Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

H e'd been watching her since last night.

He saw her in the darkness and saw her this morning, and he genuinely saw no need to wait.

Aristeo was on the move.

He and his men had rolled in just after sunset the previous evening, coming in on the outskirts of town as the village was settling in for the night. He brought with him about fifty soldiers and the man who had seen his sister at a seedy tavern called the Black Cock. The man had been able to give him precise directions, straight to Exebridge, and Aristeo found it rather odd that the very tavern where his sister had been hiding was less than a day's ride from his parents' house.

She hadn't run far.

It was, however, in a village tucked against the Exmoor Forest, with the famed Blackchurch Guild to the north, and the woods in this area were said to be full of outlaws and cutthroats. His father and his uncle had patrolled all the major roads in and out of Devon in Cornwall karma, and they believed that was sufficient because the smaller roads were dangerous and they didn't think Elisiana would have attempted traveling on those alone.

But they hadn't given her enough credit.

Evidently, not only had she traveled the dangerous roads, but she had found a haven in a tavern that didn't look terribly appealing. It was a single story in the front, but the back had at least three stories to it. It also looked as if over the years they had added to it, so there were sections that didn't look as if they quite fit. Appearance notwithstanding, it seemed to be very popular, because last night it was full to the rafters with patrons.

When Aristeo and his men first arrived, he had planned to go inside and locate his sister, but he was afraid she might cause a scene, and with all of the people in the tavern, there was a possibility that he might lose her in the crowd if she tried to run. He had seen her, one time, when she briefly stepped outside to talk to a big man who had evidently chased away another man. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was some kind of a confrontation between two very big men. One of them had taken off toward the north and his sister had emerged about that time. It was only a brief glimpse, but Aristeo would know that dark, curly hair anywhere.

His little sister had been found.

Therefore, Aristeo and his men sank back into the shadows and remained out of sight for the rest of the night. Because he didn't need a big crowd to fight against when he was trying to collect his sister, he figured the best time to take her would be in the morning when the crowds were either asleep or gone. No one had seen her leave, which meant she was still inside.

All he had to do was wait.

Sunrise came after a sleepless night in the woods surrounding Exebridge, and Aristeo and his men made it back into the village as soon as the eastern sky turned shades pink and blue. It was a cold, crisp morning as they spread out around the tavern in case Elisiana decided to run again. It was most likely that once Aristeo went in after her, she was going to flee and someone had to be ready to catch her. Already, at this early hour of the morning, people were heading in and out of the tavern, and Aristeo mostly saw people leaving after a night of too much drink and too little sleep. He saw two women go in as well, assuming they were either workers of the tavern or perhaps even whores who found clientele among the unwashed and the dangerous. Once Aristeo's men were spread out and he received the signal from a soldier at the corner of the tavern that all positions were set, it was time for him to make his move.

Into the tavern he went.

What happened next seemed arranged by fate. It was quite surprising because Aristeo had no sooner walked into the tavern than he saw his sister with the two women he'd seen entering earlier. They were all talking and smiling until his sister looked up and saw him standing there.

He saw her jolt with shock.

"Elisiana?" he said. "God's Bones, woman, we've been looking everywhere for you. And here you are? So close to home?"

Elisiana seemed to jolt again at the sound of his voice, as if bolts of lightning were striking her. She dashed away from her friends, collecting an enormous club that was leaning up against the wall. The club had metal spikes on the head, and she wielded it like a sword.

"Get out of here, Aristeo," she demanded. "Get out of here or I will beat you with this club, I swear it."

Beside her, the two women seemed very concerned, one of them going so far as to approach Aristeo with caution.

"Who are you?" she asked. "What do you want here?"

"Athdara, get out of here," Elisiana commanded. " Go! "

Athdara stopped approaching him. "Why?" she asked. "Who is he?"

Elisiana came forward, putting herself between Athdara and Aristeo. "This is my brother," she said evenly. "Please, Athdara. You and Gisele… go. Run back to Blackchurch!"

