“Come with me,” he said, his voice low.
Dragging the women along with him, he stuck close to the shadows and small walkways, making his way towards the Lord Sheriff’s home. Annavieve had no idea where he was taking her and there was panic in her heart. Vietta scurried along behind them, prepared to fight Gorsedd if the man was taking Annavieve back to Victor or William, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Still, they were frightened.
“Where are we going?” Annavieve begged. “Please, my lord, where are you taking me?”
“Quiet,” Gorsedd ordered softly. “Do not speak. My lady, if you are missing, Victor is going to come for Kevin, thinking you would go to him, so you must be quiet.”
Annavieve was still confused, still frightened, but she shut her mouth as he had asked. She followed him until he came to a halt in a small walkway that intersected with a larger avenue. Turning to Annavieve, he held up his hand in a quieting gesture.
“You will stay here,” he said. “Do not move and stay out of sight. I will return.”
“But…!”
“Do you want to see Kevin again?”
Annavieve nodded, verging on tears. Gorsedd simply nodded, encouragingly, and fled the walkway, crossing the avenue to a two-storied structure on the other side. Walking along the side of the Lord Sheriff’s place of business, Gorseddslowed his pace when he came to the rear yard, peering around the corner to see if Kevin was still where he left him. He was, and he was alone. Gorsedd bolted into the yard and went straight for Kevin.
“I want you to listen to me and listen very carefully,” Gorsedd said as he reached for the shackle that held Kevin’s right wrist. “Lady Annavieve is in the shadows across the street. She is beaten but seems otherwise well enough, at least well enough to escape. She tells me that she ran from Victor so, that being the case, Victor is undoubtedly coming for you as we speak. If you do not leave now, I have little doubt that you will be dead by morning and your lady along with you.”
Kevin, who had been hanging against the wall in a somewhat dazed state, quickly came around. He looked at Gorsedd in utter disbelief. “She… she’s here?”
Gorsedd shoved the pin from the second shackle on his left wrist and the chains fell away. “Across the avenue,” he said, bending down to unshackle his legs. He began simultaneously digging into his tunic, pulling forth his purse. As Kevin’s left leg came free, Gorsedd handed him his purse. “That is all of the money I have with me. I wish it was more, but it should do well enough to provide for you to get you out of this area. There is a forest to the northwest called the Great Wood. Go there. I will try to collect what I can of your possessions and bring them to you there.”
Kevin was stunned with Gorsedd’s offer. The man was risking everything for him and he had no idea what to say or how to thank him. Reaching out, he grasped Gorsedd by the hand.
“Why?” he asked hoarsely. “Why are you doing this?”
Gorsedd was uncomfortable with the emotional vulnerability reflected on Kevin’s face. “Because…,” he started, stopped, and began again. “Because what Victor did to you was not right. Ordering you to consummate his marriage and then refusing totake responsibility for it… you should have never been put in that position, Hage. You carried out the order because you had to. It could have been any of us but it happened to be you. I know most of Dorset’s knights and they all say he is ruthless and unscrupulous, but it seems that you received the brunt of that heartless behavior. It was wrong.”
Kevin was so grateful for Gorsedd’s help that he was nearly weak with relief. He was having a difficult time standing, especially after being chained up with his arms over his head, but he shook off the discomfort. Nothing mattered except for the opportunity he now had to flee with Annavieve.Annavieve. God, he was desperate to see her, desperate to hold her. His hands began to shake.
“What about Roger?” he asked Gorsedd. “I killed the man. Surely Salisbury will have something to say if he discovers you have helped me escape.”
Gorsedd cast him a look of disgust. “Never in my life have I known a more vile, unfeeling fool,” he said. “Whatever you did to Roger Longespee was a long time in coming. You did the world a favor. Even his father knows that.”
Kevin could hardly believe what he was hearing. His mind was full of bewilderment and he was struggling to regain his wits. But he knew he would need every talent he’d ever developed, every skill he’d ever known, if he and Annavieve were to survive this flight. Gorsedd began to pull him out of the yard, keeping to the shadows.
“Where are Adonis and Thomas?” Kevin asked softly, following the man through the darkness. “They must come with me. Victor’s wrath will fall on them for sure when he realizes that I have escaped and Annavieve along with me.”
Gorsedd came to a halt, turning to look at him in the shadows of the building. “De Wolfe was badly injured fighting that French bastard while we were arresting you at the livery,” he said. “Hewas taken to the barber-surgeon and de Norville is with him. Even if I tell them where you are, I doubt de Wolfe can travel.”
His friends.Kevin was sickened by Thomas’ injured state, knowing the man must have surely attacked de Evereux on his behalf. Even though he hadn’t seen it for himself, he could guess. Thomas was very protective of him and a good friend, indeed.
“I cannot simply leave them behind,” he said to Gorsedd. “I would leave them open to Victor’s wrath.”
Gorsedd understood the bonds of knighthood, of men who had faced life and death together. The fact that Kevin was thinking more of his friends than of himself told him a great deal about Kevin’s character. The knight, this Scorpion of legend, was more than a killer. Perhaps that was part of his persona, but it wasn’t everything about him. There was much good in him, too. Gorsedd had seen enough of him to know that.
“I will take care of your friends,” he assured Kevin. “I will make sure Victor does not get his hands on them. But right now, you must think of you and of Annavieve. You must leave tonight and do what I told you to do. Go to the Great Wood and wait for me there. I will come as soon as I can.”
Kevin sighed faintly, knowing the man was correct. He had to think of Annavieve at the moment; she was the priority.
“Words cannot express my gratitude for what you have done,” he said quietly. “You have brought Annavieve to me and now you would take care of my friends. I would not think of making yet another request of you, but I would like to say this– I would forgo all of my possessions if I can simply have my horse. The white one that Victor coveted so much. Everything else, I give to you. My possessions, my purse, my everything, are in the armory. You may have it all. But the horse… he is all I care about. If you can possibly retrieve him, I will be forever indebted to you.”
Gorsedd scowled even though there was a smile on his lips. “Thatbeast?” he said. “You can have him and welcome. He tears up everything around him.”
Kevin smiled wearily. “Your son was able to handle him,” he said, his smile fading. “If you cannot bring him to me, then ask Cortez to take care of him. That horse means a great deal to me.”
Gorsedd nodded. “And the fat roan with the cropped tail?”
