Master of Mayhem (The Enchanted Well #2)

Chapter Seventeen

T he mill wasn’t too far from the Lindsey stronghold.

Set on the edge of the river, a large grinding stone was housed in its main room. Gareth Gordon was waiting for Ruben on the upper floor. He had the twin halves of the shutters open, a candle illuminating his face as though he was sitting comfortably in his own stronghold.

“Truthfully, I had wondered if ye might be glad to be rid of the girl,” Gareth said when he spied Ruben. “There are other tarts to enjoy.”

Rueben bristled at the insult given so casually to Sabine. Arguing over labels wouldn’t help him save her, though.

“There is a place for ye in hell,” Ruben stated.

Gareth grinned in response to the threat. “Because I killed yer cook?”

Ruben nodded. “That’s one reason.”

“Ah, she was a traitor,” Gareth chuckled. “Allowed me into yer stronghold under the cover of night. She should be grateful I gave her a quick death. On Gordon land, traitors are dealt with harshly.”

“What do ye want, Gareth?” Ruben remained focused. “Traitor or no, killing a woman beneath me roof is nae forgivable.”

Gareth stretched his arms out wide. “Do I sound as though I am asking ye for forgiveness?” He spit on the floor.

“Where is Sabine?”

Gareth’s lips curled up into a grin. He pointed out the open shutters. “I left yer doxy over in the workhouse. Tied her up good and tight. Even tucked several fresh fleece pelts around her legs. My archer is waiting with a fire arrow. I suggest ye do nae kill me or ye will watch yer woman burn.”

Dread filled him. He hoped it wasn’t true.

Ruben looked across to the workhouse. The sky was mostly clear tonight. Even if the moon was only a crescent, there was ample starlight. It illuminated the open shutters, showing him a figure just inside the window.

His blood ran cold. He couldn’t give up Neilina. There was no way he could reconcile himself to handing over a child to a monster such as Gareth Gordon.

But Sabine would pay the price if he didn’t.

He’d have to kill Gareth before he gave any commands.

Ruben felt his body tense. His eyes narrowed.

“Killing me is a bad idea.” Gareth read Ruben’s body language. “I have two witnesses in the dark here. Both in different corners of the room. Ye can nae kill them both before one of them signals the archer.”

“State yer demands,” Ruben growled.

Gareth pulled something from his doublet. The parchment crackled when he unfolded it.

“I want the dowry from the Douglases.”

Ruben frowned. He looked at the parchment.

“The Douglases placed it with the bankers for safe keeping,” Gareth said. “They will nae release it in spite of the fact that I have a priest to swear that the wedding was performed and consummated.”

Gareth dropped a small pottery ink well on the stool in front of him. “Sign it and ye can go save yer doxy while I ride away.”

Ruben crossed his arms over his chest. The quill remained in the air between him and Gareth.

“Who is Neilina?” Ruben asked pointedly.

“She is my wife; I stole her on her way to you,” Gareth responded. He had lost some of his swagger while Ruben hesitated. “But those bankers see only the contracts.”

“And the girl who arrived in me stronghold?” Ruben asked.

Gareth snorted. “Now that was a fine bit of trickery. Ye must admit it was clever. Too bad the lass was nae old enough for ye to wed. Some things cannot be undone after all.”

“Things such as wedding contracts,” Ruben remarked dryly.

Gareth sobered. “I took Neilina Douglas and made her my wife. But ye are correct. If I fight ye in a court of law, I’ll lose part of the dowry.” He grinned again. “So I took yer woman too.”

Gareth was pleased with himself. He’d clearly judged Ruben to be a man who would let his heart lead the way.

Ruben admitted that he was precisely that when it came to Sabine. The man was cruel. The sort who enjoyed inflicting pain upon others. One bad move and Sabine would pay with her life.

Ruben took the quill. Gareth watched intently. Dipping the end of the quill into the ink was a risk. Gareth might not keep his word. But it was the only chance Sabine had. So he signed the parchment. The ink glistened in the candlelight until it soaked into the paper.

Gareth folded it and tucked it back into his doublet. He sent Ruben a very satisfied smile.

“Better run Lindsey.”

