Page 74 of Stay with Me

Most likely if Simon took her, he’d dangle her as bait, enticing Nicholas to hand himself over in exchange for her freedom. She couldn’t let Nicholas do that.

With Simon’s guards quickly surrounding her, she halted and spun to face Ralph. Several men of the village had latched on to him. His body strained against their hold, and his face was turning red with his mounting anger.

As the first of Simon’s guards gripped her arms, she stifled her natural instincts to fight. She could have taken them by surprise, using her expert defensive moves before they knew what had hit them. But she was handing herself over willingly. For Nicholas. After all, she was doomed to die soon without theholy water. And now she could die in peace, knowing she’d saved Nicholas from his brother.

Across the distance, she met Ralph’s tortured gaze. “Don’t let my sacrifice be in vain.”

“No!” His roar filled the silence, and he thrashed to free himself.

She allowed Simon’s guards to bind her hands in front of her and then assist her onto a horse. As one of the men mounted behind her, she held herself stiffly, ready to defend herself if he decided to take advantage of her. A rope around her hands wouldn’t stop her.

But the man remained a respectable distance from her, almost as if he was afraid of touching her for fear of reprisal from Simon.

He urged his mount through town. Potter and several others were tossing flaming pieces from smoldering rubble onto the cottages. The moment the fire hit the thatch, the sparks spread rapidly.

She cast a final glance over her shoulder at Ralph and Beatrice and the rest of the villagers standing at the edge of the butts, unable to do anything but watch the destruction of their homes. Devil’s Bend would be gone in a matter of minutes—not only their homes, but their furniture, dishes, wool, blankets, and every other precious item that had cost them hours of labor to create.

Ralph cried out angrily, jerked free, and began to race after her. In the next instant, one of Simon’s men let loose an arrow. Before Sybil could cry out a warning, the arrow struck Ralph in his chest, dropping him to his knees.

Guilt rose into her throat like the bile she’d felt earlier in the day. She’d done this to Ralph, to everyone. This was her fault.

She shouldn’t have crossed back in time. At the very least, she shouldn’t have come with Nicholas to the village. Thenshe would have prevented causing him and these people more heartache.

Darkness fell quickly, and Simon and his men rode hard without stopping. When they finally reached Reider Castle, only a few torches flared at the late hour, guiding them through the gatehouse underneath the rotting body of a guard swaying from a rope.

Sybil couldn’t distinguish much, but she guessed he was the young soldier who’d been guarding Nicholas in the dungeon. No doubt Potter had cast blame upon the man for Nicholas’s escape, saving himself in the process.

As they dismounted, the knight who had her in his charge led her through a side entrance. She’d become familiar with the castle layout during her investigation in the present and could picture exactly where he was taking her—to the dungeon.

With just one guard escorting her, she guessed Potter hadn’t revealed her fighting abilities out of self-preservation or in saving himself the humiliation of admitting he’d been defeated by a woman. Or perhaps he wasn’t worried about her trying to escape, since she was far outnumbered.

When her escort motioned her into the same cell that Nicholas had used, he waited respectfully for her to enter before he closed the door. He bowed his head toward her before walking away, his footsteps echoing in the silence.

She was struck that during the whole journey, this young guard had maintained a level of civility with her even as his prisoner. His attitude reminded her that not every antagonist was evil. Some were merely swept up into schemes that weren’t of their own making.

Maybe that’s how it was with Dawson too. After the overlap with him earlier, she knew he wasn’t her enemy. It was evenpossible he hadn’t wanted to hurt her, but the pain and heartache had held him captive, driving him to a dark place where she couldn’t go.

If that was to be her last interaction with Dawson, she was grateful she could die knowing he’d been by her bedside, holding her hand and caring about her.

When the main oaken door closed and darkness fell over her, she gave way to the shudder that had been building inside. Then she groped along the wall until she found the spot where Nicholas had made his bed. She slid down and felt around until her fingers connected with the blanket he’d used.

She retrieved it and wrapped it around her shoulders. With the cold and dampness of the cell, she would need to get up and move from time to time to stay warm. But for now, the heaviness of all that had happened weighed upon her, and all she wanted to do was curl into a ball.

Why was she always losing the people she cared about the most? That seemed to be the recurring theme of her life, losing her father, mother, Dawson, and now Nicholas. What was wrong with her that people left her?

With a sting of tears burning the backs of her eyes, she leaned her head against the wall and expelled a tight breath.

A wave of dizziness and nausea hit her as it had earlier in the day when riding with Ralph. She’d had nothing to eat since emptying her stomach then. And as the queasiness swelled, she rose to her knees, bent over, and heaved. Nothing but watery ale and bile came up.

When the episode passed, she wiped her mouth and closed her eyes against the light-headedness. But a few moments later, the pressure built again. She was sick to her stomach endlessly, until at last, she lay exhausted and delirious in the rotting hay, unable to move. Her heart rate was slowing, as was her breathing.

This time, she recognized what was happening.... Her comatose body in the present was dying. And there was nothing she could do to save herself.

~ 27 ~

Darkness shrouded Nicholas upon his mount.He’d traveled the high road from London to Canterbury more times than he could count over recent years, could traverse the route in his slumber if need be. Even so, tonight he rode with extra caution as he led the king’s retinue.

At the sight of Westgate ahead, Nicholas slowed his horse, allowing Lord Clayborne to fall into step beside him. With St. Medard’s but a day away, they didn’t have long to institute their plans to repel the French.

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