The Crimson Castle (21 page)

As she smiled,
Tibald
regarded her with a
sense of enraged admiration. Indeed, his betrothed was a sight to see, the
gilded blade pressed to her breast as her eyes glittered with determination.
Grudgingly, he knew he would have to release Gabriel. Knowing of her
single-minded temperament, he did not doubt she would throw herself off the
ramparts just to spite him.

He would take his pleasure of her and then he would have his revenge,
he determined. Gabriel could run, but as soon as their union was consummated he
would hunt him down and his revenge would be all the sweeter when he paraded
his dispirited wife in front of him. A sense of gleeful delight brewed within
him as he considered the outcome of Evelyn’s bold stand. Her daring feat would
only serve to delay the inevitable and he would destroy Gabriel of
Merston
once and for all.

***

Gabriel watched the exchange of vows with sickness in his heart. He
should have predicted Evelyn would do something rash for he knew well of her
impulsive nature. Now she would exchange his freedom for her own. Why had she
not just run when she discovered his failure?

As she whispered her vows, taking her one step closer to being bound to
his depraved master, he wondered if he would even be allowed to live. He knew
Tibald
well enough to realise that it was unlikely, but he
could see the lust in his eyes and he could tell it was no longer just greed
that drove him. He wished to own Evelyn, body and soul, and no doubt twist her
until she was but a faded notion of the woman he knew.

His strength was returning, the feeling slowly leeching back into his
limbs. Not enough to defeat
Tibald
and his hoard of
guards, who would no doubt take great relish in cutting down their former
master, but he avowed then that he would not allow Evelyn to be conquered by
the lord. If he could find just one opportunity to run him through, he would,
regardless of the outcome for himself. And he would not fail her this time.

Purpose settled in his gut, nurtured by the sight of
Tibald
pressing his lips upon his unwilling bride as they
sealed their marriage pact.

***

As they left the church, Gabriel dragged behind them, Evelyn turned to
Tibald
.

“Well husband, I have fulfilled my part, now to yours - my body for his
freedom. Arrange a horse for him. He is to remain unmolested or our accord will
be undone and you shall not consummate this marriage.”

Tibald
gave a snarl but it was tinged with
satisfaction. Whilst he urged for Gabriel’s blood, he lusted for Evelyn’s body
and lands more. Besides he knew Gabriel would not evade him for ever. With a
nod of his head, the guards released his arms as
Tibald
handed the keys to his shackles over to Evelyn.

Evelyn took the keys over to Gabriel where the two guards were watching
him warily, swords drawn. She pulled the gag from his mouth and he looked at
her in despair.

“
Evie
, what have you done?” he whispered
hoarsely.

She gave him a sad smile. “I could not let you die for naught. At least
this way I can be happy knowing you are alive.”

 She undid his shackles and they dropped to the ground as he
rubbed his wrists, prevented from leaping onto
Tibald
and beating him senseless by the two guards, sword tips warningly pointed
towards him.

“I’ll not leave you behind,” he told her determinedly.

Before she could respond, the sound of screams and exclamations caused
her to turn as a group of soldiers on horseback galloped down the street, their
hooves hammering, kicking up a swirling mist. Villagers hastened away, fearful
of these heavily armed strangers, and Gabriel stepped in front of Evelyn as the
riders surrounded them.
Tibald’s
men eyed them
warily, swords in hand. Gabriel’s eyes searched frantically, looking for
something to defend them with from these unknown guardsmen. Evelyn’s dagger
would do little against swords but he grabbed it from her girdle, angling it
menacingly in front of him.

Evelyn gave a shout and Gabriel recognised that the men had come from
Beldersert
. A shock of blonde hair weaved through them upon
a fair destrier and Evelyn stepped out from behind Gabriel, recognising the
man.

“William!”

Tibald
turned from the pair, eyes darting
from Evelyn to the man, and a look of disquiet flickered on his face before it
was replaced with rage. Evelyn made a dash forwards to her brother but
Tibald’s
arm came up in front of her, unleashing a blinding
blow to her face.

