“I can’t believe we’ve been saved only to perish at the hands of some British rabble,” growled Cormack, trying with little success to clear a path through the shouting, angry crowd. A man cursed at him, and Cormack raised the sword. Conor’s arms tightened around me.

“It’s not looking good,” agreed Liam, swinging his arm out and downward to knock a man to the ground. Behind him, others were toppled by his fall. A group of guards in the colors of Northwoods began to advance on us.

“Good people of Harrowfield!” A voice rang out, sharply authoritative. “You have witnessed a great wonder this night. A miracle, it could be said.” Slowly the crowd hushed, and turned. Seated on a tall piebald horse, straight-backed in his black robe, Father Dominic of Whitehaven fixed the people with stern gaze. There was a deathly silence. From the safe haven of Conor’s arms, I looked up. Why was Father Dominic here? Why had he come back?

“This girl has come close to death. But you have seen the transformation here, how these young men have been brought back to human form by her faith and hope, and the good work of her hands. Surely the devil laid this evil affliction on them, and it is through God’s will that they are saved.”

More muttering; heads shaken, heads nodding. I was tired. I was so tired. Where was Finbar? Where was…?

“The hand of the Lord is on this young woman,” Father Dominic went on in measured tones that carried right across the courtyard. “You should count yourselves blessed that you have seen it. And be thankful that help arrived in time, for there nearly was a gross miscarriage of justice here tonight. The girl was not condemned to death. The charges against her were not proven; besides, who would condemn a child who has not the powers of speech to plead her innocence? I believed it imperative in the interests of justice for the case to be held over until her husband returned, and could speak for her. I conveyed this much to Lord Richard, before I was called away. Why he chose to announce another verdict to the folkmoot, and to enact the penalty so swiftly I intend to discover for myself in due course. Had it not been for the lady Anne, who rode out herself to reach me and question me today, I would have known nothing of this burning until it was too late. And the Lord’s mercy would not have been granted to these unfortunate young men.”

I saw, now, that Lady Anne was beside him, seated on the little mare and clad in riding clothes. She looked very tired.

“Where is the man who ordered this done?” asked Father Dominic, and I saw Richard’s men melt into the throng of people and disappear. There was a flurry of activity on the edges of the crowd, in the semidarkness.

“What about him, then?” came a voice from somewhere in the crowd. “That fellow, the one that’s holding her. He’s the one from the woods, the fugitive, the Irish bastard we nearly caught that night. You can’t tell me he’s just here for a quiet visit. What about him?”