Lara smiled.“I was thinking of thelast time my husband chased you up this mountain, and the chunk offlesh you left in Wolf’s mouth running back down it.”
“So what?Your husband’stoo slow to catch us and your dog’s dead.And I’m the one’s goingto finish you off once me lord here—” He jabbed a finger towardRanulf.“—is done with you.”
Lara widened her smile.“Wolf isn’tdead.”
“What?”Lothair bellowedat Ranulf.“You promised me that damned hellhound woulddie.”
Ranulf shrugged.“I told them to killit.They chose to wound it.”
“Why would they dothat?”
“Because,” Lara said,holding her hands out to the fire, “even a Basque knows better thanto kill a witch or its familiar.Something neither you, nor youryoung Master Snake here, have yet to learn.”She shifted her gazeto Nithard.“Isn’t that right, Uncle?”
Nithard startled and looked from Larato Lothair.
“I’ll tell you what I havelearnt,” Lothair said with a sneer.“I’ve learnt that a witch diesas easily as any wench.Your old Sophie the Sixth—” He made ahatching motion and grinned.“—her head split open as easily as anoverripe melon.”
Lara went stone cold, then white hot.She pointed directly at Lothair’s heart.“You, Lothair, are a deadman.”Then she turned to Nithard, who blanched.“And you, Uncle,Sophie’s curse will come to fruition soon.”
“What curse?”Inigoasked.
Lara smiled as Nithard stared off intothe night at something no one else could see.“He will die chokingon Frank silver.”
***
Lara gave Berta a leg up onto hermount and knew the poor woman wasn’t acting when she let out a loudgroan of pain.
“Remember,” Lara whisperedas she placed the reins in Berta’s chafed, swollen hands.“As soonas you see my signal.”
The women had discussed trying toescape last night after Lothair and Ortzi’s report.With the pathnarrowing the higher they climbed, the Basques had removed theirhorses’ tie line, and Lara had wanted all the women to break awayat the same time, to ride in separate directions and make theBasques split up to chase them.But Patience had pointed out thatnone of them save Lara could ride well enough to make it anydistance, so it was decided that Berta would act as a diversionwhile Lara and Isabeau made a run for their men.
Lara gathered Isabeau and mountedtheir horse, tucking her skirts under her legs and tying the hemsextra tight around her daughter.She glanced around the breakingcamp.The men were all busy saddling their horses, no one waswatching her.
“Hold tight, Monkey,” shewhispered in her daughter’s ear.“We’re going to ride horseyreally, really fast.”
She nodded to Berta, who let out anear-piercing shriek and threw herself off her horse.Lara whirledher mount’s head around and broke for the trees.
“Get her,” Ranulfscreeched.“Get that witch and her spawn.”
More yelling and whinnying followedLara as she guided her horse through the trees to the path they’dridden up.Her mount was just working into a gallop when Lothairand his gray jumped in front of them.She tried to turn her horseinto the woods, but Lothair bellowed and it spooked and reared.Itwas all Lara could do to hold on to Isabeau and keep them frombeing thrown.She was barely hanging on when Lothair grabbed thereins from her.Lara started to throw a leg over her horse’s neckwhen Lothair grasped her by the hair and jerked her head back sohard her neck cracked.With a strangled cry, she held one hand upin surrender, the other clasping Issy tight.
“Now that’s a good littlewitch,” Lothair said as they were surrounded by chattering Basquesand a purple-faced Ranulf.
“Tether the bitch.”Lothair looped a noose around her neck as Ranulf sidled his horsenext to Lara’s and ripped Isabeau from her grip.
“No.”Lara’s scream strangled as Lothair pulled her noose tight.She tore at the rope, and Lothair pulled her hands from her throatand tied them.
Isabeau screamed and kicked with allher might against Ranulf’s hold as he tried to wrestle her onto hishorse, in front of him.
“You cursed little witch’sspawn.”He yelped as her foot struck him in the groin, and he shookher and slapped her across the face.
“Stopit,” Lara yelled hoarsely as her daughterwailed.“Leave her alone.”She glared at Ranulf.“If you must beatsomething, beat me.It’s my flesh you’ve always wanted.”
“There be no beating offlesh until deal is done,” Inigo, who’d shown up at some point,commanded.He held his hands out toward Isabeau.“Give me child,”he told Ranulf.“I have children.I know what to do.”
Ranulf hesitated, and Isabeau gave himanother kick to his gut.“Here.”He shoved the howling child intoInigo’s arms.“Take her.For now.”
***
