The curtain wall now loomed before them, and they headed for the steps at its base. They flew up them. Two laundry maids in the courtyard paused their work to watch them.
‘Halt!’ A guard on the ground had spotted them. ‘Stop right there.’
‘That means go faster,’ Roul called to Woottone, who was at the front of the group.
‘I said halt!’ the guard shouted below.
They had no bows and arrows, and even Eda could not throw a dagger accurately from that distance. Bringing two fingers to his mouth, Roul whistled as long and loud as he could, a signal to his men on the other side of the wall. Unfortunately, he got the attention of everyoneinsidethe walls as well.
Footsteps sounded overhead, and the guard at the bottom was now on the steps behind them.
‘Keep going,’ Roul called as he dropped back to deal with the guard in pursuit. The man’s sword was drawn, but he was no match for Roul. The commander disarmed him on his first strike, then kicked him backwards. He tumbled all the way to the bottom of the steps and did not get up again.
When Roul arrived on the wall walk, Eda was pulling her dagger from a guard’s stomach while Woottone fought off another nearby.
‘How do we get down without rope?’ Becket asked, turning in a circle.
Roul stepped across the dead guard and peered over the embrasure. ‘Everyone hand me your cloaks.’
‘You must be joking,’ Becket said.
Eda was already removing hers. Woottone had taken care of the other guard and was now doing the same. Cursing, Becket surrendered his cloak also. Roul tied expert knots in record time, testing their strength before throwing one end of the makeshift rope over the embrasure. It barely reached halfway down the wall, but he was confident they could drop from there without breaking any bones.
‘Suttone, you’re up,’ Roul said, wrapping the fabric around his hand.
She shook her head. ‘Woottone should go first so he can help the prince at the bottom.’
He should have known she would not go without him. ‘Get your arse down that wall.’
‘No.’
They did not have time to stand there arguing. ‘Fine. Woottone, go.’
The defender leapt up onto the embrasure and began climbing down like he would have done during training a hundred times before. Roul placed one foot on the wall for balance. The moment the defender let go, Roul steadied himself and gestured to Becket. The prince appeared afraid.
Eda helped him up onto the embrasure. ‘Try to keep your feet on the wall as you go down. Land with bent legs.’
Nodding, the prince lowered himself over the edge.
Voices coming from the turret made Eda and Roul look in that direction.
‘Go,’ Roul said, adjusting his grip. ‘Now.’
Reluctantly, Eda tucked her weapons into her dress and climbed onto the embrasure. She looked back at him. ‘Throw the cloaks the moment I let go.’
He nodded, gaze darting in the direction of the turret as the voices grew louder. ‘Hurry.’
Eda descended quickly at first, then was held up by Becket, who was still making his way down. Roul gritted his teeth against the extra weight and leaned farther back. When Becket finally let go, he straightened a little and waited for Eda to follow.
The creak of a bow made him turn his head. He saw the arrow a split second before he felt it graze his arm. When Eda let go of the rope, he immediately tossed the cloaks over the edge.
‘You did not think this ridiculous plan would actually work, did you?’ Lord Roger’s voice carried along the wall walk. He was flanked by two men with loaded bows pointed at Roul.
The commander dashed for the embrasure. It was jump or die. So with blind faith, he leapt over it. He looked down as he fell, relieved to find one of the cloaks stretched out beneath him. The three of them repositioned themselves at the last moment so he landed in the middle of the cloak. He tumbled off it on impact, slamming shoulder first into the ground.
‘You did not even check first,’ Becket said, visibly shocked. ‘What if we had still been navigating your impossible knots?’
Roul leapt to his feet and began ushering everyone towards the moat. ‘Run. Lord Roger’s on the wall.’
