met.
“Are you a renegade?” she asked Rixley once Krisha’s footsteps had faded away.
“No,” Rixley shook his head. “I am what you see, a simple merchant. But I travel the length and breadth of this land and I have seen how the people suffer under the King’s law.”
Enola’s gaze drifted to the doorway, thinking of Hawk who, under the King’s law, should be in the orphanage. She brought her attention back to Rixley.
“So how do you know of Wolf?”
“I trade with the renegades,” Rixley said and then he smiled dryly. “So now you know a secret about me which would get me hanged more certainly than if you were caught hiding a child.”
“Then you also have my word,” Enola told him, impatient for news of Wolf. “I will not tell a soul.”
“I go into many renegade camps. The one where Wolf resides is by far the largest and undoubtedly the most troublesome to the King’s Army.” Rixley smiled again. “Young Wolf is something of a legend among the renegades. He is a fearless warrior and leads many raids. One day soon, he will have his own band.”
Enola could not explain why, but she felt strangely troubled. She was naturally overjoyed to hear that Wolf was alive and well, but a warrior? A renegade leader? It was hard to imagine him growing up and changing without her. Would she be able to love the man he had become as fully as she loved the boy he had once been? And what if he no longer had any interest in her? Maybe he had become so absorbed in his new life that he had forgotten his promise to return for her one day.
“And is that what you came here to tell me?” she asked. “That Wolf is well?”
“No, I knew nothing of your connection with Wolf until I saw the child. I was telling the young lady and she thought you would want to know; the King has ordered his army to hunt down and destroy all renegade bands in the territory. They have pushed him too far, stealing his coin wagons, ambushing travellers and raiding villages. Wolf’s band are not known to kill unless they have to, but there are other groups who are not so discerning. Recently, one of highest members of the King’s council was murdered by a renegade band. I tell you, Missy, there is going to be a war between the renegades and the Army.”
“But why tell me?” Enola said, frightened and confused by what she had heard. “There is nothing I can do.”
Rixley shrugged his broad shoulders. “Nobody expects you to do anything. The renegades are strong and ruthless men. They hardly require the help of a little girl, now do they?”
So many soldiers coming at them from all sides. The renegades were outnumbered and fighting for their lives. Wolf pulled his sword from the soft belly of the man he had just killed and watched dispassionately as the body fell lifeless to the ground.
With no time to wipe the sweat from his brow, he swung around to face his next opponent. An unlucky soldier ran straight onto Wolf’s sword, his eyes widening with shock as the blade pierced his chest. Wolf pushed him away and rushed headlong into the fray. A soldier, tall and heavily muscled stepped into his path. They parried, sizing each other up. The soldier’s sword and uniform were smeared with blood and Wolf marked him as a formidable foe. He knew the soldier would have assessed him in turn. If he was lucky, the man would underestimate him, mistaking his youth for inexperience.
The soldier lunged and Wolf blocked him easily, stepping back with sure footedness and thrusting his own weapon forward. His blow was knocked aside effortlessly and the two men circled each other warily. All around them renegades and soldiers were engaged in bloody battle, men falling on either side. Wolf kept his attention on the enemy in front of him. There would be time enough later to worry who among his band had fallen. Assuming he survived himself. He leapt forward, swinging his sword in a wild arc which narrowly missed slicing open the soldier’s
“Are you a renegade?” she asked Rixley once Krisha’s footsteps had faded away.
“No,” Rixley shook his head. “I am what you see, a simple merchant. But I travel the length and breadth of this land and I have seen how the people suffer under the King’s law.”
Enola’s gaze drifted to the doorway, thinking of Hawk who, under the King’s law, should be in the orphanage. She brought her attention back to Rixley.
“So how do you know of Wolf?”
“I trade with the renegades,” Rixley said and then he smiled dryly. “So now you know a secret about me which would get me hanged more certainly than if you were caught hiding a child.”
“Then you also have my word,” Enola told him, impatient for news of Wolf. “I will not tell a soul.”
“I go into many renegade camps. The one where Wolf resides is by far the largest and undoubtedly the most troublesome to the King’s Army.” Rixley smiled again. “Young Wolf is something of a legend among the renegades. He is a fearless warrior and leads many raids. One day soon, he will have his own band.”
Enola could not explain why, but she felt strangely troubled. She was naturally overjoyed to hear that Wolf was alive and well, but a warrior? A renegade leader? It was hard to imagine him growing up and changing without her. Would she be able to love the man he had become as fully as she loved the boy he had once been? And what if he no longer had any interest in her? Maybe he had become so absorbed in his new life that he had forgotten his promise to return for her one day.
“And is that what you came here to tell me?” she asked. “That Wolf is well?”
“No, I knew nothing of your connection with Wolf until I saw the child. I was telling the young lady and she thought you would want to know; the King has ordered his army to hunt down and destroy all renegade bands in the territory. They have pushed him too far, stealing his coin wagons, ambushing travellers and raiding villages. Wolf’s band are not known to kill unless they have to, but there are other groups who are not so discerning. Recently, one of highest members of the King’s council was murdered by a renegade band. I tell you, Missy, there is going to be a war between the renegades and the Army.”
“But why tell me?” Enola said, frightened and confused by what she had heard. “There is nothing I can do.”
Rixley shrugged his broad shoulders. “Nobody expects you to do anything. The renegades are strong and ruthless men. They hardly require the help of a little girl, now do they?”
So many soldiers coming at them from all sides. The renegades were outnumbered and fighting for their lives. Wolf pulled his sword from the soft belly of the man he had just killed and watched dispassionately as the body fell lifeless to the ground.
With no time to wipe the sweat from his brow, he swung around to face his next opponent. An unlucky soldier ran straight onto Wolf’s sword, his eyes widening with shock as the blade pierced his chest. Wolf pushed him away and rushed headlong into the fray. A soldier, tall and heavily muscled stepped into his path. They parried, sizing each other up. The soldier’s sword and uniform were smeared with blood and Wolf marked him as a formidable foe. He knew the soldier would have assessed him in turn. If he was lucky, the man would underestimate him, mistaking his youth for inexperience.
The soldier lunged and Wolf blocked him easily, stepping back with sure footedness and thrusting his own weapon forward. His blow was knocked aside effortlessly and the two men circled each other warily. All around them renegades and soldiers were engaged in bloody battle, men falling on either side. Wolf kept his attention on the enemy in front of him. There would be time enough later to worry who among his band had fallen. Assuming he survived himself. He leapt forward, swinging his sword in a wild arc which narrowly missed slicing open the soldier’s
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