Page 55 of Heart of the Hunter (Band of Bastards #3)
When Hunter and his men had come upon the man at the second hamlet to be pillaged during the night, the man had been barking orders and organizing the inhabitants of his tiny settlement, his expression stern and focused despite the sweat dripping from his pale face and the weight of the arrow protruding from his upper chest. When the fires were under control and he had finally collapsed, three of Baron Payne’s soldiers held him down while another quickly cut through the shaft so that only a short piece protruded from his shoulder, but they left enough of the arrow to grasp for the removal.
The man had growled and gnashed his teeth like an injured wolf, but as soon as the initial burst of pain from having the arrow manipulated subsided, he told the men to push it the rest of the way through his chest to dislodge it.
Unfortunately, the valiant man had passed out when the head of the arrow struck bone.
Bard pointed at one of the soldiers from Hawkspur. “Go back and tell the healer to prepare for this man.” Then turning to Hunter he asked, “Are there any more serious injuries?”
Hunter shook his head. “Nay. Only minor. But the damage to the settlements is extensive.”
“Everything is gone,” a young woman sitting in the cart said.
Her eyes were misty, her hair disheveled, and her clothes torn.
Hunter had noticed her sitting in the dirt, looking forlornly at the farmstead that had been burned to ashes as they loaded the cart with the injured man.
He’d asked her then if she’d been harmed by the marauders and she’d said she hadn’t, but her voice had remained flat and lackluster.
As the group rode through the castle gates into the bailey of Hawkspur Castle, Hunter saw Hawk standing above the portcullis, surveying the group as they entered.
When he saw Hunter, one eyebrow twitched questioningly, but he gave no other indication of his reaction to seeing him riding into Hawkspur in the company of Payne.
The healer, barn hands, Lady Alyce and her maids, and several women from the village were awaiting them in the castle yard and rushed forward to assist as soon as the party came to a halt.
The horses were led away after the men dismounted, people were helped down from the carts and ushered to trestle tables scattered in the yard.
Tubs of water for cleaning were being hauled over and placed where people could get to them, linen cloths were stacked on the tables, and the kitchen helpers were bringing out loaves of bread, jugs, cups, and platters with cheese, meats, and whatever else was readily available.
Several of the soldiers, including Hunter, assisted the injured man with an arrow in his chest up the stairs and through the door to the hall at Lady Alyce’s direction. He’d lost a fair amount of blood and was weak in the knees and near to collapsing.
“Bring him there, under the window.” Lady Alyce pointed the men in the direction of a table draped with a linen sheet and positioned directly in the ray of light shining in through the window opening.
The healer already had his instruments spread on the end of the table. He looked up at the men as they approached the table. “Help him lie back on the table.”
“What is your name?” Lady Alyce asked the injured man after he was set on the table. His face was sickly gray and covered in a sheen of sweat. Hunter feared he would soon lose consciousness.
“Dylan, my lady,” the man said with a gasp. He didn’t look at Alyce but rather turned his head to the side and scanned the room as though looking for someone.
“Do you have family with you, Dylan?” she asked and followed his gaze.
“I believe she is his family,” Hunter said, tipping his head toward the young woman from the cart who now stood in the doorway of the hall, wringing her hands and looking near to toppling over from exhaustion.
Alyce went to her immediately and put an arm around her shoulder to lead her to the table. “Come, let him see you. Is he your husband?”
“He is,” the woman said in a shaky voice. She put her hand on her husband’s cheek, and he gave her a weak smile.
“I’ll be fine, Cati,” he said in a bare whisper.
If the wound did not fester, then he would recover, of that Hunter was certain.
But the threat of infection was real, and he’d seen many men brought low by it.
Fortunately, Hawkspur had one of the most competent healers in the region, and his chances of surviving were greatly increased now that he was in the care of Lady Alyce’s household.
“Brandy is being fetched for you,” Lady Alyce said, glancing from Dylan to his wife. “Both of you.” To the healer she said, “Water is being heated in the kitchen and will be here soon.”
At that moment, a group of women rushed in with buckets of water and more linens.
