Page 25 of To Desire

Chapter 13

“Darien?”

They’d been on the road a short time, Liana happier to be reunited with Darien than she should be. Though they’d not met many travelers on the road, the men coming toward them were the first to unsheathe their swords in preparation. There were three men, all knights by the look of them.

“Fall back,” he said. “If I am injured, ride back to the abbey, as fast as you can.”

“Injured?” She wanted to ask more but Darien rode too far ahead of her. The forest was thick on either side of them. She thought of dismounting and hiding, if something did indeed go amiss, but remembering Darien’s words, she remained mounted. They had not traveled very far, but surely these men on their great destriers, like Darien’s, could outrun her?

The danger that Darien warned about was no longer faceless. None of the men wore helms or plated armor, but they still appeared as if ready for battle. Or a fight. Why had they taken out their weapons? Surely it was not typical to do so when coming upon other riders?

“Why do you bare your weapons?” Darien called to them, asking the same question she’d been asking herself.

“Identify yourself,” the man in front called back. His hair, a brighter red than any Liana had ever seen, matched the man’s full beard. The others watched him, seemingly taking their cues from the one that must be their leader.

“I am Sir Darien of Crimson Hollow, son of the Earl of Ellsworth. And I ask again, why do you prepare to fight when I’m but one man who has not reached for my weapon?”

The second riders laughed. “If you truly are Sir Darien of Crimson Hollow, you’d have a bow in hand⁠—”

Before he even finished, Darien had reached down where his bow was strapped and, so quickly she could hardly comprehend what had happened, had an arrow ready, the bow pointing at the man’s chest.

“Your padded gambeson will do little to protect your neck. If you doubt that your mouth will fill with blood quicker than your companions can attempt to disarm me, which neither will do, please, finish what you were saying.”

That was not the Darien she knew.

His voice did not sound the same. His position was not the same. Darien was anything but relaxed, as he’d been when he fetched her that morn. This was the knight, the man who fought in a secret army to overthrow the king. This was the earl’s son, whose reputation had spread far and wide, his ability with the bow and arrow the reason he’d been recruited to Castle Blackwood in the first place.

He was magnificent.

And terrifying.

“It is he,” the same man said, re-sheathing his sword. “Not a part of their band.”

They seemed to notice her for the first time as all three lowered their weapons.

“Which band?” Darien asked as she rode forward to hear them more easily.

“A band of the king’s men wreaking havoc on these roads, looking for traitors.”

Darien lowered his bow. “How do they intend to rout out traitors by glance? Is there now a crest for Matilda’s cause I am not aware of?”

“Precisely,” the leader said, glancing at Liana but giving his attention quickly back to Darien. “Why were we so quick to arms? They have been attacking first, asking questions afterward. Killed two of the baron’s retinue just yesterday.”

“The baron is a supporter of the king.” Darien’s impatience was evident.

The three men fell silent.

“Was he not?”

“Aye,” the one who remained silent agreed. “But the baron is dead. His son supports Matilda’s cause.”

Liana did not know of the baron, or his son, but at least these men appeared to be on the right side of their cause.

“I wish you a safe journey,” Darien began with a quick nod forward to Liana. He wanted to get away from them and Liana was just as eager to do so.

“Ellsworth,” the red-headed man stopped him. “Who do you support?”

She froze. It was the most dangerous question one could be asked. On Ely, they were isolated. Visitors were few, kept away by the legend and lore that Liana’s family helped to cultivate. Isolated because of it, those same rumors about her and her mother were the reason the Isle of Ely had survived these past twenty years, as well as the many wars and political upheavals before it.