There was a message there that Gisele caught on to. She was standing by the corridor that led to the kitchens and the livery out back, and when Elisiana mentioned who the man was, she slipped into the corridor and began to run back to the livery, where the stable boy was watering a pair of small white horses. She ran up to the lad, shoved him out of the way, and grabbed the reins of one of the ponies. Leaping onto the bare back, because it was a small horse, she kicked it and slapped the rump, sending the pony into a dead run right away. As she headed for Blackchurch at breakneck speed, Elisiana was still trying to convince Athdara to leave.

The tall woman wouldn't budge.

"I'm not leaving you," Athdara said, knowing Gisele had fled because she'd seen it in her periphery. She knew help would soon be coming, so she had to stall until it arrived. "What does he want here?"

"That is a very good question," Elisiana said, her eyes riveted to her brother. "What do you want here, Téo? If you've come to bring me home, I'll not go with you. You have wasted your time looking for me."

So far, Aristeo hadn't moved. He remained by the door, his gaze steady at his sister. "That is a foolish question," he said. "You know what I want. You know what Papa wants. You must come home."

"I will not," Elisiana said before he'd finished his sentence. "This is my home now. My family. I will not go back with you. I thought I'd made that clear."

Aristeo sighed patiently. "Lisi, I know that Papa wants you to marry Adolph," he said. "Will it truly be so bad? He is rich, I hear. He inherited money from his father. You do not even have to like him."

"I do not like him," she said, her temper rising. "He was vulgar and forward toward me, Téo. Did you know that?"

"What did he do?"

"He wanted me to touch him in his privates."

Aristeo's jaw flexed. "He said that to you?"

"He did!" she said. "That is why I kicked him between his legs and ran! I will not marry that disgusting excuse for a man. Let him find another wife!"

Aristeo wasn't entirely unsympathetic. "I understand," he said. "I can't say that I have any regard for the man either, but that wasn't the way to go about it. You must talk to Papa. He's hardly slept or ate since you ran off, and Mama is inconsolable. She will not get out of bed. You must come back, Lisi. Please."

Elisiana shook her head. "Nay," she said. "I cannot and I will not, because no matter what I tell Papa, he will still force me to marry that vile creature. I would rather die."

Aristeo shook his head in frustration, in sorrow. "Then what do you want to do?" he said. "Work as a tavern wench for the rest of your life? Papa will have fits about this, you know. You are the daughter of an earl, Lisi. This is no place for you."

"It is a wonderful place," she said seriously. "I have met wonderful people who are my friends. I've never had many friends, Téo. It feels wonderful to be respected and needed. Something neither you nor Papa or Mama have ever made me feel. I'm staying."

Aristeo knew exactly where she was coming from because her entire life had been one of disregard until she started creating those lewd drawings. Then her parents paid attention to her, but only to condemn her. Not to try to understand her. Aristeo loved his sister, but he had been busy with his own life, too busy to pay attention to her. She was sinking in the quagmire of propriety and disapproving parents, and he couldn't even thrown her a lifeline. He'd seen it most the night she'd run off, when Adolph was practically salivating over her and Aristeo was too drunk to care.

He should have paid closer attention.

"What if I bring Papa to you, just to talk?" he asked. "You wouldn't have to leave—he'll come to you."

"Nay," Elisiana said flatly. "He'll force me to come home."

"Not even if I tell him not to?"

Elisiana grunted as if that were a ridiculous statement. "Téo, he will not listen to you," she said. "You know he will not."

"Won't you even try?"

"If you bring him here, I'll only run somewhere else."

Aristeo sighed heavily. "Then you simply have to come home with me," he said. "I know you are unhappy and you do not want to marry Adolph, but you ran out on your family and that is simply not the way to behave. Abuelo and Abuela have been praying six hours a day, every day, since you left because they are terrified for safety. Would you truly cause your grandparents such worry?"