When Hunter realized Anora was among the women, he quickly glanced around the hall to be sure Payne had not come into the hall.
Last he’d seen of him, he and his men were following their horses toward the stables with Hawk as escort.
Anora set a bucket of steaming water next to the table with the other buckets then immediately came to Hunter where he stood along the wall a short distance away to give the healer and those assisting room to work.
She stopped just short of touching him, her eyes misted as she stared at him, and her jaw flexing as though she was struggling to maintain her composure.
“What is the matter?” he asked, his chest tightening at the look of fear on her face.
“I am just so relieved it is not you on the table,” she whispered.
“We didn’t know who was hurt, only that we were to fetch water and prepare for a man shot through by an arrow.
I was terrified it might be you. I know it is irrational to be so upset, but I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that would not go away. ”
He held out his arms to her and she immediately came into them. “I’m here and I’m whole,” he whispered as he buried his face in her hair and squeezed her to his chest. He felt her arms wrap around his middle as she nodded her head.
“I thought I would be better at this. That I could be stoic and accept the risks that come with loving a man like you.” The words were said in a quiet whisper, and Hunter could hear the anguish in them, and it tore at his heart.
But what pierced his heart even sharper was the rush of satisfaction from hearing her say she loved him.
He wanted to tell her he loved her in return, but the knowledge of the pain that he caused her stopped him. Every time he left on a mission, she would be forced to deal with this same torment. It was killing him to see her in distress. And worse yet, to be the reason for it.
Hunter had just released his hold on her and was about to tell her about Payne’s arrival at Hawkspur when the door to the hall opened and Hawk entered with the baron on his heels.
The gaze of both men quickly settled on Hunter where he stood along the wall with Anora just stepping out of his embrace.
With his hands still on Anora’s arms, he turned her toward the back of the hall in the futile hope that Payne would not recognize her from just the back of her head.
“Payne just entered,” he warned in a low voice, but he was not quick enough.
Anora had already turned her head to look over her shoulder at the newcomers.
He heard her indrawn breath at the sight of the baron.
For his part, Payne’s expression changed from one of thunderous rage in flash, and then just as quickly back into a mask of indifference.
“I’ve come to see about the man with the arrow in his shoulder,” Hawk said as he walked toward the table. “How does he fare?”
Hunter moved to stand in front of Anora to block her from Payne’s view as he silently cursed himself for his stupidity. He should have warned Anora of the baron’s presence before he said anything else. But once again, his feelings for her had clouded his judgment.
“I am inspecting the wound now, my lord,” the healer said as he wiped at the bloodied shoulder with a wet linen while Dylan grunted in pain. “It will need to be cut out, I’m afraid. It cannot be pushed through.”
Lady Alyce eyed Hunter with a knowing look as he searched for a way to get Anora discreetly away from the hall.
She was a very perceptive woman, and one of the few people who knew him well.
In the four years since Lady Alyce had won the heart of Hawk, Hunter had developed a deep respect for her leadership, fairness, and genuine kindness.
Never had he involved himself in romantic affairs of anyone, but when Hawk and Alyce were at a crossroads, he’d broken his own rule and meddled when he couldn’t stand to see the obstinate fools suffer any longer.
“Cati,” Lady Alyce said, gaining the attention of Dylan’s wife where she stood at her husband’s feet, her face contorted in misery as she helplessly watched her husband enduring the pain of the healer’s prodding.
“Your husband will require a clean bed to rest once the healer is finished. I suggested a room above stairs be prepared. This way he can be close, and it will be easier for us to assist you with his care. Is this acceptable?”
Cati nodded but did not take her eyes from her husband. If she stayed, Hunter knew the pain her husband would endure as the arrow was cut from his shoulder would be her undoing. And when the healer cauterized the wound, she’d probably faint dead away.
Lady Alyce grabbed Anora by the hand, then turned to Cati. “I would appreciate your assistance to prepare his room.” Hunter breathed easier and was grateful to Lady Alyce for deftly removing Anora from the room at the same time as Dylan’s wife.