The sky began to lighten and turn gray. Dawn was breaking, although it was still quite dark. When the sun started sending pink tendrils over the sky, her captor motioned with his hand and they turned their horses off the road, descending through a shallow ditch into a dense, wooded area. The horses were made to trot through the underbrush and trees. They moved rather noisily as the tree branches swept over them, and as they passed through the undergrowth, twigs, and leaves.
“Are we going to make camp?” one of the men asked.
Ruexner motioned for him to stay quiet as the sound of horses’ hooves came from behind them, from the road they had just left.
Valten! He, or his guards, were following them, she was sure of it. Would they pass by without noticing that Ruexner had left the road?
The horses on the road stopped. Then came the muted sound of their hooves on the thick ground covering of leaves, and the slap of the branches from behind them. She could barely keep from crying out in joy and relief.
Ruexner kicked his horse into a run, dodging tree limbs and forcing the horse to jump over bushes. Gisela ducked her head as a branch slapped her. She wanted to scream out to Valten’s men, but that would probably only enrage Ruexner. They knew she was there and screaming would serve no purpose, at least for now.
Valten spied Ruexner and his men a hundred feet ahead. He pushed Sieger to go as fast as he dared. He ignored the sting of the tree limbs slapping his face and tearing at his arms, and Sieger nimbly jumped the larger bushes as they got closer and closer to Ruexner.
He had not been able to sneak up on Ruexner, but Ruexner had not stopped to make camp, riding all night instead, as if he already knew Valten was following him. They would have to run Ruexner down and hope he surrendered, although he knew that was unlikely.
The dense foliage continued to punish them. Valten lost them from sight, but then they came back into view. The trees seemed to be getting thinner. The gray light of dawn showed through the leaves ahead, and then Ruexner and his men broke out of the trees and into a clearing.
When Valten and his men emerged from the woods, Ruexner and his men were dashing across a great meadow, scattering a flock of sheep. Valten raced after them. Ruexner topped a small hill, and a bit of silvery-blue fabric could be seen on either side of his body. Then he and Gisela vanished over the crest of the hill.
Ruexner had seen them, which ruined Valten’s plans. Since Ruexner had Gisela, all he had to do was threaten to kill her and he would have Valten completely in his power. Still, Valten couldn’t just let him get away. His instincts screamed at him to follow.
Valten pushed Sieger to go faster. The destrier’s hooves pounded the ground until he topped the knoll. Ruexner stood facing Valten from another hill just opposite them, with a little valley in between. Ruexner’s arm was around Gisela’s neck, and he was holding her head against his shoulder, a dagger to her chin.
“Halt!” Ruexner called. “Or I’ll kill her!”
Valten and his men stopped their advance.
“Give her to me, Ruexner.” Valten’s heart was in his throat. He knew he couldn’t get to Gisela in time if he truly wanted to kill her. “Don’t hurt her and I’ll give you gold, jewels, anything you want.”
Ruexner laughed. “Why would I turn over my prize to you? You don’t have the gold with you, do you?”
“No, but I can get it.”
“You would take her and go, then have your men kill me! At least, that’s what I would do.” Ruexner laughed again.
Gisela looked pale, but also brave. Ruexner could kill her in the blink of an eye, and still she had a look of courageous defiance in her eyes. The point of the knife had pricked her chin and a dribble of blood dripped off his blade. O God.
Valten forced himself to focus. “What do you want, Ruexner?”
“I want what I’ve always wanted — your defeat and humiliation. I want you to grovel before me. I want you to lose something you care about.” He yanked Gisela’s hair, pulling her head back, but she didn’t scream. “I want you to surrender to me now and send your men back home. You must come with me, and your men must swear they will not follow.”
Valten couldn’t let Ruexner hurt Gisela. Just seeing her in anguish was like a sword piercing his heart. There was a chance that Ruexner wouldn’t kill her, that he wasn’t evil enough to slay an innocent maiden, but Valten wasn’t about to take that risk.
“I will surrender, but let the girl go home with my men. You only took her to get to me. Take me and let her go.”
