"Onlyyou would use a woman as a weapon." She cried out in pain as, in one swiftmove, he pushed May aside and backhanded Eada across the face.
Eadastudied him through the tears of pain stinging her eyes and felt a deep fearchill her heart. Even in the faint light of the moon she could see the glitterof madness in his eyes. He blamed all his woes on Drogo, refusing to face hisown weaknesses and mistakes. There would be no reasoning with the man.
"Charles,"he ordered the thinner of the two men with him, "I want you to go to SirDrogo and tell him that I hold his woman. He is to come to this village, aloneand unarmed, and hand himself to me. Peter, help me tie these two whoresup."
Eadawatched the man called Charles head back to the camp as she and May wereroughly bound together. This time she had not just put herself in danger, butMay and Drogo as well. Even the thought that her voices had said Sir Guy woulddie before seeing London was not enough to comfort her. Those voices had nevertold her if Drogo would live or die.
Shecried out in pain as Sir Guy pushed her and May down onto the ground. He stoodover them, grinning as she tried to right herself and May; finally, awkwardly,she propped their bound bodies against the side of a cottage. Anger seepedthrough her fear. There was no reason for this. No crimes had been committedagainst the man other than the ones he imagined in his twisted mind.
"Drogowill kill you," she said, glaring at Sir Guy, then leaning away from himwhen he crouched in front of her.
Hegrabbed her chin in a tight hold and forced her to face him. "Drogo willrun to try to save you. That is his way. I should have recognized that weaknessin him before. I might have won my battle with him before he disgracedme."
"Youdisgraced yourself. Drogo was not the one that made you hide in those treeswith murder on your mind. If you suffer now, your suffering is all of your ownmaking."
"No.It is Drogo de Toulon's fault," he screamed as he leapt to his feet."He has always made me look the fool. He is the one who has turned my ownfamily against me. Now, after all these years, I can finally make him pay forthe insults he has done me."
Eadasaid nothing, for nothing she might say would make any difference. The man'sown words confirmed his madness. Her fate was in Drogo's hands. She prayed hecould think of a way to save them both.
Drogostared at Charles, his fists at his side, clenching and unclenching as hefought the urge to beat the skinny, long faced man. "Tell Sir Guy that Iwill come."
"Ithink he meant for you to return with me," Charles said, the squeak in hisvoice revealing his nervousness.
"Asyou wish."
"Wait!"Charles pointed to the sword at Drogo's waist. "You are to comeunarmed."
"Ofcourse, Sir Guy would never invite a fair fight," he murmured.
AsDrogo slowly removed his sword, he drew closer to a furious Serle. He had onlya moment to tell his men what he wanted them to do. His head bowed, he used theremoval of his sword to hide the fact that he talked to Serle.
"Ileave it to you to get me free of this trap," he whispered, daring onequick glance at his man to see Serle nod in understanding. "Use the twoSaxon boys if you need to. The more men you have, the better the chance that youcan stop this madman without injury to Eada or me."
"Aquick attack and swift disarming or death is what is needed," Serlemurmured, lowering his head to hide his face as he answered. He accepted thesword Drogo handed him and raised his head to glare at Charles.
"Iam ready," Drogo said, and he walked past Charles and headed toward thevillage.
"Theywill all pay dearly for this, lad," Serle called after Drogo and smiledcoldly when Charles looked his way.
Drogosilently laughed as Charles quickened his pace, hurrying to get away fromSerle. It did not surprise him that the men Sir Guy gathered around him were ascowardly as he was. His own helplessness angered him, but he did not reallyfear the man he was about to face. Sir Guy was fool enough to think that he hadwon, and that would give Serle and his men the chance to come up behind him.
Asharp taste of fear stung the back of his throat when he saw Eada and May tiedand sitting at a grinning Sir Guy's feet. It was quickly replaced by rage. As hedrew nearer, he could see the dark stain of blood at the corner of Eada's lipand knew Sir Guy had struck her. It took all his willpower not to leap at theman.
"Yourcowardice is only surpassed by your stupidity," Drogo said in a tight,cold voice and he calmly eyed the sword Sir Guy suddenly held at his throat.
"Yourlife now sits on the tip of my sword, Sir Drogo," he said. "I wouldbe wary of spitting out too many insults."
"Oh,you are certainly able to kill me now, but have you given any thought to whatwill happen when you do?"
"Whatmore can happen to me? I have been cast aside by my own family, shunned as adisgrace. There is no hope of gain for all the fighting I have done. Even myfellow knights turn away from me, treating me as little more than dirt upontheir boots."
"Butyou are alive. I can promise you that if you kill me and the women, you willnot live out the night." He noticed a sudden sheen of sweat appear on SirGuy's upper lip and realized that the man was not as confident of victory as hetried to appear. "My men hold a greater loyalty than any of the dogs youhave sniffing at your heels. They will hunt down the man who has my blood uponhis hands. There is no place in all of England or in France where you will besafe."
"Shutyour mouth!" Guy screamed.
Drogoeasily dodged the wild swing of Sir Guy's sword, but before he could move todisarm the man, Sir Guy's two friends grabbed hold of him. He fought to freehimself of their grasp until Sir Guy placed the tip of his sword at Eada'sthroat. Enraged by his own inability to help her, he grew still and glared atSir Guy.
"Letthe women go," he said in as calm a voice as he could muster. "Theygain you nothing. It will only blacken your name more when it is known that youkilled two helpless women."
