What’s wrong?Eda signed, looking back.
Blake sighed. ‘You’re going to look for him, aren’t you?’
‘The warden said the borough’s secured. I’ll be fine. You go ahead, help people. I’ll follow shortly.’
Blake exhaled. ‘Be careful.’
Lyndal hugged them, then watched them until they reached the merchant gate. When they were gone from sight, she headed east to the farming borough.
The first thing she noticed when she stepped beneath the unguarded archway was smoke rising in the distance and the smell of burning flesh. Covering her nose and mouth, she walked the empty road that led to Astin’s farm, passing stray sheep, chickens, and ox along the way. It was strange seeing livestock unaccounted for, but many of the fences appeared to be damaged.
Lyndal was almost there when she came upon a corpse on the road. She walked right up to it, eyes moving over the unfamiliar armour. He looked around twenty. Someone’s son, brother, perhaps husband.
Another life wasted.
When it began to rain, she stepped over the blood splashed across the road and kept walking, passing a wagon travelling in the other direction. It was full of bodies. Her eyes met the defender’s briefly, and then she picked up her pace.
Finally, she arrived a soggy mess at the farm, and her spirits lifted when she spotted Rose seated on a small stool next to a milking cow. Rain was a normal part of life for a girl her age who knew no difference. The sound of a hammer pulled Lyndal’s attention west, and she spotted Presley pounding away at a fence post. She made her way over, calling out so as to not frighten her.
‘Only me.’
Presley paused, looked in her direction, then resumed hammering. ‘He’s not here.’
Lyndal stopped a few feet away, blinking against the rain. ‘Are you all right?’
Presley wiped sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. ‘Fine.’
Her tone reminded her so much of Astin. ‘Where’s your mother?’
‘Dead.’
Lyndal closed her eyes. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Presley continued to pound the wood. ‘The soldier was aiming for Astin. Then she…’ The hammer slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.
Lyndal closed the distance between them, pulling Presley into her arms.
Presley went limp against her. ‘She was a terrible mother in so many ways, except today. Today she was perfect.’ Her shoulders shook. ‘Astin got us to the merchant borough, then went in search of the entrance on the east wall. I haven’t seen him since.’
Lyndal could not think about that. Letting go, she said, ‘The man has proven to be thoroughly unkillable in the past.’ She forced a smile and looked around. ‘Now, what can I do to help? Where are all the animals?’
Presley pushed her palms to her eyes. ‘Lost. Stolen. Dead. I don’t really know. We returned as soon as we could and found the place like this. I can’t even go into the house because that’s where she is.’ Her face crumpled. ‘And I’m supposed to be strong’—she gestured to Rose—‘for her.’
Lyndal glanced at the young girl milking the cow. ‘I passed a few animals on the way here. Perhaps they’re yours.’
Presley drew a shaky breath. ‘Hundreds? Did you pass hundreds?’
No. She had not passed hundreds.
Presley licked rain from her lips. ‘Our bull is gone. And that’s a strange thing to care about when your mother is dead in the house, I know.’
Lyndal tilted her head. ‘I’m not sure whether Astin told you this, but I happen to be very good in a crisis. So this is what’s going to happen. I’m going to go inside and tend to your mother. You and Rose are going to stay out here and make sure you have at least one secure paddock. Your cattle are branded, which means they’ll be brought here when they’re found wandering about the borough. Then I’m going to feed you both, even though you’ll insist you’re not hungry. Only then will I leave, because if I don’t, my sisters will come looking for me.’
Presley was silent a moment. Then she bent and picked up the hammer. ‘Rose,’ she called. ‘Come and help me with this fence.’
Chapter 41
Presley had not been exaggerating when she described it as a secret entrance. The door had been covered with stone so it blended perfectly with the rest of the wall. A defender walking by would have no idea of its existence except for the tracks in the mud giving away its location. By the time they reached it, hundreds of English soldiers were already inside. So Astin captured a young soldier, broke his nose, then sent him back through the door with a message for his commander.
