and I have even better news for you as
well, for I see a shelter of some sort up yon."
Shelter .
The word to her gave her the same comfort as the words ‘feather
mattress' would under normal circumstances. Her heart leapt and a
surge of excitement tore through her ragged exhaustion.
"Where?" she whispered, squinting through the falling snow.
Owen veered off to the right and she followed. The snow was not so
deep here in the thick of the forest, and Chera was easily able to
walk in the footsteps of Owen's horse.
Through the blur of bark and branches she could make out a mass of
fallen trees a few feet high, arching across the ground like a
makeshift cave. It was shallow, it was low, but it had a cover,
and the ground appeared clear and dry. It would provide a scanty
but very real shelter from the harshness that was doing its utmost
to ravage her spirit, her strength, her life. "Oh, sweet Jesu!"
she sighed, tears welling up in her eyes, her lashes still weighed
down with bits of ice. "Thank you."
"She's all in," a distant voice said. "Lay a blanket in there and
let her lie down." She felt a pair of hands slide under her back
and behind her knees. Her head lolled to one side as someone
carried her to the shelter, wrapped her in a blanket and lay her
on the ground under the woven branches.
The voices around her blended, then faded away as she slipped into
darkness. Yet she was not afraid. Suddenly the warmth she'd so
desperately craved was there, like the embrace of God.
Be this death? she wondered, as a golden light flared into her vision. Valentine, my love…
She embraced her fate now, love in her heart, at peace at last.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The sound of shouting jolted Denys awake. Glazing the snow around
her, patches of brilliance shone through the weave of branches
over her head.
As her eyes opened on the sight before her, awareness returned in
disjointed patterns and gave way to sheer terror. Dark figures
tore at each other's throats, cursing, grunting, spitting.
Highwaymen were attacking her party! They were filthy, ragged,
with sinister slits for eyes, mercilessly attacking her three men.
The contest was already unequal, but now two more leapt out of the
woods, armed with longbows and arrows. She gasped in horror as a
black hail of arrows shot across her, only feet away, and she
heard the sickening pierce of human flesh. Bright red spurted out
and soaked the snow.
One filthy monster lunged at her. Before she could utter a cry, he
tore her cloak, and began crushing her with his bulk. Greasy
strands of hair fell over his face and into his eyes as he dragged
her downwards.
Her arms flailed, beating the sides of his arms. He forced her
legs apart. She balled her fists and beat his back, but he clearly
enjoyed the struggle. He yanked her skirts to her thighs, and the
raw cold bit her skin. His stench made her want to retch. But she
could barely even draw in breath as he pinned her.
He grunted, trying to wriggle out of his hose. His breath was a
foul blast across her cheek with every heave he took.
She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth. Oh, God, please God, let
this nightmare end.
Suddenly he emitted a high-pitched animal-like wail, his body went
limp, and he collapsed on her. She struggled for air under his
dead weight.
Then a pair of powerful arms lifted him up and Peter rolled the
lifeless body face upwards onto the ground. He had already pulled
his dagger, coated and dripping with blood, from the assailant's
back.
He put it to one side and gathered her to him. She trembled like
the fragile branches around them.
"‘Tis all right, love, I killed ‘im. ‘e's dead now," he soothed
her as he rocked her back and forth, her tears of fright painfully
stinging her frostbitten flesh.
Seeing that their leader was in a lifeless heap on the ground, the
band of thieves swiftly rounded up their horses,
well, for I see a shelter of some sort up yon."
Shelter .
The word to her gave her the same comfort as the words ‘feather
mattress' would under normal circumstances. Her heart leapt and a
surge of excitement tore through her ragged exhaustion.
"Where?" she whispered, squinting through the falling snow.
Owen veered off to the right and she followed. The snow was not so
deep here in the thick of the forest, and Chera was easily able to
walk in the footsteps of Owen's horse.
Through the blur of bark and branches she could make out a mass of
fallen trees a few feet high, arching across the ground like a
makeshift cave. It was shallow, it was low, but it had a cover,
and the ground appeared clear and dry. It would provide a scanty
but very real shelter from the harshness that was doing its utmost
to ravage her spirit, her strength, her life. "Oh, sweet Jesu!"
she sighed, tears welling up in her eyes, her lashes still weighed
down with bits of ice. "Thank you."
"She's all in," a distant voice said. "Lay a blanket in there and
let her lie down." She felt a pair of hands slide under her back
and behind her knees. Her head lolled to one side as someone
carried her to the shelter, wrapped her in a blanket and lay her
on the ground under the woven branches.
The voices around her blended, then faded away as she slipped into
darkness. Yet she was not afraid. Suddenly the warmth she'd so
desperately craved was there, like the embrace of God.
Be this death? she wondered, as a golden light flared into her vision. Valentine, my love…
She embraced her fate now, love in her heart, at peace at last.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The sound of shouting jolted Denys awake. Glazing the snow around
her, patches of brilliance shone through the weave of branches
over her head.
As her eyes opened on the sight before her, awareness returned in
disjointed patterns and gave way to sheer terror. Dark figures
tore at each other's throats, cursing, grunting, spitting.
Highwaymen were attacking her party! They were filthy, ragged,
with sinister slits for eyes, mercilessly attacking her three men.
The contest was already unequal, but now two more leapt out of the
woods, armed with longbows and arrows. She gasped in horror as a
black hail of arrows shot across her, only feet away, and she
heard the sickening pierce of human flesh. Bright red spurted out
and soaked the snow.
One filthy monster lunged at her. Before she could utter a cry, he
tore her cloak, and began crushing her with his bulk. Greasy
strands of hair fell over his face and into his eyes as he dragged
her downwards.
Her arms flailed, beating the sides of his arms. He forced her
legs apart. She balled her fists and beat his back, but he clearly
enjoyed the struggle. He yanked her skirts to her thighs, and the
raw cold bit her skin. His stench made her want to retch. But she
could barely even draw in breath as he pinned her.
He grunted, trying to wriggle out of his hose. His breath was a
foul blast across her cheek with every heave he took.
She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth. Oh, God, please God, let
this nightmare end.
Suddenly he emitted a high-pitched animal-like wail, his body went
limp, and he collapsed on her. She struggled for air under his
dead weight.
Then a pair of powerful arms lifted him up and Peter rolled the
lifeless body face upwards onto the ground. He had already pulled
his dagger, coated and dripping with blood, from the assailant's
back.
He put it to one side and gathered her to him. She trembled like
the fragile branches around them.
"‘Tis all right, love, I killed ‘im. ‘e's dead now," he soothed
her as he rocked her back and forth, her tears of fright painfully
stinging her frostbitten flesh.
Seeing that their leader was in a lifeless heap on the ground, the
band of thieves swiftly rounded up their horses,
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