“No!” Gisela’s eyes were wild and she seemed about to throw herself off the saddle, but Ruexner held fast, his arm her around her waist.
“Why would I let her go when I can use her to make you do whatever I want?” He laughed his wicked laugh again. “Now come, or she dies.” He pressed the knife blade flat against her throat and ran his grimy finger down her cheek.
Gisela’s face was stoic.
“I am coming. My men will go home.” Valten started walking his horse toward Ruexner. Valten’s guards mumbled behind him, sounding angry, unsure.
“If your men follow us, I will kill their lord. Do you hear?”
“We hear,” Valten’s men shouted sullenly behind him.
“Throw down your sword, Valten.”
He took off his scabbard and threw it to the ground. Somehow he would find a way to free Gisela and escape with her. Ruexner would make a mistake and Valten would take advantage of it. He simply had to keep his head and not fly into a killing rage until the timing was right.
Valten walked his horse slowly toward Ruexner and his men. Gisela looked more frightened now than she had before — frightened for him rather than for herself, if he read her expression correctly. He looked her in the eye. I won’t let you down. I will save you.
When Valten reached them, Ruexner barked, “Tie his hands.” A man dismounted and approached Valten with a piece of rough hemp rope. He could kick the man away, could probably take out his other man with the dagger concealed in his boot, but by the time he did, Ruexner could have slit Gisela’s throat. So he held out his hands and let Ruexner’s henchman jerk them downward, crushing Valten’s broken hand in a viselike grip that sent a searing pain up his arm.
“Don’t hurt him!” Gisela cried out. “Stop it!”
The henchman laughed and began wrapping the rope around his wrists, then tied it, cinching it so tight it cut into his skin.
Ruexner chuckled and put away his knife. Gisela kept her eyes on Valten. Even though her bottom lip trembled, she still looked like the bravest woman he had ever seen. Hold on, he wanted to tell her. I will save you. But then he thought he’d better pray, because, if he was honest with himself, he knew Ruexner could easily kill him before he had a chance to do anything. He was completely at Ruexner’s mercy.
Chapter
19
Ruexner’s man put a lead rope on Valten’s horse, helped Valten back into the saddle, and took away the reins.
“Let’s ride.” Ruexner turned his horse around and headed down the other side of the small hill.
He was thankful for Sieger’s sake that the pace was slower now.
Valten’s hand throbbed; the man had moved the broken bone out of place. Frau Lena would not be happy with having to set it again. If he ever made it back to Hagenheim and Frau Lena. But he wouldn’t think like that. He would escape from Ruexner and his men and return with Gisela too.
What was it he’d once said to his brother Gabe? I’ll just have to rescue my own damsel in distress. His words seemed prophetic now. At least, if he didn’t get killed. He’d spent the last two years dwelling on the fact that his betrothed had chosen his little brother over him. He’d always thought that, because he was the oldest, he had to be stronger, more responsible, win tournaments, and be the best at everything. He had to do more. How would it look if he failed now?
But even worse than his petty fear of humiliation, if he couldn’t save her, Gisela would be at Ruexner’s mercy. She’d
have to marry the man. After all she’d suffered at the hands of her cruel stepmother …
Something from the Bible popped into his mind. “In this world you will have trouble.” Jesus had said that. “But take heart. I have overcome the world.” He certainly needed Jesus now, to overcome this trouble.
They had been riding all night, and weariness was evident in the men’s postures, as their shoulders rounded forward and their eyelids hung heavy. They hadn’t eaten either. Gisela must be the most weary and hungry of all, after being trapped in her chamber all the day before. When was the last time she had food? The thought of her discomfort made him all the angrier and more determined to make Ruexner sorry he had been born.
Another verse came to mind. “ ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
His parents would be surprised he’d learned so much from them.
The thought almost made him smile.
Ruexner had dropped back and was looking at Valten. “What makes you so happy? I shall kill you, and then I shall marry this fair young maiden, the one you named the Queen of Beauty and Love. What do you think of that?”
