Page 18 of The Warrior's Innocent Captive

Erik grinned and Linota’s heart felt lighter.

‘I trust you, Linota, but it is a long story and not one I like to dwell on. And certainly not one I want to think about just before I mount an attack on those two buffoons.’

‘Are we about to start?’ she asked eagerly. They had been walking for so long she had almost forgotten what lay at the end.

‘Wearen’t going to start anything.Iam going to find a comfortable tavern for you to wait in and thenIam going to get my horse back.’

‘But—’

‘No. I’m not going to put you at risk and there is no argument.’

‘Do you know where we are?’ she asked as a small settlement came into view, the men having disappeared among the buildings.

‘It’s Afon, which, unfortunately, is not somewhere I’ve had much reason to stop in before. I know there is an inn, but not where it is. It can’t be hard to find, though, there are only a handful of buildings here.’

Two boys stopped playing with a dog to stare at them as they approached.

‘Where’s the tavern?’ asked Erik.

The taller of the two boys, his cheek streaked with mud, pointed to the left.

‘Thanks, lad,’ said Erik, flicking him a small coin from a pouch on his belt. ‘For another one can you tell me where I can buy a horse?’

‘Tha’s funny,’ lisped the boy, his two front teeth missing. ‘Two men jus’ asked ’bout horses. I told ’em go to Murry’s stables, he always wants to buy or sell summat.’

‘Where will I find Murry?’

‘Near the tavern. He owns both.’

‘Thanks, lad.’

Erik threw him a slightly bigger coin and the boy fell on it. Likely he’d never had so much money in his short life.

Linota hadn’t either.

‘Do I really have to stay in the tavern?’ she asked as they made their way down a narrow street. ‘The men won’t be expecting you and so it will be easy to get your horse back.’

‘I’m glad you have such faith in me,’ said Erik drily. ‘But, yes, you do have to stay in the tavern. It is best that they don’t see us together. I don’t want them going back to this de Bevoir character and telling him they’ve seen you alive and well in Afon.’

‘Oh, I...’ She trailed off.

‘Oh, what?’ he said, coming to a stop.

‘I imagined you were going to kill them.’

Erik raised an eyebrow. ‘In the middle of the settlement? I don’t think that would be wise. I don’t want to hang after all. I’m sure I’ll think of something less violent, but it would make me happier if I knew you were safe.’

He folded his arms in front of him; the set of his jaw showed her that he wasn’t going to back down from this. Fine, she would agree this once but only because she was so hungry and she would finally be able to get a meal in the tavern.

‘All right, I’ll stay hidden this time,’ she said.

His shoulders relaxed and he nodded briefly.

Linota followed him as he began striding in the direction of the tavern once more. She knew it was reasonable for her to wait inside. It was for her safety, but she had the unsettling sensation that there was something more, something she was missing.

As the tavern came into sight she was unable to shake the feeling she had just made a huge mistake.

Erik leaned his back against the tavern wall and let out a long steady breath. He couldn’t fall apart now, not when he’d achieved so much.

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