God, what she wouldn’t give for someone to actually believe her again! “No, I…”
“Kill her”, he said to the men beside him. “Have some fun with her first, if it pleases you.” Then he picked up the parchment he had been studying, dismissing her without another glance.
Never in her life had Nessa known what it was to be actually paralyzed with fear. Oh wait, actually she did. It had happened just last week. Still, she could only stare at King Ecgfrith as she was dragged away on her heels. What she wouldn’t give to be safely tied to the post in Bridei’s chamber again.
They took her to one of the smaller tents, and on the way there her survival instincts must have finally come online, because she started fighting for all she was worth, screaming and flailing and trying to bite anything and everything within reach of her mouth. It was no use. The men holding her were large and strong and they only laughed at her struggles. She had never before come face to face with such brutal cruelty.
Brun and Egat returned alone, and Bridei steeled himself against the hollow ache in his chest that felt as if it would swallow him whole.
“What happened?”
Both men had similar expressions of unease on their faces. “They didn’t seem to know her”, Brun said. “Ecgfrith said she wasn’t enough of a tribute and that you owe him twice her weight in gold.”
“Tribute?” A frisson of alarm raced down Bridei’s spine. “He truly thought I’d sent her as tribute?”
“Aye.” Brun exchanged a wary glance with Egat. “And I don’t even want to think of…I mean you know what they’ll do to her…”
But Bridei was already off his horse and moving toward the camp as fast as he could. If there was a chance he was wrong…if the lass was innocent… His gut clenched.Who was he fooling? His heart had known the truth all along.
Under the cover of darkness and with a practiced silence, he crept closer, knowing his men were all around; spread out through the trees and ready to act in a split second. For long moments, he heard nothing, then a group of men exited the King’s tent, and Nessa was with them. She was struggling,as if her life depended on it.
They took her into a smaller tent, and he stole carefully closer, weapon in hand. Perhaps they would leave her alone long enough for him to get to her unseen. He knew he had brought enough men to fight his way out if he had to, but he’d rather not have any trouble. That was until he heard her muffled screams, followed by vile male laughter.No, no, NO!Everything in him screamed in fury. He knew…
Bridei was running before he could even draw his next breath. Every instinct was clamoring for him to get to her; make her safe. He was blinded to all else as he shoved his way into the tent, sword in hand, knowing he would kill anyone who tried to keep him from Nessa. His chest heaved and his eyes were wild as he searched the space inside the tent, only to find her on her hands and knees on the floor. She was sobbing, and her clothing was already torn. A huge, brutal looking man knelt behind her, a smirk still on his face.
Rage tore through Bridei unlike any he’d ever felt before. It was the kind of rage that made the world turn red and blocked out all sound. A rage that came from the very deepest part of his soul. He barely remembered swinging his sword; swinging it until every man lay bleeding and he had tossed Nessa onto one shoulder like a ragdoll.
He had her. He had her and all that would harm her were dead, and that was all that mattered to him in that moment. His men, loyal to a fault even when their King had seemingly lost his mind, surrounded him as he walked away from the melee.
As more men emerged from surrounding tents, Ecgfrith came forward. The King of the Saxons was enraged, to say the least.
“Bridei! What is the meaning of this?”
“You had something that is mine, cousin.” Bridei gave him a cold glance, but kept on walking, knowing that Ecgfrith was outnumbered, and not foolish enough to risk his own life over a few dead soldiers. Bridei would pay later, no doubt, but not tonight.
“She was brought to me! By your own men! What kind of game is this that you play?”
“There’s no game, Ecgfrith. A mistake was made as to the woman’s identity. I’m taking her back.”
Ecgfrith looked around him, taking into account the wounded men, and knowing that he couldn’t win a fight against the other king. “You will pay for this, Bridei mac Bili. You will pay for this dearly.”
“I’m sure that I will”, Bridei said solemnly. But he wasn’t talking about war or retribution. It was the dull ache in his chest when he looked down at the woman in his arms that truly worried him. She had her face covered with her hands and pressed into the crook of his arm.
And then Sten was there, marching angrily along beside him. “Bridei, you’re making a mistake. Leave the woman here.”
“No.”
“My King, you know in your heart that she would cause you harm. Don’t be fooled by beauty and charm, it’s been the downfall of many a great man!”
Bridei’s voice was cold when he responded. “I won’t leave any woman to be abused, no matter who she is or what she has done.”
“I think there’s more to your feelings. I think you are already caught in a web of womanly lies and your own lust! Your grandfather would be ashamed!”
“Leave my grandfather out of this!Iam King now, and you are not my counsel. You know not what you speak of. If nothing else, I have certainly proven her innocence this night.”
Bridei carried Nessa away into the darkness of the forest, his men following closely behind. The horses were as they left them, waiting patiently in a small clearing. Nessa still lay limp and heavy in his arms, and he wondered if she was in shock. He placed her gently on his stallion’s back, swinging up behind her and pulling her close. She began trembling in his arms, but she had yet to say a word to him. They rode at a swift pace for nearly an hour once they reached the road north, following the path of the moon sinking over the hills in the distance. When at last they were in the safety of his own lands, he signaled a halt. He had to make sure Nessa was unharmed.
He slid from his horse, reaching for her and setting her down on legs that for a moment threatened to buckle. He had to keep hold of her arms to support her. The moment she was free, Nessa turned on him, biting and punching and clawing as all of her recent terror and rage flooded to the surface. Her body still wanted to fight, perhaps not fully realizing she was safe.