That caused her a bit of doubt, but only momentarily. "I am sorry they are upset, but I am not going back," she said. "You'll simply have to tell Papa you did not find me."

"I will not," he said, crooking his finger at her. "Put the club down and come with me, Lisi."

"I will not."

"If I have to take you by force, then I will."

"If you want me, you will have to fight for me."

Aristeo could see that she meant it. Seeing that he had no other choice, he opened up the entry door and motioned to someone outside. Very quickly, men began filtering in—men with swords—and Athdara, who was unarmed, backed away. She came close enough to Elisiana to grab her and pull her back, back toward the corridor that led to the kitchens and the livery.

"Get out of here," Elisiana whispered at her. "But not through the door because there are probably soldiers back there. Climb through a window and get out. Hurry!"

Athdara had been a recruit at Blackchurch several years ago. That was how she'd met her husband, so she was no stranger to a sword or a fight. But she did turn for the corridor, without another word to Elisiana, and headed back to the kitchens to tell them to hide because there was about to be an armed incursion. When Hobbes tried to get a look at who was in his common room, Athdara scolded him and shoved him under a table. But she went for the long iron rod that was used to tend the fire in the ovens, before heading to the common room just as Aristeo was advancing on his sister.

That was when the fight began in earnest.

*

" Sin! "

Sinclair was teaching his class yet another repetitive move, an overhead swing, and so far, three of his recruits had managed to cut themselves. One man nearly cut his ear off, and surprisingly, it wasn't Thomas Ram. Anteaus was in the middle of the group, helping those less adept at the move, as Sinclair heard his name being shouted. Glancing over his left shoulder, he saw Fox running in his direction.

"Sin!" Fox bellowed. "Trouble at the tavern! You must come!"

For a moment, Sinclair thought he hadn't heard right. Puzzled, he frowned. "What trouble?" he asked. "What is happening?"

Fox was upon him. "Gigi came racing back here from town," he said, breathless from the run. "Lisi's brother has come for her."

Sinclair's eyes widened. "Her brother ?" he repeated. "Christ, my sword. I need my sword."

Fox shook his head. "No time," he said. "Grab one of the practice swords. They're sharp enough. Anteaus! With us!"

Everyone began to run. There was no time to get the horses because the stable was at least a half-mile away in the wrong direction, so Sinclair grabbed the sword out of the hand of the nearest recruit and began to sprint toward the gatehouse. What he didn't know was that Tay and Ming Tang were already rushing into town because Fox had seen them first and informed them of the situation. Tay had grabbed the soldiers at the gatehouse, at least twenty of them, and the entire group was running into the village.

Sinclair, Fox, and Anteaus were bringing up the rear.

Gisele, however, had gone to Creston after she'd told her husband, and Creston had collected Cruz and Payne. Kristian was out on the water with his class and beyond their reach. Amir was with St. Denis, and no one wanted to tip St. Denis off. Bowen, the junior trainer in charge of etiquette and other things, was in a barn near the stable and too far to reach, and Axton, Fox's assistant, had charge of Fox's class and couldn't leave. Therefore, the available trainers dropped what they were doing, left their classes, and headed into Exebridge at a dead run because one of their own was in trouble. At least, that was what Gisele had said.

By the time Sinclair arrived, it was already a hell of a fight.

De Verra soldiers were all around the Black Cock, and the clash between them and the Blackchurch soldiers rocked the entire village. Residents were running and screaming, steering clear of the battle, as Sinclair tried to fight his way in. The man they called the Swordsman was working with a sword that wasn't his own, and a practice sword at that, but his precision and grace was unmatched. He managed to dispatch three de Verra men and bust in through the front door, along with Tay, only to see more chaos spread out in front of him.

