Chapter 2
Gawyn hunched beneath a bush, watching the small, dark farmhouse.
It was easy to fall back into the training he had received as an assassin, even though he had lived with Damien and Aurora in Acquitaine now for almost a year. He had tracked the young woman and boy back to a farm on the outskirts of Auch. It had taken a day’s travel on foot. The young woman and the boy had barely rested, almost as if they were running away from something.
In the square at Acquitaine, Gawyn had seen the fear in the girl’s wide eyes as she stared at his brother. Did she know Damien had been an assassin? That could not be allowed. For a moment, he thought of his options. Dungeon, stocks. Gawyn stopped himself. She was a slip of a girl. What danger could she possibly pose to the lord of Acquitaine? Still, he knew it only took one person to destroy a man, be he king or peasant. He didn’t know who the boy and girl were. Or how the girl knew Damien. He would find out how she knew his brother and discuss the matter with him.
He was grateful that he had options. He thought back to a time when his only recourse would be slitting her throat, a time when killing had been the only answer. Now, things were different. Now, he was different. He lived among civilized people. He didn’t think like that anymore.
He heard the crunch of a twig behind him and froze. Prickles raced along his spine. He reached for his sword and whirled...
...only to find the tip of a dagger blade pointed at him.
A tiny blade. He almost laughed aloud. The small blade might give him a little wound, but certainly wouldn’t kill him. His gaze moved from the point of the dagger to the holder. He stared at the girl he had been following.
A grin quirked his lips. She had snuck up on him! It looked like his training wasn’t as sharp as it used to be. Either that or the girl was incredibly good at sneaking up on someone. Gawyn’s gaze swept her. She was just a thin girl; her body was hidden beneath a cotton cloak. Dappled moonlight fell onto riotous brown hair that hung in curls about her shoulders. Her eyes were narrowed, her lips set in a thin, determined line. She held the blade out before her steadily, unflinchingly.
He removed his hand from his sword’s hilt and lifted both of them so she could see his hands. He was certain that even if she stabbed him, he wouldn’t die.
She jutted the dagger toward him. “What are you doing here?”
He backed up a step. “Careful. I was trying to find you.”
“I know you.”
All humor left him. Had she recognized him, as well as Damien? In his other life, working for Roke, he had killed many people. He had been an assassin with a flair for poison. But that was over a year ago, another lifetime ago. He didn’t move, but all his senses heightened, ready. Ready for what? He had no intention of killing her.
“You were with the other man at the castle with the princess.”
He scowled, confused. Other man? Damien? Princess? Well, that had to be Aurora. No one else fit that description. He opened his mouth to question her, but she was quicker.
“Why were you trying to find me? What do you want?” Her hand tightened around the handle of the blade.
“I came...” She jabbed the blade at him and he stepped back. “Whoa. Watch that.”
Her hand shook, and the blade wobbled slightly.
She wasn’t as sure of herself as Gawyn first thought. He didn’t want to scare her or upset her.
“You followed me,” she accused.
Gawyn was sure he could disarm her easily enough. But not yet. “I had to. How else was I going to invite you to dine at the castle?”
Her mouth dropped slightly. The dagger lowered a fraction. “Dine at the castle?” she repeated.
“You and your brother.”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, sparkling in the muted moonlight. “Sneaking around in the middle of the night to invite me to the castle?” Her voice was full of suspicion.
He liked the way the moonlight caught in her eyes. “I wasn’t sneaking. I couldn’t very well knock on your door at this time of night.” He smiled his most dashing grin and reached out. “Now, let’s have that weapon –”
She grabbed his arm and flipped him over her leg.
He landed on his back in the dirt, the tip of her blade pressed to his throat.
“What do you want? Who are you?”
Shock gave way to admiration. He was beginning to really like her. No one had landed him on his back, ever. She was full of surprises. “My name is Gawyn. I am captain of the guard at Castle Acquitaine.”
“Why would we be invited to dine at the castle? We’re just farmers.”
“I don’t question Lord Damien. He said for me to find you and invite you to dine at the castle.” At least the first part was true, he did want him to find her.
“Lord Damien?” She scowled. “He doesn’t even know who we are. I want you off my lands.”
“It’s very disrespectful to deny an invitation from your lord.”
“My lord?” she repeated, straightening.
Gawyn slowly climbed to his feet. “You are a tenant on Acquitaine lands. You pay a yearly tithe.”
She harrumphed and lowered the blade. “Unfortunately, my lord doesn’t know we exist. We are so far removed from the city that we mean nothing to him. Where was he when the Hungars raided the farm next to us? Where was he when disease ravaged our livestock and we went hungry for most of the year?”
Gawyn dusted the dirt and debris from his leggings. “Did you present these issues to Lady Aurora?”
She chuckled without humor. “It’s a day’s walk to get to the city. One way. I can’t afford to be away from the farm for two days.”
“Yet, you were there today.”
Those expressive eyes narrowed again. Her gaze moved quickly over him, and she took a step away. “And I have to make up the chores I missed by being there. So, I must decline the invitation to dine at the castle. With all due respect.”
“I shall give Lord Damien your regrets.” He judged her with an appreciative summative glance. She was just a young woman. Surely, she was no threat to Damien. “May I have your name?”
She placed her free hand on her hip. “Lord Damien requested my presence to dine at the castle without knowing my name?” she asked in disbelief.
Gawyn shrugged. “He can’t possibly know every person who resides on his lands.”
“Obviously.” She leaned back against a tree, watching him. She twirled the dagger handle in her fingers. “If he wants to know my name, he can ask me himself.”
Gawyn smiled outright. She was feisty. He really liked her. He bowed slightly. “I shall relay your message.”
“When you leave, stay to the left of the road. There have been reports of bandits to the east.”
Oh, she was intriguing! It had been a long time since he found a woman who could match wits with him. He nodded and turned to go but paused. He reached deep into his jupon and turned back to her, holding out a fresh loaf of bread wrapped in a clean cloth. It was slightly smashed from their scuffle, but it still looked presentable.
Her gaze shifted to the bread.
“You dropped a loaf in the street. I’d hate for you to return from Acquitaine empty handed.”
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously but snatched the bread from his hand. A grin started on his lips, but he hid it by turning away.