The Crusader ("The Crusader" Prequel to "Kingdom Come") (29 page)

Bud
softened ever-so-slightly. "Your mother is a hard woman, Rory.  I know
that she's pushed you and pushed you until you'll do anything you have to
simply to satisfy her. But you've got to realize, honey, that you don't have to
manipulate the people who love you. They'll do anything for you simply because
you're you."

She
looked to him again, her gaze veiled with guilt. "Like you?"

He
nodded faintly, a smile coming to his lips. "Like me. You don't have to
try and sell me this cock-and-bull story just because you want me to defend you
against Sir Kieran's family. I'll defend you regardless, but you've got to tell
me the truth. That's all I'll ever ask of you, honey. The truth."

She met
his smile weakly, moving toward him once again. This time, she grasped his hand
and squeezed it gently. "I've told you the truth. The honest-to-God truth.
Sir Kieran came alive before my very eyes and he's waiting on that park bench
over there to meet you."

The
warmth in Bud's expression faded. "Rory..."

"Please?"
she begged, tugging him with her. "Please see the reality of what I'm
telling you. If I was lying, do you think I'd be so eager for you to meet him
face to face?"

He let
her pull him forward, across the cement and through the grass of the square.
There were people milling about busily but Bud didn't notice; he was thinking
what a fool he was, humoring Rory so she wouldn't run away from him again by
allowing her to carry on with this ridiculous story. He didn't think she was
crazy as much as he believed she was trying to worm her way out of trouble.

And he
was helping her. But as long as she remained in his custody, he almost didn't
care. They would face the trouble together.

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN  

There
were quite a few people in Bloomsbury Square as Rory towed Bud behind her like
a reluctant child. There were so many people going about their business, in
fact, that Rory didn't see the bench she'd left Kieran on until she was nearly
on it. When she immediately realized it was vacant, she let go of Bud in a
panic.

"Oh...
no!" she began searching desperately for the knight. "He was here,
Bud. Right here! I left him here!"

He
wasn't really surprised that the bench was empty. In fact, it only served to
reinforce his belief in the stupidity of her story. When she leapt onto the
bench to gain a better view of the surrounding square, he moved up beside her
and gently, but firmly, grasped her arm.

"Was
he really here, Rory?" he reached up and tapped her head. "Or here?
Come on and get down. We're going back to the hotel."

"No!"
she struggled furiously as he pulled her from the bench. "I'm not going
anywhere until I find him. Maybe... maybe he went back to the hotel. Maybe
something upset him and he's gone back."

He had
her with two hands, realizing they were attracting some attention. "Calm
down, Rory, you're causing a scene. Let's just go back to the hotel
and..."

She
succeeded in pulling one hand free, trying to free the other. "I said I'm
not going anywhere until I find him. Let me go, Bud!"

He was
really struggling to keep a grip on her without looking as if he was trying to
assault her. "Honey, just relax. Let me take you back to our hotel and
we'll figure out how to deal with the Hage family. You don't have to..."

She
suddenly broke free, racing toward the street. Bud followed and, having been a
running back in college, was on her heels in no time. But she dashed across the
asphalt before he could get to her and Bud almost got plastered by a car in his
haste to pursue. Waiting for the car to pass, he continued after her at
break-neck speed.

***

Lingering
by the edges of the square, a man dressed casually in slacks and a shirt
hastened to a black Mercedes parked on the opposite side of the street. Leaping
into the passenger side, he nodded to the man in the driver's seat.

"Follow
Dietrich," he commanded. "Maybe she's heading for wherever she may be
hiding out."

"Do
you think she has the body with her?"

Corbin
shrugged as the driver threw the car into gear and swung a wide U-turn.
"Probably. But even if she doesn't, we'll find out where she's hidden it.
Or Dietrich will tell us if he knows. Certainly, somebody will tell us when I
use the beautiful young archaeologist as an object of discovery."

The man
in the back seat with more flab than muscle chuckled sinisterly as his cohort
directed the car down Bedford Place in pursuit of the Americans.
"Discovery of what?"

Corbin
didn't say anything for a moment, his piercing blue eyes searching for the
fleeing figures. "Niles, the Hage family is paying me a good deal of money
to protect their interests in Sir Kieran. No only did I threaten an
international lawsuit against Osgrove's university in order to gain the family
their rightful ancestor, but now that Dr. Rory has been foolish enough to steal
what no longer belongs to her, I suspect there is more behind her motive to
abduct Sir Kieran Hage than Dietrich is telling us."

"You
think they're hiding something?" the driver asked as just as the three men
caught sight of Bud disappearing into a small two-story hotel.

Parking
the car, Corbin studied the structure a moment before turning to his
associates.

"They
are," he said frankly, turning to fix his colleagues with a heady gaze.
"Or Sir Kieran is."

The fat
man in the back seat looked particularly dubious. "What in the hell could
an old corpse be hiding? We watched when he was stripped down yesterday and
examined by those other doctors. There's nothing on his body at all."

Corbin
shrugged faintly. "Nothing we saw, at any rate. But remember, the
Americans have had the body for several days. Maybe they've had  time to
discover something we haven't yet come across. Or, better still, maybe there is
something actually inside the body they want to keep from us."

The driver
looked interested as his counterpart shook his head. "Jesus, Steven, do
you think they've smuggled something into the country inside of the knight's
body? Why in the bloody hell would they do that?"

Again,
Corbin shrugged faintly and opened his door. "I don't know. But I intend
to find out. Clearly, there is more to this situation than meets the eye."

***

It was a
short chase down the quiet street. Rory immediately disappeared into a small
building about half-way down the block and Bud followed her into what was
apparently a small hotel. Ignoring the wide-eyed woman at the desk and several
people seated in a large living area to his left, he made way for the stairs
directly before him and pounded to the second floor.

