Courted Sanctuary

Chapter 34

  That night, Sieglinde stood outside the gatehouse next to Lord Mintharch as they watched the group of eight men ready their weapons for the raid. Her stomach twisted with guilt over their loss.

  Josef had insisted upon being part of the team. He had been the husband of Petra and the father of Adelina. He had little left to care about and seemed to take some comfort in knowing he would help the others avoid the same fate. Dietfried was accompanied on this mission by his brother Harmut and his two sons Burkhard and Dieter. Lord Mintharch stepped around Dominik and helped Florian adjust the belt of his sword.

  When he returned to Sieglinde's side, he shot her a glance no one else had seen. He still did not approve but she would not be swayed. She kept her eyes on the men. They readied themselves with honour and without complaint or any show of fear. They had said good-bye to their families but their silence and dry faces belied this deep knowledge.

  She wished she had married Humbert. She wished she had had more nights snuggled into his side and giggling as he trailed a finger over her side. She wished she could have one day when the two of them could be together without the worry of attack. There had not been enough time to steal such care-free moments with him. There had been only that one night weeks ago. From the moment the decision had been made to attack, the work had been steady. She had never had a chance to take any more. Even as the others had a last meal with their wives and their children, Humbert, Sieglinde, and Lord Mintharch went over the final preparations.

  With a sword and dagger on his hips and arrows on his back, Humbert secured his bow around his body. He looked up at Sieglinde and smiled. He walked up to her, took her hands in his, and looked into her eyes.

  "Tomorrow night, we will feast as I make you my wife even without another High Priestess to perform the rite," he said.

  She stifled a chuckle as her cheeks became hot and wet.

  He leaned close and kissed her. It was not the deep and passionate kiss of their stolen moments but it lingered pleasantly, though not long enough. He pulled away and his face sobered.

  "Good-bye, my Goddess," he said.

  "Good-bye, my love," she replied in a whisper as he turned to join the men.

  Humbert signaled them to follow him as they climbed to the battlements. There, they would slide down a rope that had been shot into the ground on the opposite side of the dry moat.

  Sieglinde followed the last man up. Lord Mintharch ascended behind her. She had not planned to follow, but now she realized how much she needed that last memory of Humbert. She reached the top of the wall and looked into the darkness. Her shoulders fell as she watched the last man stumble at the end of the rope, cut it lose, and rush into the trees. The others were already gone.

  She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You think I am a horrible person for this, don't you?" she asked.

  Lord Mintharch shook his head. "I have no right to judge you. You do what you think is right for the people. I may not agree but doing what is right for others is something I have failed at with every attempt."

  "Everything you did was to protect us," Sieglinde said as she tried to ignore a shiver. "How can you say that you failed? Nothing went wrong until Luitgard left."

  For many moments, he said nothing. Finally, he said, "Do not judge Luitgard too harshly. She did not have the information others held." He turned and climbed down the ladder.