Ruben turned to see twin points of light appear below him in the yard. They rose up and then flew through the night toward the workhouse. One hit the back of the workhouse and the other the front. The arrow in the front easily caught the dry thatch on the roof of the building. The flames grew, illuminating Sabine where she struggled to free herself.

He swung out of the window, dropped on the ground while Gareth laughed behind him.

*

Sabine gasped when the arrow hit the window frame in front of her. Thatch was very good at keeping water out of buildings, but it was also very flammable. The single point of flame easily caught and spread.

The smoke blew toward her face and overwhelmed her senses. It carried cinders that stung her cheeks. She looked down at the fleece gathered around her legs.

She needed to keep fighting!

She pulled on her binds again, rubbing it faster against the beam. She had countless splinters in her wrists now, the skin torn and painful. The cords still held.

The scent of smoke grew stronger.

The heat was increasing enough to become hot on her face.

She jerked her hands up and shoved them down hard. There was a snap. She pitched forward, stumbling when the cord broke at long last.

“Run, Lindsey!”

Sabine looked through the flames at the yard below. Gareth’s taunting voice came with the wind. She saw Ruben running but she also saw an archer taking aim at his back.

“Archer!” Sabine yelled.

Ruben jerked around. He dropped to the ground in almost the same moment. The arrow made a slicing sound when it cut through the air.

“I am free!” Sabine yelled again. She lifted her hands above her head to show him. Another arrow came sailing through the open window, nicking the side of her neck.

She recoiled, stumbling to the side. The scent of her own blood filled the air, but she stared in horror at the fire raging behind her.

*

Gareth wasn’t going to let Sabine go.

Ruben turned and launched himself at Gareth who had joined Ruben on the ground to watch the mill go up in flames. They went skidding back into the dirt, rolling and grappling. It was a fight for survival. Gareth snarled, wrapping his fingers around Ruben’s throat.

“I am going to enjoy killing ye while yer woman burns,” Gareth declared.

Ruben overcame the urge to try and loosen the grip on his neck. He curled his fingers in and flattened his hand. With his feet on the ground, he surged upwards and jabbed his clamped fist toward the spot directly beneath Gareth’s ribs.

Gareth made a gurgling sound. Ruben tossed him to the side. Gareth hit the ground with a hard thud. He rolled over onto his back while struggling to draw breath.

Another arrow sliced through the air.

Ruben dived toward Gareth. He hooked his hands into the man, using him as a shield.

“I wonder if ye are still so very pleased with yer archer, Gareth.” Ruben hooked his arm around Gareth’s throat. The man struggled to draw in breath.

“Do ye…hear the…crackle…of the fire?” Gareth sputtered. “Go…save…yer…woman.”

“I am saving her,” Ruben said. “Neither of us will worry that ye will ever come back to trouble us in the future.”

Gareth clawed desperately at Ruben’s arm. He was fighting for his life.

But Ruben was fighting for the woman he loved. Which was more important than his own life.

Somewhere off to their right he heard men running. The night was brighter now, the fire growing large enough to alert the inhabitants of the stronghold. Escape would be impossible now. Everyone was running toward the fire.

Ruben let Gareth go.

Gareth rolled over, rising to one knee. Gareth clawed at the ground. He tried to rise, but his knees wouldn’t hold him. So he crawled a few paces, dragging in huge breaths.

“Ye should…have…killed me…idiot,” Gareth ground out. He turned his head, his teeth bared. “Now that I have the dowry and the Douglas joined with me…I am going to destroy yer clan!”

So passionate about his vision, Gareth pointed at Ruben while he stood. He smiled confidently, while his eyes glittered. Ruben heard the slice of the arrow cutting through the air. It hit Gareth in the chest, piercing through him.

He looked down at the point protruding from him. “No…”

A second arrow lodged in his belly.

“Archers can only hit what they see,” Ruben muttered. “A larger target gains their attention first.”

Gareth’s eyes widened with understanding. He tried to say something, but his mouth was full of bright red blood. He drew in a last breath before falling backwards.

There was a strange rattle. A gust of wind seemed to come up from the very ground. It swirled around like a whip and then cracked, raising the dirt around Gareth’s body. He contorted, his hands becoming claws.

And then he was gone.

Ruben felt it. As though some evil had just been taken to hell by the demons Gareth had always consorted with.

