Page 28 of A Rogue and a Noble Lass

Brody wore a skeptical look. He knew Logan too well to be deceived by a statement like that.

“Besides, I needed tae silence Mikkel before he said too much.”

“Aye… Beitris was asking questions. Ye might hae tae dae something about her if she suspects anything. Then again, I doubt ye will be troubled by killing more than one Knox,” Brody said.

Logan nodded but didn’t say anything in reply. Before he’d arrived at this Keep he wouldn’t have balked at the suggestion, but now that he knew Beitris… Well, the thought of killing her didn’t appeal to him at all. Still, if it was required for his quest for justice then so be it.

Abigail deserved everything, no matter the cost, and he needed to keep his sword steady and his aim true. He would just have to hope that her suspicions would not become too strong, although he considered the fact that if he acted swiftly enough then her suspicions wouldn’t matter at all.

11

Days had passed. Logan was still in the healer’s quarters. The bed was more comfortable than the one he had been used to, but that made it more difficult to sleep. The nights were restless and he was haunted by nightmares.

In one of them he was standing near the pit, this time gazing into it rather than out. Abigail was kneeling in the middle of the pit, mud caked to her hands and hair, her dress tattered. It was raining and she seemed to be sinking into the mud. His father was beside him.

“Gae on, save her. If ye love her sae much prove it and save her,” Warnock taunted.

Logan looked down, but his feet had sunk into the ground and the mud was up to his knees. He tried to move, using all his strength to push against the mud, but there was no give. He could feel his toes wiggling in his boot, but it was as though his movement had no effect at all. He looked down to see the mud rising around Abigail. The lower half of her body disappeared.

“What are ye waiting for, hero?” Warnock taunted again.

“Why dinnae ye help her? Why are ye just standing there?” Logan called out.

Warnock kept laughing, the evil sound merging with the howling wind. The rain pelted down. Logan took his sword and slammed it against the ground around his feet, but his blows did nothing. He might as well have been swiping at them with air. The rain fell more heavily and the mud rose, as though a shadow was consuming her. It covered her rising arms and her desperate, outstretched fingers disappeared, then it came up to her neck and as she tilted her head back, the veil of hair was parted only to reveal the face of another.

Beitris.

She screamed his name. It echoed through his mind and made his heart reverberate.

“Kill her!” Warnock rasped.

Logan looked down. There was a bow in one hand and an arrow in another. The rain looked like tears as they poured down Beitris’ cheeks. Logan’s hands trembled.

Then he awoke with a gasp.

He clutched his chest before rubbing his eyes. He breathed deeply to still his racing heart and stretched out his legs. His muscles were becoming restless and lying in this bed was becoming interminable. It was playing tricks on his mind and he was eager to return to training. He waited until the healers came by for their morning rounds.

“It is high time I returned to the field, dinnae ye think?”

“These wounds take their time, warrior. Rest for the day at least.”

He tested the movements of his arm. While there was still some pain, it was nothing he couldn’t endure. So he discharged himself.

He threw off the blanket and strode away, ignoring the healer’s cries to stay and wait.

“Make me,” Logan replied gruffly, and his words were met with despairing looks.

He marched out, feeling better as the morning air caressed his cheeks. The familiar sounds of dueling calmed his mind, and when he felt the weight of his sword in his hand, he breathed a little easier. The nightmare and other troubling thoughts could be pushed away from his mind.

“What are ye daeing here? Ye should be making use of the rest. I ken I would be,” Brody chastised Logan lightly as Logan approached.

“That’s because ye are lazy,” Logan replied.

“I just ken how tae make the most out of my energy and time,” Brody replied, then looked at Logan’s wound. A serious look came upon his face. “Are ye sure ye are ready tae be training?”

“Aye, it’s naething,” Logan said, making a show of extending his arm and twisting his body. He’d become skilled at masking his pain. “Besides, I cannae waste time sitting in bed. The sooner I can take on my new duties, the better.”

“Aye. Hae Beitris spoken tae ye more?” Brody asked.