Knight... Part II

She had been left in the bedchamber alone. Hands tied to the bedpost and sitting on the floor, her captor had beaten her cruelly and left her to contemplate his threats. With no thought for her own rescue, she prayed her friends would be able to defeat Lockhaven and save her people. No form of torture would pry the information from her lips. She would die before she allowed him to harm her people. With every blow he delivered she thought only of them, the men, women and children she'd known all of her life. 1

'How long has it been' she thought. "Two, maybe three days.' 2

She was hungry and tired and hurt from head to toe. The whip had stripped away most of her dress and her skin was criss-crossed with bloody welts. She wanted a bath, and sleep ... peace... She wanted to go home. 3

She heard a sound, and cringed thinking it was him, coming back to continue the torture. There was someone there behind the screen. She could sense it. But she didn't move. Let him do his worst. Let him kill her. Nothing mattered as much as her people. She felt dizzy. 4

He saw her there, sitting on the floor, curled up like a frightened kitten. Her beautiful long hair hung wet with sweat, and the tattered bloody dress barely covered her. Suddenly the chamber door flew open as Sir Kenneth reentered the room. 5

"So, have you thought about my offer, m'Lady?" 6

She didn't move, didn't reply. Grabbing her hair, he forced her head back to look at him. 7

"I've had enough of your insult. Threats and beatings haven't worked. Maybe rape will loosen your tongue . . . " 8

She spit in his face. 9

He grabbed her arms and yanked her to her feet. With one strong hand he ripped the rest of her dress away and tossed it aside. 10

"Such a shame your beautiful body looks so awful. But that's not going to stop me from taking my pleasure." With that, he shoved her back onto the bed and she cried-out when her skin made contact with the matress. "I'll make you scream louder then that, bitch!" 11

He was on top of her, touching her. She wanted to die . . . 12

In the shadows, Sedric wanted to kill. That bastard was touching her, hurting her. He felt useless hiding behind the dressing screen. He had to get help. But where? Who? he thought. The stable lads? 13

He moved across to the hidden doorway just behind the screen 14

and slipped quietly inside. The walls of Lockhaven castle were honeycombed with hidden passages. Some time ago, a few stable lads had found the secret openings and had taken great delight in spying on the adults. On a few occasions they had succeeded in scaring the maids into thinking the old place was haunted. It now seemed like a good time to bring the ghosts of Lockhaven to life. 15

Once outside he ran as fast as he could to the stable where he found 16

some of the boys playing at dice. 17

"Jonathan, Tommy! I need your help!" 18

"Sedric! Where'd you come from?" asked Tommy, as the boys came to their feet. 19

"Raven's View," he replied. "Sir Kenneth took m'Lady and I mean to help her. But I can't do it alone. We have to hurry, he's got her in his chambers and he's hurting her real bad," he said between gasps for breath. "Hurry!" 20

"Hold! We need more help. We'll get the other lads and meet you at the secret place. Hurry, there's no time to lose." 21

The boys rushed off in search of their friends. All the lads respected Lady Patricia. Everyone knew the tales of her kindness and her most recent rescue of Sir Gerald. What a boon she would grant if they could help her now. Minutes later six boys gathered at their meeting place. 22

"Everyone ready?" asked Sedric. 23

They nodded agreement. 24

"Tommy and I will go to Sir Kenneth's chamber. Jonathan, you take Neil and head for the east wing. When you get there make as much noise as you can then split up and go back to the stable. Josh, you and Toby will gather some clothes for m'Lady." 25

"What do we know of ladies dresses?" protested Toby. 26

"No, you fool! Breeches, shirt and boots. Oh! And a wool cap . No one will look twice at a lad leaving the castle," he instructed. 27

They all agreed and were off on their mission. 28

"Unhand me you pig!" she screamed, kicking and clawing at her attacker. 29

His large body pinned her to the bed as his mouth descended toward hers. Her head jerked to the right but his wet mouth found her neck. She twisted and fought to no avail. So she turned until she was next 30

to his ear and let out a blood-curdling scream. 31

Lockhaven shot up like a bullet to get away from the pain that stabbed his ear. "You bloody bitch!" he cried. 32

In a flash, his hand swept out and slapped her across the cheek, then again with his knuckles. A third hit and the world spun out of control. 33

Then he heard it, the ghostly moans of the castle. The disembodied howling sent a shiver down his spine. Slowly backing away, he moved toward the door. One hand reached out for the latch while the other pressed against his ear. He slipped through the doorway and dashed down the hall. 34

From the east wing servants came screaming through the hall. The sounds of battle rumbled through the castle, Sedric and Tommy just looked at each other, wondering what their friends were doing to make such a great racket. Suddenly hands whipped out and grabbed the two boys, spinning them around. 35

"Sedric!" said a surprised Joseph. "How the devil! Never mind. Where is she?" 36

"This way m'Lord. Hurry! She's hurt bad," he replied, then turned and grabbed hold of Joseph's shirt. "He whipped her and beat her and..." 37

"Hush lad. It's over now. We're here." said Joseph, comforting the boy. 38

As they entered the room from the secret passage David and Joseph found a hideous sight. Huddled in the corner, wrapped in a bloody sheet, their friend was shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. When David touched her arm she shrieked and curled tighter in defense. 39

"Pat, it's me - - David," he whispered. 40

Slowly Patricia turned to look, eyes swollen from crying, her face bruised. For a moment she just stared at him. 41

"David? Oh God, ,David, its you!" she gasped then lunched herself at him. 42

Standing in the middle of a room holding a naked woman would have normally been embarrassing, but the sight of her battered flesh made his stomach clench. David thought he'd vomit. 43

Seeing his discomfort Joseph rushed to his rescue. Snatching a sheet from the bed, he covered her, then reached down and lifted her into his arms. 44

"Joseph, you too?" she cried in surprise. 45

Looking like the injured party, he announced, "Ah . . . madam, rescuing damsels in distress is my specialty, I'll have you know," 46

With a sob, she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. 47

"Joseph, take her down to Gerald. We have unfinished business to attend to," said David. 48

"Aye," nodded Joseph, heading for the secret passage with Patricia in his arms.49