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Page 129
onslaught was so fierce that his shaking hands could barely unstopper the horn that held his remedy. When he did manage to swallow some, however, it fortified him so well that he was not stricken with sickness and trembling even when Rhiannon passed into the forest no more than a spear's throw from him. He followed, closing the distance slowly but steadily until he was sure that no sound would be heard back in Aber. Then he struck.
Rhiannon's reaction was so violent that, in spite of his greater strength, Madog could barely hold her. Too late he realized that to muffle a man's mouth and stick a knife in him is one thinga knifing is swift, usually finished before the shock of being seized is over. It is quite another thing to hold, gag, and subdue a strong woman fighting with the ferocity of a wildcat. Madog could do no more than keep his hold on Rhiannon's mouth and around her waist. It was Rhiannon's own struggle that defeated her.
Twisting and turning and lunging ahead to free herself while totally blinded, Rhiannon slipped on the uneven floor of the forest and her foot struck a rock with great force. The pain was so excruciating that her knees buckled. Her final convulsive effort to save herself only resulted in twisting severely the ankle of the foot she had already hurt. Rhiannon fell forward heavily with Madog atop her.
The impact of Madog's weight upon her knocked the breath out of Rhiannon and rendered her nearly unconscious. The heavy cloth covering her head and mouth prevented her from drawing in air freely. Rhiannon swirled down into a smothering blackness in which nothing was of importance except expanding her lungs. She was no longer aware of Madog's grip, and although she twisted her head feebly in an attempt to free her mouth, she could make no other effort.
The fall had not been completely an accident. Madog was quite strong enough to hold Rhiannon upright

 
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