“And the king needs to be told,” Emeric added.
“So what do ye suggest?”
“We have to split up,” Magnus said. “Emeric and I will take the horses and go after Alice and Alfred. Ye take Lily and continue on to Edinburgh and warn the king and the Order.”
“I’m not a bloody nursemaid!” Oskar snarled. “I’llgo after Alfred and Alice!”
Magnus laid a hand on his arm. “I know this rankles with ye. God in Heaven, it rankles with me just as much, but we have to be sensible about this. Ye know Edinburgh better than any of us. Ye are the most qualified to get Lily there and keep her safe. We only have two horses. We canna all go after Alfred.”
Oskar ground his jaw, frustration gnawing at him. “All right,” he said. “All right.”
Chapter 7
Lily missed the cart. She never thought she’d admit it but even that rickety, bouncing thing was preferable to this endless slog along a road that was little more than a muddy track. It didn’t help that Oskar seemed to think he was on a forced march. The pace he set was grueling and it took all of Lily’s efforts to keep up with him.
The pain in her back and hip was getting worse. But what choice did she have? She would not be left behind, and she most definitely would not admit to Oskar that she was struggling.
He was ahead of her again and he stopped and turned to wait, impatience written plainly across his face. This had been the pattern for the last hour, ever since Magnus and Emeric had mounted the cart horses and ridden off in pursuit of Alfred Brewer and his rescuers. She breathed deeply through her nostrils. She didn’t want to think about what had happened at the copse.
When the two hooded figures had burst out of the bushes by the side of the stream, she had almost had a heart attack. Then, when they’d drawn swords, it had been all she could do not to faint right on the spot.
If Oskar hadn’t come when he had...
She rubbed her hip. It was sore from where one of the men had knocked her to the ground and she knew she most likely had a bruise the size of an egg beneath her clothing.
She still struggled to process what had happened. One minute everything had been peaceful, but in the next, everything had exploded into terrifying violence. Oskar had killed people. Killed them! She still saw those bodies lying in the grass whenever she closed her eyes. Was violence such a normal part of everyday life in this century that people hardly batted an eyelid? Certainly Oskar, Magnus, and Emeric had barely reacted to what they’d been forced to do. They were far more concerned with the fact that Alfred Brewer had escaped than the bodies lying at their feet.
She wiped her hand across her brow. Despite the cold wind, she was sweating. She hadn’t realized she’d come to a halt until Oskar suddenly spoke.
“What is it, lass? Ye look pale.”
“What is it?” she replied. “You seriously have to ask me that? Violence might be second nature to you, but it’s not second nature for me! I’d never seen a dead body in my life until an hour ago!”
She was trembling and it wasn’t from the cold. Images played before her eyes. Cowled men bursting from the trees, swords glinting. And then those images morphed into something else.
The screech of tires. The blare of a siren. The beep beep beep of a ventilator.
A sob crawled up her throat and she doubled over, hugging her stomach. “I can’t do this,” she whispered. “I can’t do it.”
Suddenly, strong arms were going around her, lifting her gently upright and softly pulling her against a hard, tight chest. She was enveloped by the scent of wood smoke and open skies.
“It’s all right, lass. I’ve got ye,” Oskar’s deep voice rumbled.
Lily’s restraint snapped. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed until she was hoarse. She had no idea how long they stood there. Oskar didn’t move and just held her while she cried, his arms holding her tight, his presence a rock that she clung to.
