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  “I’ll go back to the training field for now.”

  “Would you mind if I spoke into your mind?” Christiana asked. It would be much easier than going to the training field or sending someone else.

  “What do you mean by that?” He looked at her warily.

  “Remember when we were in the forest, and you suddenly knew I was in danger? It was because I spoke to your mind with mine.” She thought for a moment. “Marina is a beautiful girl,” she projected to him.

  He nodded. “Yes, she is.” His eyes widened. “You would let me know of her condition that way?” He seemed intrigued by the idea.

  “If you don’t mind. I try to ask before invading people’s minds with my power. Everyone has a right to decide for themselves if they trust our powers or if they believe they are caused by witchcraft.”

  “Yes, please let me know that way. It will be faster than coming to find me.” He took Christiana’s hand in his. “You are a good sister.”

  She smiled. “I am devoted to my sisters and have been all my days.” Charles left the room and Christiana looked at Eva. “I think our sister has met her match.” She loved the idea that both of her sisters would find love with the two men who were closest to her husband. They would surely see one another a great deal if that were the case.

  Eva smiled. “I was worried that he was out to seduce her and had no feelings for her. I see I was wrong.” She looked pleased to be able to come to that conclusion.

  Christiana raised an eyebrow. “Why did you think he was out to seduce her?” What did Eva know that she didn’t?

  Eva shrugged. “After you and Roland are off to bed in the evenings, he tends to try to get her to go off alone with him. She did last night, and came back with her lips swollen as if she’d been kissing him. I worry she’ll lose her innocence to him.”

  Christiana sighed. “Marina has always done things her own way. I hope she won’t let him take advantage of her, but if he does, it will be because it was her choice, not because he forced her into anything.” She sat down on the edge of her sister’s bed and resumed her vigil. “Go get a nap, Eva. My husband isn’t going to allow me to spend the entire night in here with Marina. You’ll be on your own, and you should sleep while you can.” She picked up the bowl of broth Eva had been feeding Marina and continued the task.

  Eva considered the words for a moment before standing. “You’re right. I need to be at full strength for the long night ahead.” She hugged Christiana, kissing her cheek. “Thank you, sister.”

  *****

  Roland sat with Hugh and Charles for a moment before he went to the training field. “In light of what happened in the woods today, I’m going to have to ask the two of you to take turns guarding the women.” At the eager look on both of his men’s faces, he sighed. “How are we supposed to accomplish anything with the two of you going moon-eyed over two of the women who need guarding?” The disgust in his voice was obvious.

  Charles glared at Roland. “You’re moon-eyed over the third.”

  Roland’s eyes met his brothers. “She is my wife.” He didn’t need to say more.

  Hugh cleared his throat. “I am thinking of courting Eva.”

  Roland looked into his oldest friend’s eyes. “She’s of the nobility. Does that not bother you?” It didn’t bother Roland in the slightest that his friend may marry his sister-in-law, but Hugh had always avoided noble women in the past.

  Hugh shook his head. “She’s not like other noble women. She’s kind and funny and accepting of me. I care naught for anything else.”

  Roland nodded briefly. “You have my permission then. I think it’s a wonderful idea.” He looked at his brother. “You don’t ask my permission to court Marina?” He could see how his brother looked at Marina and hoped his brother had good intentions toward her.

  Charles shook his head. “She’s a nice enough woman, but she has no property. I’ll just enjoy her while I’m here.”

  Roland’s eyes widened. “Nay, you will not. You will treat her with the respect due a sister.” He wasn’t about to allow his brother to take advantage of a woman in his care, whether the woman was accepting of his attentions or not.

  Charles laughed. “She’s not my sister.”

  “She is my sister. You will not dally with her unless you plan on offering for her. Is that clear?” Roland waited for his brother to protest, knowing he wouldn’t like being given a rule.

  Charles sighed. “If I take her virginity, I will marry her.”

  Roland studied his brother for another minute and, satisfied that he spoke the truth, he nodded. “That is fair.” He turned his attention back to Hugh. “You will take the first shift. Stay with the three sisters. They all need our protection for the foreseeable future.”

  At Hugh’s brief nod, Roland stood to go out to train his men, Charles following closely behind him.

  *****

  Eva was gone for a full hour, leaving Christiana alone with her thoughts. She couldn’t believe that only three days before, she and her sisters had been defending the castle against the men who had already ensconced themselves so deeply in their lives she wasn’t sure they’d ever get free. Every time she closed her eyes, she could feel Roland's touch on her skin. The way his fingers drifted across her stomach.

  She knew it was unseemly to think about those things when she had duties, but how could a woman keep her mind from such a good man? She couldn’t go so far as to say she loved him, because she hadn’t known him long enough to feel love, had she? She held him in affection, and his touch could make her blood sing. That wasn’t enough for love, though. She was certain of it.

  When Eva returned, Christiana was thrilled to see her sister and take her mind off her husband. The blush on her sister’s face told Christiana that something had occurred while she was gone. “Did you see Hugh in the hall?” she asked insightfully.

  Eva’s blushed deepened. “He’s guarding us.”

