Page 47 of The Guardian's Witch

“She may have thought Laura was here and wanted to make certain she was safe. That’s like Lisbeth. I’m certain she didn’t go to Ravencroft for sanctuary. She’s the only person who can tell you.”

“I asked her if she slept with Bryce.”

“You asked her what?” Jamie bellowed.

“Look at the room. I found this.” He opened his palm revealing Bryce’s gold clasp. “I found it in the bed.” He clenched and unclenched his fists and paced in front of the window. “What was I to think?”

“You should have asked her what happened. If he was sleeping with Lisbeth, do you think he would disclose it to you? Jeopardize her? Especially with your king involved.”

“You’re right. I’m not—”

“I don’t see you have any choice. You’ve got to get the truth. Bryce certainly didn’t give you the whole of it.” Jamie got up.

“Jamie?” Alex asked as if he saw the man for the first time. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah, you finally noticed.” He slapped Alex on his back. “I came looking for your sorry arse when you didn’t arrive at Glen Kirk with the rest of your troop.”

“And why were you there?”

A large grin spread over the Scot’s face. “I heard Lisbeth was missing. I arrived when your men stormed through to the castle. I was relieved to see her but you were nowhere to be found. This was the last place I expected to find you.”

“I’m glad you came.”

“You’d best get back to Glen Kirk. Clean yourself before you return. You’ll scare them to death with the way you look. Whatever you do about Bryce, be careful.”

“Yes, I know. I’ve seen him in battle. He’s a ruthless enemy.”

Chapter Thirteen

Alex, his mind clear of the ale, entered the castle preoccupied with what he would say to Lisbeth. His ears picked out the sounds of grunts and fighting coming from the Great Hall. He dashed to the hall doors and threw them open. In front of him, to his relief, were his page, Peter and another boy practicing with their wooden swords. Alex, at first ready to dismiss the event, was caught by the intensity and style of their playing.

“Hold, Darby.” Peter put up his makeshift sword and faced Alex with a sheepish grin. Darby did the same.

Alex remained quiet and realized both boys breathed heavily. They weren’t playing; they were training. His interest piqued, he evaluated them with a leader’s eye. Peter was noticeably smaller than Darby and probably younger but he’d held his own in the fight. Actually, he was doing quite well. The boys were evenly matched.

“You boys do this often?”

Peter stepped forward. “It’s not Darby’s fault, sir. I kept after him. He’s the only one that gives me a good fight. We know the raiders threaten, and we want to be ready if you need us, sir.”

“Who taught you to use your sword, Peter?” From the boy’s very stance he knew he’d had some training.

“I’ve watched the men train and copy what they do.”

Alex looked from one to the other and wondered if there were other boys in need of training. He’d speak to Gareth and Robby.

“Sir, may I ask you a question?” Peter shifted from foot to foot, his nerves apparently getting the better of him.

“Aye.” Alex waved his hand.

“How do you win a fight if you’re evenly matched? Darby and I can go on for a long time and neither of us wins. We stop because we can’t raise our arms. I’ve watched the men train. They hit each other hard and often, but their arms never tire and the match is called before anyone wins.”

“That’s a good question. No soldier wants a long fight. You want to conserve your strength. Your objective is to disable your enemy so he cannot fight and you can move on to the next. If you’re evenly matched you look for advantages. It may be the terrain, you want to stay on the high ground and force your enemy to fight up. It may be the situation. You want the sun at your back and force your enemy to fight with the glare in his face. Or it may be something you know about the fighting field that your enemy doesn’t. Use the things around you to make the advantage yours.”

Alex watched the wheels turn in the boy’s head.

“Start again and let me see if you’re ready to begin training.” He knew the value in making the boys work for a place on the training field.

Both boys eagerly took their starting position in the middle of the empty hall. They lunged and parried. Alex admired the determination in their eyes, and for a brief moment remembered how he had felt when he trained with his father’s sword master.

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