Chapter Three
Serena stumbled as the man holding her pushed her roughly into the arms of one of his friends. She tried to run but her new captor clamped onto her arms with a vice like grip and refused to budge. She suppressed a shudder as the man pulled her back against his front, his rancid breath feathering over her ear.
The first man turned to face the voice from behind him and his jaw slackened slightly, he glanced up into hard midnight colored eyes and tried for his best 'friendly' smile. He took a couple small backwards steps putting some distance between himself and Darien.
"Not at all,I was just trying to spend time with the wench." He said and his friends chuckled behind him.
Darien stared down at the man before him resisting the urge to wrinkle his nose in disgust. The man had rotted teeth, and pock marked skin. A long scar ran from his hair line to his chin, and his clothing was stained with food and dirt and many other things Darien didn't want to contemplate. He raised his eyes meeting the man belligerent stare with a hard look.
"It would seem to me that the lady does not wish for your company." He said his upper lip pulling up in a sneer. "Though I could be wrong, we can always ask the lady."
Darien cast his eyes to the woman being held by a second man that if possible was more disgusting than the first, she was struggling in his grip. And he realized that she was quite beautiful, her golden tresses tumbled in disarray around her face. Bright azure eyes seemed to be focused at a point off in the distance and he realized that the girl was probably in shock. Her gown was dark purple with gold threading and trim, her lips were a full red cupids bow that begged for kisses. He shook his head frowning at himself, cleared his throat.
"Milady do you wish to keep the company of these..." Darien paused a moment his midnight gaze moving over the group again. "men?" he finished his voice dripping with a mix of sarcasm and disgust.
The group of men bristled at Darien's tone and he returned their ire with a lazy smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Serena struggled against the man holding her once more and turned her head toward the sound of the question. "Nay sir, I do not. I came seeking help for a sick friend." She said and lifted her foot bring the heel of her half boots down on her captors instep.
The man cursed and swung Serena around drawing back a hand and slapping her hard enough that she stumbled from the mans grip her head and teeth ringing. By this time Andrew had risen from his table and joined Darien, he had been listening in his friends shadow as he conversed most civilly with the men. His hands shot out instinctively as the woman stumbled before him, he steadied her, then glanced at Darien who's face seemed to be darkening like a thunder cloud before it poured out its burden to the ground below.
Andrew opened his mouth to stop his friend but it was too late. Darien shoved aside the man he had been speaking with and picked the second man up by his ragged collar and turned throwing the man over his shoulder. Darien and Andrew both jumped at crashing sound the man made as he hit the wall across the room and landed on one of the tables before reaching the ground. The woman in Andrews arms jumped tensing at the sound looking around her wildly, Andrew frowned slightly and filed the odd behavior away in the back of his head.
Darien turned and glanced at the remaining men, his eyes darker than a starless night sky. He turned around to face Andrew and looked at the shaking woman in his arms, he lifted his hand and gently cupped Serena's chin between his fingers turning her face so he could see where the man had struck her.
"Are you okay?" He asked in a soft voice his eyes searching her face.
Andrew stepped away from the woman glancing at the group of men helping their friend off the floor. His face changed for a moment from a slightly humored appearance to a menacing glare as he nodded his head toward the door of the inn. The men scrambled shooting angry looks over their shoulders and the door banged closed behind them.
Serena froze as the man caught her chin, instead of being alarmed as she had with the others she inhaled deeply of the scent of bay-rum, horse and the tangy scent that was the mans alone. She opened her mouth to reply when footsteps on the stairs drew her attention and she yanked her chin from the strangers grasp hurrying as much as she could to the foot of the stairs. She stumbled over a stool that had been misplaced in the scuffle and cursed rubbing her shin as she grabbed the banister to the staircase.
"Nate! You should be in bed!" She said frowning at him.
Nathaniel panted slightly sweat dotting his brow as he studied Serena, he noticed the bruise darkening her cheek and his green eyes flashing with rage. He was leaning heavily against Artemis cursing his own weakness as he scanned the taproom looking for the source of the assault. His gaze skimmed over the broken table and landed on Darien and Andrew, he frowned then looked back at Serena.
"We should go back to the room," he said sweat now running down his face as attempted to breath shallowly to keep the pain from his shoulder at a distance.
Serena nodded and without a backward glance to the remaining men in the taproom followed Artemis and Nathaniel back to their room. She listened as Artemis helped Nate into the bed then crossed her arms across her chest frowning in the direction of the brothers.
