Page 89 of Warrior’s Lady

"You decide its fate."

She shook her head. "Only you and Lady Violet can use the Stone, so why offer it to that madman?"

"Only a Lockhart can use the Stone?" Anger laced the bishop's voice as his gaze shot to Orrin. "You lied to me."

Rhiannon held the Stone back out for Camden to take. "The Charm Stone means everything to you."

"You mean more," he repeated. "The assassin is dead. He cannot hurt you any longer. I shall watch over you and Lady Violet, forever. All that I am, all that I have, are yours."

Tears fell onto Rhiannon's cheeks now, trailing down her face.

"I have found my faith once again because of you — faith in myself, and faith in us." Camden paused. "I'm asking you, Rhiannon, to have faith in me."

A suffocating sensation tightened his throat as the silence lengthened between them.

"What are the three of you talking about? The council should be involved." The oldest member of the council stepped forward, his mouth set in annoyance.

The bishop put out his hand. "Quickly and quietly, give me the Stone," he whispered low enough for only Rhiannon and Camden to hear.

The tears in Rhiannon's eyes vanished, replaced with fury. "You brought the plague here." She stepped forward, forcing the bishop back.

"The plague?" The councilman stopped his progression toward them and his eyes widened in terror.

"Keep your voice down." The bishop darted a gaze back at the council members. "I'm warning you."

"Twenty-two people are dead because of you," she said in a voice clear enough for all to hear.

"No!" The bishop backed farther away from Rhiannon. "The woman, she lies."

"She speaks the truth." Rhys stepped out of the crowd.

The bishop's eyes went wide and his face paled. "You're alive."

"Because of this." Rhiannon held the Charm Stone from its short silver chain for all to see. "The legendary Charm Stone."

"The source of witchcraft," another one of the council members gasped.

The oldest councilman stood before Rhiannon. His brows turned down in a frown. "Have you used this Stone, milady? Have you performed acts of witchcraft?"

Camden felt his muscles clench. His thoughts flashed back to Clara, to the helplessness he had felt at not being there to help her when this very same Council had found her guilty of the same crime. He gripped the hilt of his sword, determined to fight his way past the Church council if necessary to keep Rhiannon safe.

"Why is it that if I use the Stone to heal people it would be seen as witchcraft to you? Yet the bishop uses the same Stone and it would be seen as a miracle?

The councilman frowned. "Milady, perhaps the issue is too complex for you to understand."

"I understand all I need to. The Stone saved my life, and the lives of all the others who you see before you now," Rhiannon continued. "After each use of the Stone both Lady Clara and Lady Violet made the sign of the cross over the body of the person they had treated. To me that shows a certain respect for the divinity of healing by the Creator, not witchcraft."

"If you need further proof of the Stone's goodness, its powers healed me from the plague and a deadly knife wound," Rhys said from the crowd.

The man from the council reached out and touched the silver coin housing the stone, hesitantly. "What do you mean, it has healed you?"

Rhys stepped up beside the older councilman. "I was close to death when I arrived at the gates of Lee Castle a few days ago. That man," he pointed to Bishop Berwick, "exposed me to the plague that his mother had contracted. Without knowing I was ill, I came here and unfortunately spread the sickness to innocents." Rhys pulled aside the tail of his tartan and lifted his shirt up to expose his chest. The councilman narrowed his gaze on Rhys' chest. "I was near death, and yet I lived. Without a single mark from either the plague or the knife upon my body."

"Nay." The bishop came forward and snatched the Charm Stone from Rhiannon's fingers. "Liars. They are all liars who shall be punished." He spun around, his eyes wild, heading for the stairs. Before Camden realized where the bishop was headed, he'd grabbed Violet from the shadows and hauled her into the chamber.

Camden drew his sword and charged, stopping an arm's length away from the bishop, his blade jabbed at the bishop's throat. "Let her go. I have had enough of you and your accusations."

The bishop moved his free hand into the folds of his robes. A flash of silver warned of a dagger.