David stood against the wall of the practice yard and watched Morvan Fitzwaryn swing his battle-ax and land it against his opponent's shield. A bright sheen of sweat glistened on Morvan's naked chest and shoulders.

David sensed a movement behind him and turned to see two women peering over the wall as they strolled past. They eyed the tall knight appreciatively and giggled some comments to each other behind raised hands before they moved on.

He waited. Morvan had noticed him already. Eventually this practice must end. Soon it did. Morvan's opponent gestured a finish. The two knights walked over to a water trough and sluiced themselves. Morvan came over as he shook the water from his head.

"You want me?" he asked, his voice still a little breathless from his exertions.

"Aye. Three nights ago Christiana left the house. None saw her and she told no one where she was going."

Morvan had been in the process of wiping his brow. His hand froze there.

"Did she come here, Morvan?"

"Nay."

"You said that you would have taken her elsewhere if possible. Have you done so now?"

Morvan glared at him. "If I had taken her from you, I would have let you see me do it."

David began walking away.

"She has not gone to him," Morvan called after him.

He pivoted. "How do you know?"

"Because she told me she would not."

"Then you received more a.s.surances than I did."

"Why give a.s.surances to a man who does not believe them?" Morvan asked tightly as he walked up to him.

"I will know the truth of it soon enough, I suppose."

Morvan stared thoughtfully at the ground. "The last time she left and came here, she let you know where she was."

"Aye."

"But not this time. And she told me that she no longer cares for him. If she is with Percy, David, I do not think that it is her choice."

"I thought of that. You know the man better than me. Is it in his nature to do this? To abduct her?"

Morvan glanced blindly around the practice yard. "h.e.l.l if I know. He is vain and conceited and, I always thought, a little dull in the wits. The women say that he does not take rejection well. The men know that he is quick with a challenge if he thinks himself slighted."

David absorbed this. He should have met Sir Stephen or at least learned more about him. Pride had prevented it, but that had been a mistake. One should always know one's compet.i.tors' strengths and weaknesses. Even a green apprentice knew that.

"I will let you know when I find her."

"Do you ride north, then?" Morvan asked cautiously.

"Aye."

"I will come with you."

"I will go alone. For one thing, the King will need you here as the army musters. For another, I do not plan to do this in a knight's way."

He turned to leave, but Morvan gripped his arm. He looked into sparkling, troubled eyes so like those others.

"You must promise me, if you find her there, that you will give her a chance to speak. If there is an explanation, you must hear it," Morvan said.

David glanced down on the hand restraining him, and then at the intense bright eyes studying his face. Did he look as dangerous as Morvan's worry suggested?

"I will hear her out, brother."

He left then, to meet Sieg and Oliver and begin the journey to Northumberland. First, however, he made his way to the stone stairs that led to Edward's private chambers.

David and Oliver eased along the gutter of the inn, their backs pressed against the steep roof. Below them the lane that led to this hostelry appeared deserted except for the large shadow of a man resting casually against a fence rail. The shadow's head looked up to check their progress. It went without saying that Sieg could not join them up here. He weight would have broken the tiles. He would wait below and then enter the normal way, dispatching in his wake any inconvenient squires or companions who might try to interfere.

"This reminds me of the old days," Oliver whispered cheerfully as they carefully set their steps into the gutter tiles. "Remember that time we boys got into the grocer's loft through the roof? Filled our pockets with salt."

"Nothing so practical, Oliver. It was cinnamon, and worth more than gold. They'd have hung us if they caught us, children or not."

"A great adventure, though."

"At least your mother used what you took. Mine knew it was stolen, gave it away, and dragged me to the priest."

"Her sensitivities on such things are no doubt why your life took a turn for the worse when you got older," Oliver said. "School and all."

"No doubt."

Oliver's foot slipped and a tile crashed to the ground. Both men froze and waited for the sounds that indicated someone had heard.

"I've a good mind to slit this knight's throat just to express my annoyance that he was so hard to find,"

Oliver muttered in the silence.

David smiled thinly. Percy had certainly been hard to find, and the length of their search had not improved David's own humor much. The man seemed to be hiding. Not a good sign. They had ridden first to his father's estate, then his uncle's, and finally to the properties which Stephen himself managed. There had been no need to approach the castles and manor houses. A few hours in the nearest town or village gave them the information they sought. Young Sir Stephen had not been seen for at least a week. Finally, on the road south, a chance conversation with a pa.s.sing jongleur had revealed that Percy had been resting at length at this public inn several miles north of Newcastle. David surveyed the ground below him, dimly lit by one torch. Sieg glanced up and nodded. They were just above the window to Stephen's chamber on the top level of the inn. The warm June night had caused the window to be left open.

It was the dead of night and no sounds came from the inn or the chamber below. David turned to the roof, crouched, and grasped the eaves. He lowered his body down, slowly unbending his arms. His feet found the opening and he angled in, dropping with the slightest thud on the floor of the chamber. He peered around at the flickering shadows cast by one night candle. Curtains surrounded the beds in this expensive inn, but here they had been left open. He saw a man's naked back and blond hair, and a strong arm slung over another body. Long dark tresses poured over the sheet. His stomach clenched. A b.l.o.o.d.y fury obscured his sight. He unsheathed the dagger on his hip. Oliver swung in the window and landed beside him. He gestured for David to be still, and then eased over to the door. Sieg waited on the other side.

