Page 4 of Heart of the Raven
Mari poked me. “You’re just grumpy because you’re spoiled. You can always go back, if you want to.”
I grimaced. “Going back would be easier, but I won’t. I need to stand on my own two feet, become an independent woman.”
Her voice dropped to a conservative whisper. “There aren’t many opportunities for women. Especially alone. Are you sure the lord was so bad?”
Rubbing the back of my neck, I frowned. My skin tingled and I couldn’t shake the feeling we were being watched. But Mari spoke to my inner fears. I’d ruined my life by fleeing my arranged marriage. Who would marry an outcast noblewoman? What chances did I have? Lord Brecken was powerful enough to ensure that no one would cross him. No nobleman would take me as his wife now.
“Riders!” The shout saved me from answering the question.
Mari snatched up my hand. “Quick, get into the wagon.”
“Why?” I demanded, picking up my skirts to run.
“Riders could mean many things. Outlaws, other traders, king’s men, it’s best not to be seen until the men call the all clear. Usually it’s nothing,” she gave me a light-hearted smile. “But on the road it’s better to be safe.”
My throat went dry, but I shook off the sixth sense that nipped at me. “Do we have to hide in the wagon? It is not unusual for women to travel?” I asked Mari as I followed her into the wagon.
A cry interrupted her reply, and then a shout. Mari frowned and motioned for me to lie down as she pulled the covering over the wagon. Goosebumps pebbled on my arms and my tongue felt thick. “What do you think it is?” I whispered, trying not to let panic take over.
Mari pressed a finger to her lips and waited.
Another shout came, and then something slammed into the side of the wagon. I couldn’t help the scream that left my throat as the wagon shook. And then there was nothing but noise. The pounding of hooves on the ground, the shouts and cries of men, the frightened neigh of horses.
“Something is happening.” Mari swallowed back a moan. “Oh, Jorge, I have to see.”
“No.” I snatched at her hand as dread gripped my heart. “Please Mari. Stay here.”
Staying low, she crawled to the edge of the wagon. “Stay here,” she told me.
I tried to catch her arm, but she dashed out of the wagon and crept away. Alone, in the shadows, I curled up in a ball, listening to the frightful sounds. Blade struck blade with a ringing, hollow sound. Who was out there? Bandits? It had to be. Who else would attack us? It was true that we carried valuables. Other than my war horse there was the wine and whatever else was packed in the wagon.
A moment later, the wagon doors swung open and relief surged through me. It was over. We would be fine. I uncurled myself from the fetal position and lifted my face to the light. But instead of Mari, a man’s shadow blocked the light. My mouth went dry as he lunged for me. Grabbing a handful of my hair, he dragged me out of the wagon. I screamed as pain radiated across my skull and my hands went to my head to pull his fingers out of my hair. He let go, and I tumbled to the ground, rolling for a moment before catching myself. Dust covered my red gown and the gravel on the road embedded itself in my legs. I cursed and spit as I stood to my feet.
Chaos echoed around me. Knights on horses galloped in circles, their blades flashing as they cut down the men I traveled with. One of them slashed at the horses hitched to the wagon. They reared up, bucking in fear until the wagon fell over with a crash. Plumes of dust rose, and I saw my war horse, red ribbons flying, charge into the midst, rearing and kicking as though she alone were the only one who could drive back the riders.
My mouth filled with bile. I recognized their livery. A buzzing began in my skull where the man had held my hair, and my stomach clenched. Dizzy with fear, I turned, searching for somewhere to run, somewhere to hide. But the man who had yanked me so cruelly out of the wagon came up behind me. He put one arm around my waist and the other on my neck. As soon as I felt his touch, I knew who he was. Lord Brecken.
Darkness swirled around me, and blood burned in my veins. This was his revenge on my rejection and ruining what could have been. But who had told him I was on the road and where I was going? Betrayal cut through me like a knife splitting me open. I’d told no one but my cousin and my mother, feeling I owed it to her. In her maliciousness had she told Lord Brecken and tried to salvage a marriage that never could be?
“Look!” His harsh voice whispered in my ear. “Look at what you have wrought.”
Peering through my blurred vision, I looked while his hand squeezed my throat. All I saw was red blood, pooling on the road, and the bodies of Jorge, his seven companions and, worst of all. Mari. Her eyes were sightless, glazed over, and her mouth still open in shock.
Lord Brecken’s fingers tightened around my throat and I choked and clawed at his grip, to no avail. “This is what happens to those who displease me,” he went on. “You made a mockery of me, Lady Sasha. You dared repay my kindness by running away from our marriage. It is an insult I cannot forgive. You embarrassed me in court and my enemies dared to stand against me. This is a lesson to those who displease me. You shall not survive.”
A trembling came over me and a roar of anger rose within me. Instead of clawing at the hand that held me firmly, my fingers clenched into fists.
I kicked out, but he held me firm. A hoarse scream rose in my throat and my limbs flailed wildly. I would not be another collection of his to be used and abused. Fear and rage twisted in my belly, gurgled up and filled my mouth. I rasped against the pain in my throat and a cloud of darkness rolled out of my mouth.
It surged toward the men like a winged creature of death, seeking to consume. Men shouted and ran, frightened of the sudden cloud. Even Lord Brecken stiffened and a curse burst from his lips. The arm around my throat loosened and the back of his hand struck me, hard, against the side of my head. Pain exploded in my head as I dropped to the ground. Vaguely I saw the black cloud surge into dust and, once again, arms wrapped around me. Not arms, more like wings, with feathers. As they lifted me, I sensed something within me had been caught and bottled.
Those wings closed around me, filling me with the fragrance of the forest, pine, and sandalwood with hints of patchouli. Blackness surrounded me. I fought, determined to get away, but my breath came ragged and slow until I fainted away in the arms of my captor.
Chapter Five
I opened my eyes.Was I dead?
Golden light floated above me and a haze of green swam as my vision cleared. I saw white buds and pink petals, and then pain came rushing in. I wasn’t dead at all. My legs stung from falling on the gritty gravel ground, and my stomach was sore as though I’d vomited my insides out. My throat was raw, my lips dry, and the faint pounding behind my eyes made me feel sick. I glanced down at my dress, ripped and torn at the bottom. The swells of my chest were further darkened with dirt, and dust covered my arms. I groaned and leaned back against the smooth wood of a white tree. As I did, the attack came rushing back. Lord Brecken’s threats and the arms that bore me away. Nostrils flaring, I searched the ground for a rock or branch, anything to use against my captor.