  Christiana’s brows drew together. “Guarding us? Why?” She was certain that she and Roland had made things right between them. Why did he have a guard on them again?

  “Because of what happened in the forest earlier. Your husband has decided we will do nothing without a guard until the threat is over.”

  Christiana sighed. “I should have known he would react that way.” She moved behind Marina to hold her head up so Eva could spoon a small amount of water into her mouth. “I will speak to him about it, but I don’t see him changing his mind anytime soon.” She truly understood the need for a guard but hated giving up enough of her freedom to have one.

  Eva sighed as she put a second spoonful of water to Marina’s lips. “I don’t know why you bother. Your husband is the most stubborn person I’ve ever met. You’ll not change his mind.”

  Christiana laid Marina back onto the bed carefully. “I hope she wakes soon. I’m starting to worry, even though I know this is normal.” She looked down at her youngest sister and stroked a stray strand of hair from her face.

  Eva nodded. “I hate the waiting.”

  “I’ve done a lot of it lately between the two of you. I wish using our powers didn’t leave us feeling so drained.”

  “As do I.” Eva stood to go to the window. “The men are training harder than usual today.”

  Christiana nodded. “My husband is expecting an attack of the full army of the resisters. I told him the threat isn’t from them, but he didn’t believe me.” She stared down at Marina for a moment. “I hope I’m wrong, because the threat I perceive is much worse than any man’s army could ever be.” And the threat felt even closer now that the man from the forest was dead.

  Eva sat beside Christiana taking her hand in her own. “I fear you are right. When we’ve had a day or two to recover from recent activity, we all need to start practicing with our powers again.” She looked at Christiana. “Yours are strong, as always, but Marina and I need to do more.”

  Christiana nodded. “I wonder if Roland would allow Marina to heal any wou
nds caused by training. The more Marina heals others, the stronger she becomes.” They had to have a plan that would allow Marina to heal others several times per day, even if she was only healing old scars. She must be able to use her powers regularly without hurting herself before she would be able to do the kind of major healing they all knew was coming.

  “You’ll have to ask him. I’m sure he won’t deny you anything.”

  Chapter Eight

  In their chamber after making love that night, Christiana broached the first of the two topics she wanted to discuss with him. “My sisters and I would prefer not to be guarded when we’re within the walls of the manor. We accept that we need the protection outside, but inside, we’re fine.” She paused for a moment to make her next words stand out more to him. “I can communicate with you from anywhere within the manor. We have a way of letting you know if there is danger.”

  Roland sighed. He’d been expecting his wife to protest her guards, but he’d hoped it could at least wait until morning. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t trust you or your sisters. I just feel that you need to have someone with you to protect you at all times. The resisters could find a way into the manor while I’m training my men and I can’t let anything happen to the three of you.”

  It was the answer she’d expected, so she decided not to press the issue too much. “In exchange for our freedom, I’d like to make a request.”

  He studied her carefully, having expected a bigger fight. “What’s that?”

  “We would like you to bring us any of the men who are injured during training exercises for Marina to heal, no matter how small the wound. Marina can’t get stronger without a great deal of practice, which she’s never had the occasion to get. We need her strength for the coming battle.”

  He shook his head. “You will not be part of the battle.”

  “I’m not talking about the battle of the resisters. There is a battle coming that only my sisters and I will be able to fight. It’s coming soon, and we need to be at the peak of our strength. I will work on my powers as I do every day. Eva needs nothing special to practice her powers. Marina needs injured people. No matter how slight the injury, healing it makes her stronger.” Christiana shook her head. “I must insist. We will not fight our captivity or try to get away from the men you set to guard us if you’ll just be certain to bring Marina any man who is injured no matter how slight.” She was adamant that they needed injured men and hoped he would understand the need.

  Roland stared at her for a moment. “You seem certain there will be another battle.”

  “I am certain. There’s something evil coming that my sisters and I will be the ones to fight. We must be prepared.” She kept her voice calm and devoid of the fear that was tearing her up inside.

  “I hope you are wrong. I won’t keep you from getting stronger, though. I’ll send you all my men with wounds.” He paused for a moment. “Will Marina be left exhausted all the time if she heals every wound?”

  “At first she will, but as she gets more used to healing bigger and worse wounds, she’ll get stronger, and each healing will tire her less. It’s just a matter of her building up her strength.” Christiana had no idea how much time they had, so they needed to build it as quickly as possible. She desperately wished she could talk to her grandmother and find out what their time frame was.

  “So you women will be in training for your battle in the same way my men and I will train for ours.”

  Christiana thought about that for a moment before nodding. “We’ll practice our powers and make certain we keep up our skills with the bow and arrow. We’ll practice with sling shots as well. We need to be ready to do whatever it takes. We’ll also practice running so we can increase our endurance.” She thought hard about what else they could do to be ready for whatever came at them.

  He shook his head at that. “I can’t let you run because I don’t have enough men to guard you.”

  “Then we’ll run up and down the stairs to strengthen our legs. We must have the strength to fight, and it will require not only our powers but physical strength as well.” She shrugged, knowing they had to train to be able to withstand the coming battle.

