Lair of the Lion by authors_sort Page A

his level of anxiety.
    His features were hard, stony, yet he urged the riders to greater speed, and it was apparent that all the men were heavily armed. Isabella had seen men like the captain before. Lucca was one such man. His eyes moved restlessly over their surroundings, and he rode easily in the saddle. But he rode like a man expecting trouble.
    "Are we hunted?" Isabella asked, her horse falling into step with the captain's mount. She was feigning calm, but she would never completely forget the sight of that lion, its hungry stare fixed on her.
    "You are safe, Signorina Vernaducci. Don DeMarco has insisted upon your safety above all else. It is our lives should we fail him."
    And then the lions fell silent. The quiet was eerie and frightening, worse than the terrible roars. Isabella's heart pounded, and she tasted terror in her mouth. The snow swept down, turning the world a startling white and muffling the chink of the horses' hooves on the rocks. In truth, Isabella had never seen snow until she came into these mountains. It was icy cold and wet against her face, hanging on her eyelashes and turning men and mounts into strange, pale creatures.
    "What is your name?" Isabella needed to hear a voice. The silence was eating away at her courage. Something paced silently alongside them with every step the horses took. She thought she caught glimpses every now and then of movement, but she couldn't make out what it might be. The men had closed ranks, riding in tight formation.
    "I am Rolando Bartolmei." He waved at the second man riding close by. "That is Sergio Drannacia. We've been with Don DeMarco all our lives. We were boys together, childhood friends. He is a good man, signorina." He glanced at her as if trying to make a point.
    Isabella sighed. "I am sure he is, signore. "
    "Must you leave so quickly? The storm will pass soon enough. I can assure you, our valley is quite beautiful if you would but give it a chance." Captain Bartolmei glanced again to the rider on his left. Sergio Drannacia was taking in every word. Clearly, neither understood why she was leaving so abruptly, and they were trying to persuade her to stay.
    "Don DeMarco ordered me from the valley, Signer Bartolmei. It is not by choice that I am leaving in such a storm." Her chin was up, her face proud.
    The captain exchanged a long look with Sergio, almost in disbelief. "You were allowed into the valley, signorina —a true miracle. I would have hoped you would be able to see more of this great land. Our people are prosperous and happy."
    That the people could be happy under the circumstances was difficult to believe. Isabella took a deep breath. "The night I arrived, I heard a terrible scream, and the lions roared.
    Someone was killed that night. What happened?" She wanted to appear calm, as if she knew more of the mystery than she actually did.
    The captain exchanged another quick look with Drannacia, who shrugged his broad shoulders. "It was an accident," the captain said. "One of the men became careless. We must remember that lions are not tame. They are wild animals and must be respected as such."
    Isabella listened to the tone of his voice. It was tight and clipped. She had learned much from her father and brother by thus listening for the small nuances in a voice. The captain did not fully believe his own explanation. He was uneasy with the beasts pacing silently, unseen, beside them, and talking of accidents did nothing to ease the tension. It stretched out endlessly until nerves were screaming.
    They rode for perhaps an hour, the storm slowing them down. Visibility was poor, and the wind began to howl and moan, filling the ghostly silence left by the ceasing of the lion's roars. Isabella pulled her cape tightly around her in an attempt to ward off the relentless cold. It seemed to invade her body and turn her blood to ice, and she shivered continually.
    Wet and miserable, her hands numb with cold despite her gloves, she was nearly thrown when her