Page 52 of Laird of Smoke
While the men worked out the exchange, Eve dug in her satchel and plucked out five silvery coins.
When she tossed the coins onto the path, the outlaws’ eyes widened.Adam made a strangling sound in his throat, but said nothing, releasing Roger.
Adam helped her to mount the horse.Then he hauled himself up, and they headed down the road at a gallop.
When they’d gained enough distance to slow their mounts, Eve could feel waves of anger boiling off of Adam.But he said not a word.For a long while they didn’t speak at all.
Finally she could stand it no longer.When the road widened, she reined in beside him.
“They’re not all evil, ye know.Outlaws.”
He uttered a disgruntled growl.
“Some o’ them are just misguided,” she explained.“Maybe they had bad parents.Or no parents.Maybe they were raised by thieves and know no other way.Maybe they’ve ne’er heard the word o’ God and don’t know stealin’s a sin.Maybe they were robbin’ from the rich to give to—”
“Thoseoutlaws?”he said.“The ones who weren’t willin’ to trade two horses for their fellow outlaw?”
“But they did in the end.”
“Only after ye threw in enough silver to buy two new horses.And three new Rogers.”
She furrowed her brow.She doubted they’d be able to buy anything.Not with those coins.Still, that wasn’t the point.
“I gave them the coins in order to spare a man’s life,” she said.“’Twas the only thing I could think to do after…” She didn’t bother finishing.There was no need to remind him of what he’d done.
Adam knew what came after that “after.”
After…you brutally murdered Dick.
He wasn’t proud of that.It had been an unavoidable sacrifice.But the fact that Aillenn had rewarded their robbers felt like a double condemnation of his actions.That was the last thing he needed.He’d already condemned himself enough.
Killing had always been difficult for Adam.Maybe that was why he’d never been a celebrated warrior like his cousins.He was more likely to defend rather than attack.To pull back at the last instant.To withhold the full measure of his strength in battle unless it was absolutely crucial to disable his opponent.
This time he’d had no choice.The man had threatened Aillenn’s life.
Still he was haunted by the sounds of the outlaw’s dying.By the dimming of the light in his eyes.By the horrible truth that he’d held the man’s life in his hands and willfully extinguished it.
As they rode along in silence, he tortured himself, wondering if there might have been a way to avoid slaying the robber.
As if she could read his thoughts, Aillenn said, “’Twas unavoidable, ye know.”
“What?”
“That outlaw.Dick.’Twasn’t your fault.Ye didn’t have a choice.”
Was that true?He wasn’t certain.
“If ye hadn’t done…what ye did…” She shook her head, unable to finish.“We had to resist them.I know that.If we hadn’t, they’d ne’er have been content with five pieces o’ silver.They’d have stolen our weapons, our clothin’, our food, the rest o’ my coin.And they might have…” She lowered her head and blushed.“Taken other liberties.”
He closed his eyes to slits and bit out, “I’d have killed them all ere I’d let them lay so much as a finger on ye.”
Her eyes filled with gratitude at his vehement chivalry.“I had a sense ye might.So ye see?’Twas all for the best.Instead o’ them sacrificin’ all their men or us sacrificin’ all our silver, they lost just one man, and we lost just five coins.”
He smirked.How did she always manage to shine a ray of sunlight into the darkest gloom?Five pounds was a fortune to some people.“Just how much silver do ye have in that satchel?”
She shrugged.“Enough.Why?”She narrowed her eyes.“How much doyehave inyours?”
“Me?”he said with a chuckle.
