Lords of Darkness and Shadow (134 page)

Cantia watched him carefully. “What do you intend to do?”

Tevin merely lifted an eyebrow but he would not look at her. His gaze moved out over the compound, now settling into a brittle and harsh state of existence now that his men had backed off from their raid.

“I would speak with de Lohr and see what his thoughts are on the matter,” he replied. “He knows Penden as well as anyone.  I will speak with Myles and make my decision.”

Cantia wasn’t sure what more she could say.  She was afraid of what Charles was capable, too, so she wrapped her arms around Tevin’s waist and hugged him tightly.  Tevin swallowed her up in his big arms, his face buried in the top of her head as he relished the feel of her.  She was safe, and alive, and he was deeply thankful, but the information regarding Charles and Dagan had him gravely concerned.

His thoughts were still lingering on Penden when Cantia lifted her head and caught sight of Arabel upon her father’s charger.  She smiled thankfully at the young woman, who smiled timidly in return, and then glanced around as if looking for something more. It didn’t take a great intellect to figure out what she was searching for.

“Where is Hunt?” she asked.

Tevin passed a glance at his daughter before replying. “My men are looking for him,” he said evenly. “In fact, Myles is searching for him personally. We will find him.”

Cantia’s brow furrowed. “But I left him with Arabel,” she said, looking to the young woman. “He was with you, was he not?”

Arabel’s features fell, feeling some panic and sorrow, but Tevin spoke before she could spill her fears and terrify Cantia with tales of her missing son.

“Hunt apparently decided to leave and go find help,” he told her as carefully as he could.  “He cannot have gone far.  I have dozens of men searching for him right now, so do not worry overly. We will find him.”

Cantia was confused, now with a creeping sense of fear. “
Leave
to find help?” she repeated. “But why would he do that? He would not even know where to go.”

Tevin could feel her panic. He sought to soothe her before she could veer out of control.

“Sweetheart, perhaps he got scared and ran off,” he said, not wanting to incriminate his daughter as having a hand in Hunt’s departure. “He is a young boy and young boys often do unpredictable things. What matters now is that I have many men searching for him and we will find him. I do not want you to worry.”

Cantia would not be soothed. She looked up at Arabel. “Where did he go?” she wanted to know. “Did he say anything to you?”

Arabel was tongue-tied, looking to her father for help.  Tevin opened his mouth to answer for her when the thunder of chargers caught their attention. De Lohr was riding towards them at break neck speed, pulling his excited charger to a halt several feet from Tevin’s horse, who began to get excited as well.  Arabel shrieked as the horse danced and Tevin ably calmed the excitable beast.

“What goes on, Myles?” Tevin demanded. “Where is Hunt?”

Myles was edgy.  He yanked off his helm in a frustrated gesture, propping it on the saddle in front of him.

“We are expanding the search,” he said, seeing Cantia and nodding his head in her direction. “My lady, it is good to see you safe and whole”

Cantia ignored the greeting. “Where is my son?”

Myles sighed heavily, hesitance in his manner.  “I do not know… yet,” he said, trying not to sound too discouraged. “But rest assured, Lady Penden, that I will find him.”

Cantia had tears pooling in her eyes by the time he was finished, realizing that her son was still missing and no one seemed to know where he was.  Tevin could see how frightened she was and he rubbed her back soothingly, trying to ease her as the search went on for her son.  Upon the saddle, Arabel watched Cantia and tried not to feel too guilty.  She was verging on tears as well.

Myles wiped the sweat off his brow and plopped his helm on again, turning his charger towards the south with the intention of resuming his search when a shout filled the air.  It was very loud, causing them all to look towards the source.  Out of the darkness of the trees to the east came several figures, one of them carrying a squirming little boy.  Cantia gasped when she realized it was Hunt in the arms of Gillywiss. 

