Nithard stood staring at Isabeau as ifseeing a ghost, his thin lips moving wordlessly.
“I say the brat will makea pretty little whore.”Ranulf sidled his horse up alongside Lara’sand grabbed her by the hair, pulling her head back.“You’re minenow, bitch,” he hissed.“And your little witch’s spawn is myfather’s to do with as he will.”
He let go of her hair as abruptly ashe’d grabbed it, and Lara had to hold on to her saddle horn withher free hand to keep from falling off her horse while holdingIsabeau tight with the other.Isabeau woke up whimpering, whichturned into full-blown wailing as she squirmed to break free ofLara’s hold.Her body shaking uncontrollably, Lara slid down fromher mount and held a squalling Isabeau tight as they made their wayover to the camp’s fire, where the Basques were directing the womento sit.She sat down on a log before her legs gave out.
“Be careful of the fire,Issy,” she told her daughter as she and Wilric toddled around.“Hot.”
“Hot, Issy, hot,” Wilricrepeated, and Isabeau giggled.
“They’ll be fine.”Patience scooted closer to Lara.“Now they’re together.”
Lara held shaking hands out to thefires heat, though the night air was warm.She watched Issy andWilric picking up twigs and showing them to each other, and thenshe met the worried gazes of Berta, Enid, and Doralice.“We’ll befine too,” she told them.“We’ve simply got to stick together andgive these Basques no reason for violence.”She thought of Talon’sfury once he found out what happened to them and grinned.“We’llleave that to our men.”
“I pity the man whose headmeets up with Anglbert’s mace,” Berta said.“Or your father’s axe,”she said to Doralice, who didn’t look convinced.
“Think of Phillipe,” Laratold her.“Of the man he is.Know that he’ll come for you and won’tstop until he finds you.And when he does, I for one would not wantto be at the end of his sword’s point.”
“Nor I.”A small smileplayed at the corners of Doralice’s mouth.
Lara glanced around.Nithard, Ranulf,Lothair, and Inigo stood deep in conversation, leaving the womenunder the guard of two Basques who hadn’t shown any indication ofunderstanding their language while the others took care of thehorses.She motioned for the women to lean in closer.“The Basquesknow our men are coming,” she said in a low voice.“Their leader,the one called Inigo, told me this.He said Nithard was counting onit.We’re the bait in their trap.We need to leave a warning forour men.”
“How?”Patienceasked.
“I don’t know, yet,” Larasaid.The men’s conversation broke up, and Nithard returned to histent with Ranulf and Lothair while Inigo spoke with the olderBasque.“Keep an eye on Issy?”she asked Patience.“I’m going to gosee what I can find out.”
The two men stopped talking as sheapproached, and the older man stepped back, eyeing her.
“Sir,” she addressedInigo.“May I speak with you?”
“Yes.”
“Your name isInigo?”
He nodded.
“My name is Lara.Countessof Oloron.”
“I know who each of youare.”
Lara darted a look at Nithard’s tent.“Of course you do.”She lengthened her spine.“What do you plan todo with us?”
Inigo nodded at the women huddled bythe fire.“They be sold at slave market in Pamplona.You and youdaughter be given to the Frank and his son.What they do with you?”He shrugged, and Lara would have sworn she saw a flash of sympathyin his brown eyes.
She thought of Ranulf’s threat butrefused to dwell on it.If she let her fear of ever being underRanulf’s control overtake her, she’d be useless.
“You and your men would dobetter leaving us here when you break camp tomorrow,” she toldInigo.“Dead men cannot collect coin for women they don’t have.Myhusband—”
“Was a butcher ofPamplona,” Inigo spat.
“Yes, he was at Pamplona,”Lara admitted, sure that Nithard and Ranulf had told the Basquesthis and many other things about Captain Talon Guiscard.“He was atRoncesvalles as well.Yet it’s Pamplona that haunts him and giveshim nightmares still.To war against women and children, he said,was wrong.”
Inigo chuffed.“Yet war he did.Committing murder and rape to women and children, to my people, forhis king.”
“No.He didn’t.He kepthis troop, the very same men who will be coming after us, with him,outside the city’s gates once the raping and pillagingstarted.”
“So you say.”
“So I say.I, who survivedRoncesvalles as well.”She saw the quick rise of his brows.“Imarched with my husband.I was at Roncesvalles, and yet I live.I’ve been chased up this mountain before by Lothair and three othermen sent by my uncle to kill me, and yet here I am.”
