Women came from inside the castle and soon the four men were bared from the waist up, their armor sent for repair. Each man ate ravenously of hot bowls of thick stew.
“You don’t ask me the news,” John said between bites, his elbow raised so Judith could clean and bandage the wound in his side.
“You will tell me,” she said. “If it were good, my husband would have returned also. I can wait a long time for bad news.”
John set the bowl down and looked at her.
“Is he dead?” she asked, not looking up at him.
“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “We were betrayed.”
“Betrayed!” she cried, apologizing when she realized she’d hurt John’s wound.
“One of the garrison knights, a new man named Bohun, slipped through the night to tell Demari that Lord Gavin planned to ride to his brother for help at dawn. Lord Gavin hadn’t gone far when he was overtaken.”
“But he was not killed?” Judith whispered.
“I don’t believe so. We found no body,” John said harshly, returning to his food. “Two of the men who rode with my lord were killed…killed in such a way that it lies heavy on me. This is no ordinary man we deal with, but a devil!”
“Was there no ransom message or any word that they held him prisoner?”
“No. Nothing. The four of us must have gotten there moments after the battle. There were some of Demari’s men still there. We fought them.”
She tied the last knot on the bandage then looked up at him. “Where a
re the other men? There couldn’t be only four left.”
“They still camp outside Demari’s walls. We go to fetch Lord Miles and his men. Lord Raine’s leg wouldn’t have had time to heal.”
“And do you think Miles will be able to free Gavin?”
John didn’t answer but concentrated on the stew.
“Come, you can tell me the truth.”
He looked at her. “It’s a strong castle. It can be taken without reinforcements only if we lay siege.”
“But that would take months!”
“Yes, my lady.”
“And what of Gavin and my mother who are held prisoner there? Wouldn’t they be the first to starve if the food were gone?”
John stared at his bowl.
Judith stood, her fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms. “There is another way,” she said evenly. “I will go to Walter Demari.”
John’s head shot up, one eyebrow raised. “And what can you do that men cannot?” he asked cynically.
“Anything that is required of me,” Judith answered quietly.
John nearly threw his bowl. Instead, he grabbed her arm, his strong hand hurting her. “No! You don’t know what you’re saying. Do you think we deal with a sane man? Do you think he will free Lord Gavin and your mother if you were to give him what he wants? If you saw the men—what were once men,” he added, “who rode with Lord Gavin, you wouldn’t consider giving yourself to this Demari. There was no need for such torture, yet he seemed to do it for joy alone. If he were a man, I would consider your idea, but he isn’t.”
She shook her arm until John released it. “What else is there to do? A siege would most certainly cause their deaths, but you say a siege is the only way to attack. If I were to get inside the castle, perhaps I could find Gavin and my mother and arrange an escape for them.”
“An escape!” he snorted. John had forgotten that she was the Lady Judith and had the authority to order him about; she was just a young and inexperienced girl now. “And how would you get out? There are only two entrances; both guarded well.”
Judith squared her shoulders, her chin held high. “What choice do you have? If Miles were to lead an attack, Demari would surely put Gavin to death, as well as my mother. Do you love Gavin so little that you don’t care whether he dies or not?”