Page 58 of Peregrine's Call
A short while later, they led the saddled horses out of the barn. They’d just mounted up when a shout echoed through the woods.
“You there! Stop! Thieves!” A contingent of men was approaching on horses. They didn’t yet recognize Robin, Octavian, and Pierce, but they would.
Slowing them down was imperative.
Mounted on her horse and with a good view of the advancing group, Robin had an arrow ready almost instantly. She aimed and let the arrow fly. A moment later, one of the attacking men cried out in surprise and pain. He fell off the horse, the arrow protruding from his thigh.
By then, Robin already had the next arrow nocked.
“I thought he was the soldier!” Pierce hissed, looking at her with newfound horror.
She loosed the next arrow, which whistled past the leading horse’s ears, spooking it and forcing the rider to wheel about to regain control, fouling up the progress of the others.
She smiled in satisfaction, but then heard more hoofbeats in the distance.
Octavian looked to Robin, yelling, “We can’t fight them all off. Ride!”
She wheeled about, plunging forward along the eastern track.
The three horses pounded along the narrow path. Robin was in the lead, her gaze locked on the ground, a pale strip illuminated only by moonlight. Pierce followed. She could hear him muttering under his breath, urging the horses to go faster. Tav rode last, since he was the most capable of defending the group should anyone catch up. He was also the only one of them wearing armor.
Still, Robin feared an archer might sent an arrow flying toward them long before any riders caught up. Tav’s chain mail would do little to deflect an arrow. Whether shot from a sturdy longbow or with the terrifying power of a crossbow, a metal arrowhead could easily bite through the chain links to strike the flesh underneath.
She took a ragged breath, trying to shake the image of Tav being injured. Ahead of her, the track split.
She turned in the saddle and shouted, “To the left!” The left path was likely to turn toward the north, and she hoped that their pursuers would assume they went the other way—south to lead them most quickly to a road eventually reaching London.
She guided her horse down the left-hand path and heard hoofbeats behind her, signaling that both Pierce and Tav followed.
“Faster!” Pierce called, his voice just loud enough to be heard.
Robin grimaced. Any faster and they’d all stumble on the path, leading to injury or worse. She chanced a look behind, but could see nothing beyond Tav. The original path was hidden.
A splashing sound brought her attention back to the front. Her horse trod through a shallow stream, one of hundreds in the Ardenwood. She tugged the reins to guide the horse into the water, walking upstream until she could find a good crossing point. Any method to fool dogs or trackers would be a boon.
Icy water droplets splashed up at her, but she continued onward to the pebbly bank on the other side, beckoning the others to follow suit. Octavian kept looking over his shoulder.
Picking up a new track, Robin felt confident for the first time since they bolted out of Willesden. The land around her, the way the streams flowed, even the smell in the air…all of it was deeply familiar. She kept up the pace for another half hour or so, and then Octavian called out just loud enough to be heard.
“Robin. Halt for a little while. They’re not following us any longer.”
She pulled the roan to a stop, glad of the break. She looked to Tav and smiled, then noticed Pierce’s expression twisted into a scowl.
“What’s the matter, my lord?” she asked. “You asked to be taken safely away from your castle, and we’ve done so. You should be pleased.”Or at least grateful.
“Why should I be pleased, here in the cold and the dark with no sleep and no hope of finding a haven before we all freeze to death?”
“You’re exaggerating,” she said.
“Am I? We’re in the middle of a dangerous forest at night, with few supplies, no help, and very likely about to be pursued by an even greater force of armed men. As soon as Estmar hears of what happened, he’ll chase us with dogs. He’ll send word to Ranulf too, and Ranulf will do everything he can to kill me. Meanwhile, we’ll just wander around the woods, completely lost.”
“You’re lost,” she said. “But I’m not. If we keep up a good pace, we’ll reach shelter by dawn.”
“Dawn?” The lord looked aghast.
“Sorry your rescue is inconvenient.” Tav sent one glance at the other man, then nodded to Robin. “Lead on.”
She straightened up, the weariness fading a bit with Tav’s encouragement.
