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Terran kept the tip of his blade to her neck, transfixed by her brilliant blue eyes. Despite the growing pain in his heart, he felt a sudden surge of anger racing through him as well, anger at her betrayal. How could she stand against her husband? “I don’t have to,” he announced.

“What do you mean? Unmask him!” Kenric snapped.

Terran turned his full anger on Kenric. “You overstep yourself, cousin. I give the commands.”

“Fool,” Kenric gritted. He whirled away from Terran, throwing his arms high above his head. “Now!” he hollered. “Attack!”

The courtyard exploded with a cacophony of fighting as Kenric’s paid mercenaries moved in, clashing with Terran’s loyal men. The thunderous sound of dozens of blades colliding, of steel cracking against steel, clanged in the courtyard. Allegiances quickly played themselves out as Kenric’s men grouped together, each ripping off his tunic to reveal a black snake painted onto a chest plate or leather armor.

All of the snakes had eyes as cold and as black as Kenric’s.

Terran turned to his cousin. “You traitorous bastard.” He swung at Kenric, but his cousin ducked his blow and raced out of the circle of guards. Terran suddenly found himself surrounded by men bearing the snake symbol, men he didn’t recognize. I’ve been living like a blind man in my own castle.

He turned to block a blow and found himself fighting side by side with Bria. He finished the guard with a quick strike and felt pride swell in his chest as Bria dispatched another opponent with great skill, defeating him with two solid blows.

He opened his mouth to say something to her, but three mercenaries attacking one of his guards needed his immediate attention.

Anger fueled Terran’s rage, and he fought like a man possessed. He quickly helped his man defeat the mercenaries, then whirled to look for his cousin. Kenric had retreated to the viewer’s platform and was watching the battle from afar. Of course. He was too much a coward to wage his own fight. Slowly his cousin smiled a chilling, triumphant smile.

Terran turned to survey the battle around him, needing to know the reason behind the smile. Kenric’s men seemed to be swarming everywhere, outnumbering his loyal forces almost three to one.

Terran’s gaze swept the peasants until he found George, Mary’s father, at the front of the crowd. He nodded his head at him.

With a loud battle cry, the peasants rushed forward, brandishing pitchforks or pikes. They attacked the men with snakes on their tunics, clubbing them in the head, stabbing them in the side.

Terran turned back to Kenric. It was his turn to smile. He would not lose his castle to his cousin. His people would save the day.

The whizzing sound of a blade caused Terran to instinctively duck. A mercenary’s sword sliced through the air above his head. Terran parried the blow and exchanged a second swing with the mercenary.

Harry stood at his side, intercepting the next swing. The old man turned to him and called out, “Go! They went into the keep.”

They? Terran’s mind screamed. He glanced at the viewer’s platform and found it empty. Damn it! He quickly glanced around to see his wife was gone. Bria was going after Kenric! But his men needed him here. They were greatly overpowered and outnumbered.

“Go!” Harry shouted at him. “We’ll take care of these dogs!”

A squadron of soldiers entered through the open gates, bursting into the courtyard with swords in hand. It took a moment for Terran to realize the crest they bore on their tunics was a flying falcon, the crest of the Delaneys. Lord Delaney had mustered an army to help his daughter rescue Mary. And him.

Terran nodded to Harry and immediately charged toward the keep. But as he neared the keep steps, a familiar shape stepped out of the shadows thrown by the keep wall, cutting off his path of pursuit. Captain William stared challengingly at him, his sword in his hand. The eyes of the snake on his armor seemed to stare at him defiantly as well.

“Let me pass, William,” Terran snarled. “You’ve done enough.”

“But if I defeat you, Kenric might be lord yet. Then I’ll have enough gold to call no one master but myself.”

“You can try,” Terran growled and swept in low, but William parried the blow, swinging his weapon around to the side to slice at Terran. Terran blocked the strike and answered with another swing.

Terran’s mind kept returning to Bria chasing Kenric alone. He had to finish William, or he would never get to her in time. He thrust, but pulled back as the captain aimed for his stomach with the tip of his sword.

Terran swung low, knocking William’s weapon aside, and lunged in. The blow bounced harmlessly off William’s chain-mail, as if the snake itself were deflecting the strike. Anger filtered through Terran. He had to get to Bria! He had no time to waste with this buffoon, this traitor. “You’re a fool to believe my cousin’s word. Kenric has no allegiance to anyone but himself.”

Terran feinted to the side, then stepped back, launching an attack from the opposite direction. He caught William off guard and twisted his wrist in an attempt to disarm him. William disengaged before his weapon went spinning. Terran grit his teeth and knocked his thrust aside. They crossed swords and the clang of the weapons reverberated through the air to mingle with the sound of other battles.

Terran swung to one side and then pulled back, thrusting. William didn’t have time to recover and Terran’s sword sliced deep into his stomach, driving through a gap in the captain’s armor. William’s sword clattered to the ground as he gazed at Terran in disbelief before crumpling to his knees.

Terran pulled his sword from Sir William’s stomach and whirled without watching him fall. He raced into the keep after Bria.

Bria ran through the keep, chasing Kenric. She wasn’t going to let him get away. He had to pay for his crimes. He’d nearly succeeded in having Mary executed.

Kenric dashed into the Great Hall, and she sped after him. He was halfway through the empty hall when she reached the doorway. “You won’t make it out of here alive,” she called, making no attempt to disguise her voice.