The Lion of the North Read Online Free PDF

more than love or passion, vengeance was perhaps the strongest emotion of all. It could move mountains or dam rivers. Once it was in a man’s veins, it was not easily removed until the vengeance itself was sated. That was the only antidote. Warenne sighed faintly.
    “Atticus, you must listen to me or your father will lose two sons,” he said, his voice low. “You must return to Alnwick so that you may inform Lady de Wolfe of her husband’s passing. You must also inform all of Alnwick that there is a new earl. In fact, I will go with you to accomplish this. Henry was my friend, you know. I will then send men with you to escort Titus back to Wolfe’s Lair for burial. Those are the things that must be done first. After that, you will be free to seek out de Troiu and de la Londe to do what must be done. All I ask is that you not act rashly or without great consideration to the situation. A man who acts without thought in a hazardous situation is as good as dead and right now, you are prepared to run off and get yourself killed. Do you think de Troiu and de la Londe will simply throw aside their swords and allow you to kill them? Of course they will not. They are seasoned men, just as you are. They will defend themselves against you and if they have the chance, they will kill you. I cannot bear to lose yet another friend. Please, Atticus… think. ”
    Atticus was glaring at Warenne by the time the man finished but Warenne also realized that it wasn’t so much of a glare as it was an expression of extreme grief and disappointment. There was great pain reflecting in Atticus’ eyes because he knew Warenne, a wise and just man even at his young age of thirty-three years, was correct. Atticus had to be smarter than those he sought to kill, which meant he had to be methodical in their extermination. Running off blindly to challenge them would more than likely not work. His sense of revenge, that age-old hatred that was filling his heart, would have to wait for the moment.
    But its time would come.
    “I will not stop,” Atticus finally said. “I will never stop until de Troiu and de la Londe are dead.”
    “I know.”
    “Then understand this has nothing to do with Norfolk seeking to turn Northumberland knights into traitors and everything to do with justice for my brother.”
    “Killing them will not bring Titus back.”
    “Mayhap not. But they will be punished for what they did. I cannot let their deed go unanswered.”
    Warenne was coming to think that he’d already lost Atticus; the man was singularly focused on revenge. Not that he blamed him. There were shadows of revenge in his heart, too, cast there by a day of defeat and sorrow. He’d seen his mighty army humbled, his men killed, friends killed, and his cause badly damaged. The battle at Towton had been a disaster all the way around. He cleared his throat softly.
    “When you do kill them,” he whispered, “twist the sword just a bit more for my sake, so that I may fulfill my sense of vengeance as well. Titus did not deserve what they did to him.”
    For the first time, Atticus could see that Warenne, too, held the same sense of punishment that he did. It was as close to revenge as the even-tempered earl could come and Atticus finally felt as if the man understood somewhat. That moment of clarity helped Atticus a great deal. It made him much more willing to obey Warenne’s immediate commands.
    “Nay, he did not,” Atticus finally said, hanging his head because he could no longer look the man in the eye. His sense of grief was now threatening to overwhelm his sense of rage. Stay strong! God help him, he was trying. “That being said, I will pull the men together. I will ride to Alnwick with the army. I will return Titus home. But after that, I go on the hunt for de Troiu and de la Londe.”
    “I know.”
    Atticus drew in a long, deep breath, struggling to focus on the tasks that lay ahead. He struggled to push aside his grief for the moment, clearing his