Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

S hade had no chance to answer Quint, two bloodied warriors, each trying to support the other, stumbled out of the woods and collapsed directly in front of them. Quint brought the cart to a halt and gripped her around the waist before she could climb down and rush to help the pair.

"You will not go near them until I see for sure they pose no threat," Quint ordered.

Shade hadn't thought of that. They looked in dire need of a healer's skilled hand, but she could be wrong. It could be a trap. She had not given a thought to Burgess being anything other than what he appeared to be: a traveling merchant.

Quint dismounted and helped her off the cart, then walked to his mare, Gillie, and grabbed his wife's large healing pouch off the saddle and handed it to her. "Wait here until I summon you."

"Hurry," she urged, and he did, signaling her shortly after speaking with the pair.

"They are trying to avoid Lord Torrance's warriors who are hunting and killing Chieftain Ryland's warriors who survived the battle and are trying to make it home to Clan MacLeish," Quint explained.

Shade got busy tending their numerous wounds, using her hidden skill to look deep inside them to see how serious they were. She was relieved to discover that the wounds weren't as bad as she first feared, and it was more exhaustion from battle and travel that had the pair so weak.

Shade was glad they had been careful with the skein of water they carried, drinking from a stream when given the chance. She had Quint fetch it, the two men parched and needing a drink, and the water was also needed to cleanse their wounds.

As she worked on the pair, she said, "I am a friend of Ula and Caleb. I am a healer, and I am on my way to help Clan MacLeish. Do either of you know if Caleb survived the battle?"

Both shook their heads, one saying, "Ula is a good woman and Caleb a skilled warrior. He may have been one of the lucky ones who made it home already."

"It was a bloodbath," the other man said. "An equal match at first, then mercenaries suddenly started pouring down on the battlefield. Chieftain Ryland had the retreat sounded, and Lord Torrance's men continued to attack with a vengeance."

The other man wiped tears from his eyes. "I heard that Chieftain Ryland was carried off the battlefield in the dark of night by one of his own warriors. Another warrior insisted that our chieftain crawled across the field through the dead and dying. A blood trail was found, though it ended abruptly."

"Was there much blood?" Shade asked, trying to determine just how badly wounded Chieftain Ryland might be.

"That would depend on who you talked with. One talked of puddles of blood and another man insisted it was nothing more than a few drops of blood." He paused a moment. "There was a warrior whose words were dismissed since he was dying, and he rambled from one thing to another. He claimed he saw the ghost of Chieftain Ryland walking among the dead and he heard him speak to them, promising he would avenge them."

The other fellow shook his head. "Clan MacLeish is doomed. Lord Torrance will see that we suffer."

The younger of the pair looked at Quint. "There are more of our warriors in the woods who need help. Can you spare the cart, sir, so that we may collect them and bring them home since your destination is the same as ours?"

"I will go with you and tend to their wounds," Shade said, hurrying to stand.

"Nay, you will not," Quint ordered. "It is far too dangerous. They can take the cart and collect whoever they wish and bring them to Clan MacLeish. You can tend the wounded there."

Shade was about to argue when the younger man spoke up. "He is right, mistress. It is too dangerous. There is no telling what Lord Torrance would do if his men found you with the enemy in the woods. Besides, it is more important that you help our chieftain survive. We need his wisdom and courage."

As much as she did not like seeing the two men go off on their own, she knew it was a wise decision. She had to get to Clan MacLeish, not just to help the chieftain but to help Ula and Caleb if necessary. So, she settled in front of her husband on his mare, and they continued their journey.

The small dwelling was a welcome sight just as dusk fell. It needed numerous repairs, but it would do, especially since distant thunder made the threat of rain more probable. She went inside while Quint saw to settling his mare under a lean-to that was in better shape than the dwelling.

The place hadn't seen a visitor in some time. Cobwebs occupied almost every corner, vines grew through the walls running up along them, and pieces of broken furniture lay scattered about. It was far from welcoming, but it would keep the rain off them if they avoided the holes in the thatched roof.

