Page 6 of Bride of Ice
The end of a bedsheet was tied to the shutter. She peered out over the edge of the window. Another bedsheet was tied to the first. The fabric swirled in the breeze, lashing the stones of the castle.
Her heart plummeted.
Had her cousins broken their word? Had they climbed out the window and escaped? Had they abandoned her to the enemy?
Damn their lies. A lairdship was based on clan loyalty. Could she not even count on the allegiance of her own cousins? If they’d only waited till morn, she could have gotten them all out of this.
Thinning her lips in aggravation, she scoured the sward below, looking for signs of the wayward lasses. A wisp of cloud moved across the face of the moon, sending a shadow across the distant field below. As it passed, a beam of light glinted off something in the grass.
The arsenal Feiyan had been forced to surrender.
All the soldiers of Rivenloch possessed valuable weapons of war. But Feiyan treated hers like jewels. Her unique blades and spears and axes were precious works of craftsmanship.
On the wet sod, they could rust or—worse—be stolen.
Maybe Feiyan had only climbed out the window to retrieve her weapons. Maybe she meant to come back.
But a snort and a snore sounded behind Hallie. Feiyan hadn’t left at all. She was still in bed, asleep.
Suddenly, from the adjoining window—the chamber harboring the crying babe—Hallie heard raised voices.
She cocked her head to listen.
There was no mistaking that stubborn tone of challenge.
It was Jenefer.
She hadn’t fled after all. She must have used the bedsheets to make her way to the window of the room next door.
And by the agitated sound of her voice, the foolish lass was going to get them all into trouble.
Hallie had to do something.
She dared not rely on the loyalty of her cousins.
Feiyan may not have made her move yet, but at some point, she was bound to risk life and limb to get her weapons back.
And hotheaded Jenefer was going to start a war with that sharp tongue of hers.
Hallie had to take matters into her own hands.
Locating her boots and cloak in the dark, she dressed quickly. Then she crept back to the window. She tightened the knot around the shutter. Praying she wasn’t making a mistake, she slipped over the ledge.
She’d made her cousins promise they wouldn’t flee.
She’d said nothing about making herownescape.
The bedsheets proved sturdy enough. Hand over hand, Hallie lowered herself along the castle wall. At the end of the rope, still several yards above the ground, she took a calming breath and let go, landing as softly as a cat.
She needed to reach Rivenloch before her parents returned. Hopefully, Feiyan and Jenefer could stay out of trouble till then.
Hallie didn’t intend to start a war. Hers was a mission of diplomacy. But without the assurance of her cousins’ cooperation, she needed leverage. She had to stack the odds in her favor. Which meant she’d have to gather a good number of Rivenloch knights and return to negotiate for the release of Feiyan and Jenefer.
She pulled the hood of her cloak close about her face. Then she crept across the dewy grass toward the palisade gate, keeping a watchful eye on the parapets.
At Rivenloch, there were always half a dozen guards patrolling the castle walls. But it appeared Creagor couldn’t spare the men.
She’d taken careful inventory when she’d first been brought through the great hall. If the men gathered there were any indication, their numbers were few.