Ruben looked up but there was no way to know if the archers were still there.

Help me save her…

He finished his plea before turning and launching himself toward the burning workhouse. The back half had already been engulfed in flames.

People were coming but it would all be too late. He found the doors but there was a thick chain locked around the handles.

Gareth had never planned for Sabine to escape.

There had to be a way.

He looked around. Off to one side, a blacksmith’s anvil was illuminated by the fire. Behind it there were tools hung up neatly.

Ruben grabbed an axe. He lifted it high before chopping at a wall that wasn’t yet burning.

“Sabine!”

The axe cut through the wall. Smoke came pouring out. Ruben raised it again and again, chopping frantically until there was a hole.

Lindsey retainers finally arrived. They reached in to pull at the sides of the hole. Wood splintered. A wall of heat hit them all in the face. Ruben surged forward into the fire.

“Sabine!”

*

It was too hot.

The doors were chained closed. Sabine struggled with a door, but it was no use. The air was becoming too thick to breathe. She wanted to try another door, but she was choking. Without air, her strength waned.

“Sabine!”

Her thoughts had grown fuzzy. She wanted to reply but coughed instead. Her knees crumpled. All around her the heat was growing more intense.

“Sweet Christ….at last.”

Someone was nearby. Perhaps it was an angel. Sabine felt as if she was floating. Up, up and away from the swirling flames. The heat was left behind before she was lying down on crisp, cool grass.

“Sabine?”

Someone patted her cheeks.

“Come now, lass, we have a lifetime yet to share.”

Was that Ruben? Was he dead too? Sabine found herself content with her fate. If Ruben was there too, they weren’t parting.

A harder pat landed on her cheek. This one stung just a bit. Sabine frowned and opened her eyes. Ruben was staring down at her.

He was real.

Ruben clasped her tightly against his body, but Sabine wanted to be closer. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

“It’s over, lass, ye are safe.”

She felt his chest rumble. He stroked the back of her head before shifting and separating just enough so that he could look at her face.

“No one will ever dare hurt ye again,” Ruben promised her. “We are getting married.”

“Married?” Sabine realized there were numerous people around them. She wasn’t the only one wondering about Ruben’s announcement. He looked past her at someone.

“Who are ye, lass?” he asked.

“Gillan.”

Sabine turned her head to see the girl was plucking at her skirt and looking miserable.

“I…didn’t want to lie,” Gillan sputtered. “But Gareth Gordon said he’d kill my mother if I did not do as he said.”

“Gareth Gorden is dead,” Ruben stated firmly. “He’ll trouble no one ever again. Arland? Find out where the girl’s mother is and bring her to Lindsey land.”

“Ye are not putting me out?” Gillan’s jaw hung open in astonishment.

“My lady wife to be would never allow it.” Ruben returned his attention to Sabine. He helped her to her feet while the people around them returned to the task of keeping the fire from spreading. He held one of her hands in his. “Will ye marry me, Sabine?”

“I have no dowry.”

“I want to wed ye, for yerself.” Ruben grinned. “The Midnight Well has worked its magic on us both, lass. I am completely enchanted by ye.”

A memory stirred of the first time they had met. Ruben cupped her jaw. “I love ye more than the breath in my body, Sabine. As for the dowry, we’ll make our way just fine. Yer knitting and my father’s land. Let us leave the greed to the Gordons.”

She smiled at him. There was no denying how happy his words made her. “I am not complete without you, Ruben. I will stay by your side for the rest of my life.”

Their gazes were fused just as completely as their hearts were in that moment. The wind blew around them as if the very earth approved of their union. No ceremony could have been as binding.

His attention shifted to the Lindsey retainers standing behind her. His expression became tight. “I will make Sabine my wife before the sun sets tomorrow!”

He turned her away from him so that she was standing beside him. Shoulder to shoulder, they faced his clansmen as one. It was his solemn word, something the Lindsey retainers and the Hay retainers recognized. It was a binding oath older than Scotland. Honor was something that spanned the world with roots that ran deep into ancient times.

Eachan’s lips split into a grin. He let out a loud “whoop.” The others added their own cheers. They came toward Ruben and Sabine, gathering around them. The men offered their hands to Ruben. He clasped their wrists, a smile on his face.

