Ana and the guards are overcome

Angharat sighed in contentment and snuggled up as close to Bran as she might, given the awkward bumps and angles of his breastplate and his coat of mail.

“Quit your wiggling, if you’re going to sit in my lap,” he breathed. “You’re killing me.”

“Am I too heavy?” she teased.

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

There was nothing more delicious than making up after an argument, and they had a lot of making up to do this time. To think how close she had come to marrying Cenric merely to spite him! Not that he didn’t deserve to lose her… but it would have been hard on her, who had done nothing wrong!

It was funny how Cenric could sit calmly by and chat with Eadred as if she and Bran weren’t even in the room. She had thought it would be awkward now that they were both on the same watch, but neither of them seemed to find it difficult. Men could be remarkably insensible.

“Pardon me,” the captain said suddenly, “but I believe it’s about time for the two of us to take a turn around the wall.” Ana looked around to see a slight smirk tugging up the corners of his mustache.

“Oh, can’t you go with Cenric this time?” Bran grumbled.

“Cenric has already been around twice tonight while you two have been playing kissy-​​face. Do you really expect us to go out for a slog in the dark while you’re in here alone doing the Lord knows what?”

“We’re not alone,” Ana said. “Cenwald is standing right in the door.”

“His back discreetly turned, you will notice.”

“That’s because we’re not dangerous,” Ana giggled.

“Come on, Bran. I let you have your girl in here on the condition that it wouldn’t interfere with your duty. Now, your duty calls.”

“Are you really going to leave me in here alone with Cenric?” Ana purred to Bran.

“I’m not worried about him,” he chuckled. “He’s armed.”

“Oh!” Ana gasped, trying to sound outraged, though she couldn’t help but laugh. He knew he had nothing to fear. There was no one but him. There was no one like him anywhere. He was the funniest, strongest, bravest, most handsome–

“Halt! Who are – ” Cenwald’s frantic challenge was cut off abruptly with a clank and a thud when a shadowy form lifted him off his feet and hurled him against the wall.

After that, everything happened so quickly that Ana could scarcely put it together into a coherent story afterwards.

Already before Bran had slipped her off his lap, two tall men had dashed into the gatehouse, accompanied by two enormous wolves.

They wore only leather armor and seemed to be unarmed. Indeed, Ana was far more frightened of the wolves.

But by the time Bran and Cenric and Eadred had risen, Cenwald’s struggles outside had ceased, and two more men had entered. The tallest of the four put himself before Eadred just as the captain drew his sword, and he did not flinch as Eadred slashed at him with it.

Nor did he need to, for the sword briefly went as limp as a blade of grass and buckled harmlessly against him. Ana, who had been whimpering in panic, fell silent in her shock.

All that followed was a blur of flashing mail and dusky leather and pale fur and the snarling faces of men and wolves.

The tall man plucked the crumpled sword from Eadred’s hand and tossed it into the corner before picking him up and flinging him against the bench on which he had been sitting only seconds before. Ana heard the crack of his skull against the stone and realized that these men meant to kill them.

Bran and Cenric were quickly disarmed and dragged outside by two of the other men. Ana screamed at last – she screamed his name at the sight of him being dragged away by his neck, flopping like a fish, though the man who held him carried him as easily as if he were an empty sack.

But one of the others, a blond who seemed to have charge of the wolves, sent one of the beasts snarling and snapping only inches from her face – indeed, its massive head was nearly in her lap.

One of the men who had carried Bran and Cenric outside returned then and spoke a few words to the blond in a language she could not understand.

The captain pulled himself up to sit against the bench, but he seemed dazed. His head lolled from side to side, and he did not notice the wolf that stood nearly upon him.

“Captain, Captain, Captain,” Ana whimpered, but he did not notice her either.

When she looked back at the men, she saw that the others were going out, leaving only the blond and the wolves. He said a word, and the two animals turned away from her and Eadred and went to stand before them as if they meant to keep guard.

“Please, please, don’t hurt us,” she begged softly. “What do you want?”

The man did not answer. He scowled at her for a moment, and then he cast a glance over the furnishings of the room. He spotted a cup of ale on the table that stood beneath the window, and he stepped closer to examine it. He picked up the cup and sniffed at it gingerly before tossing it on the floor and shaking his head in disgust.

But the gesture lifted his hair briefly, and Ana fainted at last, overcome by her terror at the sight of the tip of a pointed ear.