The Legend (60 page)

"You will answer a question
that I put to you yesterday, Warrington," he growled. "Did you kill
my brother?"

Colin was quivering with
adrenalin as he gazed upon the fearsome helm. "A moot point,
Summerlin."

"Untrue. Whether or not you
did, it makes no difference, for you shall die regardless. But I would know
just the same."

Colin's jaw ticked as he
struggled with futile effort to extricate his sword. Realizing the endeavor was
useless as long as Alec held him firm, he exhaled sharply. "I did not kill
your brother. Your father's horse did."

The eyes behind the closed visor
glittered. "What does that mean?"

Colin had nothing to lose by
confessing. "Your idiot brother had the misfortune to overhear my
conversation with your sister regarding my plans for abducting your wife.  When
he confronted me, I silenced him by shoving him under the hooves of the
charger. Satisfied?"

Alec stared at him, his stomach
lurching as his suspicions were confirmed. "Thia knew of your plans?"

Colin was in no mood to carry on
a conversation. "Aye, she did indeed. I told her I would dissolve our
betrothal if she helped me destroy St. Cloven. She did not want me, I did not
want her, and she was willing to do anything to be free."

Alec did not react outwardly, but
inside, he understood Thia's desperation and cursed her at the same time.
"You coerced her, you bastard. All to destroy St. Cloven."

Colin yanked at his blade,
managing to somewhat dislodge it. "Nay, Summerlin,” he grunted. “All to
destroy the de Fluornoys!"

Colin freed his blade, shoving
Alec back with a kick to his armored groin. Colin's sword arced upward and Alec
suddenly saw the opportunity he had been looking for.

It was too easy, too unworthy of
The Legend's reputation, but he was in no mood to confirm his fame. In a
fraction of a second, he reversed the sides of his blade, moving from the razor
edge to the cerated side. In the next half-moment, he went down on one knee, below
Colin's aim, and brought the sword straight across.

Blade met with flesh, bone, vital
organs, and blood. In a signature stroke, Alec has sliced Colin in two clean
halves.

***

Ali never saw the battle or the
final stroke. He was struggling though mud and zero visibility in search of his
sister-in-law. As the seconds passed, his panic increased, and twice he'd had
to come up for air. Toby, on shore, was overwhelmed with horror.

On his third dive, Ali was ready
to scream with helplessness. He couldn't locate Peyton in the spot she had been
dumped, and his anxieties were threatening to destroy his control. Further and
further he swam, deeper and deeper, dragging his gloved hands long the bottom
of the bog until a slip of material met with his hand. Hope soared as he yanked
hard on the material, attached to a weighty anchor.

As fast as was possible in the
heavy water, he pulled her against him. His lungs were near bursting with need
for air but he ignored the pain, the heat welling within his chest. It was
nothing compared to the stale air saturating Peyton's chest, draining her life
away. Struggling with every fiber in his body, he persevered to overcome
personal agony and threatening unconsciousness to bring Peyton to the surface
of the deadly bog.

When his face met with the fresh,
icy air, his painful gasping sounds brought Toby plunging into the water. Ali
couldn't manage to speak; he did not have to. Toby was already yanking Peyton
from his arms and thrusting her onto the shore.

As Ali clawed his way onto dry
land, Toby turned Peyton on her side and pounded on her back to evacuate the
water from her lungs.

"Breathe, Peyton,
breathe!" he rasped. "Goddammit! Breathe!"

Peyton was ghostly gray, covered
with mud and leaves. Her luscious red hair was caked with muck as Toby brushed
it out of her face, clearing her mouth of debris. Again, he pounded her on the
back.

"Oh, God,
breathe!
"

Behind them, the sounds of the
swordfight had grown eerily still. But neither man was aware of anything but
the still form on the ground as Ali crawled closer, barely recovered from his
own near-drowning.

"Again, Toby!" he
gasped. "Do it again!"

Toby pressed firmly on her
stomach, bringing up water and bile, before pounding her again. He repeated the
process two or three times when Alec was suddenly by his side, shoving him out
of the way.

"Peyton!" he shouted.
"Peyton, my love, my dearest love, you have got to breathe!"

Ali managed to push himself to
his knees. "T.... turn her on her back," he instructed in a hoarse
voice. "You must get air into her lungs!"

Alec, a hair breadth away from
full-blown panic, did as he was instructed. He smoothed the dirty hair from her
face, whimpering softly as he gazed into her gray face. "Breathe, love,
please. Christ, Peyton, breathe!"

"Blow into her mouth,"
Ali coughed, wiping the muck off his face. "Put your lips on her mouth and
blow."

Alec did not hesitate. Clamping
his lips over her sweet mouth, he blew hard. As Ali encouraged him onward, he
kept blowing. He did not know if he was doing any good, but at least he was
doing something to aid her. Anything to bring her back to him.

He stopped blowing for a moment,
watching Peyton's chest to see if she had resumed breathing on her own. After a
few seconds, she remained still and his sense of despair immediately
overwhelmed him.

"Christ...," he
desperately touched her face, her body, her dirty hair. "Oh, God, Peyton. Do
not leave me. Not when we haven't yet begun to live," his hand was at her
face, gripping her chin with his massive fingers. Suddenly, the pain of it was
too much to take and he slapped her gently as if that action would bring her
out of her state. One slap led to another and before he realized it, he had
slapped her twice, hard, across her beautiful face.

"Do not leave me!" he
cried, his voice cracking. One moment of slapping turned into another of
desperate embraces, clutching her against his hard chest as tightly as he
could. "I forbid you to leave me, do you hear? You have made me whole,
sweetheart. Without you I am nothing. Christ, do you hear what I am saying?  I
need you! I love you more than life!"