As they stood in the doorway, looking for their women, someone swung a chair at Tay's head. He was a tall man, so the chair only managed to smash on his shoulder, but it was enough to throw him off balance. As he crashed back into the wall behind him, more Blackchurch soldiers filtered in, fighting the de Verra men who were already in the common room, but they were mixing with the patrons who hadn't yet left the Black Cock. That created a situation of bedlam because everyone was fighting everyone—patron against de Verra, de Verra against Blackchurch, and Blackchurch against patron. No one seemed to know who they were fighting, only that they had to fight. Across the room, Sinclair could see Athdara using an iron rod with considerable skill.

"Athdara!" he bellowed. "Where's Lisi?"

She saw him over the madness. "The private room!" she shouted. "Her brother has her! He won't let her go!"

Sinclair started to push through the crowd, kicking men out of the way, slashing those who didn't move fast enough. There were bodies and broken furniture on the floor, and he struggled across it as he tried to get to the private room.

"Lisi!" he yelled. " Elisiana! "

Screaming filled the air from the private room because Elisiana heard Sinclair's voice. Her brother had managed to disarm her of the Lion Tamer, and now he was simply chasing her around the table, trying to get a grip on her. Knowing Sinclair had arrived had her faltering.

"Sin!" she cried. "Sin, help !"

That was all he needed to hear to fuel his sense of terror. That strong, brave woman he'd come to know was actually calling for help. It was something he never thought he'd hear from her. Sinclair continued to fight his way across the common room, but it was nearly impossible. Two de Verra soldiers came at him, and he found himself engaged until Athdara appeared behind one of them and cracked the man over the head with her rod. As Sinclair was dispatching the other soldier, the screaming from the private room abruptly stopped.

Unbeknownst to them, Aristeo had captured his prize.

Hand over his sister's mouth, he knew he had to subdue her if he had any chance of carrying her away without a fight, so using the butt of his sword, Aristeo cracked her on the side of the head and she fell like a stone. Meanwhile, Sinclair shoved a de Verra soldier aside only to be hit from behind by another. Blades began to fly. But not before he saw a dark-haired man with Elisiana over his shoulder disappear into the corridor that went to the livery yard. He tried to follow but had a fight of his own to attend to.

It wasn't getting any easier.

In a fit of rage, Sinclair dispatched the de Verra soldier and rushed back out the way he'd come in because the way was clearer. Unfortunately, that took longer than he had hoped, so when he made his way outside and around the side of the tavern to the livery yard, it was just in time to see several horses rushing down the road, heading west, and he caught sight of someone draped over the saddle of one of the horses.

It was Elisiana's lavender dress.

Seized with panic, he rushed into the livery yard only to find the stable boy weeping because the de Verra soldiers had either stolen or scattered all of the horses in the corral. There were horses running wild in the yard and escaping out into the village. Realizing he had no mount, Sinclair turned back for the tavern only to see Ming Tang emerging from the building. Sinclair started to run out of the yard but Ming Tang stopped him.

"Sin!" he called. " Wait! "

"I cannot," Sinclair said, though he slowed his pace. "Her brother took her. I must get her back!"

Ming Tang caught up and grabbed him, forcing him to stop. It was a strong-arm move, not at all like the man from the east who was usually much more composed. But he had something to say and wasn't going to let Sinclair get away from him.

"Stop," he said firmly but quietly. "Sinclair, stop. Listen to me. Listen! "

Sinclair was trying to pull away from him. "Listen to what?" he said. "We are wasting time!"

But Ming Tang shook his head. "Nay, my friend," he said. "Stop and listen to me. You cannot go after her."

Sinclair looked at him as if he'd gone mad. "Of course I am going after her!"

"You cannot," Ming Tang said. "That was her brother, was it not?"

Sinclair nodded. "If was."

"And he is taking her home to her family?"

"Who told you that?"

Ming Tang shrugged. "From the conversations last night and from what Tay and Fox have told me," he said. "She told you that she had run from her father and an arranged marriage, did she not?"

Sinclair had a suspicion as to where this was leading. "She did."

"Then her brother has come to retrieve her and take her home."

"Over my dead body!"

