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“Love will find you one day, Dru,” Shade said.

“Nay. I will never trust a man enough to love him.”

Quint laughed. “You won’t have a choice. Love decides for you.”

“Love is not dictating to me. I make my own decisions,” Dru insisted. “Enough about love. You need to know about Brother Peter. He spoke with the powers that be in the church and expressed his sorrow for what he did. He convinced them that evil had taken hold of him and the only way to repent was in prayer and solitude. A decision was made to send him to an isolated monastery far north of here where he can repent properly.” She shook her head. “They are fools. He’ll gather another crew and take over a clan up there somewhere.”

“Has he left for this monastery already and do you know what road he travels?” Quint asked.

Dru nodded. “I know of it, but I never traveled it, too many thieves that will cut your throat for nothing more than the cloak you wear.”

Shade gripped her husband’s arm when she heard that.

“I appreciate the information, Dru. Now settle down and enjoy the coming winter’s rest,” Quint said.

Dru smiled. “I’m looking forward to it. I know I’ll be safe since you rule the clan.” She grabbed an oat cake off the table and hurried to the door. “If you need anything else let me know.” She swung the door open to see Nug standing there. “Spying?”

Nug rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I meant to tell you something.”

Dru stepped aside to let him pass.

“It’s for you, Dru, not Quint,” Nug said. “And the possibility couldn’t make me any happier. The traveling merchant mentioned that a fellow called Knox was inquiring about you.He heard how good you were in gathering information and he is hoping to hire you to help him find Lord Torrance’s half-sister.”

Dru turned to Quint. “There is not a bloody chance in hell I would help that fool to find a woman who Lord Torrance intends to enslave to husband after husband to gain power and wealth. Keep him away from me or I will make sure his search ends here.” She pushed past Nug and hurried off.

Nug stared helplessly at Quint. “If she harms this fellow Knox, Lord Torrance would punish us.”

“Don’t worry, Nug. I will take care of it,” Quint said.

Nug nodded and closed the door.

Shade rested her hand on her husband’s chest but before she could say anything, Quint spoke. “I will leave the decision to you.”

Shade looked puzzled for a moment. “Are you saying that if I tell you not to go and have your revenge against Brother Peter, you will abide by my word?”

“Aye, that is what I am saying. The choice is yours.”

A heavy sigh escaped Shade as she stepped away from her husband. “This is not my decision to make.”

“It is as much your decision as it is mine. You once told me that the tentacles of revenge spread wide and far and that is what happened with my revenge. It spread and affected people I never knew and never meant for it to touch. I cannot help but think… will my revenge end with Brother Peter’s death or will it continue to reach out and cause more harm?”

Shade stepped closer to him to once again rest her hand on his chest. “You think of that, and I think of Amara’s words that came well before mine, that you would revenge her brutal death. This decision isn’t ours. It was already made by Amara, and it is her word that sealed Brother Peter’s fate, no other.” She kissed him lightly. “Just promise me that you will come home to me.”

CHAPTER 28

“Ihear you, Quint,” Brother Peter said. “Are you going to show yourself or will you be a coward and kill me from where you stand hiding in the woods?”

Quint stepped out from behind a tree and approached the campsite. “Did you stop to think I purposely let you hear me?”

“I did consider it, but then I thought how much you love that wife of yours and how you probably promised her you’d return to her, so sorry she will be disappointed, and thought better of it. Besides, I figured you had questions that would plague you if you didn’t get them answered. So, I will give you time to ask me before I kill you.”

Brother Peter gasped and looked down in shock at the handle of a dagger sticking out of his stomach and he slowly dropped to the ground.

Quint walked over to him and crouched down beside his prone body. “I’m told I’m so fast with a dagger that no one ever sees it coming. I guess they’re right. And you’re right about me promising my wife I’d return home to her. As far as questions are concerned, Asher is doing a good job of answering all of them. But if I wanted answers, I’d still be able to get them from you since it is going to take you a while to die. You know what is sogreat about having a healer as a wife? She can tell me where to strike the body with a dagger if I want an immediate death or a slow, painful one. That pain you’re feeling is just the beginning. It’s going to get much worse and you’re going to suffer just like you made Amara suffer.”

Brother Peter tried to reach inside his robe.

“Nay, you don’t want to do that,” Quint said, his hand pushing Brother Peter’s aside and digging in his robe to retrieve the dagger the cleric searched for and without hesitation jammed it into his thigh.