and she stole his curved knife, hiding it behind her back. If the Cypriots were preparing for battle, it meant that an invasion was imminent.
The door to their chamber swung open, and a young maiden appeared, trailed by two of her ladies. She gave a sharp order to the guards, and they obeyed the command, leaving the room. In heavily accented French, she said, ‘I have been ordered to bring the princess and the queen to my father.’ Adriana remained against the wall for a moment, slipping the guard’s curved blade beneath the girdle at her waist, just behind her back. Neither Joan nor Berengaria moved forward, but while the guard was focused upon the noblewomen, Adriana donned the princess’s cloak to hide the knife.
‘Why does he want to see us?’ Berengaria asked, her voice calm. But Adriana knew that the soft voice hid the young woman’s fears. All of them knew that they had been kept alive only to be used as hostages… or worse.
The young girl shook her head. ‘I do not know.’ She wrinkled her nose when they drew closer and added, ‘I will arrange for you to bathe and refresh yourselves before you are presented to him.’
Berengaria cast a worried look back at her, but Adriana nodded. The girl’s offer was made in good faith. To the princess, she said, ‘If they intended to kill us, they would not bother with the way we look now.’
‘That’s what I am afraid of,’ Berengaria said.
She closed her eyes, and Adriana went to her side. ‘He probably wants to prove to Richard that we are well, despite the captivity.’
Berengaria reached for her hand and Adriana took it. As they followed the girl down the winding stairs, she took them into a walled garden. The warmth of the sun and the lush fragrance of jasmine flowers lifted her spirits, though she was more reassured by the weapon she’d hidden.
As the girl brought them up another set of stone stairs, Adriana drew Berengaria to a stop and pointed towards the sea. There, she spied the sails of nearly a hundred ships.
‘They’ve found us,’ Berengaria breathed with thankfulness.
Adriana wondered if Liam MacEgan had alerted the king. Or whether he was still alive. She remembered the light kiss he’d stolen for luck, and the memory darkened her heart with regret. The handsome Irishman had been like no other man she’d met. Brave and strong, he was one she’d wanted to know better.
When the young girl took them within her own chambers, she arranged for them to bathe in privacy and offered them clothing in the Cyprian style. Though Berengaria refused to wear the foreign garments, Adriana agreed to try them. The soft diaphanous fabric was like nothing she’d ever felt against her skin. She wore a cream-coloured anteri tunic and soft salvar trousers. Though it was strange, not to be wearing skirts, she liked the clothing.
‘You must feel like a concubine,’ Berengaria teased. ‘I can’t imagine wearing clothes like that.’
Queen Joan stiffened, smoothing her own silk gown. ‘I prefer not to look like a savage.’
The princess’s mood dimmed at Joan’s words. Adriana adjusted a fold of her clothing and admitted, ‘It’s more comfortable than what we were wearing earlier.’ But she had other reasons for wearing the new clothes. If she needed to defend the princess against an attack, the lighter trousers gave her more freedom of movement.
The girl led them from her chamber to a large, open pavilion. The sun had grown hotter, and though Adriana tried to see if any of the ships had come closer, the walls were too high to view them.
The emperor awaited them upon a throne inlaid with gold, while servants waved palm branches over his head to provide cooler air.
With the help of a servant who translated, the emperor announced, ‘The invaders have come for you. My men have seized the treasures that were within your ships, and your king must decide which he wants returned to him. His gold… or his bride.’
Berengaria’s face changed, and there was anger within it that Adriana had never seen. The princess stood tall, and whispered in the Norman language, ‘Adriana, when they take us back, I want you to make your escape. Tell the king what has happened to us. Make certain he knows where we are.’
‘I’m not leaving your side,’ she insisted. She couldn’t rely on Joan to protect Berengaria, not when the queen might say something to offend the emperor.
‘They’ll use us for bargaining. But I worry about your life.’ The princess reached out and squeezed her hand. ‘Forgive me, but you have no value to them. They may use you as an example.’
Though Adriana didn’t like it at all, she understood what the princess meant. No doubt Isaac Comnenus would display the queen and princess, using them as leverage to get what he wanted from Richard.
‘I don’t want you to die,’ Berengaria insisted. ‘I’m afraid for you, if you stay.’
Adriana bowed her head in acquiescence, but inwardly she knew if anyone discovered her, she would be killed. Either way, her life was in danger.
Isaac looked displeased with their private conversation, and he ordered his men to separate them. Adriana was dragged away from the princess, who gave her a nod of permission.
As the guard brought her back towards the courtyard, Adriana studied their surroundings, wondering how she could possibly break free. Her gaze settled upon some of the women who had veiled their faces.
And then she knew exactly what to do.
* * *
Just before dawn, Liam MacEgan rowed alongside the other men, bringing the smaller boats closer to the shore. The beach was covered with obstructions meant to prevent them from using war horses. It wouldn’t stop Richard, however. Already, several of the smaller boats were within distance that the horses could swim to the shore. Liam’s task was to bring the soldiers close enough to clear a path.
The archers launched a shower of arrows upon the Cypriots, and from the chaos, it was clear that they’d taken them by surprise. When they reached shallow water, Liam unsheathed his sword and charged forward with the others. His blood raced with fear and the thrill of fighting. He’d been trained by his father and uncles since he was old enough to hold a sword, and as he faced his enemy, it soon became clear that these men were not warriors.
Farmers and merchants, they’d been ordered by their emperor to defend the land… but without weapons, they were dying by the hundreds. Liam stopped attacking and moved into a defensive posture. Only if they made the first move would they taste his sword.
As they moved past the enemy, they climbed uphill toward the city. The grey morning light was starting to illuminate the ancient Roman ruins dotting the landscape. Nearer to the centre lay the fortress where Liam suspected the princess and queen were held captive. Adriana would be among them.
The image of her face remained strong within his mind, with her beautiful dark eyes and slim form. She had more courage than any other woman he’d met, for she was a survivor. He’d hated leaving them here, but without Richard knowing their whereabouts, there could be no rescue.
When they reached the fortress, it appeared to be constructed around the ruins of an old basilica. Liam ordered his men to fall back, and they retreated behind one of the stone buildings. He needed to study the defences, to determine the best approach. Aye, they could likely make it through the front gate, but without knowing how many guardsmen were waiting,
