Eda looked around for his waterskin. Luckily, he had some left. She brought it to his mouth so he could drink, and then he closed his eyes again.
Everyone was slowly rousing now, looking worse for wear.
Roul wandered over. ‘Was that Hadewaye I heard coughing?’
Eda nodded.
‘Will he be able to ride?’ Tatum asked.
‘We’ll tie him to the saddle if we have to,’ Roul said. ‘See if you can get some food into him.’ Then he was off to check on Woottone.
Eda and Alveye gave Hadewaye some torn-up pieces of pork, but he had a lot of difficulty both chewing and swallowing. They tried to get him to his feet, but he could not remain standing without support. Somehow, they had to get him to Chadora.
‘He can ride behind me,’ Alveye said.
‘I weigh the least,’ Eda said. ‘Put him behind me.’
When everyone was ready to leave, Eda looked back and saw Basil was still lying down. She clicked her tongue. ‘Come on, boy. You can’t stay here by yourself.’
The donkey got to his feet, extraordinarily vocal about the ordeal.
Blackmane emitted an annoyed growl. ‘If the rebels didn’t know where we are, they do now.’
‘In a few hours we’ll exit the forest,’ Roul said, addressing the group. ‘Then it’s open plains all the way to Chadora. We should arrive around noon.’ He looked around. ‘If anyone needs to stop, speak up. Tatum, you’ll ride at the front. Alveye, you’ll be our eyes at the back. Since Woottone’s injured, I’ll ride with Prince Becket.’
‘I think it would be more appropriate if someone else rode at my side,’ Becket replied.
Roul met his gaze. ‘Let’s focus on keeping you alive and worry about what is and isn’t appropriate once you’re safely inside the walls.’
Roul would do his job until the very end. If he was committed to something, he saw it through. King Oswin being a fine example of that. While the prince sat upon his horse wishing Roul dead, the commander was still prepared to protect him with his life.
Orders were orders.
Hadewaye’s head bounced into Eda’s back when they began moving. ‘Lean against me,’ she told him. ‘It’s better than falling off.’
Coughing ensued, and then his forehead dropped to her shoulder.
It was around an hour later when she felt his head slide. She reached back to catch him before he fell. Roul trotted up beside her, a length of rope in hand. He secured it around Hadewaye’s chest, then handed the end to Eda.
‘At least this way if he falls, he won’t land on his head,’ he said before returning to the prince’s side.
When the group finally emerged onto the open plains that would lead them to Chadora’s walls, they were met with a gap in the clouds and a sliver of blue sky. They all stopped their horses and looked up at it. As if on cue, the sun peeked through, bathing them in light. Eda lifted her face, the illusion of warmth making her smile.
‘Can you feel it, Hadewaye?’
His reply came in the form of a cough that rattled his chest.
Eda glanced at Prince Becket. ‘What do you think, Your Highness? Is Belenus celebrating the return of our new king?’
‘A tad prematurely,’ Becket said, walking his horse on.
Roul followed him.
Midway across the plains, they stopped to rest. Eda’s back was aching from holding Hadewaye up, but she did not complain.
The horses grazed while everyone stretched their legs and tended the sick and injured. Woottone had bled through his bandages again, but they were all out of supplies. Seeing the dilemma, Prince Becket began to undress.
‘What are you doing?’ Woottone asked.
