Page 79 of Peregrine's Call
“You don’t know him,” she blurted out. “Even if you think you’re offering good advice, you don’t know Octavian at all.”
He sighed. “The question isn’t how well I know Octavian. It’s how wellyoutruly know him.”
Then he turned away, leaving Robin to ponder his words.
After leaving the scene of the attack, they kept traveling, roughly south and east, as best as Robin could devise, considering the untrammeled nature of the Ardenwood. The weather warmed again, with a watery sun offering at least a little warmth at midday. The trio did its best to remain unobtrusive, and they avoided all inns and villages. A few times, Robin risked going to a farmstead, dressed in her monkish clothing, to buy a little food. She was usually given bread, but she offered a small coin for cheese and meat.
Nights remained cold, but weren’t disturbed by any more attacks. They took turns watching for danger, even Pierce sitting up for hours. Over the past several days, he’d turned almost docile, still out of his element, but no longer the abrasive, arrogant lord he’d been at first. He confessed one night that he found it difficult to admit he’d lost so much of the power he was accustomed to holding. His bad temper was the result.
He was actually becoming a fairly competent traveler, though. In addition to learning how to build and tend a fire properly, he also knew much more about the care of horses than before, and how to set up a camp to avoid waking up in a rain puddle. Robin even pointed out some star signs one night, explaining the few she used most when she had to travel in darkness. Tav knew even more of the constellations than she did, all their names and the stories behind them.
“Brother Petrus taught us,” he said when she asked how he’d learned so much. “The monks felt all of creation needed to be named and categorized and understood if we ever want to truly know the mind of the Creator.”
Robin wanted to curl up next to him and listen to all the stories of the stars, but the presence of Pierce made that impossible. And perhaps it was for the best, considering what Pierce had told her. It was hard to tell what Octavian thought, and they had no opportunity to discuss anything so private. He often found reasons to touch her hand, or smile at her when Pierce’s attention was elsewhere, but now she wondered exactly what it all meant…if it meant anything. She couldn’t wait to get to the castle of Martenkeep, where they hoped to find the first real shelter since beginning this mission. Then she could speak to Tav and discover what he truly wanted.
If she dared. What if the answer broke her heart?
The next day, Robin was certain they’d crossed out of the Ardenwood, and were now heading toward the safer, more populated environs of the Long Forest and the lands to the south. The area was not free of danger—the nearby Welsh were always a threat, and many of the local lords were weak, only protecting their own estates—but it was far better than the wild, unpredictable Ardenwood.
She told the others and got two sighs of relief.
“That’s good news,” Pierce said. “Does this mean we can find the main road now and head to London directly?”
She glanced toward Tav, who said, “Remember that we’re still likely being pursued by either Estmar’s force or Ranulf’s men, or both. We have to be alert and let Robin continue to choose the path.”
“You know this area?” Pierce asked Robin.
“I’ve been here before,” she replied noncommittally. “I’ll get us to a safe location, and then we’ll find out where the king is. We’ve been too long without news.”
Robin knew that from the north, there was only one good way to Martenkeep. A river ran through a deep gorge somewhat north of it, a natural barrier that helped protect the lands around the castle in that direction. A bridge crossed the gorge at one point, very near the main road through the Long Forest, and that was where they had to cross. Otherwise, they’d have to spend days traveling around and through the ravine.
Later, she told Octavian about the bridge and said, “We’re getting close. By tomorrow evening, we should be within the walls.”
He nodded, his expression betraying weariness, especially around his eyes. The days and weeks of travel had been grueling, and Tav stayed up on watch more than she or Pierce did. Once they reached Martenkeep, he’d want to sleep for days.
Robin herself was dreaming of a warm bed, and clean clothes, and food cooked by anyone but her. The lure of sitting down while someone else poured mulled wine and offered it to her made Robin sigh audibly.
Tav glanced at her, and she blushed. “Just thinking of being inside a proper home again.”
He smiled. “Soon.” The way he said it hinted at something less proper in his thoughts, and she looked away, hiding under the hood of her cloak. If only Tav’s mere presence didn’t summon moths in her stomach. She could barely think straight around him.
They had to swing to the east for a short while before picking up the route to the bridge. Robin watched carefully for any sign of travelers, but saw no one. She rode out to the path itself and took a cautious breath.
They rode for about a quarter hour when a sudden shout echoed around the hills. “I see Pierce!”
Robin cursed under her breath and looked around. The sound of horses—too many horses—started to grow louder.
“They caught us!” Pierce said, fury on his face.
“Not yet.” Robin grabbed the reins. “We can outrun them and then cross the bridge. Follow me!”
Robin saw Tav’s face for only a bare second, and she didn’t like the expression there. It was the soldier’s expression, one she’d seen too often on Alric’s face, and Luc’s and Rafe’s as well. When they got it, they focused only on battle, blind to anything else.
It meant Tav didn’t think they’d get out of this without violence.
Robin had to try. She knew the way to the bridge and rode at a breakneck speed through the woods, dodging trees and yelling warnings almost too late for the others to react.
When Robin saw the bridge in the distance, she thought they’d make it. Glancing behind her, she saw only the two men, but she knew the other force would be there in a matter of moments.