Valten tried to look nonchalant. “You can do nothing unless God allows it. And God will not allow it.”
Rage descended over Ruexner’s face. “You think God will stop me? I paid for her. Her stepmother has agreed that we should marry. I will have our marriage blessed in a church, and neither you nor God will stop me. Even in God’s eyes she will belong to me, and there will be naught you can do about it.”
Gisela’s eyes were the only thing that betrayed her fear as she leaned forward, her hands on the pommel of the saddle in an attempt to get as far away from Ruexner as she could. But Ruexner tightened his hold around her and jerked her back.
“With your words,” Valten said slowly, “you tempt God, Ruexner. A dangerous thing to do.”
Ruexner’s face turned redder. “I do not fear God, and I do not fear you.” Ruexner’s features twisted into a sneer as he glared at Valten with bloodshot eyes. The man needed sleep. They all did.
Valten let the silence lengthen before saying, “That is not wise.”
Ruexner snorted, then forced his horse to bolt forward, causing his men to spur their horses forward too and pull Sieger along.
As they neared the end of the meadow, a well-worn path led through the forest on one side, probably leading to the house whose owner tended the sheep they had passed. Ruexner steered his horse to the other side and entered the stand of trees. Valten and the rest of the men followed. Ruexner had dismounted and was helping Gisela off the horse. Valten grit his teeth at the way Ruexner was holding her around the waist. He hated this feeling, of his hands tied, literally and every other way.
Ruexner instructed his men to bring Valten to the small, empty space in the center of the trees where there was enough room for all of them to stand in a circle. Ruexner stepped up to Valten, while Valten pretended complacency. His hands were tied in front of him, so he possibly could defeat one of them. But even if his hands were free, he realized he could not defeat all three of the heavily armed men.
Gisela stood to the side where Ruexner had placed her, looking on with anxious eyes.
Ruexner stood so close they were nose to nose — except that Ruexner was two or three inches shorter.
“Don’t hurt him.” Gisela stood with her shoulders squared, her head tilted defiantly, but her voice quivered.
Ruexner glanced back at Gisela, then met Valten’s eye. “Your presence here is upsetting my betrothed. We’ll take a walk.”
Now Valten would find out if he was to be killed, or only beaten and tortured.
Ruexner motioned at the larger man, the one with a long scar across his chin. “Malbert, you come with me and our illustrious guest, Lord Hamlin.” He turned to the smaller of his men. “Lew, you stay here with her.”
He poked Valten in the back with something sharp. “Move.” They started walking deeper into the woods.
The trees were relatively thin here, so even though they walked thirty feet or more, he could still see Gisela and the other man. Ruexner stopped him and came around to stand in front. Malbert came to stand just to the side, looking on, his hand on his sword hilt.
“What do you want with me, Ruexner?”
His smile was sinister. “Do you remember the tournament in Saillenay, how you made me look foolish? You knew I wanted to marry Count d’Arcy’s daughter, Carmelita, and yet you humiliated me in front of her.”
Valten searched his memory for the incident he was talking about.
“You and her brother made a bet that you could defeat me in a sword fight. I had been drinking, or I would have trounced you. You chose to fight me in her father’s courtyard, in front of her. You made me look a fool, and now I will take my revenge.”
Valten had a vague memory of defeating Ruexner in a nobleman’s courtyard, but he remembered it another way. “I did not challenge you to that duel. You challenged me. And as for betting on the outcome … the young man insisted. What can I say? I did not know you were in love with his sister.” Ruexner was drunk and entirely to blame. But he would not listen to reason, not now. Probably not ever.
“Now I have stolen your ‘queen’ to make you pay for all the times you defeated me, for humiliating me in front of Carmelita, and for giving me this scar.” He pointed to the one on his cheek, from when Valten had unhelmed him in a tournament in Burgundy. It had been a fair fight. Scars were part of tournaments and battles — Valten’s own face was proof.
“Can I help it if I am better at fighting than you?”
