Chapter Sixteen 

Three men stood in front of Melinda. One of them held the horse's reins in his hands.

"You have got to be kidding me." She wanted to groan. Not again. "Drop the reins and leave now and I won't turn y'all into toads."

Two of the men crossed themselves, and she resisted the urge to laugh. She needed them to be afraid of her so they would go on their way. She didn't have time for this. Blackford Castle and Lucy were within her grasp.

Apparently the third man wasn't afraid of being turned into a frog. He barked orders to the other men. They grabbed hold of her as she struggled, screaming and kicking. Her foot made contact with one of the men's noses, and she was gratified to hear the crunching sound. A copper smell filled the air.

Good. She hoped she'd busted his nose. Satisfaction coursed through her. But it was short-lived. They threw her over the back of the horse, leading him down a path toward the rocky beach. The horse bared his teeth to bite. One of the men yanked hard on the reins and the animal settled down.

"The horse belongs to Lord Falconburg. You better leave him with me. If I don't return with him soon, he'll come looking."

Two of the men looked nervous until their leader shrugged. "Lord Falconburg will have to catch us first, lady."

She looked at each face, memorizing what they looked like and what they were wearing. If she survived and James didn't kill her for losing his best horse, she wanted to be able to tell him what the thieves looked like. Wanted to be there when he caught them. Was she becoming a barbarian? Melinda never considered herself prone to violence, but ever since she'd arrived in the fourteenth century, where she found herself thrust into one situation after another, she'd changed her mind. And right about now, as angry as she was, she'd cheer when James skewered them like big ole shish-kabobs.

They were all wet from the spray striking the rocks. At the base of the cliff where the water met the shore, they led her around a group of rocks and into what looked like a passageway or cave. You wouldn't know it was there unless you were right on top of it. The entrance was tucked into a corner of the rock. Were they smugglers?

Inside the dark cave, one man lit a torch. For a moment she envied him and opened her mouth to ask how before she remembered she was not a guest but a prisoner. The dim light cast shadows on the stone walls. On the back wall she saw iron rings. Maybe they were used to pull the boats in?

Panic rose within her as the men pulled her arms above her head.

"Let me go and I won't tell Lord Falconburg there are smugglers using his beaches."

The men laughed. They tied her tightly to the rings. They were as thick as her wrist and there was no slack in the rope. The leader leaned close to her. The smell of alcohol was so strong Melinda wondered if you could get a contact buzz.

"The horse is mine. He'll bring a fine price. 'Tis low tide now. When the water rises, you'll drown. If you don't die of cold first."

The leader gestured to the other man. They were leaving her here alone. Melinda screamed for all she was worth.

One of the men turned around. "Witches can't abide salt water."

"I'm no witch, idiot. Let me go and I'll ask Lord Falconburg not to kill you."

"The Red Knight has changed. He is a deformed beast who eats women and children. He will not save you."

The leader grabbed her around the waist, pulling her close. The ropes cut into her wrists, the boots protecting her ankles from the rough rope.

"Shall we get to know the lady better?"

There was no effing way. "Lay one finger on me and I will make your man parts shrivel and fall off."

The man backed away from her, a look of horror on his face. She bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"I won't curse you if you free me now."

The man seemed to be deciding, but shook his head. "You are a witch. Cast a spell and free yourself."

He stood with his arms crossed over his chest. The other two looked fearful. One seemed to be muttering prayers.

When nothing happened, he grinned. "Let the water take ye, witch." One of the men crossed himself. "Scream as loud as you like. No one will hear you."

As they left, Melinda watched her meager belongings leave on the back of the horse. Someone had to come by. The rings looked well used. Melinda screamed until she was hoarse. There was no way anyone would hear her over the waves crashing against the rocks.

Water trickled into the cave. Tiny streams formed, then a puddle, and now it was over her ankles. Melinda pulled against the rope as hard as she could, but it was no use. The rings wouldn't budge. How many people died this way?

In looking at the water stains on the wall inside the cave, a sense of impending doom rose within her. The cave would be completely submerged at high tide.

Why had she traveled over seven hundred years only to drown in a cave? As the water rose, Melinda's teeth quit chattering. How long until she died of hypothermia? Time seemed to be speeding up. With each wave, the water rose. Higher and higher. She must've passed out from the cold. A wave hit her in the face, waking her. The water was to her waist.

Had she come all this way only to die in medieval England without finding Lucy? Melinda spent a lot of time thinking about what would happen when she made it back to the future. While she hadn't found it yet, she was sure love was waiting around a corner. The kind of epic love she'd read about in books. So powerful she'd thought about the characters for days or weeks after she'd finished the story. That was what she wanted in life. She didn't care what anyone said, Melinda believed in true love with all her heart.

She closed her eyes. "I wish to get out of here and find my own happily ever after."