Then, everything grew terribly still.
No breathing, no speaking, no goat bleating down in the kitchen yard. Simply utter and complete stillness. Frightened of the stillness, Dyana didn’t really understand that Tibelda haddied. She shook her, twice, but Tibelda didn’t move, so the child thought perhaps she was only sleeping in spite of the blood on the woman and on the floor. Death really didn’t register with the young girl. However, knowing she’d been asked to help, Dyana stood up and left Tibelda’s body, going to the adjacent chamber in search of the cloak she’d been told to find.
In spite of her young age, Dyana was obedient and smart. She could see the cloak, hanging up on the peg, and she pulled on it a few times until it came tumbling down over her head. Wrapping it around her body and having to double it up because it was far too big for her, she headed out of the tower and onto the front steps where she kicked the wolf’s head dagger that had been placed there by the reivers. It scattered out into the dirt and, curious, Dyana went after it, picking it up and seeing that it was a big knife. It had the head of a dog on the end and the dog had gem-stone eyes. She could see them glittering in the weak light.
Because it was pretty, and because she knew that big people often used knives for protection, Dyana thought to take it with her on her journey to find Sir Thomas. She’d even seen Artus with a big knife, back in the days of Laird Letty, and she knew something sharp like this was meant to protect. It made her feel less frightened simply to carry it and the good Lord knew how badly she needed the courage.
Desperately.
Making her way to the front gates, Dyana could see that one of them was broken. She couldn’t open it. Still, at the angle it sat, there was a small hole at the base of it, near the wall, so she got down on her knees and crawled through it. The cloak came off because the hole was so small, so she reached in her little hand and pulled it through. Now, she had her cloak again, protection against the night, and her dog-knife in her hand.
She was ready.
Sitting in front of the broken gates, Dyana held up her “pence hand”. It was on her right and she turned to look down the road on that side. She had no way of knowing it faced east, or that Wark was only a few miles in that direction. All she knew was that Tibelda had told her to follow the road until she came to a bridge, and over the bridge was Wark Castle. Looking up in the sky, it was covered by a smattering of glittering stars and the moon was sitting low to the west. There wasn’t much light to travel by, but that didn’t matter. She’d been told to find Sir Thomas and find him she would.
Heading off in the direction of her “pence hand”, the first step of her journey– and saving her friends– began.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Wark Castle
It was justbefore dawn.
Thomas was already awake, already going about his usual rounds. In spite of his reasons for fleeing Wark, it felt good to be back again. This washiscommand,hishome. He stood on the battlements just as the sun began to break over the eastern horizon, thinking that the land looked green and lovely. The ribbon of the River Tweed reflected the golden morning light and a slight mist arose in the fields. It had a rather surreal look, one that Thomas had seen a thousand times, but on this morning, things were different.
More beautiful.
It all had to do with Maitland. He was looking at things differently now, seeing beauty in the world around him. Off to his left, he caught a glimpse of Desmond and his dreamy mood faded somewhat. Reality returned. Desmond was coming down from the part of the wall that was built on a slope, as the keepof Wark was on a fairly high motte and the wall ran up and over that motte. There were many stairs on that part of the wall, making it a bit of a hike for a man to do his duty, and Desmond lifted his hand in greeting to Thomas as he approached.
Thomas lifted his hand in return, thinking of what he’d done to Desmond’s sister two days ago. Desmond had told him to stay away from Maitland, not wanting his sister to be another of Thomas’ conquests, so Thomas would make certain to stay off of the subject of Maitland for now. At least, stay off of it on a personal level. He didn’t want an angry brother trying to throw him over the wall of his own castle. And until he could think of a sincere, calm way to speak on his feelings for her, he would simply refrain. Desmond had to be in the right mood for it, and so did he.
But it was a conversation that had to come sooner rather than later.
“That gash on your head does not look as bad as it did when you rode in yesterday,” Desmond observed. “Does your head ache this morning?”
Thomas shook his head. “Not in the least,” he said. “I told you the knights from Carlisle cheated. How do you think they were able to knock me in the head like this? And they seriously went after Garr and Hugh Ellsrod. Those two are battered and bruised.”
Desmond snorted. “They went after those two because they are young and arrogant,” he said. “I’ve seen them taunt others before. Did they do that this time?”
Thomas gave him a half-grin. “Itwasfairly humorous.”
“Then their beat down is no surprise.”
Thomas continued to grin, thinking about Hugh and Garr and how they insulted and slandered nearly every opposing knight in the mass competition as they attempted to prove their superior worth.
“I suppose it is no wonder that Carlisle went after all of us with a vengeance,” he said. “But it was great fun. Oh, and I saw Lady Bowlin in Kelso, by the way.”
Thomas thought he was rather smooth in the way he brought the subject up. He wanted Desmond to know he’d seen the woman and Desmond looked at him with surprise.
“Mae?” he said. “What was she doing there?”
Thomas folded his big arms, leaning back against the parapet. “She is teaching the foundlings to be productive and self-sufficient,” he said. “My mother gave her all of those goats and Mae has taught the children how to milk them and make cheese. It is very delicious cheese, in fact, and I told her that I would scour the taverns around Edenside and make sure all the tavernkeepers purchased her cheese. She sold her entire stock at the fair in Kelso.”
Desmond grinned. “That sounds like her,” he said. “She is very industrious. In Newcastle, she had the children making soap. Did she tell you that?”
Thomas nodded. “She mentioned something about it to my mother on the night she met my parents,” he said. “My mother is greatly impressed with your sister, by the way. She will provide her with whatever she needs for the charity, and now Northwood is donating chickens and geese. Before long, your sister is going to have more donations than she knows what to do with.”
Desmond shook his head. “Not her,” he said. “She will know exactly what to do with them. You have never seen a woman of such organization.”