Turning to his men, he screamed at them, “Kill them! Kill them all!”

Jolted into action,
Tibald’s
men, already on
edge, leapt forwards towards the guards of
Beldersert
,
swords swinging and crossbows unleashed. It took mere moments for the riders to
respond, slashing from their superior positions through the small crowd of men.

Grabbing for Evelyn as she staggered back from the strike, Gabriel fell
short and
Tibald
snatched her by the arm, dragging
her from the church porch away from the chaos. Gabriel found himself pushed
back from her by a sword swipe to the stomach. Hissing past him, he jumped back
and felt the tip catch on the fabric of his shirt. The guard made to swing
again but Gabriel grabbed the hilt, tearing it from his grasp and sending him
sprawling. Mounting Evelyn’s dagger in his belt and ignoring the prone guard,
he chased after
Tibald
and Evelyn.

Kicking and thrashing, Evelyn was hauled towards a waiting horse,
Tibald’s
arm clamped firmly around her waist. Determined
not to be held captive again she threw her head back in an attempt to strike
Tibald’s
face and was rewarded with a curse followed by a
stinging slap across her cheek. Undeterred, she pushed at the arm pinioning her
to his bulky chest, legs swinging, as her toes dragged painfully across the
ground, her shoes lost in the struggle.

Away from the ensuing battle,
they reached the horse and
Tibald
attempted to throw
her across it but she continued to brawl, biting at any flesh that came near
her. With a thunder of anger
Tibald
withdrew his
sword. Convinced he meant to run her through or slice the tender skin of her
throat, Evelyn screamed and tore herself from him. A hand snagged at her skirts
and she was thrown to the ground and dragged backwards, her hands scrabbling at
the dirt, dust filling her mouth and eyes. A hand in her hair forced her back
up on to her feet before the glint of light flashed on his steel and everything
went black.

The blow to her head was viewed with a sickened heart as Gabriel fought
his way to Evelyn.
Tibald
flung her over his horse as
Gabriel deflected blow by blow, unsure of whether he was now fighting his own
men or Evelyn’s. Finally breaking through, he looked frantically around for a
horse, a crossbow, anything! He ran forwards as
Tibald
was about to mount his horse and he remembered Evelyn’s dagger. With a quick
breath he gave it a sharp throw and waited for fate to prove her worth as he
careered towards them. The dagger hit true but
Tibald
had successfully straddled the horse at the final moment and the dagger buried
itself into its flank, a stream of blood trickling down its glossy coat.

Bolting in pain, the horse threw his rider clear before running off.
Evelyn’s limp body tumbled off, landing with a repellent thud, sending up a
cloud of earth.
Tibald
clambered to his feet on
tremulous legs, wild eyes looking for an escape. Seeing Gabriel, the veil of
rage visibly coursing through his body, he snatched at his sword, shaking it
madly at him.

“Are you going to kill me, Gabe?” he jeered. “You have not the mettle!”

Gabriel stepped towards him cautiously, ignoring his taunting. He was
still drained from the effects of the hemlock potion but
Tibald
had taken a heavy fall and they were more evenly matched this time.

Tibald
took the first step, Gabriel deciding
to hold back and let
Tibald
take the offensive,
wearing himself out so Gabriel could finish him easily. He knew how his master
fought; using his superior bulk to his advantage but he lacked skill and
agility. Gabriel was quicker on his feet – normally anyway - and he hoped he
was recovered enough to still retain flight of foot.

With a sweeping lunge of his sword,
Tibald’s
steel arced through the air. Gabriel parried, pushing his sword to the ground,
and brought his own weapon back up to slice across
Tibald’s
vulnerable side.
Tibald
moved at the last moment so
that the blade caught across his shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain. Adrenaline
borne of triumph flooded through Gabriel, driving him forward in an unplanned
move, hoping to catch
Tibald
still in recovery. 
He swung his sword down, both hands on the hilt, with unadulterated power that
spoke of years of frustration and rage.