With Sieg's arrival there could be little hope of keeping their presence a secret. The Swede stomped in, unsheathing his sword. Stephen Percy's head jerked up.

Sieg reached him before he had fully turned over. He placed a silencing finger to Percy's lips and the sword to his throat. Stephen froze. The woman still slept.

David found a taper near the hearth and bent it to the guttering night candle. He walked over and inspected the man who had caused him so much trouble.

Bright green eyes stared back warily over the shining blade. Stephen had rugged features and his skin appeared very pale, especially with all of the blood gone out of it now. David grudgingly admitted that women might find this man attractive.

"Who are you?" Stephen asked hoa.r.s.ely in a voice that tried to sound indignant. David leaned into better view. "I am Christiana's husband. The merchant."

Stephen's gaze slid over David, then angled up at Sieg and over to Oliver. "Thank G.o.d," he sighed with relief.

Sieg frowned at David. David gestured to Oliver. The wiry man moved to the other side of the bed. Oliver pushed back the raven tresses spilling over a thin back. The girl jolted awake and turned. She managed one low shriek before Oliver's hand clamped down over her mouth. Oliver stared. "h.e.l.l, David, it isn't her!"

"Nay. I never really thought it would be. She would not come on her own, and he never cared enough to abduct her. But I had to be sure."

The girl had noticed the sword at Percy's throat, its point not far from her own neck. She huddled herself into a ball and stared around wild eyed.

David smiled down at Sir Stephen. "You thought we might be her kinsmen?"

Stephen gave a little shrug.

"Another virgin sacrifice to your vanity, Sir Stephen?"

Stephen's eyes narrowed. "Have you lost something, merchant? You can see she is not here, so be gone."

"Do you have her elsewhere?"

Stephen laughed. "She was sweet, but not worth that much trouble."

Dangerous anger seeped into David's mind. "Sweet, was she?"

A sneer played on Stephen's face. Sieg lifted the blade a bit, forcing Percy's chin to rise with it. Stephen glowered down at the sword and hesitated, but conceit won out.

"Aye," he smirked. "Very sweet. Well worth the wait."

"I kill him now, David," Sieg said matter-of-factly.

"Nay. If he dies, he is mine."

The girl had begun crying into her knees. Oliver sat beside her and patted her shoulder. She muttered something between her sobs.

"Considering your position, you are either very brave or very stupid to taunt me thus," David said. Stephen laughed. "You are no threat to me, mercer. Harm a hair on my head and you had best leave the realm. If the law doesn't hang you, my family will."

"A good point. Except that I had already planned to leave the realm, and so it appears that I have nothing to lose."

The smug smile fell from Stephen's face.

"David," Oliver said, "this girl is little more than a child. Look at how small she is. How old are you, girl?"

"Just fourteen this summer," she sobbed miserably. She glared at Stephen. "He was going to take me to London, wasn't he?"

Stephen rolled his eyes. "We will go, my sweet. After it is safea"

"Nay, you won't," Oliver said to her. "He will leave you to the wrath of your kinsmen, and you'll be lucky to end up in a convent. What are you? Gentry? Aye, well, they won't press case against a Percy, will they? Nay, girl, it's a convent or whoring for you, I'm afraid."

The girl wailed. Percy cursed.

"So do we kill him now?" Sieg asked.

Quick. Easy. So tempting. David gazed impa.s.sively at the rugged face trying to remain brave and cool.

"I think not," he finally said.

Stephen's eyes closed in relief as Sieg cursed and sheathed his sword.

"Give me your dagger, David," Sieg said, holding out his hand. "The Mamluk one."

"What for?"

Sieg sniffed. "In honor of the love I feel for this country and in protection of the few virgins left in it, I'm going to fix this man."

Stephen frowned in perplexity.

"Remember that physician in prison, David? The one who had once worked at the palace? Well, he told me how they made eunuchs. It is a simple thing, really. Just a quick cuta"

Stephen's eyes widened in horror.

"Siega" David began.

"The dagger, David. You always keep it sharp. We'll be out of here as quick as a nick."

David looked at Sir Stephen's sweating brow. He looked at the crying girl and Oliver's gentle comfort. He thought about Christiana's pain over this man.

"If you insist," he said blandly.

"Aye. Oliver, help hold him down for me."

The girl saw the dagger approach and began a series of low, hoa.r.s.e screams. Sir Stephen practically jumped out of his skin. He inched back on the bed, staring at the looming, implacable Sieg. He turned to David. "Good G.o.d, man, you can't be serious!"

"As I said, I have nothing to lose."

Stephen laughed nervously and held up a hand as if to ward off the dagger. "Listen. Seriously. What I said before about Christianaa I was lying. I never had her. In truth I never did."

"It is more likely that you are lying now."

"I swear to you, I nevera I barely touched her! I tried, I'll admit, but, h.e.l.l, we all try, don't we?" He turned wildly to Sieg and Oliver, seeking confirmation.

"Let's see. Kneel on his legs, David. Oliver, climb over and put your weight on his chest," Sieg said as he reached for the sheet.

"Jesus!" Stephen yelled. "I swear it on my soul, she wouldn't have me."

David smiled. "I already knew that."

Sieg took another step forward. Stephen looked ready to faint.

"How?" Stephen croaked while he stared at the ugly length of steel.

"She told me." He placed a hand on Sieg's shoulder. "Let us go, Sieg. Leave this man."