Page 56 of Beholden
“As you requested, the arrangements for his transport are well under way, Your Highness. And I shall accompany the beast in your stead.” The seriousness of Lord Kennard’s expression told me he would indeed guard the berserker well and do everything within his power to rid Warwick of the menace. “I shall immediately direct a missive to King Christian and call upon him for assistance. He will surely send his strongest warriors to aid in the conveyance of the monster.”
Yes, my father would help. But would his men be able to arrive before the queen could interfere? “You will need to be well armed.”
Lord Kennard nodded to his companion, who stood a respectful distance away. “I have even now enlisted the aid of several noblemen and their knights.”
Despite his assurances, I hesitated. Something inside me protested running and hiding from the queen.
“Please, Your Highness. You have made a mortal enemy of the queen, and she will seek retribution for your interference here in Warwick.”
She’d likely hunt down all the men who’d fought with me tonight. What would become of them if I left them behind and ran away to Scania? And was it even possible for me to escape to my homeland? The queen would most likely catch me before I had the chance to secure passage off the Great Isle.
At the chanting of her name, Gabriella waved up at the people, earning more cheering and applause. Attired in her elegant emerald gown, one worthy of a princess, she was most certainly the fairest maiden, especially now, after facing the madman.
And she was still my betrothed.
Though the betrothal ceremony had been a last and desperate effort to protect her, I didn’t take my vows lightly. I’d given my word to marry her, and I would—no matter the long-term consequences and estrangement I brought upon myself from my father and the Lagting.
The truth was, I didn’t just have myself to think about in the coming dangerous days. I had her now too. I had to do whatever would keep her the safest, and the best option at this point was to find a place where we could hide. Perhaps we could escape to Mercia with the other slaves.
“Thank you for the warning regarding the queen’s motives, Lord Kennard. You took a great risk in delivering the news to me. If you should ever find yourself in trouble, you will always be welcome in Scania.”
He bowed his head. “Thank you, Your Highness. Warwick is my home, and even when the country is at its worst, I trust that the Sovereign Lord has put me here to carry out his work, whatever that might be.”
I nodded. Then before the queen grew impatient and decided to send her soldiers out of the stairwell after me, I strode forward toward Gabriella. As I took my place next to her, I reached for her hand.
She glanced at me in surprise.
“The queen’s knights are waiting in the stairwell to capture us,” I said, as I smiled up at the cliffs and raised my arm with Gabriella’s in a sign of solidarity and victory. “We must delay her efforts by garnering the support of the people.”
The crowd cheered louder.
As Gabriella’s lips rose, her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Her fingers clasped mine, and I could feel her tremble. I prayed that this time, I could find a way to free her from the queen’s grasp once and for all.
Several enormous bonfires lit the grassy area now filled with hundreds of people who were feasting, dancing, and celebrating Grendel’s capture. After speaking again to Lord Kennard and finalizing more plans, the nobleman had taken Grendel in his cage away by boat. I’d reluctantly watched them disappear into the night.
For now, my new mission was to escape with Gabriella. During the past hour of revelry, I’d made my intentions known to Ty and Curly along with my instructions. They’d dispersed into the crowds, the same way I hoped to do.
Though I stayed close to Gabriella and kept her in my line of vision as we mingled, I tried to remain calm in case the queen or her spies were watching. I didn’t want them discovering how nervous I was and suspect I was plotting a getaway.
As the hour crept closer to dawn, we had to make our move. I caught Gabriella’s gaze and nodded. When the fiddles struck up the melody of the next dance, she approached one of the slaves from the mine. They began to twirl in the steps of a folk dance, and she allowed the momentum to take her near the shore where Ty and Curly were already waiting.
As the couple stepped into the shadows, the slave rotated farther into the darkness with Gabriella, and a moment later reappeared with a peasant woman. Though the new woman in her peasant garments didn’t look anything like Gabriella, hopefully no one would notice right away.
I waited several moments before I casually edged toward the opposite side, since it was too risky for me to depart in the same vicinity as Gabriella. I slipped into the dark shadows near the wall. After glancing over my shoulder to see if anyone had noticed my exit, I waded into the water. Already having taken off the queen’s armor, I moved swiftly, with naught but my weapons to weigh me down.
Though I’d known the lake was fed by mountain streams, the water was colder than I’d expected. Nevertheless, I was accustomed to the frigid temperature of the fjords in Scania and had learned to swim in them from the time I could walk. Thus, I plunged deeper and dove below the surface.
When I emerged, I was far enough from the shore that no one would be able to spot me. Using the bonfires as my guide, I swam hard, not knowing how much time we had before the queen’s men noticed we were gone and came looking for us.
“There,” came Curly’s loud whisper. “He’s there.”
I propelled myself toward the faint outline of the bobbing boat. Within minutes, Curly and Ty pulled me over the side. Before I had the chance to shake the water from my body, they were already rowing swiftly into deeper water.
In the darkness, I groped against the hull to find another set of oars and bumped into Gabriella instead.
“Here,” she whispered, wrapping something over my shoulders and around my torso. “It’s not nearly large enough for you, but it’ll do for now.”
“Thank you,” I said, my teeth chattering and my body numb from cold.
