“Because, my dear. He had what I wanted. It’s a harsh world. A man must take what he wants or he’s a weakling and a fool.” He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice. “My father taught me that.”
“How does it feel” — he turned now to Valten — “to look like a weakling in front of this fair maiden? You’re no longer the proud, arrogant future Duke of Hagenheim. You’re just a broken man, at my mercy. And I have no mercy.” He drew his fist back. Valten wasn’t quick enough to block it this time. The fist slammed into cheekbone. The pain in his head thundered like a rainstorm, making him see stars again.
Something soft and warm pressed against his midsection. He blinked. Gisela wrapped her arms around him, getting between him and Ruexner.
“No! I won’t let you hurt him!” She held on until Ruexner grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
Ruexner stared at her. “Why should I stop? I intend to kill him … eventually.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Let him go, please.”
“Why should I?” Ruexner’s cold black eyes glinted.
“If you will let him go, I-I will marry you.”
Ruexner rubbed his bearded chin. “You’ll marry me anyway.”
“No, I won’t. Not if you keep hurting this man.”
“You’ll have no choice. I’ll find a priest who will marry us against your will.”
She faced him defiantly, but there was fear in her eyes.
“But I will take your offer into consideration.” He rubbed his chin again.
“So you agree not to hurt him anymore?”
“Perhaps … for now.”
Chapter
20
The men’s eyelids drooped. Gisela was exhausted but too tense to sleep, and was still trembling after watching Ruexner and his men beat and kick Valten mercilessly. Her whole body ached and sand seemed to have lodged inside her lids, scraping her eyes every time she blinked. When Ruexner announced they would make camp, she nearly fainted with relief.
They ordered Valten to sit in the center of the open space, then they tied his ankles together. Gisela sat down beside him, although not too close, hoping they wouldn’t order her to move.
Ruexner started walking toward her, and she noticed bloodstains on his shirt, under his armpits, and down his sides, obviously from the wounds he’d received from the sword fight with Valten in the tournament. The blood was dry, so someone must have bandaged the wounds, or they had stopped bleeding. It was a shame the injuries didn’t seem to be slowing him down.
Ruexner handed her a flask. Then he muttered something to the other two men and stalked into the woods, probably to relieve himself.
Gisela uncorked the flask and sniffed; it was water. She moved to Valten and held it up. He placed his bound hands over hers and drank. When he finished, she put the flask to her own lips and swallowed the water, with Ruexner’s two men watching her. She hadn’t drunk much in the last two days, and the water felt good going down her parched throat.
Ruexner came back and let one of the other men head into the woods. Ruexner glared at Gisela, then went to rummage through his saddlebag. He came and handed her some dried meat and an apple. He looked at Valten for a moment and then turned and walked to where Valten’s horse was tied. He rummaged through Valten’s saddlebag and found some dried fruit and nuts and gave some to his men.
When Ruexner’s head was turned, Gisela shared the food with Valten.
No one spoke as they ate and then stretched out on the ground. Ruexner threw a blanket in Gisela’s direction, and she got up to retrieve it. Gisela folded the blanket, and she and Valten used it as a pillow as they lay facing each other.
Would Ruexner and his men keep watch? Or would they all fall asleep? If they did, she was sure she and Valten could escape. But Ruexner didn’t lie down. He only propped his back against a tree and watched them while whittling a piece of wood with a knife. Almost immediately, his two men started snoring, but Ruexner looked wide awake.
The next thing Gisela knew, she was blinking her eyes open and the sun was high overhead. Had she actually been asleep?
Valten’s eyes were also open. She turned her head to follow his gaze. Ruexner’s head was lolled onto his shoulder and his eyes were closed. The other two men were still snoring.
Valten whispered, “In my left boot is a dagger.”
Gisela sat up, looking over her shoulder at Ruexner. He still looked asleep. She crawled as quietly as she could to Valten’s feet and slipped her hand inside his shoe, felt the hard handle of the dagger, and drew it out. She immediately went to work sawing through the rope around his ankles. It took longer than she thought. Valten kept his eyes on Ruexner while she worked.