His opponent was ready with his blade held high across his body to
deflect the blow. The parry convulsed down his arm but
Tibald
left himself exposed and Gabriel kicked at his stomach, landing a blow, lower
than intended, on his thigh. The strike caused
Tibald
to stumble but he remained on his feet.

The flash of light upon metal signalled
Tibald’s
next move and he pulled his blade upwards, the tip grinding across the gritty
terrain, in a slicing motion. Forcing Gabriel to spring into retreat, the point
hissed past his nose. He lunged in response, the aggression of the collision of
steel upon steel sending pulsations through his upper body.
Tibald’s
forward jab was ill-timed and Gabriel ducked to one side, bringing his sword
down in a sweeping arc, catching
Tibald’s
hand and
eliciting a howl as his sword clattered to the ground.

Two warriors eyed each other, breaths coming fast, exertion and injury
clearly marked upon their bodies. A display of teeth broke across
Tibald’s
face as Gabriel stalked his prey, circling him,
ready to deal the final blow.

“Looks like neither of us will have her now,”
Tibald
snorted, motioning in the direction of Evelyn’s prone body.

A thick red stain blossomed behind her head, soaking gratefully into
the dry earth, her face ashen and heart achingly serene. It brought a string of
obscenities to his lips. In stalking his quarry, Gabriel hadn’t even noticed
the stomach churning sight of his love perishing.
Tibald
used the distraction to his advantage and hit out with his fist, delivering a
bone splintering punch to the face. Blood gushed from Gabriel’s nose and he
reeled from the shock of the blow as
Tibald
kicked at
his hand, sending his sword across the dirt.

Powered by a thirst for revenge, Gabriel ran at
Tibald
,
barrelling into the larger man, sending them both sprawling to the ground. They
grappled in the grime, powdered earth coating their sweat slickened body,
wounds wrenching, painting clothes and skin with crimson streaks. Curses and
insults befell their lips in their battle for supremacy as they clawed and
snatched at each other, rolling across the muddy floor.

Fists flying, the two men were locked in a vicious battle, both
suffering from injury and exhaustion. Pinning
Tibald
underneath him he brought his fist down at his face, a gratifying eruption of
blood answering his assault and he repeatedly smashed his fist into the pulpy
tissue.
Tibald
ineffectively blocked the barrage with
slowly weakening blows.

The body in his hands became lifeless and he fell back in exhaustion.
Tibald’s
battered face gave a choking laugh, red coated
teeth grinning. Gabriel grabbed at his collar, fist drawn back, ready to
destroy the man that had set him on his path to sin.

“You think she’s your salvation, Gabe?”
Tibald’s
voice strangled under the gagging flow of blood and he spat, the bloodied
saliva, dribbling down his swollen jaw. “Redemption is far beyond your reach,
as you have so justly proved.”

His head lolled back, becoming limp under Gabriel’s hand and he dropped
him as if he were aflame, the spectacle before him transporting him to a long
buried past. A feminine whimper brought him out of his trance and he scrabbled
desperately to Evelyn’s side. Placing a hand under her head and feeling the
stickiness matted in her hair, he cradled her to his chest. No more sounds
could be heard and he waited for a sign, a breath, a whisper of a pulse, and
for the first time since he was a boy, he wept, begging the fates to take him
instead.

The happenings of that day sobered the mood of the locals and a
melancholy atmosphere hung in the air. What should have been a day of
celebration had rapidly turned into one of reflection and despondency. The news
of Lady Evelyn was spread quickly by those that had witnessed Gabriel carrying
her limp body to the keep and, as her charitable nature had inspired much
affection, sadness was felt in many a home that night.

The mood was no more jovial in the castle that night, as the servants
tip-toed around two grief stricken men. They sat in the hall at that late hour
and nursed their sorrows with wine, their shared anguish creating a quick bond
between the unlikely pair.

It turned out William had very nearly been killed on his way back to
Beldersert
from the Holy Land but had managed to escape.
The hired mercenaries had injured him so badly it was assumed he would never
survive but he had made his way to
Beldersert
and had
spent much time recuperating. His return was kept quiet due to the fear of
another attack and his men spent many hours hunting down the would-be
assassins.