She was letting you know that wasnt so, Cree said, his fear escalating like never before. Alert the men. Have them search the woods near where this secret passageway ends.

Elwin nodded and hurried off to see it done.

Cree didnt waste a minute; he entered the secret passageway, Torr, and Sloan following.

He isnt a cleric is he? Torr asked as they maneuvered the narrow staircase.

No, he isnt, Cree said more determined than ever to find the bastard cleric and kill him.

But he spoke about seeing your sister, Sloan said.

I have no doubt he tortured the real cleric to get what information he could out of him so that he would be able to play the role well. I should have realized that something was wrong when he didnt refer to the abbey or Abbess by name.

But who is he? Torr said.

Thats what I intend to find out before I kill him, Cree said as they emerged out into the cold.

The man shoved and dragged Dawn when he didnt feel that she walked fast enough and his detailed threats of what he intended to do to her made her shiver more with fear than from the cold.

I think tying you to a tree and cutting you good so that your blood attracts hungry animals is a fitting end for someone who has caused me endless trouble. He shook his head. I forget that you cannot utter a sound. That is good, for then you cannot scream when the animals feast on you.

No matter what happened, she could not let him tie her to a tree. She had to get away from him and back to the keep. Cree would come for her. He was probably already on the way.

I will be glad when this chore is done and I can be on my way. Youve been more trouble than you are worth. No matter how many men I hired to see you finished, not a one could see the chore done.

Dawn didnt try to communicate with him, she let him talk wanting to learn all she could.

Have to admit though that if it wasnt for my precious, darling wife who took on the chore of raising the dumb daughter of a noblewoman, I wouldnt have had the opportunity to make myself some wealth.

That stopped Dawn, and she turned to face the man claiming to be Lucernes father.

The stupid bitch thought I was dead. She never realized that I didnt want to come home to her and a whining babe. When I finally had no place to go, I returned home figuring my dependable wife would be there and what a surprise it was to find out that she was gone with who I thought was my daughter until I saw Lucerne. She was the image of my wife when I first met her. He gave her a shove and she fell to her knees and winced, a snow-covered rock jabbing into one knee. He hoisted her up with a roughness that jarred her. Get moving. Im tired of acting the pious man. I want this done so I can be gone.

The pain in her knee caused Dawn to stumble before she righted her steps. She could feel the blood running down her leg and she prayed that it would leave a trail for Cree to follow, though she did need to slow their pace.

She stumbled a few more times hoping that would help but it didnt matter. He suddenly yelled for her to stop.

No doubt the infamous Cree is already on our trail and Ill not have him catch me. So your time to die has finally come. He took a drink from a flask he had retrieved from beneath his cleric robe and took several swigs, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. Im going to prick you enough after I tie you to a tree so that the mighty Cree gets here just in time to watch helplessly as you die.

Dawn held her hands up silently begging him not to do it, tears rushed from her eyes and he stared at her and laughed.

Damn, but youre a sight to see begging and crying and not a sound coming from you.

Dawn collapsed to the ground, her chin near touching her chest and her shoulders heaving.

He walked over to her laughing and when he was near enough; she fisted her hand and swung it up hard to catch him right between his legs. He grasped from the pain and dropped like a dead weight.

She didnt hesitate; she ran.

Im going to kill you, you dumb bitch! His scream echoed through the woods and Dawn prayed that Cree heard him.

She spotted droplets of blood on the snow"her blood"and followed them knowing they would take her back home, back to Cree. She had no doubt that as soon as the cleric recovered he would be on her trail, so she ran as fast as she could.

It wasnt long before she heard footfalls behind her. They pounded the earth so hard that she thought she felt the ground tremble. He was furious and when he caught her, he would make her suffer. Fear mingled with determination. She wouldnt let him catch her, she wouldnt.

Her knee pained her with every step she took but she refused to give up. She had the babe to think about and Cree and a future waiting for her that she had never thought possible. She would not let a man who cared for naught but himself to rob her of that.

I see you, bitch, I see you and Im going to make you suffer.

Dawn kept going and when she rounded a slight bend an arm snagged her hard around the waist and she found herself slammed against Crees hard body. He quickly sequestered them behind a grouping of trees and bushes. She dropped her brow to his shoulder and rested her hand to his chest loving the feel of the leather stretched across his hard muscles. He had come for her and she had not a single doubt that he would. She looked up at him and smiled.

He pressed a finger to his lips warning her to be quiet. He treated her as if she had a voice and she loved him even more for making her feel that she was no different. She listened as the imposter cleric approached, his threats growing more vicious.

Now Im really going to cut you and make you suffer, bitch.

Dawn felt Cree tense and his scowl not only deepened; it grew dangerous. He eased Dawn to the side, once again warning silence and then turned and waited. When the cleric was near upon them Cree stepped out in his path and slammed his fist into the mans face. The crunch of bone echoed through the woods and before the man dropped to the ground for the second time Cree hit him again.

Crees warriors had the culprit tied with rope and alert in no time.

Are you all right? Cree asked approaching her.

She nodded and hobbled toward him.

He scowled and she had to smile happy to see his usual scowl and not the murderous one. He wasted no time in hoisting her skirt to have a look at leg. As soon as he saw her wounded knee, he scooped her up in his arms.

Im carrying you back to the keep and dont waste your breath protesting. It is the way it will be.

She didnt protest; she enjoyed the comfort and safety of his arms, the beat of his steady heart and listened joyfully to his tirade of how he was going to keep her chained to him forever.

He didnt have to worry about that; their love already had them chained.

It didnt take them long to get back to the keep and it was a good thing since it had started snowing. They were just about to step into the keep when the cleric began convulsing and collapsed to the ground, his body writhing. He died before Elsa could be summoned.