  He stroked her cheek. “I hate it, but I won’t stand in your way. You won’t have any peace until you’ve trained.”

  “No, we won’t.” She wished she had a clearer picture of what was to come. She could only give him vague ideas of what could happen, and she knew him well enough to know it was upsetting to him.

  “Then as soon as your sister is strong enough, I will send you my wounded. I have two men who still have bad injuries from the battle. She can start with them.”

  “Thank you.” Christiana kissed Roland softly on the mouth. “I appreciate you believing in me.” She was relieved. She hadn’t been looking forward to slicing open her hands to give Marina practice, but she’d have done it if necessary. After all, she’d done it before.

  “Just believe in me to protect you in the same way.”

  *****

  Marina woke at mid-morning the following day. She was still tired, but when Christiana told her the plan she and Eva had come up with, Marina wanted to immediately heal the injured men. Christiana shook her head. “You’re not strong enough for the bad injuries yet. You need something small for today. Two or three bruises or slight cuts would be fine, I think. The major wounds will need to wait a few days.”

  “Fine.” Marina’s eyes flashed with frustration as she was kept from doing what she wanted to do most. Through the years she had always looked for ways to practice her powers, but it had often been hard for her to find someone to practice on without their father knowing. Now that she had people she could heal, she wasn’t strong enough. It was enough to make her scream with frustration.

  Eva went to the hall to ask Hugh to find someone with a small injury for Marina to heal.

  Hugh frowned. “How small?”

  “Anything. A bruise. A cut. An old scar.” Eva shrugged, letting him know she didn’t really care what kind of injury it was, just so it was small.

  “I can’t leave the three of you unguarded, but I do have an old scar, and by the time she’s ready to heal someone else, I’m sure I’ll have found a way to get word to Roland.” Hugh pointed to the scar that ran across his cheek and down onto his chest. “I don’t mind if she heals this.”

  Eva nodded. She’d noticed the scar the first time she’d met him, but hadn’t asked about it. She thought it was a handsome scar that brought strength to his face, but if he wanted it healed, she would have her sister do it. “Come then.”

  Hugh walked into the room where Marina was standing on wobbly legs. She was still weak from the previous day. Glancing at Hugh, she asked, “Where is your wound?”

  “Eva said you could heal an old scar.” He indicated the scar he wanted healed.

  Marina nodded. “Sit please.” She gestured to the chair which had been brought into her chamber the previous day for her sisters’ vigil.

  Hugh sat, looking up at her expectantly.

  Marina walked to him and gently placed her hand on the scar on his cheek. She concentrated and immediately the scar disappeared. He stared at her in surprise. “I felt warmth.”

  She smiled as she sat down on the bed. “I must rest. Your scar is gone.” The little energy Marina had was sapped by the small healing. Christiana knew then they’d made the right decision with starting with small wounds.

  Hugh looked at Eva for confirmation and she nodded. “It’s gone now. Your face is as clean as a babe’s.”

  His fingers moved over his check quickly, feeling nothing. He moved his hand under the neckline of his tunic and realized she’d taken care of the scar on his chest as well. Never had he felt anything as odd as having his wound healed. He stood. “I will get word to Roland that you’ll be ready to heal another. When will you be strong enough?” He glanced down at Marina and saw she was already asleep again. He frowned. “This is too hard on her.”

  Christ
iana shook her head. “It’s exactly what she needs. Please, don’t tell Roland she immediately went to sleep afterward. We need her to heal as many as she can to gain strength.” She hated asking Hugh to keep something from her husband, but she didn’t see that they had a choice.

  He sighed staring down at the pretty young woman. “We don’t wish to drain all her energy from her.”

  Eva shook her head. “No one loves Marina more than Christiana and I. We will not allow her to be drained too quickly.”

  He nodded. “Of course not. You have your sister’s best interests at heart.” He stepped back out into the hallway, worried about Marina. He hoped they knew what they were doing, because it seemed to him, they could harm her by asking her to do too much too quickly.

  *****

  Marina healed two more light wounds that day, but by supper time, she was alert. The dark circles under her eyes gave evidence of the exhaustion she’d suffered, but she smiled and laughed with the others as they ate.

  For the first time that night, Christiana and Roland didn’t go straight to bed after their evening meal, and they all gathered together in a room off the main hall. Roland sat at a table with a piece of paper and pen and ink, working on drawing something. After a moment, Christiana joined him. “What are you doing?” She looked down at the paper in his hands, studying it.

  He shrugged. “I’m trying to design our new home.” He showed her where he’d put the bedrooms and where his soldiers would be quartered. The wall around the castle was tall and wide to prevent the enemy from attacking them. “My men will train within the walls of the castle, instead of having to train outside the walls as they do here. I want them to be safe from attack even during training exercises.”

  She studied it, and pointed to the kitchens. “These need to be bigger. You are asking the servants to prepare meals for your men, but you don’t give them nearly enough space. They’ll need quadruple what you’ve drawn here.” She pointed to another spot on the map. “What’s this?” She frowned as she stared at the huge room.