Women dropped what they were doing, grabbed their children and ran for the keep, following the protocol that Cree had set down when he had spoken to the village one day. The village men gathered weapons and took their defined positions ready to defend their families and homes.
Dawn spotted Lila, Thomas cradled protectively against her chest, in the middle of a group of women heading for the keep. Lila waved for her to join them and she was about to when she saw Cree astride his horse, his eyes searching the crowd. She didn’t know if he searched for her but in case he did, she waved his way to get his attention.
He nodded at her with what she thought was relief in his eyes and pointed to the keep. She nodded in return and then he took off, a large group of his warriors following behind him. She turned, anxious to join Lila when she spotted Elsa arguing with one of the warriors. She shook her finger at him and turned to enter her cottage. The large warrior grabbed her by the arm and forcibly dragged her away, ignoring her adamant protests.
Dawn recalled that the prisoner she had saved from having his tongue cut out had been moved to the room that had been added to Elsa’s cottage, his illness having worsened. She didn’t know why she felt compelled to see the man, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. Did she hope that he would have something more to tell her that could help her solve this riddle? A moment that is all she would dare take and then she would join the other women in the keep.
She pulled the hood of her cloak up over her head concealing her face so that none of the warriors would spot her and force her to the keep. She made her way around the crowd and hurried up the short path to Elsa’s cottage. She entered the room to find the man sitting on the edge of the bed. He was pale and took several heavy breaths. She threw back her hood and hurried over to the bucket of water near the bed to fill the ladle and hold it out to him. He reached for it but his hand shook too badly for him to hold it so Dawn held it to his mouth for him to drink.
When he finished he struggled for more breathes and said, “What’s happening?”
Dawn did her best to gesture an attack and was relieved that he understood.
“You must go and keep safe, but first... I’m sorry.”
She shrugged and knitted her brow, hoping he would understand that she asked why.
“I did bad things most all my life,” —he shook his head — “then I fell in love with a good woman and she bore me a beautiful daughter.” He stopped again, though this time tears filled his eyes. “Someone I wronged badly sought revenge and took from me what I had taken from him.” Tears spilled down his face. “God heard me when I told him that I didn’t want to live any longer. Though he did not believe that I had suffered enough and so he gave me an illness that would slowly torture me to death,” —he drew a few more breathes— “I thought to fool him and shorten my suffering but instead he sends an angel to protect me from losing my tongue and now she sees to my care when she should see to her own.”
“You are pathetic, old man.”
Dawn turned to see Seth standing in the open doorway.
“And you are more the fool if you think Cree trusts you,” Rem said.
Seth shook his head. “Of course he doesn’t trust me but that doesn’t matter since my plan worked. Goddard freed me while that ignoramus Colum charges head first to his death thinking to regain Dowell and save face with Roland Gerwan. In the meantime I will succeed in carrying out my mission and be paid handsomely for it.”
“You are an idiot,” Rem said and started coughing.
Dawn sat on the bed beside Rem patting him on the back. Her helpful gesture wasn’t for Rem alone. She wanted to be sitting. It gave her closer access to the dirk in her boot she had taken to carrying. Never wanting to be caught without protection again.
“I will finish what Cree failed to do... cut out your tongue, though I will not give you the satisfaction of killing you.”
“Do what you will; you’re still a dead man.”
“Cree will never find me. I will be long gone before he realizes I’m missing.”
“You idiot, it isn’t Cree who will kill you, it is the person who hired us. He wants no one left alive who can speak of this. We were dead men as soon as we agreed to kill this woman.”
“Not me,” Seth sneered. “I will let no one take my life. I will get what I deserve.”
“That you will,” Rem said and began coughing so badly that he doubled over.
“I have no time for this,” Seth raised his sword and charged toward Dawn.
Dawn was suddenly slammed back on the bed, and she watched wide-eyed as Rem jumped up, her dirk in his hand and as Seth’s sword pierced his chest, Rem drove the dirk into his neck.