Page 15 of The Queen's Huntsman
Innogen shrugged. “Nothing will rally the tribes faster than a martyr,” she said. “I’ve already surmised my son intends to kill you if you remain. Either he will, or Estrildis will, and in either case, the result will be the same.”
Gwendolyn didn’t know what to say, though now she understood why Ely had been so adamant that she wear all her mother’s jewels and the gown.
Perforce, her dowry chest would remain in this hateful palace, and there would be no way to retrieve it, but at least she had the most precious of her possessions.
No doubt, Loc would rush to his apartments to repair himself. Ultimately, he would return to his guests. But unless he cared to reprimand Gwendolyn before returning to the feast, he would not miss her for the rest of the evening.
Still shocked, she met the Queen Mother’s gaze one last time, and the woman warned, “You’ve little time; use it wisely. If you return to reveal my part in this ruse, I will kill you myself.” And with that, she closed the portal, and Gwendolyn heard the key turn in the lock.
She peered up at Bryn, blinking away tears.
But it was Adwen who spoke. “The simplest plans are oft the most brilliant,” he declared with a wink, and then pulled her toward her waiting mount, lifting her up into the saddle.
ChapterSix
The scent of green was a welcome perfume.
Gwendolyn sucked in a breath, letting it fill her lungs.
Freedom!
Shedding the headdress, she pledged this would be their undoing, as she would not go silently to her end. There were no torches lit even on the battlements, and Gwendolyn knew they had Innogen to thank for that, at great risk to herself. But that did not diminish the loathing she felt for the woman who’d lied to her face at her wedding, then abused her for months.
Barely a sliver of moon gave light to mark the way.
Mounted, clutching one end of her headdress—the end with her mother’s pin—she let it fly behind her like a golden pennant as she made swiftly for the woods, delighting in the feel of horseflesh between her thighs. It had been so long!
Behind them, the castle ramparts tumbled into darkness.
“Go!” urged Adwen, and Gwendolyn held her breath as fiercely as she held the reins, her horse’s hooves consuming the ground beneath them. Tears of relief stung her eyes as she leaned forward to embrace the beast, feeling herself as one with her mount.
No shouts resounded from the courtyards.
No horns wailed.
There were no barking hounds.
For now.
Fearing that escape had come too easily, that Innogen meant for her to be caught and slain in her flight, Gwendolyn braced for an ambush that never came. The night greeted them with silence, welcoming them into its inky embrace. Eyes ahead, riding at full gallop, no one spoke. Everyone understood what was at stake. If they did not put distance between them and the Loegrian palace, they would risk facing Loc’s army, reported to be more than five thousand strong.
They slid into the wooded darkness without consequence, and then, cloaked by shadows, Adwen took the lead. Behind him filed his youngest guard. Gwendolyn behind him, with Ely after her and Bryn at their back, the elder of Adwen’s guards riding by his side.
Gwendolyn marveled Loc had not recognized those men who’d escorted her into the hall, but neither did it surprise her. Excluding a chosen few who served him directly, he never paid his soldiers any mind. In her heart, she knew his men followed out of fear and no more. If she could but show them another way, they would turn their hearts as easily as his own mother had betrayed him—and she had. This was coming clearer and clearer, with every advantage they gained.
No archers took aim from the trees.
No soldiers lay in wait to greet them.
No breath but their own and that of the forest’s creatures reached Gwendolyn’s ears…
An owl hooted in welcome.
A few conies started as they passed.
The gold-green eyes of a lynx glinted against the velvety night.
For at least half a bell, their party rode without stopping, the pace slowing only perforce once they’d entered the woods, yet still they pressed onward, until eventually they emerged into a clearing beyond sight of the palace.
