Page 78 of The Red Wolf’s Prize

Confused, Serena studied the Norman knight who was slashingat her husband. The swarthy complexion, dark beard and swaggering stance werefamiliar to her as the Norman shouted taunts at Renaud.

Sir Hugue! He fights with Morcar.

The weight of his evil presence settled upon her. His hatredwas strong for the Red Wolf. Serena had her own hatred for the mercenary whohad tried to rape Eawyn and had sunk a knife in Cassie’s flesh.

The battle raged between the two Norman warriors, the clashof steel rising again and again. Renaud twisted to deflect a blow from SirHugue and stumbled over the body of one of the slain. Falling to one knee, hefought to regain his balance, his sword still clutched in his hand.

“Rhodri! The Red Wolf is in peril!”

Taking advantage of Renaud’s vulnerable position, Sir Hugueswept in, raising his sword to inflict a deadly blow. In a flash of speed,Serena focused on the mercenary’s neck and let her arrow fly. Before SirHugue’s blow could find its target, her arrow pierced the flesh of his neck.Blood spurted from the wound. A second arrow, shot by Rhodri, hit themercenary’s chest, the bodkin arrow piercing his mail.

Sir Hugue paused as if suspended in time, the arrows seemingto hold him up. Then with a crash, he fell to his knees and to the ground.Renaud stood looking down at the body.

Serena’s heart raced as she held her hand to her chest andbreathed a sigh of relief. She could feel no sorrow for the man guilty of somuch treachery.

“Aye, ’tis done,” said Rhodri.

Serena tried to find Steinar in what remained of the battle,but she had lost sight of him. The battle was waning. As she scanned the field,a Northumbrian warrior darted across the field toward the trees where she washidden. As he neared, he stripped off his helm.

Morcar!

He ran through the trees, passing beneath her, followed byseveral other Northumbrians.

* * *

Renaud stared down at the body of Sir Hugue and his neckpierced with an arrow.

That arrow fletching.

The fletching bore the same feathers his wife had socarefully fit into her arrows that night by the hearth, distinctive in theirstyle. He looked up to follow the path the arrow had taken, the arrow that hadspared him Hugue’s sword. His eyes caught a flicker of flaxen hair amidst thegreen leaves of the trees. He had known the moment the first arrow hit themercenary that no ordinary archer had shot it.

Serena!

How was it possible she was here?

Squinting into the distance, he saw Rhodri on anotherbranch, mostly hidden by the color of his clothes, but visible to thediscerning eye. Had they come to join the Northumbrian rebels? Surely she wouldfight for her brother. He had seen his wife’s same violet eyes and flaxen hairon an English warrior who’d attacked him earlier. Somehow he knew it wasSteinar whose thrusts he had parried, and so he had not slain the youngwarrior. And then he had lost him among the other Northumbrians when Sir Hugueattacked him.

“It’s nearly over, Ren,” said Geoff approaching with hissword dripping blood. Looking over Renaud’s blood splattered body, he asked,“Are you wounded?”

“Nay,” he said, still staring into the trees, “an arrow froma friend spared me the insult.”

“An arrow?” Geoff asked incredulous as he spotted themercenary lying at Renaud’s feet. “’Tis Hugue!”

“Aye, killed by arrows.”

“From where? There are no archers here.”

“The trees, Geoff. Look to the trees. Me thinks they hold afair English archer and a Welsh bowman.”

Renaud might have laughed had he not been so angry with hiswife for putting herself in danger. The thought of Serena being exposed to thesights and sounds of battle, of seeing him slaying her fellow English, coveredin their blood, made him clench his teeth. But a worse fear confronted him. Hecould have lost her, his English wife who had so bewitched him. He did notquestion the truth that came to him then. Panic took hold of his heart at thethought he might have to live without her. Whether he trusted her or no, onething was clear: he loved her.

In his frustration, he expelled his next thought. “The damnwoman will nay stay put.”

“Aye, but mayhap this time you are glad she did not.”Geoff’s eyes twinkled with mirth.

Shaking his head, Renaud stalked toward the trees as hisother knights joined Geoff to take stock of their wounds and count the dead.The battle was over.

At the base of the tree, Renaud shouted into the branchesabove him, “Come down wife!”