Alec’s grip did not loosen. Then, slowly, he relaxed and Nigel spilled to the floor in a coughing heap. Alec loomed over him like the Angel of Death.
“I have no time for your games,” he growled. “You will tell me what I want to know and I, in turn, will ask Edward for leniency for your case.”
Nigel propped himself up on an elbow, rubbing at his throat. “I told you, I did not know of his plans,” he eyed Alec. “But if you wish for me to help you, a pledge for leniency will not be sufficient.”
Alec glanced at Edward. The king gazed emotionlessly at Nigel for a moment before turning away. “Grant him his freedom if he will help you find your wife, Alec.”
Nigel, wide-eyed, watched the king lumber for the door, the characteristics of a weary man. When he should have been asleep, he was in the midst of a critical crisis. Edward knew for a fact that if something had happened to Lady Summerlin, he could completely disregard Alec’s pledge of service. He suspected, more than likely, that Alec Summerlin would cease toexist and he was willing to do everything in his power to prevent the probability.
“Tell me,” Alec diverted Nigel’s attention away from the king. “Where would Colin take her?”
Nigel rose to unsteady feet and staggered to the nearest chair, still rubbing at his throat. As much as he loved his son, he was a selfish man. He saw freedom looming before like water before a thirsting man and he was drawn to it. Above all, he must preserve his own life and he was not ashamed that he was about to betray his only son.
Above all, he must survive. The battle against St. Cloven and Blackstone was already over, he would admit. But it did not mean that he had to become a casualty. Arrogance vanished, he would tell them everything he could.
“I truly do not know,” he said hoarsely, thinking. “Certainly, he would not return her to Wisseyham, knowing it would be the first place you would search. More than likely, he has taken her someplace where you would never find her.”
Alec’s face was ashen, taut. “He plans to kill her?”
Nigel met his gaze steadily. “If she is already dead, he must find a suitable place to dispose of the body. If she isn’t dead, then he surely intends to kill her.”
Alec’s jaw ticked furiously. “You are his father. Where do you think he will take her?”
Nigel thought a moment; betraying his son had been easier than he had anticipated and he felt no remorse. After all, he hadn’t told Colin to abduct that woman. If his son’s foolishness got him killed, Nigel certainly wasn’t to blame. He cleared his throat, rubbed at it.
“He has always held a fascination for the Fens,” he said.
“The Fens?” Ali repeated sharply. “North of Guyhirn?”
Nigel nodded slowly, thoughtfully. “Once, when he was a lad, his old nurse used to weave a tale of Druid priests dumping thebodies of sacrificial victims into Wicken Fen because the ground absorbed the corpses and left no trace. Colin always held a strange interest in Wicken Fen because of it. If I were he, that is where I would go.”
“Wicken Fen is the other direction, south of Ely,” Ali said quietly. “We can make it there in a few hours.”
“He already has a four hour lead on us,” Alec murmured dully, his gaze lingering on Nigel one last time. “Are you reasonably certain he would take her to Wicken Fen?”
“As sure as I can be,” Nigel said. It was the truth.
Alec had no other choice but to trust him. But, strangely, he did not feel the hopelessness he had felt only moments earlier. Now, at least, he had a clue to Peyton’s whereabouts.
“You will not be granted your freedom until my wife or your son, or both, are found,” he said, turning for the door. “If your information proves to be false, you will die on the block.”
Edward had already quit the room, with Alec close behind. Only Ali lingered a moment, his thoughtful gaze on Nigel. Passing a glance into the empty corridor to make sure Edward and Alec were well out of earshot, he closed the door softly.
Nigel eyed him warily. “What is it that you want, barbarian? I have told you all I can.”
Ali cocked a slow eyebrow. “So you have said. I wonder, however, if you did not have a hand in this.”
“Does the color of your skin inhibit your intelligence? I told you I did not.”
Ali stared at the man for a long, heady moment. Their gaze locked, absorbed, intertwined. Then, Ali slowly unsheathed the broadsword at his side. Nigel recognized his very own sword, confiscated not five hours earlier.
Nigel almost looked amused as the weapon came forth. “Do you think to threaten me?”
“Nay,” Ali said softly. “I think to kill you.”
Nigel’s eyes rounded, slowly, as he realized that Ali meant what he said. “I have told you all I know. Alec promised me my freedom!”
It was Ali’s turn to smile. “And I shall provide it. The freedom of your soul from its earthly confines.”