Crees shouts had his warriors scrambling as he rushed into the keep, holding her tight against him. Once in the Great Hall, he placed her on her feet. Did he say anything to you?

Dawn gestured slowly hoping Cree would understand her and as if he was interpreting, he repeated her words as she told him what the cleric, supposedly Lucernes father, had told her.

Cree shook his head.

Sloan and Torr joined them halfway through and Sloan was quick to say when she finished, So the other culprit is...

One of two women or both of them and I believe that your father has the answer, Cree said turning to Torr.

That had Dawn recalling the vial in the clerics hand and with no time to explain, and ignoring the stinging pain in her knee, she ran for the stairs.

Chapter Thirty-five.

An arm snaked around her waist before her foot hit the first step. Cree swung her up and around, planting her on her feet in front of him. Nothing is more important than seeing to your wound.

She shook her head, pointed toward Torr who approached them along with Sloan, and then she pointed upstairs and tugged at his arm.

Torr rushed forward. Is she saying that my father is in danger?

Dawn nodded.

Torr flew up the stairs, Sloan behind him and Cree once again scooped her up, though this time he flung her over his shoulder, the staircase too narrow for him to carry her in his arms.

Once in the hall he set her down and as soon as he did she ran to catch up with Torr and Sloan. Cree shook his head as he chased after her.

Dawn entered the room to find Torr staring down at his still unconscious father and Sloan glancing about, though no one else was there. Dawn pushed Torr out of the way and dropped down to her knees, though winced when her wounded knee hit the floor.

Cree mumbled and reached down for her, but she brushed his hands away and dropped her head down to search under the bed, having last seen the vial on the floor by the bed. She didnt find it and she feared the culprit may have already given the poison to Kirk.

She looked up at Cree with worried eyes and he slipped his hands beneath her arms and eased her up on her feet.

What do you look for? he asked.

She held two fingers not far from each other and with two more fingers from her other hand, she demonstrated the width.

A vial? Torr asked.

She nodded and gestured how she saw it in the clerics hand and how he dropped it when he held a dagger to her stomach.

Crees face turned red with fury. He held a dagger to your stomach?

Dawn nodded and also gestured how the cleric threatened to slice Elwins throat.

Several oaths slipped from Crees mouth before he said, The bastard is lucky hes dead or he would have been begging for mercy that I would have never granted him.

Torr bent over his father and felt his lips. They are dry, but it has been some time since Dawn was here.

Look around, Cree ordered. A servant may have come in since then, and perhaps didnt see it and accidentally hit it with her foot or placed it somewhere. Not you, Cree commanded sharply when Dawn turned to help. You have been through enough and you have suffered an injury that needs tending.

Dawn tried to protest, wanting to help.

Dont bother arguing. Sit and rest until Elsa gets here to tend your wound.

Dawn raised her hand but the warning look Cree shot her made her think twice and so she sat on the chair near the hearth while the men searched. She turned to the side for privacy to raise her skirt and have a look at her wound, since a twinge of pain had remained with her, when something sparkled from where the stone met the wood plank floor. She peered down and there snug in the groove was the vial. She picked it up and held it high as she turned around.

Cree took it from her. Were going to use this as bait.

And they all listened as Cree laid out his plan.

Lady Ann patted Lucernes hand offering comfort as they sat beside each other on the dais, the Great Hall filling for supper. Do not worry, my dear, all will be well.

Lucerne did not respond; she rubbed at her aching temples.

Cree and Sloan joined them as did Torr.

Has Kirk improved? Lady Ann asked of Torr.

Torr smiled. He has stirred and his eyes have fluttered, as if he fights to open them. Elsa feels he will wake soon.

Cree reached out and placed the vial next to his tankard. Kirk was lucky. We found this poison the imposter cleric intended for him.

Lady Ann gasped. How awful. Thank God Kirk is safe.

Lucerne stared wide-eyed at the vial and shook her head, then turned away.

Yes, Torr kept his smile firm. Father should wake soon and will tell us exactly what happened in the stable.

Color drained from Lady Anns face and her shoulders slumped. If only I had arrived at the stables a bit sooner. I may have been able to prevent the fatal incident from taking place.

You cannot blame yourself and at least the culprit has been caught, Torr said.

Nothing makes sense, Lucerne said. Father is dead and why? What made him and Kirk McClusky fight? And a cleric who is no cleric? And why were there attempts on Dawns life? She shook her head. It is all madness. She rubbed at her temples. I must excuse myself, my head aches unbearably.

Lucerne stood, not waiting for Crees permission, though she swayed a moment, as if she was about to faint and her hand reached out to the table near Cree to steady herself. Cree grabbed hold of her and signaled with a nod to Sloan. He reached her side and with a gentle arm around her waist helped her from the room.

It is good that this nasty ordeal is finally at an end. Now Kirks daughter will get what is rightly due her.

Yes, Dawn will finally get what she so richly deserves... a titled husband. She and I will wed as soon as I contact the King and settle the details.

And Lucerne?

Im sure some kind of arrangement can be made for her, and then you and Kirk can finally be together.

Lady Ann lowered her head. After an appropriate time of mourning, I cannot sully Rolands good name, though the wait will be difficult. I had thought I had successfully put Kirk from my mind, but when I saw him again after all this time, I knew my love for him had never died.

Of course, when the time is right, Cree agreed.

Lady Ann dabbed at her tear-filled eyes. This day has been too much for me. I beg that you excuse me.

By all means, Lady Ann, Cree said, you truly have yet to grieve.

She stood and stopped beside Cree. Thank you, my lord, you have been most gracious.