“So tell me,” Tatiana continued. “Is the Beast an animal?”
Luciana gave her a wry look. “He’s all man. Apparently, the animal is Brody.”
Tatiana’s eyes widened. “Oh, I know! Can you believe it? I was so shocked!”
“Me, too.” Luciana took Fearless’s reins to lead him, but he practically dragged her through the opening. The fresh air was glorious, but she wasn’t sure how safe it was. Halfway hidden behind Fearless, she peered out.
A number of cloaked men lay dead on the ground. A few had attempted to run away, but Jensen, Brody, and Edmund were chasing them down. Leo, with his gloves back on, was tying a bruised and bleeding Stanley to a tree.
“The priest is getting away!” Edmund pointed in the distance at a robed man on horseback.
Leo whistled and Fearless trotted over to him. “Ana, come on!” He mounted as she ran toward him, then he hauled her up in front.
“Hold on!” he shouted, and she gripped the saddle horn. He pulled her tightly against him and spurred his horse into a fast gallop.
Father Rune was racing across a meadow, illuminated by the burning barn and the twin moons overhead. Hooves pounded as Leo, Luciana, and their three male companions charged after him.
“Wheee!” Tatiana flew alongside them.
The priest whipped into an old forest, his horse weaving among the trees.
They followed him in, but soon it grew too dark to see him well.
“I think he’s headed for the South Fork of the Ebe River,” Leo said. “Brody, can you smell him?”
“Aye.” Brody took the lead, riding Luciana’s horse.
After a few minutes, there was a wide clearing where the ground dipped into a grassy ditch and the twin moons were able to give them some light.
“The South Fork used to flow through this channel,” Leo said softly.
“There he is.” Luciana pointed at the priest, who was urging his horse up the far side of the ditch. “He’s about to enter the woods again.”
“I see him.” Leo removed a glove and extended a hand.
The priest glanced back, and when the lightning bolt shot out, he pulled his horse sharply to the side. The bolt struck an old oak tree next to them, causing a thick branch to plummet to the ground. The horse reared, dumping Father Rune on the ground before galloping away.
Leo urged his horse down into the ditch. Luciana could see the frightened look on the priest’s face as he scrambled to his feet.
“Surrender,” Leo called out.
Father Rune ran into the woods.
“Hold on.” Leo held Luciana tight as Fearless crossed the ditch, then leaped over the branch to chase after the priest.
Soon they reached the South Fork, and Leo reined his horse to a stop. The other men halted beside them.
The twin moons shone down, casting silver sparkles on the slow-moving river. Father Rune was already halfway across, the water up to his chest.
Leo dismounted. “Everyone, stay back.” He strode to the riverbank. “This is your last chance. Surrender!”
The priest turned to give him a disdainful look. “They should have killed you as a child. You’re a monster!”
“Then prepare for a monstrous death.” Leo leaned over and put his bare hand into the water. Dead fish popped to the surface close to the shore, then farther and farther into the river.
Tatiana floated along the riverbank. “Oh, a fish fry!”
With a terrified look, the priest desperately scrambled for the other shore, but soon the wave of energy caught him. He flailed about, screaming, then sank into the water. His body floated back to the surface, facedown, then slowly moved downstream with the current.
With a sigh, Leo put his glove back on, then trudged back to his horse.
As Luciana watched him, tears stung her eyes. “You’re not a monster.”
He hefted himself into the saddle behind her and held her tight. “Have I told you recently that I love you?”
“I knew it!” Tatiana grinned at Luciana. “He’s sizzling hot!”
* * *
Back at the barn, Leo discovered that Stanley had managed to escape, since the elderly farm couple had untied him after he’d convinced them he was one of the good guys. The burning barn had caused them to rush from their home, but fortunately the rain that afternoon had drenched the land enough that the fire had fizzled out. Their distress immediately disappeared when Leo gave them a gold coin.
“I am the Duke of Vindalyn,” Leo introduced himself, not mentioning he was the Lord Protector, since most country folk feared the Beast of Benwick. “And this is my wife.”
After that, the farmer and his wife insisted they spend the rest of the night in their home. Leo was glad Luciana had a warm pallet next to the fire to sleep on, but he regretted he couldn’t make love to her in the small one-room house.
The next morning, they set out for Benwick Castle, where Leo’s cousin Tedric had lived since being banished from court five years earlier. Luciana was riding her horse again, for Brody was back in dog form.
“Remember the South Fork from last night?” Leo asked his wife. “Benwick Castle is close to where the South Fork joins the Ebe River. From there, we’ll follow the Ebe River west to Ebton.”
“Will we be safe with your cousin?” she asked.
Leo nodded. “Tedric and I have always gotten along. He’s nothing like his father, the king.”
“How so?”
Leo sighed, recalling the last time he’d seen his cousin. Tedric had spent the entire time encamped in his library, barely taking time to eat. “He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. He has a kind heart and an unswerving sense of justice.”