Shade rubbed her arms and shivered from the chill running through her.

Arms suddenly circled her, and she was drawn back against her husband's warmth.

"I will get a fire going and I will make sure you stay warm tonight. It hasn't been an easy day for you, and I fear the coming days might prove even more difficult."

There was much she wanted to say to him, ask him, and yet she wanted nothing more than to be where she was, snug in his arms. Her gurgling stomach ended the peaceful moment, though how she could be hungry after all that happened today, she didn't know.

While Quint took care of the fire, she spread a blanket on the earth floor and sat and ate a piece or two of the cheese and bread she unwrapped and placed in front of her. She watched her husband work to get a strong fire going. He was hunched down on his haunches, his back to her.

They were a strange pair, the healer and The Monk. The healer saved lives, and The Monk took lives. The healer lived to heal, and The Monk lived for revenge. How could marriage between such an odd pair survive?

Quint stood with a stretch and turned, his arms up and wide as he walked to her and a slight shiver tingled her body. He resembled a bird of prey about to descend on its unsuspecting target and capture it.

Quint stopped when he drew near, seeing something in her eyes that troubled him. "I frighten you."

"Goodness, nay," she said, stretching her hand out to him.

He hurried to take hold of her hand and sat beside her. "Then why do I see fear in your eyes?"

She smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "The way you stretched your arms wide reminded me of a massive bird about to descend on its prey and devour it." She kissed his lips lightly. "Not that I would mind you devouring me. The comparison just caught me unaware."

He stared at her. He thought for sure after she witnessed what The Monk did today that she would regret marrying him and disavow their marriage. That made him recall the question he had asked her earlier and she never got a chance to respond to it.

"Tell me, Shade, can you love The Monk?"

Shade rested her hand on his chest, her smile turning soft. "I do not know how I would have felt about The Monk if I hadn't met Quint first. I might have believed, as everyone does that he is a madman. But the time spent with you made a difference. I got to see who you truly are and what drives your revenge. But most importantly I learned you were a man I could trust. To me, love cannot survive without trust and so, it made it that much easier to fall in love with you. And that, dear husband, is something I will never regret. So, to your answer… I love all of you, but I will be relieved when The Monk has his revenge and he exists no more, for I worry over the danger of his quest."

Quint felt as though his heart broke free of whatever chains had shackled it. He kissed her gently, lingering in its tenderness, then brushed her lips with his before kissing her again. It wasn't meant to stir passion. It was a kiss of unwavering love. He felt her contentment when she rested against him, his own serenity mirroring it and he kept his arm tucked around her, holding her close.

"You have my heart, Shade. You are all I need, all I want. I never thought to—" He shook his head. "The emptiness, loneliness after losing Amara—" He shook his head again. "I would rather suffer a battle wound that eventually healed and pained me no more, than suffer the never-ending pain of losing someone you love."

"I understand," she said, running her finger faintly over his lips as though letting him know he need not say more.

She truly did understand his struggle to confess his love for her. He felt he failed his wife for not being there to protect her when she was attacked and now, he would feel it as a betrayal if he confessed his love for another woman. He had more healing to do before he understood that the reason he was able to love again was not a betrayal of his love for Amara but rather the strength of their love that allowed him to open his heart and love again.

He took hold of her finger and kissed it lightly. "I knew you well before I ever laid eyes on you, though I did not ever expect to tell you that, but I owe that to you now."

She looked up at him puzzled, then smiled. "Brother Emmett."

"Aye, he spoke endlessly about you, eager to share not only the knowledge you were helping him to acquire but telling me what a good and truthful woman you were. I thought that he possibly imagined you since what woman could be so wise and understanding." He chuckled and Shade poked him playfully in his side. "But when he began to apply some of what you taught him about healing, I realized you very much existed, and it made me want to meet you. I was going to speak with Brother Emmett about it, but he died before I was able to."

Shade looked at him questioningly. "I wonder what that fellow meant when he said, ‘failed mission.'"

"I wondered myself though I haven't had time to give it thought."

"His dying words could help prove you innocent of the murders."