With a cry of joy, she broke free from Tevin and started to run towards her son, but that joy turned to horror when she realized that Gillywiss had a dirk pressed up against Hunt’s pale little neck.  She came to a halt, her eyes wide.

“What are you doing?” she asked as calmly as she could. “Why do you hold my son?”

Cantia could hear broadswords unsheathing around her and she held out a quelling hand to Tevin and Myles, silently asking them to be still.  She kept her focus on Gillywiss, whose eyes had that familiar wild look about them.  She didn’t like it in the least.

“I was rushing to see what the trouble was and what do you think I found?”  Gillywiss was being rather grandiose, like he had been the night they had been brought into the camp and he had made a big show for his people. “Someone had caught this little boy trying to escape from camp.  But, it seems that an escaping prisoner was the least of my worries.”

Cantia sighed heavily, trying not to look at her son as he struggled against Gillywiss’ grip. She knew what the man meant without even asking.

“Please,” she begged softly. “You must understand they did not know what they would find when they came here.  For all they knew, we were being held in horrible conditions, or worse.  They did not know that you have not been cruel to us, but I have explained the situation and they will withdraw, I swear.”

Gillywiss’s wild-eyed expression faded into a countenance that Cantia had never seen before; it was hard and deadly. His gaze moved to the men behind Cantia, hardened warriors in expensive armor and with expensive weapons. He fixed on Tevin, standing slightly behind Cantia, and assumed it was the viscount because he was standing so close to her.  His attention drifted over the enormous warrior with the long hair.

“You are Winterton,” he said, a statement and not a question.

Tevin was fixed on the man. “I am the Earl of East Anglia,” he said in his deep, authoritative voice. “If what the lady has told me is true, I owe you my thanks.  But that mercy shall be at an end if you do not let the boy go immediately.  Release him to his mother and I shall have no quarrel with you.”

Cantia was watching her son squirm when Tevin’s words registered with her.
I am the Earl of East Anglia
. Confused, she turned to the man questioningly, but his dark eyes were riveted to Gillywiss.

“The earl?” he repeated. “You are not Winterton?”

“I was. That status has changed.”

Gillywiss thought on that a moment, as did Cantia.  Gillywiss seemed to be considering it while Cantia’s sense of confusion only grew.

“So you are authority personified,” Gillywiss said.

“I am.”

“I have never met an earl before.”

“Now you have.”

“Then if that is the truth and you want this boy returned, you will have to make some concessions, Lord Earl.”

Tevin’s hard expression didn’t waiver. “I do not negotiate with outlaws,” he said. “Return the boy or we’ll burn this place to the ground.”

“If you do, the boy will not survive.”

“If you kill him, you will not survive, either.”

“Wait!” Cantia threw up her arms, putting herself between Tevin and Gillywiss so they would stop threatening each other. She turned to Gillywiss with pain in her expression.

“Please give me my son,” she begged softly. “Nothing more will happen to you or your people, I swear. But if you must have a hostage, then I would rather you take me and let my son go.”

Gillywiss wasn’t finished posturing with Tevin yet but he forced himself to look at Cantia’s frightened face.  The inherent compassion that the man kept so closely guarded began to flicker, seeping through the cracks of his composure. Cantia somehow had that ability over him, as she’d already proven.

“You are a lady of great sacrifices,” he said after a moment.  “What has he ever done for you?”

Cantia knew he meant Tevin. She sighed again, faintly, averting her gaze after a moment. “He gave me the will to live again,” she murmured, daring to look at the dark-eyed outlaw. “I tried to kill myself after the death of my husband.  No matter what you may think of him, know he has given me my life back and for that, I am grateful.  I am sorry that he raided your settlement, but you know why he did it. He was looking for me. Now, please give me my son so we can return home. I would consider it a personal favor.”

Gillywiss’ eyes glittered at her.  Then, without another word, he released Hunt, who went running to his mother.  Cantia threw her arms around the boy and picked him up, cradling him.  She couldn’t help the tears in her eyes as she focused on Gillywiss.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Your mercy is appreciated.”

