Roane peered
out from a hole in the side of the wagon, studying the men in the distance.
“Come on,”
he turned away and grabbed her hand.
Roane was
stiff and dizzy from the position he had been kept in for more than a day, but
he didn’t make a sound nor falter as he lifted Alisanne from the wagon and
swept her off into the trees. They were
clear of the camp and putting more and more distance between them and Dodge’s
men. But they were also on foot, a considerable disadvantage, and Roane knew
they would have to find a horse at some point very soon. They couldn’t run all
the way back to Kinlet Castle.
… Kinlet Castle?
“Alisanne,”
he said as they ran through a cluster of trees and into a wet clearing, “how
many of Dodge’s men hold your father?”
“At least
four,” she panted.
“How many
men does your father have?”
“No men,”
she replied. “We have three servants, though. We provide them with a place to
sleep and food to eat, and they do the domestic work.”
They slowed
their pace as they came to a stream. Roane dropped to his knees and drank
deeply. Washing the blood off his face, he glanced at Alisanne. “We must get to
your father and John Adam before Dodge does,” he said. “In order to do that, we
must travel swiftly. We must find a horse somewhere.”
She looked
puzzled. “But… but you are free now. Why would you go with me to Kinlet
Castle?”
His
expression was a cross between amusement and annoyance. “Because
you risked your family to help me. I cannot let anything happen to
them.”
She thought
on that a moment, torn between him being recaptured and the fate of her father
and uncle. But she was very glad he had
offered to help her. “What will you do?”
He shook the
water off his hands and stood up. “I am not sure yet,” he said. “But we must
get to Kinlet immediately.”
He took her
by the hand, his great wet paw closing over her warm fingers. She skipped after him as they headed once
again for the shelter of the trees. “Roane,” she tried one last time; if
something happened to him because of her, she would never forgive herself. “You
have more pressing problems of your own. If Dodge catches you again….”
“He won’t.”
“How can you
say that?”
Roane turned
and winked at her. “I stole his bait.”
***
“You idiots !” Dodge screamed. He was kicking
anything that moved. “Where are they?”
Dodge’s men
cowered like frightened children. It was the middle of the night and they were
all terribly drunk, including Dodge. But he wasn’t so drunk that he didn’t
realize that both of his quarries were missing. He stomped through the embers of the campfire his men had made,
scattering sparks everywhere. As the warmth of the inn blazed in the distance,
Dodge danced around the muddy ground of the encampment like a madman.
“Where are they?”
“Dodge,” one
of his men tried to calm him. “They couldn’t have gotten far. We shall find
‘em!”
“ Argh!” Dodge shouted in frustration,
swinging his fist at someone who was too slow to move. “Find them and bring
them to me so I can cut de Garr’s heart out and eat it for breakfast!”
His men were
already mounting their horses. The wagon that Roane had been kept in was being
hitched to the team of big heavy oxen that pulled it. They didn’t move fast,
but the man harnessing them would have done anything to redeem himself to
Dodge. He was supposed to have been watching over Roane, but he had fallen
asleep. Stupidly enough, he hadn’t even been drunk.
Dodge would
not be comforted by any amount of apologies or reassurance. He ranted and
raved, kicking and hitting. His men began to scatter and he screamed at them,
furious most of all that he had been denied a night
with Alisanne. He had quite been looking forward to exploring her sweet
virginal body, but she had had other ideas. She was cleverer than he gave her
credit for, slipping out of the window by tying
out from a hole in the side of the wagon, studying the men in the distance.
“Come on,”
he turned away and grabbed her hand.
Roane was
stiff and dizzy from the position he had been kept in for more than a day, but
he didn’t make a sound nor falter as he lifted Alisanne from the wagon and
swept her off into the trees. They were
clear of the camp and putting more and more distance between them and Dodge’s
men. But they were also on foot, a considerable disadvantage, and Roane knew
they would have to find a horse at some point very soon. They couldn’t run all
the way back to Kinlet Castle.
… Kinlet Castle?
“Alisanne,”
he said as they ran through a cluster of trees and into a wet clearing, “how
many of Dodge’s men hold your father?”
“At least
four,” she panted.
“How many
men does your father have?”
“No men,”
she replied. “We have three servants, though. We provide them with a place to
sleep and food to eat, and they do the domestic work.”
They slowed
their pace as they came to a stream. Roane dropped to his knees and drank
deeply. Washing the blood off his face, he glanced at Alisanne. “We must get to
your father and John Adam before Dodge does,” he said. “In order to do that, we
must travel swiftly. We must find a horse somewhere.”
She looked
puzzled. “But… but you are free now. Why would you go with me to Kinlet
Castle?”
His
expression was a cross between amusement and annoyance. “Because
you risked your family to help me. I cannot let anything happen to
them.”
She thought
on that a moment, torn between him being recaptured and the fate of her father
and uncle. But she was very glad he had
offered to help her. “What will you do?”
He shook the
water off his hands and stood up. “I am not sure yet,” he said. “But we must
get to Kinlet immediately.”
He took her
by the hand, his great wet paw closing over her warm fingers. She skipped after him as they headed once
again for the shelter of the trees. “Roane,” she tried one last time; if
something happened to him because of her, she would never forgive herself. “You
have more pressing problems of your own. If Dodge catches you again….”
“He won’t.”
“How can you
say that?”
Roane turned
and winked at her. “I stole his bait.”
***
“You idiots !” Dodge screamed. He was kicking
anything that moved. “Where are they?”
Dodge’s men
cowered like frightened children. It was the middle of the night and they were
all terribly drunk, including Dodge. But he wasn’t so drunk that he didn’t
realize that both of his quarries were missing. He stomped through the embers of the campfire his men had made,
scattering sparks everywhere. As the warmth of the inn blazed in the distance,
Dodge danced around the muddy ground of the encampment like a madman.
“Where are they?”
“Dodge,” one
of his men tried to calm him. “They couldn’t have gotten far. We shall find
‘em!”
“ Argh!” Dodge shouted in frustration,
swinging his fist at someone who was too slow to move. “Find them and bring
them to me so I can cut de Garr’s heart out and eat it for breakfast!”
His men were
already mounting their horses. The wagon that Roane had been kept in was being
hitched to the team of big heavy oxen that pulled it. They didn’t move fast,
but the man harnessing them would have done anything to redeem himself to
Dodge. He was supposed to have been watching over Roane, but he had fallen
asleep. Stupidly enough, he hadn’t even been drunk.
Dodge would
not be comforted by any amount of apologies or reassurance. He ranted and
raved, kicking and hitting. His men began to scatter and he screamed at them,
furious most of all that he had been denied a night
with Alisanne. He had quite been looking forward to exploring her sweet
virginal body, but she had had other ideas. She was cleverer than he gave her
credit for, slipping out of the window by tying
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