fair hair ofthe youth and his rough attire. He was Saxon and probably her age or only ayear or two older. She knew she was not out of danger, but she felt she had abetter chance of saving herself than if some Norman had found her.
"Wouldyou kill one of your own people?" she asked.
"Ihave seen you with the Normans."
"Iam Eada of Pevensey. I fear I was cursed with the chance to be one of the firstSaxons captured. Would you kill me for that bad turn of luck?"
"Iam Brun of Bexhill," he announced, but he eased his offensive stance onlyslightly. "Aldith was my cousin. If I believe you and you are lying, Icould soon be rotting beside her and that is not a fate I wish to share."
"No.I would guess that you crave a chance to kill Normans."
"Youwould not sound so disparaging if you had seen what those cowardly dogs did inBexhill," he snapped. "Mayhap taking a Norman between your thighs hasstolen away your loyalty to your own people."
"Swine,"she said almost pleasantly, her fear that he would hurt her fading away."What man or men I have taken between my thighs does not concern you. Iintend to survive this bloody, male folly. And now, I intend to see that thisbabe survives as well."
"Heis my kinsman, not yours."
"Youclearly intend to fight Normans. The babe will be safer with me." She tensed,saw her hounds look back toward the camp, and hissed, "If you do notintend to surrender your sword to me, you had best leave this place now.”
"Surrender?Never. And why should I run?"
"Becausea very large, battle-hardened Norman is coming this way." Eada wassuddenly certain that Drogo had woken up, found her gone, and had come to lookfor her. "Do not think to whet your sword upon him."
"Iam not without skill."
"Youare not old enough to learn all that he has learned. Go and save yourself for abigger fight than this, if you must fight at all. Just heed this one thing—ifyou decide you have fought enough and that life is more precious than death inan already-lost battle, surrender to one of these men." After taking onequick glance behind her to be sure Drogo was not yet in sight, she clearlynamed him and each one of his knights. "Or to me."
"Iwill never surrender."
"Thereis no time to argue that. Just remember those names. Now, go, for if Sir Drogosees you holding a sword on me, he will kill you before I can even cry halt.And," she added quickly as, after a brief hesitation, Brun sheathed hissword and started to leave, "if you need aid, call to me."
"Callto you?" Brun's voice was little more than a whisper in the dark for hehad already disappeared into the trees. "Unless you are with me, what canI gain from calling to you?"
"Thereis no time to explain something I am not sure I understand myself. Just do it.Call to me. It brought me to your cousin. It might bring me to you."
Theonly answer she got was a faint rustling as he moved away through the trees.Eada sighed and picked up little Alwyn, who continued to sleep sweetly,blissfully unaware of the tragedy around him. She had not been able to save thechild's mother; and Brun was so angry, so eager to kill Normans, she suspectedthere might not be any saving him.
"Whathas happened here?"
AlthoughEada had been waiting for Drogo, she was still startled when he spoke. Hisvoice sounded frighteningly loud in the moonlit wood. When he stepped up besideher, she looked warily at him. The anger tightening his face began to ease as hestudied Aldith's body.
"Isshe dead?" he asked, finally releasing his grip on his sword hilt.
"Yes.Somehow she dragged herself here from Bexhill, which has been laid waste."Eada shook her head. "There was nothing I could do to save her."
"Howdid you know she was here?"
Eadagrimaced. "I heard her call for help."
"Iheard nothing."
"Iheard her in my head," she said, watching him closely as she stood up,Alwyn held close to her chest. "Her voice was in my head and it pulled mehere."
Shecursed inwardly when she heard the defensive tone in her voice. What he thoughtor felt about the strange things happening to her should not matter, but theydid. That annoyed her for she did not want to care about his opinion of her—notnow, not when they stood on opposite sides of a bloody war, and especially notwhen she stood next to the body of a young woman slaughtered by the Normans.
"Youheard her call to you within your head, but not with your ears?" he asked.
"Yes,within my head."
