Dark Deceptions: A Regency and Medieval Collection of Dark Romances(207)

“If you want your husband to live, you will open the door,” he shouted. “Do you hear me? Open this door or your husband will die!”

Chrystobel staggered away from the window, toppled off the stool, and fell to the ground. Izlyn ran forward to help her sobbing sister, but Chrystobel was nearly hysterical. Izlyn, unable to get a coherent word from her sister, thrust herself up into the window, gazing down on the horrible scene.

Gryffyn yelled at her, too, as Keller bellowed in unison. One was telling her to open the door while the other one was telling her to keep it bolted. Gryffyn was so frustrated that he nicked Keller’s neck with the dagger, causing bright red blood to pour. Izlyn watched, her eyes as wide as trenchers, as Rhys and Gart and William tried to move up behind Gryffyn.

The English knights were stalking him but Gryffyn saw them coming and made a point of turning Keller around so they could see the blood flowing from the man’s neck. With the knights focused on Keller and Gryffyn, one of the Welsh rebels managed come up behind Wellesbourne and nick him in the torso with a short Welsh blade. It would have been worse had William not seen the man move from the corner of his eye. As it was, he had a few seconds to move away and attempt to defend himself.

Bedlam followed as more Welsh moved upon the knights and soon the three of them found themselves in serious combat as Gryffyn held Keller at knifepoint at the keep entry. In the bailey of Nether, chaos and terror reigned.

Izlyn fell out of the window much the way her sister had, shocked and horrified at what she had seen. She looked at Chrystobel, who was now picking herself up off of the floor. Chrystobel, in fact, seemed to be calming a great deal as she reached out to grasp her sister.

Chrystobel’s face was pale, her hands shaking, but her expression was something Izlyn had never seen before. There was an intensity beyond anything Izlyn believed her sister to be capable of. Somehow, someway, Chrystobel had calmed herself to the broad point of determination. Hysterics would not save Keller. She had to keep her head about her if she was going to be of any use. With that in mind, Chrystobel focused on Izlyn.

“Listen to me, Izzie,” she said, grabbing her sister by both arms. “Gryffyn is here. Did you see him?”

Izlyn nodded, terrified. “There is… blood.”

Chrystobel couldn’t think about that. All she could focus on doing what was necessary to save their lives. That is what it came down to now; her survival, or Gryffyn’s. She had to make sure it would not be Gryffyn.

“He will kill Keller if we do not open the keep to him,” she said to Izlyn. “But the only reason he wants to come inside the keep is to get to you and to get to me. He wants to kill us. Do you understand?”

Izlyn nodded fearfully, her eyes welling, but Chrystobel shook her gently. “Nay,” Chrystobel said firmly. “No tears. We do not have time. We cannot be afraid anymore. We must save Keller and we must kill Gryffyn. We have no choice. All of those years that he beat us, we never fought back, but tonight that will change. Tonight, we must fight back. If we do not, all of our happiness will be destroyed. We will be destroyed, and I am not ready yet to die. Are you?”

Izlyn shook her head. “N-nay,” she whispered.

Chrystobel drew in a long, fortifying breath, thinking of what had to happen. The time had come for her to save herself, her husband, and her sister, and she would not fail. It was time for her to take a stand against a man who had spent most of his life beating on helpless women, knowing they wouldn’t fight back.

Tonight, all of that would change. They had no choice if they were going to survive.

“Listen to me, Izzie,” Chrystobel said, cupping her sister’s face with her hands. “I know you are frightened. I am frightened, too, but we must do this to save ourselves and to save Keller. I will not allow Gryffyn to terrorize us any longer. It is time we fight back.”

Izlyn nodded again, her tears fading somewhat. It was clear that she was trying very hard to be brave. “What… what should I do?”

Chrystobel thought a moment. She’d never had to do this kind of thing before. She didn’t think like a killer, but for the moment, she had to. She had to do something exceedingly final, something that would rid her of her brother forever. As she took her sister’s hand and headed for the chamber door, her gaze fell on a big iron sconce, about four feet tall, with great spikes on the end to hold the tapers with. She remembered using a similar weapon at the church on the day they had gone to bury her father, using the wax and candles against men who were attacking her husband.

Dropping her sister’s hand, she raced for the sconce and removed the tapers, revealing five inch long iron teeth, sharp as daggers.

She headed down to the first level below with the sconce in hand and deadly intentions on her mind.

She had a plan.

*

Keller knew he was in a bad way the moment someone grabbed his hair and pulled him off the muddy ground. Dazed, his ears were ringing and the world was rocking slightly, and he felt something very sharp against the side of his neck. The next voice he heard in his ear was not unexpected.

“Greetings, de Poyer,” Gryffyn said. “It seems that we were destined to meet again under somewhat violent circumstances.”

Keller’s heart sank when he realized who had him. He was also quite furious. “Damn you, d’Einen,” he snarled. “Release me immediately.”

Gryffyn laughed, although it was not a humorous laugh. “Hardly,” he said. “If the situation was reversed, would you release me?”