Gillywiss watched the mother and son cuddle, acutely aware of what else was going on around him as Myles silently ordered the men to mount and retreat.  The earl’s soldiers were clearing out. Tevin went over to Cantia and Hunt, putting an enormous hand on Hunt’s back and peering at the child to make sure he was well. Seeing that the boy was unharmed, merely shaken, he looked at Gillywiss.

“I will again thank you for your service in saving the lady, her son, and my daughter,” he said. “If ever you have need of something in the future, do not hesitate to send word to me.  I consider myself indebted to you.”

Gillywiss eyed the very big earl. He was a handsome devil with his piercing eyes and long hair, and even though he’d only been confronted with the man for a few minutes, he could already see the genuine emotion between him and the lady.  It was hard to miss.  He scratched his head, his focus moving between Cantia and her son, and Tevin.

“You and your men came to my village, once,” he said. “You burned it to the ground.”

Tevin was not remorseful. “In the course of my duties, I have burned many villages. It was nothing personal against you.”

Gillywiss couldn’t argue that point; it was the truth.  But he wasn’t finished yet. “Because of you, my family and I had to flee. Now we live here and you have torn this up as well.”

Tevin’s eyes drifted over the settlement, now quieting that his men had ceased their raid.  People were walking around, picking up the pieces.

“I was looking for Cantia,” he said, his dark gaze fixing on Gillywiss. “I would stop at nothing to find her. Surely you can understand that.”

“Will you not apologize?”

“No.”

Gillywiss contemplated his reply. “Then we will require restitution, Lord Earl.”

“You shall have it.  Consider it a reward.”

Gillywiss was rather surprised by the answer.  There had been no hesitation. It wasn’t an apology, but he really didn’t care. More and more, he was coming to see that the warrior felt the same for the lady as she did for him because a lesser man would not have agreed so readily.  The man had the only thing he cared about and was showing his thanks.

“If she means so much to you, why do you not marry her?” he wanted to know.  He was, in truth, a nosy man. “Why have you not searched for the wife that ran off on you years ago? Is this lady, this lady who was the very reason you tore up my camp, not worth it?”

Tevin was rather taken aback by the fact that this stranger, this outlaw, knew intimate details about his personal life.  He looked at Cantia who was, by this time, looking at Gillywiss. She still had Hunt in her arms, all wrapped up around her torso.

“I told you why,” she said before Tevin could reply. “You will not question him. It is none of your affair.”

Gillywiss’ brow furrowed, like a scolded child. He finally made a face at her and kicked at the dirt, having a hard time looking her in the eye.

“I do not suppose he would let his daughter take up with a married man, no matter how much they loved each other,” he muttered. “Yet he sees nothing wrong with taking up with you.”

Cantia looked at Tevin, somewhat apologetically, and was surprised to see that Tevin was actually listening to the man.   Finally, he just shook his head.

“I am not entirely sure what you have been told, or why you have been told.”  He was scolding Cantia and she knew it. “However, I will tell you this since you seem so concerned; I have every intention of seeking out the woman who abandoned me and my daughter those years ago, but the days have been rather busy for me lately.  Times are dark and difficult, especially with those in a position of power. There has been much sacrifice all the way around.”

Gillywiss shook his head faintly. “’Tis not only with those in power,” he gestured to his encampment. “Those who have nothing suffer worst of all.  It is as if the land itself is undone and darkened with such evil, as if Christ and his angels are sleeping and demons are let loose upon us all.”

Tevin lingered on his words. “For an outlaw, you are particularly insightful,” he said. “You understand the wickedness and lawlessness of this time.”

Gillywiss seemed rather pensive, glancing at Cantia. “And happiness in of itself is rare,” he said quietly. “Perhaps… perhaps that is why I asked of your intentions towards the lady.  Happiness these days is difficult to come by and should not be treated casually.”