An arrow struck the ground next to his foot.
Woottone moved behind the prince, and they were all running for their lives then.
‘What’s your plan for getting us up the other side of that moat?’ Becket asked, between pants.
Roul brought his fingers to his mouth, whistling again. ‘We’re going to have help.’
Eda was struggling to run in the dress. Roul could see her frustration as she held it up.
‘They’re still shooting at us,’ Becket said as an arrow flew past his head.
Eda glanced over her shoulder. ‘Their accuracy will drop at around two hundred and fifty yards.’
‘How far are we now?’
‘Not two hundred and fifty yards.’
Roul slowed and moved behind her. ‘I need you to go faster.’
‘I know’ was her reply.
An arrow tripped Woottone. ‘Keep running,’ he called to the prince as he fell. He was back on his feet a moment later.
The sound of a portcullis rising in the distance filled Roul with dread. But then four horses appeared on the other side of the moat, and Blackmane dismounted with a length of rope in hand.
‘Please tell me those are your men,’ Becket panted.
Roul nodded. ‘That’s them.’
When they reached the moat, they navigated the rocks all the way to the bottom. While it was technically a dry moat, the constant rain had turned the base of it into a bog. Still, they leapt into it without hesitating, sinking knee deep into the mud. Woottone took the prince’s arm as they trudged through it. Roul resisted the urge to take Eda’s.
Hiss, hiss.
Arrows flew past them, striking the cliff face they were about to climb up. Woottone ushered Becket to the rope, and the prince grabbed hold of it with both hands.
‘Pull!’ Roul shouted up at Blackmane.
Prince Becket was lifted out of the hungry mud as hooves pounded the bridge in the distance. Lord Roger’s men were coming for them. Roul could hear his men returning fire above but knew they were severely outnumbered. All the while, archers continued to shoot arrows into the moat.
‘Bow!’ Eda called to the men above.
Hadewaye’s head appeared, and he dropped a bow and quiver over the edge. Eda caught the bow, and Roul caught the quiver. He passed her a handful of arrows as she turned to face the wall. Loading the weapon, she took aim at the archers. She did not miss.
‘I’ll cover you,’ she told Roul when the rope dropped for the third time.
Because she was safer in a ditch than atop the ledge, Roul went ahead of her.
Blackmane pulled him up, then took hold of Roul’s arm to help him onto the ledge. He looked down at his bloodied hand when he let go. ‘You injured, Commander?’
Roul glanced down at the wound. ‘Just a graze.’ He looked over to where the other three men were positioned in front of the horses, shooting at the riders on the bridge.
‘Good to see you alive, Commander,’ Hadewaye said.
‘Alveye,’ Roul called. ‘Get the prince on a horse and get them to the river. We’ll meet you there.’
Woottone had already mounted one of the geldings and was pulling the prince up behind him. Alveye leapt onto his mare, and a moment later, they were galloping towards the trees.
Blackmane was pulling Eda up now. She was almost to the top when an arrow struck the defender’s shoulder. The rope slid from his hands. Roul dove onto the ground, catching hold of it. Blackmane lost his balance. Seeing he was about to go over the edge, Roul caught hold of the defender’s cloak with his other hand, but the pin holding it together released, and Blackmane toppled forwards. Eda caught him by the trousers as he fell. The extra weight dragged Roul to the edge of the ledge, but he managed to anchor himself with his foot before going over.
