Read Online Kingdom Come by Kathryn Le Veque - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kathryn Le Veque
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grunted.
“You will not ride like this,” he said in a low voice. “Put your legs together and sit as a proper lady would.”
She knew what he meant. “Kieran, I’m not trying to argue with you, but I’m not really comfortable on a horse and if I sit that way, I’ll fall off. I don’t ride every day like you do.”
“I understand, but in this day, only whores ride as you do. ‘Tis not proper for a finely bred lady.”
“It’s dark. No one will see. I’ll practice riding side-saddle another time but for now, we’d better get out of here.”
He growled but didn’t push it. Spurring his animal forward, they took off at a canter. It was the equivalent of peeling out in a car. Rory had to hold on for dear life as he directed the charger down a dark alleyway that paralleled the main road, holding tightly as he jumped obstacles in the dark and threaded their way through the town. She finally closed her eyes and buried her face in the tunic that she had been so fascinated with; everything about this situation was out of her control and she was going to have to trust the man. Kieran was brilliant and knew better than anyone what needed to be done and how to keep them both safe. Still, as the horse tramped through the darkness, her anxiety grew.
She didn’t say a word for quite some time. At some point, she pulled her face from the rough tunic and opened her eyes, gazing up at the brilliant sky over head. She’d never seen anything so sharp and bright; there was something very primordial and pure about the sky this night. Gradually, she began to realize they had come out of the city and onto a deserted road. The city was in the distance to her left and sand dunes and desert to her right. It was eerily quiet, too; no sounds of cars or music or airplanes over head. Just a dully, deadly silence like nothing she had experienced before. Her head came up from its resting position against his back.
“Where are we going?” she asked softly.
“Richard’s encampment is about four miles southeast of the city,” he replied quietly. “We are heading for the camp.”
“Is it safe there?”
He nodded. “Aye,” he replied. “Once I tell the king of Simon’s treachery, ‘twill be Simon who will find the camp unsafe upon his return.”
Rory fell into contemplative silence. “Did you ever stop to think that you don’t have any proof of his treachery?” she asked after a moment. “He hasn’t done anything yet; he hasn’t made the attempt against your life and won’t now because you left the inn. You can’t prove he was trying to kill you.”
Kieran sighed faintly. “He has been pursuing me for days with the intention of killing me. That is proof enough.”
She was silent a moment. “Has he made other attempts to kill you?”
“Aye,” he replied. “There were two other times.”
“You never mentioned that.”
“They were weak attempts not worth discussing.”
The plodded along in thoughtful silence. Simon de Corlet; Kieran’s blood ran cold as he thought of the man who used to be like a brother to him. They had grown up together and had come on this quest together. But something had happened to Simon during the time they had spent on the hot sands of the Levant; he had become materialistic and brutal.
It was a mission to secure a truce to end the siege of Acre. Of all of Richard the Lion Heart’s knights, this mission had fallen to Kieran.A Muslim commander named El-Hajidd had sent word to the Christian armies to propose a secret meeting; he was an envoy representing several Muslim generals under Saladin's command. Without Saladin's knowledge, El-Hajidd arranged a secret meeting with Kieran and several other Christian knights to propose a truce, extending what was reputed to be Jesus Christ’s crown of thorns as a proposal of good faith. Kieran had accepted the crown and gave El-Hajidd his word that Richard would do everything in his power to end the siege peacefully.
But Kieran never
“You will not ride like this,” he said in a low voice. “Put your legs together and sit as a proper lady would.”
She knew what he meant. “Kieran, I’m not trying to argue with you, but I’m not really comfortable on a horse and if I sit that way, I’ll fall off. I don’t ride every day like you do.”
“I understand, but in this day, only whores ride as you do. ‘Tis not proper for a finely bred lady.”
“It’s dark. No one will see. I’ll practice riding side-saddle another time but for now, we’d better get out of here.”
He growled but didn’t push it. Spurring his animal forward, they took off at a canter. It was the equivalent of peeling out in a car. Rory had to hold on for dear life as he directed the charger down a dark alleyway that paralleled the main road, holding tightly as he jumped obstacles in the dark and threaded their way through the town. She finally closed her eyes and buried her face in the tunic that she had been so fascinated with; everything about this situation was out of her control and she was going to have to trust the man. Kieran was brilliant and knew better than anyone what needed to be done and how to keep them both safe. Still, as the horse tramped through the darkness, her anxiety grew.
She didn’t say a word for quite some time. At some point, she pulled her face from the rough tunic and opened her eyes, gazing up at the brilliant sky over head. She’d never seen anything so sharp and bright; there was something very primordial and pure about the sky this night. Gradually, she began to realize they had come out of the city and onto a deserted road. The city was in the distance to her left and sand dunes and desert to her right. It was eerily quiet, too; no sounds of cars or music or airplanes over head. Just a dully, deadly silence like nothing she had experienced before. Her head came up from its resting position against his back.
“Where are we going?” she asked softly.
“Richard’s encampment is about four miles southeast of the city,” he replied quietly. “We are heading for the camp.”
“Is it safe there?”
He nodded. “Aye,” he replied. “Once I tell the king of Simon’s treachery, ‘twill be Simon who will find the camp unsafe upon his return.”
Rory fell into contemplative silence. “Did you ever stop to think that you don’t have any proof of his treachery?” she asked after a moment. “He hasn’t done anything yet; he hasn’t made the attempt against your life and won’t now because you left the inn. You can’t prove he was trying to kill you.”
Kieran sighed faintly. “He has been pursuing me for days with the intention of killing me. That is proof enough.”
She was silent a moment. “Has he made other attempts to kill you?”
“Aye,” he replied. “There were two other times.”
“You never mentioned that.”
“They were weak attempts not worth discussing.”
The plodded along in thoughtful silence. Simon de Corlet; Kieran’s blood ran cold as he thought of the man who used to be like a brother to him. They had grown up together and had come on this quest together. But something had happened to Simon during the time they had spent on the hot sands of the Levant; he had become materialistic and brutal.
It was a mission to secure a truce to end the siege of Acre. Of all of Richard the Lion Heart’s knights, this mission had fallen to Kieran.A Muslim commander named El-Hajidd had sent word to the Christian armies to propose a secret meeting; he was an envoy representing several Muslim generals under Saladin's command. Without Saladin's knowledge, El-Hajidd arranged a secret meeting with Kieran and several other Christian knights to propose a truce, extending what was reputed to be Jesus Christ’s crown of thorns as a proposal of good faith. Kieran had accepted the crown and gave El-Hajidd his word that Richard would do everything in his power to end the siege peacefully.
But Kieran never
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