There was something of merit in that bag, she knew it well.
She thought she could outrun him, if not outwit him.
Anna had chosen a spot close to the Scotsman but downwind of him. She pointed to the bag in question and Percy nodded, biting his lip.
The moon was setting, the forest as still as it would be in the night. Since the sky was clear, Anna waited for the moon to dip below the uppermost branches of the trees, for then, the small camp would be cast into shadow. The wild growth of the forest beyond the road would be her friend, then, for she knew a path through it that no stranger would be able to discern in the night. She and Percy would part ways and her brother would run quickly and quietly to the cavern, while she led the hunt astray.
If there was one.
It would work perfectly.
The Scotsman had been keeping the watch, but he dozed. The horses dozed. The squires slept. One Templar snored. The Scottish knight murmured in his slumber. The moon slipped ever lower and the men’s camp fell into shadow.
It was time.
Anna touched Percy’s shoulder and the boy eased forward. She gripped her crossbow and aimed at the Scotsman, in case he awakened and tried to stop the boy. Percy showed uncommon stealth for a boy of his age and could move with a silence that impressed Anna every time she watched him.
Her brother might have been born to be a thief. Percy inched toward the sleeping man, silent and sure. Finally, he reached out and touched the saddlebag, resting his hand there for a moment to ensure the Scotsman did not react. Anna sighted her bow, her heart thundering as she watched and waited.
Percy eased the bag away from the Scotsman’s side, slowly at first. The man murmured in his sleep and shook his head, but did not seem to be aware of the boy. Percy tugged the bag more quickly, sliding backward across the surface of the snow in silence.
He was almost at Anna’s side, and cast her a triumphant glance, his eyes dancing with his usual mischief. It was but a game to him, and one at which he often won. She might have given a nod, but the Scotsman snorted in that moment. He rolled over, reached for the saddlebag and his eyes flew open at the realization that it was gone. “Hoy!” he cried and his party stirred.
Percy ran.
Anna fired her crossbow and the bolt would have gone through the Scotsman’s hand if he had not bounded to his feet in that same moment.
“Thief!” He roared in outrage, pointing after Percy, and the entire company was alerted. The quiet knight leapt from his bed and lunged into the forest. Anna thought to lie low and let him try to chase Percy, but he headed straight for her.
She had been seen! Anna clutched her crossbow and ran, taking a different direction from Percy and abandoning the sheepskin. The knight was closing fast behind her, so noisy that she had no doubt of his location. She guessed that he was a good foot taller than her, and that height gave him an advantage. She was taking three strides for his two, after all.
Percy’s escape was of greatest importance, she told herself. This man was a knight, pledged to defend women and orphans, of which she was both.
On the other hand, Anna had witnessed how readily a knight could disregard those vows. Her heart was racing and not just from her flight.
Not again!
“Stop!” he cried. “Thief!”
Anna ducked beneath a branch, hoping it was too low for him. She could not hear Percy and hoped he was safely away. Anna ran in the opposite direction of the cavern, ducking branches, taking a labyrinthine course, dodging around shrubs and diving through the bracken. The knight was not deterred. He was cursed quick, too, even though he wore his hauberk. The sound of his boots on the dead undergrowth was louder and closer. The darkness did not seem to be aiding her.
If she could shake him from her trail and reach the haven of the cave, he would never find her.
Anna doubled back and crossed a small stream. Her boots slipped on the wet rocks because she moved too quickly. Though the stream was not wide, it was cold and deep. She flailed her arms for a moment to regain her balance and was certain the knight would emerge from the forest and spot her. To her great good fortune, he did not. In fact, she heard a thump and a muttered oath. Ha! She found her footing and leapt into the undergrowth on the opposing bank, then paused.
There was no sound of pursuit.
Had he abandoned the chase?
Had he fallen and injured himself?
She stood motionless, halfway certain the sound of her heart would reveal her, then slowly smiled. There were fading footsteps, then the forest was silent again. Anna waited a long while, listening, but there was no sound of the knight.
They had succeeded again! The knight had been deceived by her turning back and had continued in the same direction. He might make the keep by daybreak, or spend the rest of the night wandering through the forest, lost.
Anna spun, intending to find Percy, only to discover the dark-haired knight standing behind her, his arms folded across his chest. He had moved as silently as Percy could. He was patient as no man tended to be.
“Where is the boy?” he demanded.
