A Dark Guardian (11 page)

“You have some explaining to do,” he said as he came to stand in front of her.

She didn’t have to look behind her to know Hugh and Darrick were at her back.

“I’m sorry for leaving without word to you. I needed some time to myself.”

“It was always odd that whenever something bothered you, you would run to those ruins.”

It was the catch in his voice that let her know something was wrong, dreadfully so. “What has happened? You’ve never cared before that I went.” Bernard hung his head. “Theresa was attacked.”

Mina began to laugh until she realized how serious he was. Her smile vanished as she took a small step toward her brother. “How badly is she injured? Did anyone see who attacked her?”

“Nay,” Hugh said and came to stand beside Bernard. “Cole heard her scream from her chamber, but he wasn’t able to get inside to see who attacked her.” She looked from Hugh’s cold dark eyes to Bernard’s resigned expression as realization dawned on her. “You think I did it.”

“Everyone has been accounted for but you,” Bernard said.

“Ah,” she said and looked around the bailey. “So, if I wasn’t here then it must be me who, not only got inside her chamber, but blocked Cole from entering. All the while attacking my sister.”

“Mina—” Bernard started, but she didn’t wish to hear what he had to say.

She knew all she had to do was ask Aimery to verify where she was, but she was too angry at being falsely accused by the one man who had shown her the most kindness in years. That’s what she deserved for giving her trust to a man she didn’t know.

“Theresa already spoke to me. There is no need for you to go to these extremes. I will not bother you again,” she said to Hugh and brushed past Bernard.

She didn’t get two steps before Hugh’s iron grip clamped down on her arm. He spun her around, his jaw clenched tightly.

“Explain yourself,” he demanded.

She laughed while blinking away the tears. “I have been put through more than most people endure in a lifetime. I do not have to repeat what was said to me, especially in front of others.”

“Then I will walk you to your chamber and you can tell me there.” She jerked her arm out of his grasp. “I think not. I was wrong about you. You’re not the man I thought you were.”

Hugh watched her walk away, her gait long and fast. There had been anger and hurt in her gaze when he had accused her. He had expected her to plead her innocence, but the fact that she had said nothing gave him pause.

“What if I’m wrong,” he asked Darrick.

Darrick’s eyes followed Mina as well. “You’ve never been wrong before.”

“I cannot believe that it’s her,” Bernard said. “I do hope this is the first time you are mistaken, Hugh.”

Hugh didn’t want to admit it, but he was hoping for the same thing. “Darrick,” he said.

“I’m going,” Darrick replied as he trailed after Mina.

Hugh turned to survey the bailey. Almost everything was in order. The handful of knights that were still at Stone Crest lined the battlements. A few would be placed about the bailey behind anything that would keep them hidden from the creature.

“Who is going to watch over Theresa and Mina when the creature comes?” Hugh glanced at Bernard. “I have a feeling Mina will still take her place as bait for the creature. As for Theresa, we’ll put a servant inside her chamber and a couple more outside her chamber.”

“Then I’ll go see that the servants are in place,” Bernard said and then stopped.

“If it is Mina, what will happen to her?”

“Let us concentrate on killing the creature first.” Hugh waited until Bernard was inside the castle before he dropped the mask he had worn since finding Mina outside the castle walls.

He looked to the sky and saw there was still time for him to take a quick walk.

Gabriel joined him as he stared at the postern door.

“What are you thinking?” his friend asked.

Hugh didn’t answer but walked to the door. He slid the bolt free and opened the door. “Lock this behind me. I’ll be back shortly.”

“What are you looking for?”

“Innocence.”

He walked through the door before Gabriel could question him farther. He followed the path that led from the door and found himself at the back of the castle.

It wasn’t seen because of the trees surrounding it. He hurried down the path and quickened his pace to the ruins. When he reached them, the sun still shone enough light for him to see by. He didn’t know what he searched for, but he would look just the same.

The ruins showed him little more than he had seen the first time. The circle of blue stones stayed as they were, but he was able to find where Mina had sat. As far as he could see, she had come into the ruins and immediately sat on the fallen stone.

