Part 15 (1/2)

”Why?” Ewan repeated.

Again they all shrugged. Except for Pagan, and Ewan had a feeling he knew more about this than he was telling.

But that could wait.

Ewan whistled at the women. ”Ladies, please rest your weapons.”

The women did.

Ewan turned back toward Viktor. ”Now tell me again who paid you?”

”No one has paid us yet. We was just told to get you out and then go pick up our money.”

Ewan was completely baffled by their unexpected words. ”Who is going to pay you? Did you not see the man who hired you?”

”Well, aye. But we never saw him before,” Bavel said. ”He just showed up while we were visiting-”

Lysander cleared his throat and stepped on Bavel's foot.

Bavel cursed and pushed the man away from him. ”I wasn't going to tell him that.”

”Tell me what?”

”That we were visiting Cat's G.o.dmother.”

”Bavel!” Viktor took his hat from his head and hit Bavel with it.

”Ow!” Bavel snapped. ”That hurt.”

Viktor hit him again.

Ewan moved to stand between them and to keep Viktor from any further a.s.saults. ”Gentlemen, please.

Who you were visiting doesn't concern me. The man who hired you does. What exactly did he say to you?”

Catarina came forward and handed her sword back to Bavel. There was a calculating gleam in her eye that Ewan didn't quite trust. ”He said he would pay us twenty silver marks if we were to grab you and ride you about for a while. Once we go to Drixel, he'll be waiting to pay us.”

”I thought Viktor said it was to ride me and Nora around.”

”Viktor was mistaken. We were paid to abductyou and you alone.”

Ewan frowned at that. That wasn't what he'd heard while he and Nora had been inside the wagon.

The gypsies were lying to him, but he didn't know about which part.

Could they have another reason for abducting them?

”Do you know why he wanted you to kidnap me?” Ewan asked.

”He said he wasn't going to harm you,” Viktor said. ”I made a point of asking him that. I didn't want to take part in killing anyone. He just said that he needed for you to be gone for a short time, and that once we had you a few days away from your home, we could let you go.”

”But you didn't abduct me from my home.”

Viktor squirmed at that. ”We were going to, but when we got there we saw the lady and her man and maid. So we waited until they left and then you left, and then we followed the two of you to the village, hoping to capture you last night.”

He pa.s.sed a shamefaced look to Lysander and Bavel. ”Since we weren't able to get you last night, it was Cat's idea that we head out a little early and wait for you in the meadow to capture you this afternoon.”

Ewan's scowl deepened. How had he missed something as important as five people following them? It wasn't like him not to have a sixth sense for such things.

No one had ever caught him off-guard before.

Of course, he had been drunk and then hung over the entire way to Lenalor. Mayhap Nora was right; he needed to stay sober a little more often.

Ewan rubbed the back of his neck as he considered what he should do about the gypsies and the man who had ordered him taken.

Who would dare such a thing and why?

He needed to know if he had such an enemy.

”What did this man look like?” he asked.

”About this tall.” Lysander held his hand up to indicate the man would be around five-six or so. Far too short to be one of his brothers.

Who then?

Who other than one of them would say such, let alone pay for it? It didn't make a bit of sense.

”Is he planning on meeting you in Drixel?”

Viktor nodded. ”That was the plan.”

Ewan turned to Nora. ”Would you mind if we traveled with them for a bit longer?”

By her face, he could see she was torn. But when she spoke, her brave words surprised him. ”I'm always up to a bit of adventure.”

”Then you're not mad at us?” Bavel asked hopefully.

Ewan cast him a menacing eye. ”I'm not particularly amused by the throbbing in my skull, but if the five of you can refrain from drugging me again, I think I can manage to forgive you.”

Viktor clapped him on the back. ”You're a good man, Ewan MacAllister. Bavel, get the ale.”

Ewan shook his head as the three men went to the wagon to search out the ale and Pagan stayed behind with him, Catarina, and Nora.

”I can't believe I'm traveling with gypsies,” Ewan said.

Pagan smirked. ”I say that to myself every day and yet here I am.”

Nora smiled at Ewan. ”I can't believe you're not angry at them.”