Iron and Magic (The Iron Covenant #1)(78)

“Perhaps going from the bottom?” one of Stoyan’s people suggested. “An up stroke?”

“Possibly,” Stoyan said.

Bale charged.

The Iron Dogs jumped out of the way. The red-headed berserker smashed the breastplate with the mace, denting it.

“Damn it!” Stoyan barked.

Bale pounded the armor with his mace, denting it with every blow. Clang. Clang. Clang.

Stoyan threw his sword on the ground. “Fine. Just fucking smash it then. Smash everything.”

“How many maces do we have?” Hugh asked.

“Not that many,” Lamar said.

“Get more.”

“Will do.”





The old truck rolled through the gates of the castle, flanked by two Iron Dogs on horseback, the escort Hugh had sent for protection. The water engine spat noise and screeched. The driver got out without shutting it off. A bad sign.

“Go get Hugh,” she told Beth. “Tell him Deidre’s family is here.”

Elara put a smile on her face and walked out to the vehicle. The driver, an average size man with dark blond hair and skin ruddy from the weather waited for the passenger. A woman climbed out of the vehicle, dark-haired, white, thin. The two of them walked toward her, away from the truck’s noise. Both were closer to forty than to thirty. The man wore jeans, a denim shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, and a black-and-white baseball cap. The woman wore a blue T-shirt over a pair of washed-out jeans.

“Hello,” Elara said.

“We’re here for Deidre,” the man said.

Right. No pleasantries, then. “And you are?” Elara asked.

“I’m her mother’s brother,” the man said.

“My name is Elara,” she said and held her hand out.

Neither of the two shook it.

“I’m going to need some proof of identity before I release the child to you,” she said.

The man looked like he was about to say something unpleasant, but the woman reached out and put her hand on his arm. He shut his mouth, pulled out a wallet, and held out his driver’s license. Wayne Braiden Harmon. The name matched what Deidre told her. The woman produced her own driver’s license. Jane Melissa Harmon.

“We are deeply sorry for your loss,” Elara said.

“Thank you,” Jane said.

“I’m not sure how much you were told,” Elara said. “Redhill was attacked by monsters. They slaughtered everyone inside. Deidre happened to be outside of the walls when it happened, and she and a young man escaped. A monster chased them through the woods in the middle of the night. The young man almost died.”

Jane bit her lip.

“The child is deeply traumatized. We were hoping you could allow her to stay with us for a couple of days, just to settle her down. We would be happy to put you up for the night.”

“That’s kind of you,” Jane said. “But we would like to take Deidre home.”

“She will get settled with us,” Wayne said.

This wasn’t going well. “Please reconsider,” Elara said. “She just lost her father and mother.”

Hugh came around the tower, leading Bucky. Deidre was riding on the huge stallion’s back. She saw her aunt and uncle and went still like a baby rabbit caught in the open.

Elara’s heart turned over in her chest.

Hugh walked over to them, reached for Deidre, gently took her off the horse and set her on her feet.

“Hi, honey,” Elara threw him a smile. Help me, Hugh. “This is Wayne and Jane Harmon. This is my husband, Hugh. He is the one who saved your niece.”

“Hey there.” Hugh offered his charming grin and held his hand out. Wayne Harmon met Hugh’s gaze and held it for a long moment. Hugh showed no signs of moving. Finally the sheer force of his presence won out and Wayne shook his hand. Hope fluttered in her.

“Your niece is very brave,” Hugh said.

The brave niece looked like she was about to bolt at any second.

“I was just explaining that Deidre isn’t in any shape to travel,” Elara said.

Wayne ignored her and crouched. “Hi, Deidre. Remember me? It’s uncle Wayne.”

Deidre didn’t move.

“It will be okay,” Jane told her. “Everything will be okay now. You’re coming home with us.”

Deidre shook her head. “No. I want to stay here.”

“You can’t stay here,” Wayne said. “You have to come with us. You remember Michelle, your cousin? She’s waiting for you. We have a big yellow dog named Tyler. You’ll like him. He’s big and fluffy. Come on, sweetheart.”

Deidre stayed completely still.

“Why don’t we have lunch?” Hugh said. “You’ll get to know us, and we’ll talk about it.”

Wayne straightened and drew himself to his full height. “We know you. We know who you are. We know what you’ve done.”

He took a step toward Hugh. D’Ambray towered over him and Wayne had to look up.

“You’re a killer and a villain. Your wife is a witch. This child comes from a good Christian family. If her father knew where she was now, he’d fight every single one of you to get her out of here.”

Oh no.

“So, no, we won’t be breaking bread with you. There isn’t a godly man alive in fifty miles who would let his flesh and blood anywhere near you. We know you want her to stay here. Well, you’re not getting her. What would you turn her into if I left her here?”