Page 57 of Peregrine's Call
Octavian quickly swung the hilt of his sword toward Kevan’s left temple. The guard went silent and sagged forward.
Tav caught him by the shoulders just before his head hit the ground. He laid the short sword nearby and then turned to the curtain wall. He clambered through the gap, praying that no one heard the brief clash of swords, or if they did, they’d assume it was just a clumsy man dropping a weapon, rather than a fight.
“That was quick,” Pierce said once Tav reached the other side. “I didn’t even hear a cry.”
“I didn’t kill him,” Tav said. “I just knocked him out.”
“What? Why did you let him live when you could have silenced him forever? That will come back to haunt us sooner rather than later. Fool!”
Tav shrugged. “It’s in my nature.”
Chapter 22
From her vantage point inthe shadow of the trees, Robin saw Pierce emerge from the broken part of the curtain wall. He pushed a large sort of basket through, then sidled several feet over, but didn’t move farther. She could hear nothing from where she hid, and she waited in an agony until she saw Octavian appear a little while later. When no yells or flares from torches followed him, she allowed herself a small sigh of relief.
The men made their way to where Robin waited. She was once again dressed in the brown monk’s robe, and it fluttered around her as she stood up.
Pierce stumbled backward, startled by her movement. “God’s wounds!” he muttered. “What’s there?”
“Me, my lord,” she said in a low voice. “I’ve got our supplies.” She had dropped the wrapped bundles over the walls earlier, using the darkness as cover. She slipped through the gap after waiting for the guard on duty to pass by, long before the men followed.
The most nerve-wracking part had been getting Irene safely out of the way. The maid came up to help Robin prepare for bed, bringing the mulled wine Robin specially requested. Robin had to slip a dose of poppy syrup into the glass without Irene noticing, and then trick Irene into drinking it herself. Luckily, the maid’s desire for a warm, rich drink outweighed the expectations that a servant should not indulge in the luxuries meant for her betters.
Robin waited until Irene succumbed to the medicine, got her to bed, and then pulled the blankets over the sleeping woman. Drawing the curtains helped even more. With luck, Irene would slumber till sunrise, blissfully unaware of the escape until it was far too late.
“Any issues with your side of the plan?” she asked Tav.
Pierce answered before Tav could. “He didn’t kill the guard who saw us.”
“Knocked him out,” Tav explained.
“Will we regret that?” she asked him.
“Possibly. But I’m not dwelling on it.” Tav gave Robin a quick smile, and bent to gather some of the bundled supplies. He heaved them over his back, and ordered Pierce to do the same with the others.
The lord grumbled at the need for labor, but mimicked Tav’s actions. Finally, he hefted the woven hamper he’d brought himself, holding it as though the contents might break. “Where are the horses?”
“Hidden,” Robin said, slinging her own pack and quiver across her shoulders and picking up her bow. “Follow me.”
She led the men on a more or less direct route to where she’d seen that barn on the day she and Tav first came upon the Willesden woodgatherers. As she picked her way through the nighttime forest, she prayed that the barn held the animals they needed to escape. She’d ride a mule if she had to, but the men would require suitable horses.
Pierce cursed every time branches whipped past their faces or a tree root rose up too high. Behind him, Octavian warned him to be silent.
“Where are the horses?” Pierce asked instead. “How’d you get them out of the castle unnoticed?”
“We didn’t,” Robin explained in a low voice. “We’re going to retrieve some horses that Estmar stole in one of his raids.”
Then Robin told him of their suspicions, and how the raid happening at the moment was actually the key to their escape. Pierce sounded livid about Estmar’s actions, swearing to discipline the man if he ever got his hands on him.
“Best to hope we don’t encounter Estmar and his company anytime soon, my lord,” Tav said. “We want to be gone by the time the raiders return.”
They reached the hidden barn. Robin eased open the door, hoping no one was within. She heard only the quiet sounds of farmyard animals at rest, and inhaled the smells of hay, feed, and manure. She lit the lantern kept inside and saw their prize—a half dozen horses stabled at one side.
She moved over to them, surveying their quality. Most were farm nags, but one was lovely looking creature of good quality stock, with a coat that glowed a reddish-gold in the lantern light. She pointed to it. “Octavian, saddle that one for yourself. Pierce should ride this grey one, and I’ll take the roan.” The roan looked attentively at her, and Robin suspected the horse would run well if given leave to.
“I should have the finest,” Pierce said flatly.
“Octavian needs the strongest, biggest mount in case of a fight,” she countered. “Now work quickly.”