"With only you and me hearing him?" Quint shook his head. "No one would believe us."

"I wonder what the failure could be," Shade said. "Maybe they found no coins they thought were there." She didn't care for the thought that followed but voiced it anyway. "Or could it be that their actual mission was to kill you?"

Quint's blue eyes darkened in anger. "I never gave it thought that it was me the culprits were after." He shook his head. "Could they have been so furious at not finding me there that they slaughtered the monks, a message of what awaited me?"

"So, those you hunt also hunt you," Shade said, realizing how dangerous it was for her husband and her heart hurting at the thought of what it could mean… losing him.

"It would seem so and that tells me something," he said, seeing worry in her eyes and feeling her contentment fade.

She forced a smile. "Something helpful, I hope."

Quint explained. "The men I hunted and killed so far were nothing more than men without purpose or reason. Men who prayed on the helpless and weak. They had no interest in hunting me down and killing me. To them, they did a job, and it is done. Now that someone purposely hunts me, it tells me that I am getting closer to finding the man who hired those men and who is truly responsible for the monks' deaths. I am now a threat to him, and he must stop me." He hoisted Shade onto his lap. "I fear I put you in danger by wedding you when I believed it would protect you."

"You don't know that."

"With the possibility that I was the target and not the monks, or the fabled coins, it makes me wonder if Amara's death had something to do with me. You spoke of tentacles when it came to revenge, reaching out and touching people. What if I was the reason Amara died?"

"Why do you assume you are at fault? What if it had nothing to do with you and everything to do with your wife? How well did you know her before you wed her?"

Quint had fought the memories that attempted to surface for so long now, it was difficult to recall them. He had battled them until he had buried them so deep it was almost as if none of it had ever happened to him. He preferred it that way. He didn't want to recall any of it, relive it over again, feel as if his heart had been torn out of his chest and shattered into pieces and the hole replaced by a vast emptiness that consumed him whole until he met Shade, and she began to fill it.

"Not long," he said. "We met at market one day and she went home with me to a small croft on the outskirts of the clan I fought for at that time, and she stayed. She was a pretty, petite woman who made me smile often and I enjoyed her company. One day, after a moon cycle spent together, she told me it was time for her to leave. I didn't hesitate. I asked her to wed me. She refused me, telling me she had to go. I didn't want to lose her. She filled a part of me I didn't even know was empty. I wore her down with words of love until she accepted, and we were wed, and I grew to love her more each day."

"What clan did she belong to? Did she have friends or family in the area?"

"She never said, and I never asked. We were enough for each other and nothing else mattered." He shook his head. "I cannot see her death having anything to do with her. It had to be someone wanting revenge against me."

Shade did not agree but said nothing and intended to make inquiries about Amara when she got the chance, to settle her own curiosity.

"You will be vigilant and trust no one when we arrive at Clan MacLeish," he ordered.

"Except Ula and Caleb. I trust them."

He would not deny her that, though he would see for himself if either could be trusted.

"And you will let me know your whereabouts at all times."

"That might be difficult if there are many wounded to tend to," she said and when he went to argue with her, she stopped him with a kiss. "I am not a foolish woman, Quint. I will be cautious and vigilant and do my best to make you aware of my whereabouts. I don't want to lose you or what I have with you when we have just found each other. But you must promise me the same or I will worry endlessly about you."

He grinned. "I am The Monk. You don't need to worry about me."

She chuckled. "That is the very reason I worry about you." She kissed him softly. "Promise me."

He didn't hesitate. "You have my word, wife." He kissed her and this time it was filled with passion.

A sharp crack of thunder tore them apart and heavy rain followed, pouring through several holes in the roof. With a spot overhead dripping rainwater on them, they quickly gathered the food and blanket and found a spot closer to the fire where they could stay dry and warm.

Quint had the urge to share a quick coupling with his wife, but it was not the time or place. They were vulnerable until they reached Clan MacLeish and even then, he had to remain watchful. He sat with his back braced against the wall and his wife huddled against him, ready to do whatever he had to do to keep her safe.