Page 94 of Peregrine's Call
“Wait! The king won’t permit it—”
“The king isn’t here.”
“The whole country will suffer if a rebellion succeeds…”
“Look at me.” Tav grabbed Pierce’s jaw and forced him to face Tav directly. “Do I look like your countrymen? Do I look like I care what the king of this island wants? It doesn’t matter to me if you live or die. I could kill you, leave your body for crows, and then leave Britain forever.”
“You swore service to a lord.”
“I’ll find another. Or serve no lord. It matters not to me. There’s always someone willing to pay for a fighter.”
“A knight has lands.”
“Not me. I have none. Nothing holds me here.”
“What of your companions that you claim to hold dear?”
“I lived without them before and I could do so again.” Besides, they had each other, not to mention support from countless others.
“Even the little Robin who follows you so faithfully?”
Tav shoved Pierce against the wall, harder than before. He hated the man for mentioning her name. “Forget about her. Robin can take care of herself.”
Pierce struggled against Tav’s grip, but he had no leverage and couldn’t free himself.
Tav released him, disgusted at how craven the other man was. “And don’t talk to me of a greater good. You claim to have information that will prevent a rebellion that will kill innocent people. Yet you keep it to yourself.”
Tav turned away, leaving Pierce to gather himself. He was sick of the whole mission, of responding to every call, of riding on other people’s business instead of his own.
When Robin came to see him this morning, he’d tell her that. He’d confide how empty his duty had started to feel, and how he could strike out on his own. He’d ask her to come with him, no matter the consequences. He just hoped she’d arrive soon, before his usual resolve asserted itself and kept him from explaining his true feelings, the way it had too often done before.
Robin would understand.
Chapter 32
Forget about her. Robin cantake care of herself.
Robin heard those words and abruptly stopped just before she reached Octavian’s door. She’d come to visit Tav in his room during the respectable hours of daylight, when the door would remain open and they could talk without fear of someone thinking it was clandestine.
But then she heard Tav and Pierce. The words cut through her chest and into her heart. She’d only caught the last part of whatever discussion the men had been having, but she wished she had stayed away a moment longer, so she didn’t know what Octavian actually thought of her. It wasn’t just the words that hurt so much. It was the way he said them. He would discard her along with everyone else he knew whenever he decided to leave England.
Leave.She blinked back tears that sprang from nowhere. Weeks ago, Tav admitted to reconsidering his search for his family, but he hadn’t mentioned he was actually leaving. She realized how little she knew of what he thought of anything, and how much she’d just assumed he held the same feelings for her as she did for him.
Obviously, she’d been wrong. Robin wheeled about and fled silently down the corridor, down the stairs, and outside.
The courtyard was busy this morning. Several women were sorting through baskets of late harvest vegetables, deciding which would be eaten first and which could be stored through the winter. Boys hauled off the baskets to various places, struggling with the weight. It was all so everyday, so normal.
Robin closed her eyes, her mind spinning. She felt faintly sick to her stomach, thinking of how she’d thrown herself at Tav at every opportunity. What had Pierce told her before? To be careful, because men took what they could and then left as soon as they could. She should have listened.
“My lady?”
Her eyes flew open at the voice. The young man Acer was approaching, his smile sunny and open, though his eyes were more crafty. He’d told her last evening that he was continuing to spy on Pierce, following him discreetly. Robin was a little ashamed at instigating the game, but the boy clearly enjoyed it, and what harm could it do?
“Good day,” she said. “When did you wake? You look as if you’re the early bird with the worm.”
He nodded, his hair catching the sun as he did. “It’s been interesting. Lord Pierce went to the storehouse again. The one by the practice fields. I watched, and when he left for the castle, I peeked in. There’s not much in there now, but I found a whole bundle of clothing and several full wineskins. They were hidden under a pile of hay. I left everything there, but it’s an odd thing for a lord to do, isn’t it?”
“Very odd.” Why would Pierce hide such items when he already was in a safe place like Martenkeep? “What did he do after?”
