Page 98 of The Guardian's Bride
She shuddered with resentment, yet against all reason, she felt tempted to use the crystal—an old man needed its power. King or tyrant, he was suffering. But she could not do that. There was a limit, she realized, though it wrenched at her.
And she was loath to expose the crystal here; Edward would steal it; Malise would use it to gain privilege; and she had promised to protect it always.
But there was something else she could offer, nearly forgotten in the frantic, frightening rush from Fife to this place. “Sire, I have another treatment that could help.”
Reaching into her embroidered purse, she brought out the little green glass bottle that she had filled from a queen’s pool in the cave beneath MacDuff’s castle.
“How the devildo we get in there?” Aedan asked no one in particular.
Hidden in a strip of woodland, he stood with Henry, Brian, Patrick and the sheriff’s guardsmen. Through the leafy tree cover, he saw dozens of tents sheltering hundreds of English soldiers. The large tent at the center flew the king’s royal banner. Beyond it, he saw clustered flags that included dragon banners for patrols to carry.
“We need a reason to walk in there,” Patrick said. “Even then, it will be difficult to take out a girl accused of trying to kill the king.”
“Poisoning—impossible. Not my sister.” Henry shook his head.
“If we could prove she is innocent, we could argue to take her away, provided Edward would let her go,” Patrick said. “Since Henry and I both have sheriffdoms, we have some authority to try that.”
“Accuse Malise of abducting her and argue for her innocence,” Brian said.
Aedan straightened as a solution occurred to him. “Henry was sent out with others to find Scottish renegades. Take me in there with you.”
“Capture you?” Henry asked.
“You would give yourself up?” Brian stared at him.
“Trade me for Rowena.”
“They would kill you,” Patrick said bluntly.
“I will take the risk. Barter me for Rowena. Edward might agree.”
“And then what would you do?” Brian asked.
Aedan stared at the camp. “Patrick, marry my sister,” he said. “Take care of Colban. Henry, see that Rowena is happy. I trust you all.”
“You are a fool,” Brian said.
“A fool in love does foolish things, they say. Aye, Henry,” he said, seeing the surprise on the man’s face, “I love her. Take me in.” He held out his hands to be bound.
“Some of us could rescue her and the rest could fight beside you,” Patrick said.
“Get her safely away, yourselves as well. I will think of something. I have escaped dungeons with walls eight feet thick. That camp is all cloth tents. I could tear through one of those with my teeth.” He smiled. His friends did not.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Brother Hugo, bringme a cup.” Rowena held up the small bottle, which glittered pale green in candlelight and afternoon sunlight.
The monk, scowling, brought a goblet of thick, clear glass with a gold band and a base of swirled green glass—a treasure from some exotic place. He gave it to her.
“If I may, Sire.” She set the goblet on a table beside the king’s chair.
“What is in the vial?” Edward barked.
“Water.” She held it up to show the liquid. “I drew this water myself from a pool in a cave, fed by a spring blessed by a sainted queen. Healing miracles have occurred there. Folk come there to drink it and claim their ills are cured, and take it away.”
Here was another risk. Edward might expect a miraculous healing, but she did not know for sure what the water would do. Yet she had experienced a healing—her ankle likely needed weeks to heal, yet felt stronger each day.
“What pool? Which saint?” Edward demanded.
