"Howdo you know there is anything for us here? The soldiers have already crawledall over this village, taking all they could lay their hands on."
"Iknow, but they do not always know where to look. They take only what is rightin front of their eyes. Sometimes, as with the animals, they even lose some oftheir bounty in their eagerness to grab all of it at once. I am confident thatIvo, Godwin, and Brun will find something hiding in the wood; and they know howto catch pigs, chickens, and sheep."
"Atleast Godwin and Brun have a Norman at their side. I cannot feel it is safe forus to be beyond the camp without a Norman with us."
"May,everyone knows who we are. Did you not hear the guards greet us by name as wewalked out of the camp?"
"Theywere men even I recognized. That does not mean that every Norman knows webelong to Sir Drogo."
Eadasuspected May was right, but she was not about to admit it. They were taking achance wandering around the village with no guard, but she could not wait anylonger for Drogo or one of his men to return to camp. The sun was alreadysetting and soon it would be too dark to glean anything from whatever thesoldiers had left behind. Their supplies were growing dangerously low. Shecould not ignore this opportunity to replenish them.
"Thefaster we find what we need, the faster we can return to camp," she saidand smiled when May muttered under her breath but began to search the cottage.
Itwas almost dark by the time they left the village. Eada felt torn between guiltover stealing from the people who had fled the village and delight in how muchshe had found. She prayed that the villagers had had the foresight to takeenough supplies with them to hold off starvation through the winter. With theland in such turmoil, they would have a chance to help themselves to the bountyof the forests and streams without fear of reprisal from the new lords of theland. She clung to that thought to comfort the guilt she could not fullyrepress.
Asoft cry of alarm from May pulled her from her thoughts and alerted her totrouble. Eada looked ahead and cursed. Between them and the camp stood Sir Guyand the two men who had survived the attack on Tancred and Unwin. Even as hestarted to move toward them, she set her bounty beneath a tree, silentlycommanded May to do the same, and ran. She was pleased to see that May had notrouble keeping up with her. As she ran, Eada searched for some place to hideor to turn so that she could get around Sir Guy and head back to the camp. Theywere staying out of Sir Guy's reach for the moment, but they were also gettingfarther and farther away from safety and she knew that could prove to be afatal error.
Forwhat felt like hours, Eada and May ran from their enemies. No matter how oftenthey darted and turned, however, they could not get back on the path that ledto the camp. Eada could outrun any man, but May did not have her stamina. Asthey hid behind a tiny cottage and struggled to catch their breath, sherealized that May would soon be too exhausted to flee. The woman's breath wascoming in fast, rasping gasps and the short rests they could steal from time totime were no longer enough.
"Ithink you should stay here, May," she whispered, peering around the cornerof the house and keeping a close watch on the three men searching for them.
"No.I will not leave you." May's voice was little more than a croak and itshook badly, revealing how weak the woman was.
"Youwill soon leave me anyway, for you are close to collapsing."
"Ijust need to catch my breath." May frowned at Eada. "I do notunderstand why you are still so strong."
"Ihave always been able to run fast and for a long way." Eada scowled at themen who were drawing closer to their hiding place. "I had never consideredit a very useful skill until now."
"Arethey coming?"
"Theyare still a few houses away. I want you to stay here, May. You are so wearythat you will probably not get more than a few steps before you stumble andfall. That will get us both captured."
"But—"
"No,listen to me. I will run when they draw near and pull them after me. It willprobably take them a few minutes to realize that you are no longer with me. Iwant you to sneak back toward the camp. That may actually give us achance."
Maybit her lip as she considered Eada's plan. "Are you sure you can stay outof their grasp?"
"Yes,unless fate decides otherwise. If I can just keep running, these fools will allbe heaps upon the ground before I even begin to tire." She winked at theuncertain May, then nudged her in the direction of the camp. “Go.”
BeforeMay could offer any more arguments, Eada darted back out into the road. Animmediate cry went up from Sir Guy and his men, and she took them on a merrychase, trying to keep them from seeing that May was not with her and giving Maya chance to get back to the camp and find help.
Eadawas chuckling over a particularly clever move that had put her behind Sir Guy'sfriends when a scream put an abrupt end to her amusement. She realized, even asshe began to turn around, that only two men had been chasing her for the lastfew moments. A sense of helplessness swept over her as she saw Sir Guy holdinga knife to May's throat.
"Didyou think you could fool me?" he demanded as he moved closer, dragging aterrified May along with him.
"Lether go," Eada said. "She is nothing to you."
"Sheis something to you, though, is she not? Enough to make you stop running andallow yourself to be captured."
"Andwhat do you think capturing me will bring you?"
"Drogode Toulon."
"Doyou really think he will walk into your arms just to save his Saxonwhore?" The way Sir Guy just smiled as he stopped right in front of herwhile his two friends moved to stand behind her chilled her blood.
"Youare more than that to the fool. He has made the mistake of letting others seethat and thus putting a weapon in their hands."