He
caught sight of Rory just as she disappeared into a door about mid-way down the
corridor. Before she could lock it, he was behind her, shoving it open with
such force that she shrieked with surprise. The door swung open, banging
against the wall, and the sight of Rory's astonished face was the last thing
Bud saw before stars exploded in his head.

And then
it was dark. Sort of. He thought he heard Rory's voice, her warm hands on his
face. Bud blinked, thinking he must have struck his head somehow but having no
idea what, exactly, he had hit. Gradually, the stars began to fade and he
realized he was lying flat on his back. Shaking his head, he was about to ask
what had happened when a rumbling male voice infiltrated his dazed mind.

"It
was a trap, my lady," the voice said grimly. "God's Blood, I should
have suspected. Are you well?  Has he harmed you?"

Trying
to support Bud's head, Rory frowned at Kieran. "What trap? You're not
making sense, Kieran. And you didn't have to hit him."

Kieran's
stubbled face was flushed with emotion, his massive hands working. "He was
a threat to you. I had no choice."

"Bud
is
not
a threat."

"But
he is working with them. He must be."

"Working
for who, for God's sake?"

Kieran
didn't say anything, watching Bud try to blink some clarity into his vision.
Swallowing hard, he went to the door and peered down the hall as if expecting
someone. Rory watched him closely, noticing his whole body was taut with
anticipation as if he were preparing to fight to the death.

"Kieran,"
she demanded softly, still holding Bud. "What's wrong?"

He
maintained his post by the door, his gem-clear eyes riveted to the staircase at
the far end of the corridor. After several tense moment, he entered the room
and closed the door behind him. Throwing the bolt, he went directly to the
window and peered outside. Rory continued to observe him, curious and
apprehensive at the same time.

"Kieran,
please," she said again. "What are you looking for? Why did you leave
the square when I told you to wait for me?"

He
finally looked to her, his features uncharacteristically hard. Then, he left
the window only to hover over both her and Bud as if he were some sort of
horrific avenging angel. Rory gazed up at him, frightened for reasons she
didn't understand. But the mere expression on his face scared her to death.

"Because
I saw him,” he said. “I instinctively returned for my sword when I remembered I
no longer had it within my possession. But you were in no danger for the moment
and I was confident I could return in time to defend us both."

She was
understandably puzzled. "Defend us from whom?"

His jaw
ticked. "Simon."

Rory's
brow furrowed. Bud was growing more lucid and struggling to sit up, so she
gently pushed him into a sitting position before replying.

"Kieran,
you know that's impossible. Simon has been dead for eight hundred years."

"So
was I."

"But
you were different, you know that," as Bud rubbed his jaw, eyes closed
against the spinning room, Rory stood up. "Are you saying that somehow
Simon has managed to follow though time? The chances of your survival were
astronomical, but the chances of two of you surviving through potions or magic
or miracles is completely ludicrous."

His
expression remained hard as he gazed at her. "I know what I saw, lady. I
saw Simon lingering by the edges of the square, shielding himself behind a post
of some kind. He didn't see me, however; he was looking at you. You and at
your... friend."

Bud
opened his eyes, still working his jaw. His ears were ringing but his head had
cleared somewhat and he suddenly found himself gazing at massive leather boots.
Gaze trailing up the shoes, he digested the sight of massive thighs and an
equally massive chest. When his ice-blue gaze came to rest on gems of clear
brown, Rory watched him closely for his reaction.

"Uh...
Bud, this is Sir Kieran Hage," she said softly, moving to stand in front
of Kieran; obviously, the knight didn't trust Bud and she was fearful of what
he still might do to him. "Sir Kieran, this is Dr. Bud Dietrich."

Bud just
stared at him. Rory bent over him, her expression a mixture of anxiety and
compassion.

"See,
Bud? I wasn't crazy. It's really him."

Bud's
eyes never left Kieran as he rose to his knees. Rory watched apprehensively as
he continued to rise to unsteady feet, his face completely pale and his eyes as
wide as saucers. She moved away from Kieran and gripped Bud's arm supportively.

"Are
you all right?" she asked. "Speak to me, Bud. Say something."

He
blinked. Then, taking a deep breath, his jaw popped open. "Christ,"
he hissed. "Rory, this is... this is nuts! Who is this guy?"

Kieran
cocked an eyebrow, a decidedly unfriendly gesture. Rory made sure she remained
between the two men.

"I
told you," she said patiently. "This is Sir Kieran Hage, the knight
we excavated at Nahariya. He's alive, Bud, just like I said."

Bud shook
his head slowly, with disbelief. "No... no way. It just isn't
possible."

Rory
sighed faintly. "Yes, it is. Like I explained to you, an alchemist put him
into a trance and I woke him up last night with... well, with a kiss."

Bud
seemed to snap out of his daze somewhat, eyeing Rory as if she had gone
completely mad. "This isn't some damn fairy tale, Rory. I don't know who
this guy is, but he's got you convinced he's... Christ, this is completely
insane. What in the hell has happened to your common sense?"

Behind
her, Rory heard Kieran shift uneasily and she broke away from Bud, putting both
hands on Kieran to prevent him from advancing on the outraged doctor.
Obviously, Bud was unwilling to believe the evidence and she furiously searched
for an explanation, or demonstration, that would make some sense to him. After
a lengthy, uncomfortable pause, she suddenly grasped Kieran's hands.

"Look,"
she said, holding them up for Bud's inspection. "Remember the knight at
the dig, how large his hands were? Take a look at these babies. Large enough to
handle that broadsword we weighed in at thirty-three pounds."