The words came out slowly, for it made her heart ache to say them, but he left her with no other course. She threw off the heavy fur cape that had concealed her weapons and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.
“I have a choice, Garrick.”
He looked at her in genuine surprise, his eyes covering her body from head to foot, coming at last to rest on the weapons. “Where did you get those?”
“I stole them.”
“Who aided you?”
“No one,” she lied. “I took Erin’s keys to the storehouse when he slept, then returned them afterward.”
“And those clothes, they are yours? But of course they are,” he sneered. “They fit so well. Not a seductive gown, but tempting just the same.”
“Stop it!” she cried, seeing desire mix with the anger in his eyes.
“So you wish to play the man’s role again, Brenna,” he speculated, amusement in his voice. “You want to fight for your freedom?”
“Leave me, and we need not fight.”
“Nay,” he grinned, and drew his sword. “The challenge is met.”
Brenna groaned and brought her sword to hand as Garrick came at her. Her heart was not in the fight to come. There was no anger in her now, only regret that it had come to this.
He attacked quickly, trying to knock the sword from her hand, but Brenna moved aside. His side was open for her thrust, but she could not do it. He attacked again. He was skilled with the sword, and he had strength behind his blows, but he did not have her expertise, nor her cunning. Yet she could not take advantage of him. She could not bring herself to draw his blood though he gave her many opportunities to do so as he tried to disarm her.
To kill him, to see Garrick dead—the thought sickened her. She would only disarm him, as he was intent upon doing to her, and then she would move on.
Brenna was not given the chance, for at that moment a huge bear, the likes of which she had never been before, stood up directly behind Garrick. She cried out, but she was too late. The bear had taken them so unawares that he was only inches from Garrick when he turned to see what had so frightened Brenna. With a powerful swipe of his paw, the bear knocked Garrick sideways. He fell against a tree trunk, striking his head.
Garrick did not move. Brenna stared in disbelief as the bear approached him, roaring victoriously. Brenna screamed and attacked the bear in blind fury. She held her sword in both hands and raised it over her head, then thrust it into the bear’s back with all her might. But the beast didn’t fall over or even stagger. He roared in bloody rage and swung round to Brenna, who turned ashen with the worst fear she had ever experienced.
Her dagger was useless, so she ran in a panic to Willow and got the crossbow from the sack. The bear was nearing her too quickly. She ran to the left, away from the horses, and readied the crossbow as she moved. Finally she crouched and took aim. The arrow pierced the bear’s throat and after several agonizing moments, he fell at last.
Her relief was so great that Brenna fell on her knees to give silent thanks. Though her whole body was trembling, she made her way on shaky legs to Garrick’s side and held her breath till she made sure he was alive. His shoulder was bleeding where the bear had swiped him, leaving deep grooves in the skin. But the blow to his head had not broken the skin, though it had begun to swell.
Brenna went to the horses and tore a strip from Willow’s blanket, soaked it in water and returned to Garrick. She wet his face and began to clean away the blood from his shoulder.
He groaned and felt the back of his head, then eyed Brenna warily. “Do you always minister to your enemies?”
She ignored his question and inspected his cuts. “Does it hurt?”
“Nay, ’tis numb. Did the bear run off?”
Brenna shook her head. “I had to kill him.”
Garrick’s eyes widened. “The beast attacked you?”
“Nay, ’twas you he wanted,” Brenna said calmly, avoiding his eyes.
Garrick took this news with displeasure. “First you try to kill me, then you save my life. Why?”
“If I had tried to kill you, Garrick, you would be dead now. I could not do it.”
“Why not?” he asked harshly even as she bandaged his shoulder. “You would have gained your freedom.”
Brenna looked at Garrick with eyes that were a soft gray. “I do not know why. I just could not find it in me to cause your death.”
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, then quickly lifted the dagger from her belt. “In case you have second thoughts on the matter, I will keep this.”
