“So sorry,” she whispered, thinking that was about the only thing they had in common.
Torin could almost feel her soft whisper against his cheek, and he decided it might do him good to get to know Flora a bit better.
“Lady Dawn, you have helped greatly in our effort to solve this troubling situation,” Newlin said. “If you had not spotted the lass, we would still be going around in circles. At least now we can save others from being taken.”
Dawn smiled and nodded at the man’s gratitude, though she did not agree with it. It actually upset her. She now feared for the lass since most would believe her a demon. What then would they do to her if she was caught?
Cree had grown attuned to his wife’s every move. It was as if her body spoke when she could not, and he had grown to hear it more clearly than ever. It was probably the reason they always sat with their bodies touching somewhere—an upper arm resting casually, their thighs touching beneath the table, his arm around her waist—always touching somewhere.
He felt it now, the tenseness in her thigh that rested against his beneath the table. Something concerned and disturbed her, and he was sure it had to do with the wee lass. Once they were alone, she would tell him, and he would see what he could do to alleviate her concern.
They all startled when the door burst open and one of Cree’s warriors strode into the room and to the table.
“My lord,” the large warrior acknowledged with a firm nod. “The demon has been found and your warriors bring it here. It arrives soon.”
CHAPTER 15
Dawn stood beside her husband in front of the keep, her stomach churning, Beast on alert at her side. Angry shouts echoed through the village, people hurling oaths at the person they believed was a demon. She saw that some waited with spoiled food to toss at him. She stretched her neck trying to see the culprit, but she could not see past the horse that led the procession.
She was reminded of the day Cree had been brought into the village Dowell, his wrists shackled with rope and his chest naked. No one dared to hurl a taunt at him. They were too fearful and rightfully so.
It was when the group turned on the curve in the path that Dawn got a look at the person and her eyes went wide—it was a woman. Though grime marred her face one could see she had lovely features. Her dark, intense eyes showed not a bit of fear, though there was a tiredness to them. Her long, auburn hair sparked with red and lay in disarray around her slumped shoulders and down over her ample chest. She was of fair height and slim and stumbled now and again as if her legs could hold her no more.
Instinct to help the woman had Dawn stepping forward, but her husband grabbed her arm, stopping her.
“You will not go near her. We do not know what she is capable of,” he warned, and his eyes went to her rounded stomach, reminding her that she had more than herself to consider.
Dawn nodded, thinking herself foolish for not realizing that, yet wondering why she felt no concern that the woman would harm her or the bairn within.
“Stake her to a post,” Newlin ordered when the group stopped in front of the keep. “We will burn her and be done with the demon.”
“Nay!” Cree shouted. “Put her in the dungeon where we can talk with her.” Newlin went to disagree, but Cree spoke up. “Do you want to know what happened to your people or not?”
Newlin realized his mistake. “You are right, Lord Cree. Once she tells us what she did with my people then I will see her burn.”
“Fatuus,” the woman said, her dark eyes focused directly on Newlin.
“Did you just curse me?” Newlin demanded, upset.
Dawn was surprised the woman spoke Latin and that even though captured she had the courage to call Newlin a…
“Fool,” Flora said softly.
“How do you understand the demon’s language?” Torin demanded with an eye of suspicion.
“Latin,” Flora said.
Her response took Torin by surprise. “You know the language of the church?”
Flora nodded, thinking she should have held her tongue. Her mother warned her not to let men know how knowledgeable she was, that they would feel threatened by it. Besides, men spoke freely when they thought no one understood them and there was much to be learned in such a situation. She turned to Dawn wondering the things she must have heard through the years, people paying her little mind.
The more Torin learned about the soft-spoken woman, the more intrigued he became with her, and a germ of an idea began to take root.
Though Flora had been the one who understood the woman, it was Dawn she turned to as the warrior marched her past the group, keeping a distance from her.