Page 61 of Raven's Rise
He obeyed, but as it turned out, he could still do many things without talking.
* * * *
The next morning dawned soft and warm, leaving no opportunity to linger. They rode at a slower pace that day, a choice that turned out to be fateful. But all through the morning, Angelet’s spirits were high, and she looked out on the world with a renewed sense of hope.
After the cold and wind and rain, this was another true spring day, with a sky the color of a robin’s egg, marked only by streaks of thin, high clouds. Birds darted madly through the air, twittering and singing as if they’d only just discovered how to do it. They argued fiercely over branches and trees, all of which were now bursting into leaf, looking like a veil of green cast over the whole forest.
She smiled at Rafe whenever their eyes met, which was often. The path was clear and relatively straight, so he could relax, riding easily in his saddle.
Angelet watched him as they rode, noting things about him she’d missed at first. There was something essentially sad about Rafe. Even when he was acting at his most carefree, there was a tightness around his eyes, as if he could not forget something unhappy. She was certain the mysterious event in his past was to blame, but she was also certain he’d never speak of it to her, not ever, and so there was nothing she could do to relieve his sorrow.
They stopped to rest beside a stream running near the road, about fifty paces from the track itself. Angelet retrieved bread and cheese from the packs. She grabbed the wineskin for Rafe, but as it turned out, both of them preferred the water from the stream. Angelet dipped her hand into the cold, clear water over and over. “The rain must have filled all the streams with fresh water. This tastes better than anything I’ve drunk for years,” she commented.
Rafe murmured agreement, but he seemed distracted. He looked around, his bearing casual. But Angelet knew him well enough now to see that he was wary.
“What is it?” she asked quietly, not moving from her place at the side of the stream.
He didn’t answer for a moment, but then visibly relaxed, looking over at her. “Nothing. I thought I heard something out of place. I must be imagining it.”
“What did you hear?”
“Hooves.”
She stood slowly, hoping to catch a hint of the sound Rafe mentioned. She heard only birdsong and the breeze.
“It’s nothing,” he said again. “I tend to always be searching for signs…even when they’re not there.”
She accepted his answer, but started to grow uneasy.
They rode on, but an hour later, just after they rounded a bend in the road, he took hold of her horse’s reins and drew her aside, off the path.
“What is it?” she whispered after he helped her dismount.
“Hush.” Rafe’s expression was stone. He was alert, watchful.
Angelet kept as quiet as she could.
He waited, listening for something she couldn’t hear.
Finally, he put one finger to her mouth.
“Stay here,” he breathed, his lips at her ear. “Don’t move. Don’t say a word. I have to move, but I’ll come back. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Angelet was taut with fear, but she nodded once. She would keep silent and still while he flushed out their pursuer.
He stepped away and seemed to somehow vanish into the trees. How could a man like Rafe, who commanded attention, suddenly become invisible?
She remained where she was, her breathing shallow and unsteady. She tried to be calm, but how could she? Someone was stalking them, and Rafe was God knows where in the woods, and she was standing there like a simpleton, unarmed and unable to fight back.
I won’t let anything happen to you.
She repeated those words in her head, as true a prayer as anything she said in church. But what if something happened to Rafe? What would she do then?
Chapter 19
Rafe left Angelet, silently swearingthat if anything happened to her, he’d shred her assailant to pieces.
He knew someone was following them. He’d suspected it all day. Losing a full day of travel had been stupid. They could have pressed on through the mist, but he chose to stay in the warmth of the inn, lured by the desire to have Angelet to himself for another night, especially when he wasn’t drawn out from a full day of travel.