Ming Tang had his hands on Sinclair, now patting the man on the chest. "You cannot go after her," he said again, patiently. "Think, Sin, think . Helping her in the midst of a fight in a tavern is one thing. If you were to reclaim her and take her to safety, her brother would not know where. She would be safe from him and he would continue his search for her because you could have kept her out of sight. But this way… if you follow, the trainers will want to go with you. If they go, Blackchurch soldiers will go. Do you understand what I am saying to you?"

Deep down, Sinclair did, but he didn't want to acknowledge it. "But I mus t go after her," he said. "If I—"

Ming Tang cut him off. "If you and the trainers follow her back to her father's home, what then?" he said. "You have no army to retrieve her. Do you plan to steal her away? And your friends would help you? Sin, that simply is not wise. If she has an arranged marriage, her father could have you executed for interfering with that. And he probably would. Then what happens to those who went with you?"

Sinclair was losing ground fast with the logic. "I cannot stand by and do nothing."

Ming Tang knew that. He wasn't trying to be heartless. But the truth was brutal. "Denis allowed you to fight in Tay's stead when you went to Toxandria, but this is something completely different," he said steadily. "If you follow her and try to reclaim her, you will violate everything Blackchurch stands for. You will create chaos. Already you've created chaos, and you will be fortunate if Denis does not relieve you of your post because of it."

The truth was sinking in as much as Sinclair railed against it. "I did not violate Blackchurch's rules," he said. "I came to the aid of the woman I… I'm going to marry her, Ming Tang. I will not see her married to another. Do you understand me?"

Ming Tang, ever wise, nodded patiently. "I understand," he said. "But you cannot chase after her to wrest her away from her brother. What happens if the man is killed? That will bring her father and his allies down around Blackchurch if, in fact, they know who you are and where you are from, and given this fight, they have probably figured it out. Denis will be furious. You are not thinking clearly. Whatever you do, it cannot involve the Blackchurch trainers or the soldiers. You cannot involve Blackchurch at all. We will have to think of something else."

Sinclair was almost agreeing with him. Almost. But more de Verra soldiers thundered down the road, passing them, and it brought about his panic again. By this time, Tay, Fox, Creston, Payne, and Anteaus had come into the livery yard, seeing Ming Tang with Sinclair.

They converged on the pair.

"What happened?" Tay demanded. "Where's the lady?"

Sinclair was looking at Ming Tang and, suddenly, everything the man said to him made sense. Perfect sense. He couldn't jeopardize his friends, who would want to go with him. As much as he loved them, this simply wasn't their fight, and if he let it become their fight, he would be violating everything Blackchurch stood for.

And he would ruin their careers.

Closing his eyes tightly, he turned away and hung his head.

"Sin?" Tay said when he saw Sinclair's reaction. Then he looked at Ming Tang. "What happened? Where is the lady?"

"Gone," Ming Tang said simply. "We must return to Blackchurch and tell Lord Exmoor what has happened. And we must come up with some solutions for Sin so he will not charge after the lady and get himself killed. How is Athdara?"

Tay was looking at Sinclair as Ming Tang spoke, distracted by the question about his wife. "She is inside helping clean up the mess," he said. "She's perfectly fine, the bold wench. Holding off a room full of soldiers with an fire poker."

That was good news. Tay wasn't really as casual about it as he pretended to be. He lived and breathed by his wife, so he was relieved more than any of them. But the situation, for now, was over, and Ming Tang nodded to Tay and Fox, who turned around and began moving the Blackchurch trainers and soldiers back for the guild. Everyone seemed oddly happy, energized by a good fight with no significant injuries.

It was all in a day's work.

Ming Tang hung back, however, waiting for Sinclair to compose himself, and it was fortunately a short wait. Sinclair was a professional and understand better than anyone else how emotions could cloud judgment. He'd just never had it happen to him.

In silence, he headed back to Blackchurch with Ming Tang by his side.

And St. Denis was waiting for him.