Dugan Hay was the last. “Now this is fine news I will be able to take home to Braylin.”

“Let’s go home, lass,” Ruben said.

Home. Sabine lifted her chin, so happy, it felt as if she was glowing like a full moon. Ahead of her was a life rich with hope. The only thing that truly mattered was that Ruben was with her. Together, they’d build a future full of happiness.

And if she were enchanted by the Midnight Well, she hoped she never recovered!

*

Oisin’s study—

“Father?” Ruben held a candle up.

“Come in,” Oisin grunted. “Arland has already told ye I am here.” His father looked up at him. “Deny it, and I will call ye ten kinds of a fool for leaving yer bed when ye have such a fine partner sharing it with ye.”

“He did tell me ye were down here before first light,” Ruben admitted. “What concerns ye?”

“Would ye worry about me sanity if I admitted that inside, I am still the young man I was at yer age?” Oisin asked. He tapped an open letter in front of him. “Yet it’s true that age has taken a toll on me. It’s here. Clearly written. Neilina Douglas is 17 and has her mother’s blonde hair. I should have realized the girl was not yer bride.”

“I should have checked as well.” Ruben took the letter, reading it twice before he shook his head.

His father indulged in a few chuckles. “Well now. Matters have resolved themselves rather well. Very fine timing too. I will see ye married to yer May Day Queen and none too soon. The lass has nae bled since she arrived.”

“How would ye know such a detail?” Ruben was aghast.

Laird Lindsey merely raised a white eyebrow. “Do nae begrudge me such knowledge, son. My days are numbered. Before I go, I wanted to know if there was new life sprouting here. And so it has.”

Oisin flattened his hand on the desktop firmly.

“But let the little lass tell ye later. She’ll likely enjoy being wed before she realizes yer seed has taken root.”

His father had a bright smile on his face. His eyes glittered with renewed spirit. He pointed with one gnarled finger at one of the cabinets. “Now there is a wee bit of scotch over there. I’ve been saving it for just the right moment. Let’s toast to me first grandchild.”

*

Sabine woke early.

She lay still for a moment, wondering just why she was so alert. Her belly heaved, nausea hitting her hard.

She fought against the bedding, succeeding in getting her feet untangled just in time. Her belly was heaving. She made it to the garderobe just in time.

It didn’t make any sense to be so violently ill with nothing in her belly. Sabine sat on her knees, her body quivering slightly while she pondered what ailed her.

Looking across the chamber, she saw Ruben’s spare shirt. So simple an item but it was precious because it was proof of his devotion to her. Sabine felt her eyes widen with understanding.

Her mother was always sick in the mornings when she was newly with child. The small home the Hawlyn family lived in on the border didn’t afford her mother any privacy. Sabine had heard her mother retching at daybreak just half a year before.

Sabine laid a protective hand over her belly.

She was suddenly full of joy. It was so bright; she couldn’t stay still. She hurried to dress, wrinkling her nose at the drab dress. She wanted to celebrate, and she whirled around on her way to the door.

She had to tell Ruben.

And Oisin.

It seemed that Laird Lindsey would be getting what he’d wished for. Her belly would grow large and round throughout the growing season. Her joy doubled.

It was still very early. There were a few people stirring but Sabine was surprised to see Gillan already coming down the steps.

“Gillan? It is very early,” Sabine said.

Gillian hadn’t seen her just yet. The girl turned her head and smiled at Sabine. She held something up. “I did it.”

Sabine closed the distance between them. In Gillian’s hands was a piece of sample knitting. The girl had successfully learned to do the most basic stitch on four needles. There was much yet to learn but the girl showed promise.

“So you have,” Sabine praised the girl. “The stitches are nice and even. You will be knitting on silver wires before you know it.”

Gillan nodded. “I will practice more than any of the others. Ye shall see. I am going to learn a trade.”

Gillian’s face was full of determination. She flashed Sabine a smile before she headed off toward the kitchen. Something moved at the end of the passageway. Sabine watched as Arland came closer. He contemplated her for a moment.

“Ye have the makings of a fine mistress,” Arland stated.

It was high praise. Sabine felt it warm her insides. But a scent came out of the kitchen. Her belly instantly knotted and started to heave. Sabine dashed away before she ended up retching in front of the captain.