Ruexner drew back his fist and aimed for Valten’s nose. Instinctively, Valten raised his hands and blocked the blow with his arm. Then he brought his elbow around and struck Ruexner’s jaw with a satisfying crunch.
Malbert struck Valten in the side of the head with the hilt of his sword, knocking Valten to his knees. He blinked at the stars exploding in front of his eyes.
Gisela screamed.
“You are upsetting my betrothed again.” Ruexner put his boot on Valten’s shoulder and shoved, but Valten caught him around the ankle using his bound hands and jerked his foot out from under him. He landed on his back beside Valten.
Malbert promptly kicked Valten in the stomach. He fell to his side, unable to bite back a grunt of pain.
Ruexner got up, breathing hard, and kicked Valten again. He tightened his stomach muscles, making the blow less effective. But he’d still be black and blue and very sore. He prepared himself for the next blow, which came swiftly.
From the small clearing, Gisela screamed, “Stop!”
But Ruexner did not stop. He kicked Valten again and again in the side and the stomach. Valten felt one of his ribs crack. God, this can’t be how I die, leaving Gisela at the mercy of this fiend. He was beyond being able to fight back as darkness encroached on his vision and the roaring in his ears increased.
It seemed as if Gisela’s screams were growing closer. The brutal kicking stopped. He heard a loud thud and several startled yells.
He forced his eyes open. Gisela was on top of Ruexner on the ground, pummeling his head with her fists, while Ruexner held his arms up to protect his face.
Valten struggled to get up, desperate to protect her. But the pain in his head and stomach almost caused him to black out. He fell onto his side.
Ruexner would kill her. God, no.
His two men pulled her off him, with Gisela kicking and fighting like a lioness. “Leave her alone,” Valten growled through clenched teeth.
“Take that she-devil back to the clearing!”
Lew began trying to pull Gisela away, holding on to both her wrists.
Ruexner stood and brushed himself off. Then he knelt beside Valten and leaned close to his ear. “I am not finished with you. Next time I plan to give you a scar for a scar. ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,’ eh? And even your little she-devil spitfire will not stop me.”
Ruexner stood and Malbert p
ulled on Valten’s shoulder.
“Get up,” Ruexner ordered.
Valten swayed as he slowly got to his feet, keeping his eyes on Gisela, who looked to be holding her own. The blow to his head had made him dizzy. Blood ran down his brow, tickling him. But his stomach and ribs hurt worse. Breathing almost wasn’t worth the pain. He groaned before he could stop himself.
Gisela struggled against Lew, who was holding her by her arms but didn’t appear to be hurting her. She lunged toward Valten, but Lew’s grip held.
Ruexner pushed him forward, making him stumble. He caught himself, but stayed bent over. When they entered the tiny clearing among the trees, Gisela turned and kneed her captor in the groin. The man went down, falling on his knees on the ground. Gisela ran to Valten.
She grabbed his arm. “Are you badly hurt?”
He tried to smile at her, to lessen her anxiety. “No.”
Her hand trembled as she reached toward his temple, where he felt the trickle of blood. But then she placed her soft little hand against his cheek.
“I am well. Don’t worry.” He longed to wipe away the tear from her face with his fingertip, but he was afraid he’d become too unbalanced and fall.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry I caused all this.”
“You didn’t cause it.” How could she think that?
Ruexner snorted derisively, looking at Gisela. “He doesn’t look so strong and fierce now, does he?”
She turned on Ruexner. “You’re a fiend. He never did anything to you. Why do you hate him so much?”
“Because, my dear. He had what I wanted. It’s a harsh world. A man must take what he wants or he’s a weakling and a fool.” He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice. “My father taught me that.”
“How does it feel” — he turned now to Valten — “to look like a weakling in front of this fair maiden? You’re no longer the proud, arrogant future Duke of Hagenheim. You’re just a broken man, at my mercy. And I have no mercy.” He drew his fist back. Valten wasn’t quick enough to block it this time. The fist slammed into cheekbone. The pain in his head thundered like a rainstorm, making him see stars again.