Toby's face was in his hand,
hiding the tears that were coursing down his cheeks. Ali, having regained his
breath and strength, knelt on the other side of Peyton's body.

"Lay her down, Alec,"
he encouraged firmly. He could see that Alec was beyond rational thinking.
"Let me try."

"No!" Alec sobbed, his
face in her dirty hair. "She can't leave me, Ali. I will not live without
her!"

"If I am successful, you
will not have to live without her," Ali said firmly, gently. "Lay her
down!"

After a moment's hesitation, Alec
tenderly lowered his wife to the ground, kissing her sweetly as he released his
hold.

"Oh, Peyton...." he
whispered, kissing her again."Do not leave me, sweetheart. I love you."

Ali gently pulled him away,
moving to resume blowing air into Peyton's lungs. As he put his hands on her
face and hovered over her lips, she suddenly let out a violent cough.

Ali let out a whoop of surprise
and barely managed to turn her on her side as she commenced vomiting water.
Alec, overcome with astonishment, began gasping like a dying man as Ali thumped
Peyton on the back to aid her in clearing her lungs.

"Peyton!" Alec cried,
nearly pushing Ali over in his attempt to be near his wife. "Can you hear
me, love? Peyton?"

Peyton vomited until there was
nothing left. Air, rushing into her lungs, sent stabs of pain radiating
throughout her body. Vaguely, she could hear Alec's voice and Ali's low
laughter, but beyond that she was incapable of sensing anything else. She
thought she was dreaming... or dead.

Last she remembered, she had been
struggling with Colin. And now.... she truly had no idea what had happened, or
where she was. Mayhap, in fact, she had dreamed the whole event with Colin. Or
mayhap she was simply insane.

       However, she had heard one
thing clearly; Alec told her that she loved her. Somewhere in the mists that
had fogged her mind, she had felt a stinging pain to her cheek and she had
heard an unashamed declaration of his love. Then there had been this man... a man
with golden red hair. He seemed to know her, for he had been smiling openly.
Strangely, she did not fear him. As he moved toward her through the mists, tall
and broad and handsome, she realized there was something very familiar about
him. His voice, rich and deep, distinctly informed her that it was not yet her
time. She thought she had dreamt him, too.

Alec's voice reached her again,
panicked and pleading. The tall man seemed to hear it, for a wistful look came
to his eyes. Then, he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her away from
the warm, bright light that had been intent on luring her. She had gazed at him
questioningly but he had merely smiled and gave her another brotherly shove. Then
she heard Alec's voice again, telling her that he loved her.

It had been enough to bring her
back from the light beckoning her towards everlasting peace. A glance over her
shoulder had showed the red headed man once last time, his smile faded into a
pensive gesture. His sky-blue eyes had reached out to her.

"Tell Nubs there is nothing
to forgive, Peyton,” he said.

And then she had come back.

"Alec?" she rasped;
talking as well as breathing was mayhap the most painful experience of her
life.

His hands were on her face,
clutching her as if he was afraid she was intent upon leaving him again. "I
am here. Christ, Peyton, can you hear me?"

She slipped into a coughing fit,
agonizing with every breath. "Where.... where I am?"

His tears were falling freely,
pelting her pallid cheek. "Safe, love. You are safe."

She swallowed hard, trying to
calm her breathing. Slowly, the sapphire blue eyes opened and Alec nearly
collapsed when they focused on him. His lip quivered and Peyton shushed him
softly.

"Do not cry, my Alec,"
she whispered. She tried to raise her hand to him but was far too weak; he saw
her feeble attempt and grasped her hand, holding it against his cheek
fervently.

He closed his eyes against her
frail, cold hand as his tears coursed warm paths over their flesh. "I
thought you were lost," he whispered.

She managed a very weak, very
pale smile and closed her eyes. "Not hardly. I.... I had to live long
enough to hear you tell me of your love."

He kissed her hand eagerly.
"'Tis more than love, sweetheart. Much, much more. You are my life."

She started to respond when her
smile suddenly vanished and her eyes opened again. "Where's Colin?"

Alec kept her hand clasped to his
cheek, his red-rimmed eyes steady. "Dead."

She coughed again. The pain,
though still there, was fading. She seemed to be looking at him strangely.
"You are wearing your armor?"

He smiled weakly. "It's
almost too small. I fear I have grown in twelve years."

Ali and Toby chuckled softly at
Alec's expense, remembering that they had almost been unable to secure the
protection about his wide shoulders. Alec had not only grown upward, but he had
also gained pure muscle and power since he last wore it. Before long, he would
have to have a new suit commissioned.

       She smiled in response to
the low chuckles, her fingers gently caressing his cheek. "You look every
bit The Legend. Welcome back, darling."

       His smile faded as his
tears returned. Choked, he kissed her palm tenderly, worshiping the feel of her
warmth. "I would say the same to you," he murmured.

The setting sun bathed the fen in
a golden glow, kissing the earth with a fading warmth. As Alec gathered his
wife into his arms, he couldn't dwell on how very close he came to losing her.
He was desperate to return her home, where she belonged, and put this episode
far behind them.

"Tell me of your brother,
Alec," she whispered as he moved toward his destrier.

He paused, confused. "I will
later, love. I promise."

"Tell me now," she
could barely speak.

Alec reached Midas and gently
handed his wife to Ali before vaulting onto the saddle. Ali lifted Peyton up to
him as if she were made of the most fragile glass while Toby covered her with a
traveling cloak to ward off the evening's chill.

"Tell me, Alec."

He gathered his reins. "What
do you wish to know?"

She did not say anything for a
moment. "Was he very tall, with golden red hair?"

"Aye, I told you he had red
hair."

"And his eyes were sky-blue,
like yours?"

He nodded faintly.
"Why?"

She opened her eyes, gazing up at
his helm-clad head. "He told me it wasn't yet my time."