Page 301 of Historical Hotties
That was when the man began to seriously fight back.
Somehow, the dagger in Thor’s grip was knocked away and it became a fistfight. Thor was big, and powerful, with hammer-like fists—hence theEl Martillomoniker—and he put those knuckles to good use as he pounded the man who had been trying to kill him. He still had his broadsword strapped to his right thigh but didn’t want to bring it out until he could get the man completely clear of the shack. The man wasn’t going easily, however, and used his big feet to kick Thor in the right knee, bending it awkwardly. Grunting in pain, but furious at the blow, Thor didn’t hold back.
The fists were flying.
They cleared the shack and began to beat each other soundly. Thor had the advantage of height and strength, and he used it. He also began to use his feet, sweeping the man’s legs out from under him and them pouncing on him. But the man grabbed a fistful of dirt and smashed it into Thor’s face, momentarily blinding him, and they both lost their balance. Together, they rolled down a slight incline onto a pathway below.
The fight continued.
Now that they were free of the confines of the shack, Thor was determined to end the fight once and for all. Grabbing his opponent by the hair, he slammed the man’s face into the rocky ground, several times, enough to stun him. Climbing off the man, he took several steps back and unsheathed his broadsword, taking an offensive stance as the man shook off the stars dancing before his eyes and rolled over onto his bum.
That was when Thor could get a good look at him.
His eyes widened.
“De Lucera?” he hissed in disbelief. “Cristano de Lucera? What in the hell are you doing?”
Cristano spat the dirt out of his mouth, touching a loose tooth before answering. “You are supposed to be dead, de Reyne.”
Thor had to admit that he was a little stunned, but as he stared at de Lucera, things started to make sense just a little.
“Youdid this?” he said, gesturing to the village. “You instigated this… this raid?”
De Lucera sighed heavily and stood up. “Will you at least let me claim my broadsword and make this a fair fight?”
Thor held up a hand. “Wait,” he said, more angrily. “Answer my question. You instigated this raid?”
De Lucera’s gaze lingered on him for a moment. “I was not alone.”
That comment brought the light of realization in Thor’s mind. “De Wylde,” he rumbled. “De Wylde and his son.”
De Lucera shrugged. “You haven’t said whether I can gather my sword.”
“Why did you kill the younger de Wylde?”
De Lucera shook his head. “I did not,” he said. “We do not know what happened to him. We found him that way, as if he’d been crushed or trampled.”
“Where is his father?”
“I do not know, but the son’s death drove him mad. He is probably off killing himself.”
Thor’s frustration was only growing with those answers. The truth of the situation was coming to him in pieces. “Start from the beginning and I may show mercy,” he said. “Tell me what is happening here. Are you saying this raid was instigated by you and de Wylde to try to draw me out of the castle so you could shoot me down with a crossbow?”
“Let me collect my sword and I will tell you everything.”
“Tell me everything and I may let you collect your sword.”
De Lucera was at an extreme disadvantage and knew it. It wasn’t as if he had much to bargain with. He thought that if he was honest with de Reyne, the man might let his guard down a little, which would help even the odds. Unless Adan and Benedicto were going to come to his aid against a superior opponent, he was on his own.
“After you exiled us from Stafford, we had nowhere to go,” he said. “I have served Stafford for many years. I know the land; I know the people. I did not want to go far and start anew, so I went to Dordon. He is Lady de Reyne’s uncle, after all. I asked him if he would consider accepting my fealty and that of my cousins.”
Thor could only shake his head in disgust. “He is also my wife’s enemy, and surely you must have known that,” he saidwith skepticism. “Therefore, you went to him in the hopes that he would accept your fealty so you could remain close to Stafford and possibly cause problems for my wife and me. I would be more apt to believe that than any other explanation, so do not lie to me, de Lucera. I know you better than you know yourself.”
De Lucera wasn’t going to deny it. There was no point. “As it turns out, there is someone who hates you more than I do,” he said, a glimmer of irony in his eyes. “When you married Lady Stafford, that sealed Dordon’s hatred for you. While I was content to bide my time against you, Dordon was not. He wants you dead, de Reyne. With you gone, he is once again in control of his niece’s destiny.”
“He was never in control of her, not ever.”
“Mayhap not, but with you gone, it makes the woman more vulnerable to his wishes.”
