She was alive.
‘We can’t move this,’ Tatum said, crawling over the rubble to Alveye. ‘If we do, the rubble underneath will collapse on top of her.’
Roul and Blackmane moved to the other side, inspecting the area.
‘We create one tunnel,’ Roul said, pointing to a spot. ‘Nothing else moves.’
Then began the slow process of making a tunnel by removing one tiny piece of debris at a time. Except they did not have time. The fighting was happening less than fifty yards away, the English soldiers edging closer despite Chadora’s strong defence. Arrows landed around them, disappearing into the very crevices they stood upon.
‘Fall back!’ the warden shouted at them.
‘Suttone’s down there,’ Roul called back. ‘We can get her out.’
The warden scraped his teeth over his lower lip and nodded. ‘As you were.’
They worked quicker now, forced to catch rocks left and right. Then there were no more rocks, only a black hole barely big enough for a child to squeeze through—or one tiny soldier. Carefully, Roul lay flat and reached into the darkness, feeling for her with every sense available to him. His fingers brushed fabric, and he exhaled. He turned his head to the hole. ‘Eda.’
A hand landed on his arm, and he took hold of it, gently dragging her to the small opening. His heart squeezed when two green eyes blinked up at him.
‘Hold on.’ His voice was strangled. ‘I’m going to pull you out.’
She was only holding on with one hand, and he tried not to think about the reason why. He pulled her through the narrow hole. When her shoulders came through, he saw her left one sat at a strange angle. The others moved closer to help.
‘I think it’s dislocated,’ he told them, ‘so be careful.’
The walls of the tunnel crumbled as her hips came through, but it did not matter now because she was out. She was in his arms.
She wasalive.
They all climbed down, and Roul carried her to the nearly full cart, which was preparing to leave. Alveye, Blackmane, and Tatum drew their swords behind him. They were ready to join the fight. Roul knew he had to stay with them, because once the English crossed the rubble, it would be over.
Roul was surprised to find a dazed and bloodied Hadewaye in the wagon. ‘You all right?’
The young defender looked up at him, nodded, then noticed Eda in his arms. ‘Praise Belenus.’ He shuffled over, making room for her.
Roul laid her on her good side and said to the driver, ‘I need you to take her to Wright House.’
He nodded.
‘I’ll make sure she gets there,’ Hadewaye said, coughing.
Roul looked down at Eda and brushed sticky hair back from her face. ‘You’re going to be just fine, soldier.’
She reached up for him just as the wagon pulled away. He watched it until it was out of sight, then turned to join the fight.
CHAPTER42
‘Bite down on this,’ Candace said, placing a leather belt between Eda’s teeth.
She was laid out on the table in the main room. It was a full house that day. Lord Thomas had relocated his family there also to increase the distance between them and the fight. He stood looking out of the window while his wife and daughter sat in the best chairs, staring wide-eyed at Eda. Lyndal and Presley were tending Hadewaye, and Rose was entertaining Luella upstairs while the baby napped.
‘I can put it back in,’ the physician said. ‘However, it is difficult to establish the amount of damage to the surrounding muscle and ligaments. That part will be a waiting game.’ He took hold of her arm. ‘Everyone ready?’
Blake held her hand, squeezing tightly.
Kendra rose from her chair, a hand pressed to her chest. ‘Excuse me.’ Then she fled the room.
Lady Victoria went after her. Suffering was not a part of their world, or rather, they were shielded from it.
