Page 45 of A Rogue and a Noble Lass

Logan was in a small room, preparing for battle. He tested his sword, wincing at the pain that coursed through his muscles. There was a knock at the door. The unknown woman from before entered. She bore a striking resemblance to Caroline and Nessa.

“I’m Beitris’ aunt, Tara,” she said, smiling. In her hand she had a jar of some sort of ointment, while a healer’s pouch rested against her waist. “I thought ye could use some healing before ye gae intae battle again. Apply this tae yer wounds. It will help protect from infection,” she said, handing him the ointment. Then, she moved to a table and started preparing a herbal mixture.

“Ye ken, I fell in love with a hard man, a man who was haunted by his past. It’s nae an easy thing tae let gae of what torments us, but it can be done. I think it might hae started happening with Beitris, aye?”

“Aye, but it will nae last. Nae now that she kens who I am. She looked at me when she was being carried away. She hates me. There is nae way back for me.”

“Naething is ever that simple with the ways of the heart, lad, but in my experience everything can be healed, even anger. Ye just hae tae find the right remedy.” Tara came over and carried the cup. “Sometimes it can be bitter, but it is always worth it in the end.”

She pressed the cup into Logan’s hands. He gagged at the smell. It was bitter and earthy, and the herbs made the water thick. It crawled over his tongue and some of the leaves clung to his teeth. He coughed and spluttered, having to force himself to swallow.

“Save her, Logan, and she might just come back tae ye,” Tara said, leaving him with a smile and these soft words.

Logan stared at his sword.

“I’m coming for ye, Beitris. Just hold on.”

18

Warnock’s Keep was a place of nightmares.

The sky darkened as they approached this forbidden part of the world. They passed through narrow streams, forests of spindly, spiky trees below looming mountains with jagged rocks that looked sharp enough to tear the world apart.

The air was thin and cold, stinging her lungs. But Beitris burned inside because she could think of nothing but Logan’s betrayal.

Brody was with her, being carried back in just the same undignified manner, although he was unconscious. She wondered what he made of all this. Logan had betrayed him as well. Were there no depths to which that man would not sink? There was still something she didn’t quite understand… this link between Logan and Warnock.

Perhaps it was too frightening to confront.

The Keep was built atop a tor. Dark clouds roiled above. The Keep was cast in shadow. There were no colorful banners flapping from the tower, and the village below looked deserted. Even the ground was as black as death. There was a stale smell in the air and Beitris almost gagged at the thick malevolence.

They hauled her off the horse and dragged her around the side of the Keep. She assumed that she would be taken to Warnock, but instead they took her to a great pit. Wooden boards were placed around the pit, and a rope ladder was tangled on one side, looking like a thick spider web that had fallen to the ground.

Beitris didn’t need it.

There was a hard shove and suddenly she was plummeting down. Fingers reached out, scrambling against dirt and stone, but she was unable to break her fall. The bottom of the pit crashed through her and shook her bones. She groaned as she lay staring at the stars. Stones poked into her and the mud seeped around her feet and hands.

She wiggled her fingers and toes, then tilted her neck to either side; thankfully, nothing was broken. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and then looked up at the bleak sky overhead. Beitris gathered her breath and what little strength she had, for she hadn’t been given any food on the journey, and formed handholds in the muddy walls. Her fingers sank into the thick mud, and she pulled herself up. She managed to get a few feet off the ground, but then her hands became too slick and she lost her grip. She slid down, crying out in dismay, and realized there would be no escape.

Laughter spiked the air, like cackling birds. Heads peered over the edge.

“Ye can try all ye like, but naebody hae ever climbed out of the pit like that,” one of the men called.

Beitris glared up at them.

“Come down here and I’ll make ye choke on mud,” she called up, her words thumping the air. The men just laughed.

“I’ll kill you all,” she muttered under her breath. “Ye hae nae idea of the hell I will unleash upon this place.”

Time passed. The day shifted to night. The men had grown tired of her and moved away some time ago. She had tried to climb out a few more times but had never made it very far. Now, she stared up at the stars, trying to find beauty in them, although it was impossible. She wondered about her father and Logan.

Had he succeeded in killing Ryan?

She felt sick.

She should have raised her concerns with Allan or Elliot, or even Ryan himself. Why had she kept it to herself? Why had she tried to protect Logan when he hadn’t done anything to deserve it? She’d been a fool, falling into his trap like a mouse that happily ambled towards some cheese, ignoring the metal contraption around it.

As she duelled on all her failures, the rope ladder was thrown down.