He sat on the great rock as she would have and looked about. The view she would have seen would have been of the few remaining stones amid the rubble and the rolling hills. The castle was to the right. He turned and looked over his shoulder to find the forest.

Most people would prefer to gaze at the forest in hopes of a bird or small animal, but Mina stared at the stones. He had a hard time figuring out exactly who she was, mostly because she was so different from anyone he had ever encountered.

Even in his own time, he could easily foresee how a friend or foe would act or react to a situation. What made Mina so different?

The lengthening shadows told him he didn’t have long before the creature arrived.

He jumped to his feet and began the trek back to the castle.

When he reached the postern door, he banged his fist on it and whistled. The bolt immediately slid free and the door opened.

“Just in time,” Gabriel said and pointed to the sky.

Hugh followed his gaze and saw the darkness coming. When he looked back down it was to find Mina talking to John. She wore the same dark brown pants she had worn the night he had rescued her, but her tunic was that of the lightest shade of brown that contrasted with her strawberry-blonde hair nicely.

The dagger was sheathed at her waist, and she held a spear in her left hand. She kept motioning for John to go into the stables, but he only shook his head.

“What is wrong?” Hugh asked as he walked to them.

She didn’t look at him as she said, “John wants to help kill the creature, but I told him I needed him to watch the horses.”

Hugh looked at the lad holding a sword he could barely lift. He began to reach for the sword then thought better of it. “Lady Mina is right. We do need your help. We need those horses, without them we cannot battle the creature. I need you to take this sword and guard those horses.”

John’s eyes lit up, and he nodded his head and turned to go to the stables, the sword dragging behind him.

Hugh waited for Mina to thank him, but she only walked away. He easily caught up with her. “I am only doing what the Fae have commanded.”

“How pleasant for you,” she said and stopped beside the castle wall directly in front of the castle doors.

“You have not cried your innocence.”

“You wouldn’t hear me if I did. You have already condemned me.” He moved to stand in front of her so she would have to look at him. “Then prove me wrong.”

Her blue-green eyes stared back at him. “I have told you it wasn’t me. That should be enough.”

“I need more.”

“Do what you must. It matters not to me.”

And what scared him the most was that he knew she meant it. She had nothing to hold her here for her to grasp at anything to prove her innocence.

There was no use arguing with her at the moment. It would have to wait until after they killed the creature. No sooner had that thought crossed his mind than the sun descended into the horizon and the spine tingling scream of the creature echoed around them.

“You know what to do?” he asked Mina.

“I stand here and wait for it to attack me.”

“If you change your mind—”

“I

won’t.”

He nodded and walked to his position which was just to her right behind some water barrels.

They didn’t have long to wait to hear the loud flapping of the creature’s bat-like wings. From his hiding spot he could see the dark shape of the creature as it flew toward the castle gatehouse. It rose high into the air and let out another scream.

Hugh chanced a glance at Mina and saw her watching the creature. “I won’t let it touch you,” he whispered.

“I’ll hold you to that promise.”

He smiled despite himself and adjusted his grip on the crossbow. The creature had flown down until he hovered above the bailey. In the growing darkness, Hugh could see its red eyes searching.

To his surprise, it landed in the middle of the bailey and folded its wings. It took a step, its long talons scraping the ground. It cocked its head to the side and peered at Mina.

“I told you ‘tis not your time. I’ve been asked to keep you for last,” the creature hissed.

Mina shrugged. “If you want to kill tonight it will have to be me.” The creature smacked its jaws together. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint you,” it said and jumped at her.

“Now,” Hugh bellowed as the creature lunged. He fired his crossbow and then dove at Mina.

He landed on top of her. “Are you all right?” She nodded, but he could feel her shaking. “Stay here.”

After putting another arrow into his crossbow, he charged the creature that stood fighting off the attack in the bailey. He put another arrow into the creature but nothing phased it. It continued to fight while yanking arrows out of its body.