"We need to find you a doctor," she said. It wasn't a question, she could hear Nate's heart pounding from where she stood in the middle of the room. "And if you ever tell me ''tis naught but a scratch' and it is worse than that again. I will stab you myself."
Artemis chuckled softly and gave Nate a meaningful look, "I may just hold you down so she can do it."
Nathaniel flushed slightly partially from embarrassment though mostly from his fever, he opened his mouth to reply when there was a knock on the door. Artemis glanced at the door the moved to answer it his eyes opening in surprise, he stepped back allowing Darien and Andrew. They were followed by a short shaggy looking man with bushy eyebrows and so many wrinkles that you seemingly lost his features in them. But once you saw his eyes you knew there was a deep set intelligence to the man.
Darien stepped inside the small room, his midnight colored eyes taking in the belongings spread about then his eyes settled on Nathaniel. The other man was half reclining in the bed blood seeping from the wound in his shoulder, but he still reached for the sword in his belt hanging from the bedpost. Darien held up his hands showing them empty and moved further into the room, aware that Andrew took a spot near the door across from the one that had opened the door.
"I heard from the girl that you needed the aid of a doctor, this is Higgins. He is in the service of my uncle and lives in the village near by." Darien said is voice deep and modulated as he tried to exude waves of 'clam'.
Nathaniel relaxed back in the bed and stared hard at Darien. The small man named Higgins hurried forward cleaning the wound with a swiftness that showed he had treated many like it. Artemis shifted his position and leaned comfortably against the wall crossing his legs at the ankle and his arms over his chest. He smiled tightly at the three men who had entered and only Nathaniel knew that his pose put his hand closer the the long dagger concealed behind his back.
"I thank you for your assistance with my brother, I am afraid I do not know much about medicine. And I would hate for anything to happen to him," Artemis paused watching as Serena sat on the edge of the bed nervously running her hand over Nathaniel's leg from knee to ankle. He looked back at Darien and Andrew, "I suppose I should introduce myself and thank you for saving Serena earlier as well."
Darien nodded slightly and bowed from the waist, "I am Darien de Varray. This is my friend Andrew la Fontaine."
Artemis returned the nod shifting his position to one more respectful, "I am Artemis de Gray, the man on the bed is my older brother Nathaniel." His eyes softened as they rested on Serena for a moment, "This is our close friend Serena de Fortenberry."
Darien glanced the woman who seemed to be taking comfort in touching the man on the bed. Higgins stood and walked to Darien whispering in his ear before excusing himself from the room. Darien's midnight eyes clashed with Nathaniel's, "Higgins told me you should heal well enough. Assuming of course you stay in bed for the next couple days."
Serena jumped up turning toward the sound of Darien's voice, "He cannot! We have a performance at Dunewald castle the day after next."
Darien raised a brow slightly sending a glance at Andrew who just shrugged his shoulders, "A performance?"
"Aye, we are troubadours." Nathaniel de Grey said from his position on the bed.
Darien's other brow rose to join the first, "Higgins informed me that if you do not rest. You will become worse, surely you can forgo this performance?"
Serena stepped toward Darien, trying to make the man understand what he could not possibly. They had to perform at dunewald, it would bring in much needed coin. Nathaniel and Artemis had always journeyed with her, since they were children. Since the bad times had come they had protected her, kept her safe from even herself at times.
Darien noticed that the woman was facing him, her eyes however were focused over left shoulder at the wall behind him. He frowned, he was use to people looking him in the eye when speaking to him. After all he may be just a landless knight, but he was of noble birth. The second son of a duke of the realm, and that brought with it respect.
"Why do you not look me in the eye, Serena de Fortenberry?" He asked in a soft voice, his own eyes searching her face.
Artemis and Nathaniel both tensed at the question, their eyes meeting across the room.
Serena adjusted her line of vision and smiled sadly, "I cannot see your eyes to meet them good sir." she said simply.
Darien glanced at Andrew again and then walked slowly toward the woman. He heard more than saw Artemis move away from the wall to stop him, only to come up short at raised hand from his brother. Darien had no intention of harming the girl, he leaned down so that he could peer into her azure eyes. His own widened in surprise, faint but definitely there were white cloudy patches.
"'tis true, you are unable to see..." Darien said stupidly as he continued to stare into Serena's eyes, while Serena stared unseeingly ahead.