Page 36 of Knight of Havoc
Reynard cursed. “We are too far east and clearly have missed them somewhere on the road.” He leaned an arm on the pommel of his saddle before he paused in his musing to look over his shoulder. “Was there not an inn mayhap around five miles back?”
Blake nodded. “Aye. I believe you are right. We should have stopped to see if Morcant or any of his men were there.”
Reynard pulled the reins of his horse to turn the steed around. “’Twas a stupid move on my part. I was blinded to all else but the thought that Morcant would head directly home.”
Kingsley pulled his horse forward. “Who knew Morcant would be that overconfident to think he could so easily avoid a confrontation and spend the night in comfort?”
Constantine pulled at the neck of his cloak. “We all should have thought of such a happening,” he snapped. “Now we have wasted precious time and have to backtrack.”
They put their horses into a gallop and returned the way they had come. There was no one on the road except a farmer hauling a wagon piled high with hay. Only once they were in the courtyard of the inn did they halt their steeds. Scanning the area, they espied one of Morcant’s men entering the stable.
Reynard could only assume that Morcant was inside since there was not a horse to be seen ready to leave the yard. They tied the reins of their horses to a post and entered the inn. The tavern was only half full and Morcant sat at a table with a couple of other men breaking his fast.
“Norwood! Warin!” Morcant called out. “’Tis a surprise to see you here, but come join me and eat your fill.”
Reynard spoke over his shoulder to his friends. “Scan the rooms and anywhere else Elysande might be kept.”
Blake, Oswin, and Kingsley took off in separate directions whilst Reynard and Constantine approached Morcant. That Elysande was not with him caused Reynard’s anger to surge.
He came to the table and banged his fist on it, causing the platters and goblets to rattle on the wood. “Where the bloody hell is she?” he demanded, wanting to wipe away the smirk that swept across Morcant’s mouth.
He put up a front of indifference, holding up his hands as if to say he would not pick a fight. “Where is who? As you can see, I am only breaking my fast with my men.”
“You damn well know who I am talking about,” Reynard bellowed. “Where is Lady Elysande?”
Morcant’s eyes widened as though in surprise. “Lady Elysande is missing?”
“You are perfectly aware she is missing since you were there when the empress demanded we find her.” Reynard lurchedacross the table before Constantine pulled him back and placed his hand on Reynard’s shoulder, reminding him to calm down. ’Twould do no good to instigate a fight in the confines of a tavern.
“You best reveal where you are hiding her, Morcant,” Constantine warned with a glare. “The empress will not stand for having one of her ladies abducted right under her nose.”
Morcant waved his hand in the air. “Search the place, if you like. I have no idea what you are talking about for I have not abducted anyone.” He went back to eating his meal as if he did not have a care as to what they did or who was missing.
His friends returned several minutes later but Elysande could not be found. They took their conversation outside so Morcant would not overhear their discussion.
“Thoughts?” Constantine asked the men as they stood in a circle.
Oswin ran his hand on the back of his neck. “We certainly cannot force the issue with Morcant if we do not have the lady as a witness. Only she can say who took her from Oxford.”
Reynard began pacing back and forth in thought. “I know in my gut he took her…”
“We have no proof,” Kingsley reminded him.
“Aye. We cannot accuse him of kidnapping the lady if the lady is nowhere near him,” Blake added with a frown.
Reynard suddenly looked up, then turned his attention to the road. What if… “The farmer with the cart!”
“You mean to say you think we rode right past her? Morcant hid her in the cart?” Constantine growled.
Reynard waved his hand and the men went to their horses. “Think about it,” he proclaimed as he vaulted into the saddle. “’Tis the perfect escape. He had to have known we would come in pursuit, so he puts himself in plain sight even as he hides the lady in a pile of hay. We find him sitting idly by at an inn fillinghis belly, and we are forced to admit that the lady is not with him. All the while, his captive gets closer to the security of his gates where escaping will be more difficult. It makes sense.”
The men agreed and once more they were galloping down the road. Could finding Elysande really be as simple as catching up with a wagon? There was only one way to find out. The faster they traversed the miles between them, the closer Reynard came to having Elysande back in his arms.
Time ticked away and held little meaning much like the constant waves that swept over the shore. Reynard was once again impatient and on edge as he scanned ahead for signs of the cart.
And then, just as the road curved to the right, the last image of the back of the wagon caused Reynard to slap the reins, causing his horse to bolt forward. He called out a warning to the driver who suddenly saw that a group was pursuing him. He, too, slapped the leather straps to the horse that pulled the cart, but whilst the horse did its best to pick up its pace, the old farm horse ’twas no match for men on battle steeds.
Blake rode ahead, halting the horse. The driver of the cart pulled out a sword from the floorboard and held the blade forward.