Hugh got close enough to shoot an arrow at its heart. The creature laughed as it pulled the arrow out and healed itself. He was unable to move in time as the creature backhanded him. Hugh landed hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs.

“Mina,” someone shouted.

Hugh raised his head to see the creature advancing on her. She tried to run to the left, but it jumped in her way. Wherever she went, it stopped her. Hugh got to his feet and unsheathed his sword.

He began to run towards Mina when the creature extended its right arm, its talons glistening in the moonlight. “Nay,” he bellowed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Darrick running toward Mina. Darrick jumped in front of her as the creature swung its arm downward. Hugh watched, horrified, as Darrick slumped to the ground. The creature raised its face to the moon and shrieked loudly before it flew to rest atop one of the castle towers.

When Hugh reached Darrick, Mina was already cradling his head in her lap.

“Darrick,” she said as the tears coursed down her face. “Do something,” she screamed at Hugh.

Hugh looked down to see Darrick’s chest slashed open. “Gabriel.”

“I’m here,” Gabriel said and moved Hugh aside to kneel.

Hugh stood back and watched as Gabriel looked their friend over before he dropped his head.

“You must do something,” Mina said.

Gabriel lifted his gaze to her. “I can heal almost anything, but I cannot bring someone back from the dead.”

Hugh took a step toward Mina, but Bernard reached her first and pulled her into his arms. Mina cried the tears that Hugh, Gabriel, and Cole would never shed.

“Not Darrick,” Cole whispered as he reached them.

“Come,” Hugh told him as he and Gabriel reached for Darrick’s body. “We must get him away from the creature before it returns to dine off Darrick. We will tend to Darrick once the dawn has come.”

“Put him in the blacksmith’s cottage,” Bernard said.

Once they had placed Darrick in the cottage and covered him, they walked back into the bailey where the creature waited for them. Hugh looked around.

“Where is Mina?” he asked Bernard.

“I think she went into the castle.”

But Hugh knew she wouldn’t do that. “I don’t think so. She must be somewhere in the bailey.”

“We don’t have time to find her,” Cole said as he drew his sword. “The creature will descend upon us any moment.”

Hugh watched the creature closely as it flew lower to land on the battlement. Its head turned slightly, and its eyes watched something outside the castle walls.

“Dear God,” Hugh murmured under his breath. “Mina is outside.”

“Outside?”

Bernard

repeated, his tone disbelieving. “Why, in all that is holy, is Mina not inside these walls?”

No one moved as they watched the creature spread its wings and fly from the castle.

“’Tis headed toward the forest,” Cole shouted.

Hugh never heard Cole, for he was already running toward the postern door. He threw it open and raced down the path, heedless of his own safety as he broke through the trees. The field from the castle to the forest seemed to stretch forever as he watched the creature reach the trees.

He heard footfalls behind him and knew that at least one of his men was with him.

He didn’t chance a look back. He couldn’t. He had to keep his eyes on the creature, which was easier said than done once it moved down into the trees.

Hugh’s legs stretched longer as he neared the forest, but once he broke into the dense growth, he stopped. With his chest pumping from the exertion, he listened for any sound of the creature or Mina.

“Where is it?” Gabriel whispered as he ran up beside Hugh.

“I don’t know.”

Cole came to stand on the other side of Hugh. He leaned close and spoke softly,

“Shouldn’t we have heard her screaming by now?” Hugh grimaced at Cole’s choice of words. “You would think.”

“Where is Mina?” Bernard bellowed as he crashed into the forest and ran to them.

They all turned and hushed him. “We’re trying to hear,” Hugh told him.

For several more moments they stood wordlessly, listening to the eerie silence of the trees.

“This is spooky,” Bernard hissed into the gloom. “I’ve never heard the forest this quiet.”

Hugh nodded. “’Tis the creature that frightens the animals.”

“Well, that’s not the only thing it frightens.” Hugh’s respect for the baron grew. There were few men who would admit their fear and fewer still that would face it.

“Split up. If you hear something, whistle,” he said and moved forward through the trees.”