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PROLOGUE

England, in the reign of King Richard I

Bad things always happen during the night

In the dark hours of the night Gillian’sa new life into the world, and a young, unthinking servant, wishing to be the first to iirls to tell thehts later, they were once again shaken awake to hear that their infant brother, Ranulf, named in honor of their father, had also passed on His frail body hadn’t been able to take the strain of being born a full two months early

Gillian was afraid of the dark She waited until the servant had left her bedroo bed on her stomach to the cold stone floor Barefoot, she ran to the forbidden passage, a s

ecret hallway that led to her sister’s chamber and also to the steep steps that ended in the tunnels below the kitchens She barely squeezed behind the chest her papa had placed in front of the narrow door in the wall to discourage his daughters froain that it was a secret, for the love of God, only to be used under the most dire of circumstances, and certainly not for play Why, even his loyal servants didn’t know about the passageways built into three of the bedchambers, and he was determined to keep it that way He was also extrehters would fall down the steps and break their pretty little necks, and he often threatened to paddle their backsides if he ever caught theerous, and it was forbidden

But on that terrible night of loss and sorrow, Gillian didn’t care if she got into trouble She was scared, and whenever she got scared, she ran to her older sister, Christen, for coet the door open only a crack, Gillian cried out for Christen and waited for her to come Her sister reached in, latched onto Gillian’s hand and pulled her through, then helped her cli to each other under the thick blankets and cried while their papa’s torhout the halls They could hear hiain Death had entered their peaceful horief

The faht weren’t through preying on theht that the infidels invaded their home and Gillian’s family was destroyed

Papa woke her up when he ca Christen in his arms His faithful soldiers Williaave her honeyed treats when her papa wasn’t watching—and Lawrence and Torim Gillian sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands as her father handed Christen to Lawrence and hurried to her He placed the glowing candle on the chest next to her bed, then sat down beside her and with a treently brushed her hair out of her eyes

Her father looked terribly sad, and Gillian thought she knew the reason why

“Did Maain, Papa?” she asked worriedly

“For the love ofno, Gillian,” he answered, his voice weary

“Did she come back home, then?”

“Ah, ain Yourto come home The dead can’t come back She’s in heaven now Try to understand”

“Yes, Papa,” she whispered

She heard the faint echo of shouts co fro his chain mail

“Are you going to battle now, for the love of God, Papa?”

“Yes,” he answered “But first I et you and your sister to safety”

He reached for the clothes Gillian’s maid, Liese, had laid out for tohter William moved forward and knelt on one knee to put Gillian’s shoes on her

Her papa had never dressed her before, and she didn’t knohat to own off before I put ot to let Liese brush my hair”

“We won’t worry about your hair tonight”

“Papa, is it dark outside?” she asked as he slipped the bliaut over her head

“Yes, Gillian, it’s dark”

“Do I got to go outside in the dark?”

He could hear the fear in her voice and tried to calht the way and you won’t be alone”

“Are you going with Christen and me?”

Her sister answered “No, Gillian,” she shouted froht the battle, for the love of God,” she said, repeating her father’s often used expression “Don’t you, Papa?”

Lawrence told Christen to hush “We don’t want anyone to know you’re leaving,” he explained in a whisper “Can you be real quiet now?”

Christen eagerly nodded “I can,” she whispered back “I can be awful quiet when I got to, and when I”

Lawrence put his hand over her irl”

William lifted Gillian into his arms and carried her out of the chamber and down the dark hallway to her father’s rooht candles to light the corridor Giant shadows danced along the stone walls keeping pace with theainst the cobbled floor Gillian became fearful and put her arms around the soldier’s neck, then tucked her head under his chin

“I don’t like the shadows,” she whimpered

“They won’t harm you,” he soothed

“I want my mama, William”

“I know you do, honey bear”

His silly nickname for her always er She saw her papa rush past her to lead the way into his chamber, and she would have called out to hi her that she was to be quiet

As soon as they were all inside the bedroo the wall so that they could open the secret door The rusty hinges groaned and squealed like an angry boar whosepried open