‘I’m fine, by the way,’ Tatum said.
They both looked at him.
‘Perhaps next time we can discuss the plan before you swing off like a monkey.’
Roul frowned. ‘Do I want to know?’
Eda shook her head.
Tatum went to gather the scattered horses.
‘We need to get to the river,’ Roul said, letting go of Eda. ‘We’ll bring all the horses with us. The last thing we want is them returning to the castle without riders.’
Tatum removed his cloak and tossed it at Eda without saying a word. She had not realised how cold it was.
‘Thank you.’
The others stole cloaks from the dead.
‘I’m not leaving you behind again,’ she told Roul when he brought her a horse. ‘So don’t ask me to.’
He nodded and helped her up into the saddle.
The three of them made their way south, moving at a canter until the horses tired. They were looking over their shoulders the whole time, expecting Lord Roger’s men to burst through the trees at any moment. At one point, Eda thought she could hear hooves behind her, only to realise it was her pounding heart.
They finally reached the river, then made their way west along it until they reached the sandbank Roul had discovered by accident the day prior. They checked the ground for hoof prints or any evidence of their men nearby but found nothing.
‘Maybe they’re lost,’ Eda said.
The others looked doubtful. Roul brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled. A moment later, a loud bray sounded from across the river.
Surely not. Eda straightened in the saddle as she looked across the water. A smile split her face as Basil trotted out into the open, stopping a safe distance from the water’s edge.
Tatum chuckled. ‘I can’t believe that thing waited for you.’
Roul shook his head in disbelief and drew a breath. ‘Let’s cross and wait on the other side.’
‘And if they don’t show up?’ Tatum asked.
‘They’ll show up.’ Roul sounded confident.
The horses sidestepped suddenly and looked to the trees. Eda slipped her bow over her head and reached back for an arrow. Roul and Tatum went for their swords. The three of them watched and waited. The string went taut beneath Eda’s fingers when something moved in the distance, then slackened when Alveye rode out into the open. Woottone and Prince Becket followed, then Hadewaye and Blackmane.
They were all there, everyone accounted for—even if Blackmane was half dead and slumped against Hadewaye.
‘That was absolutely the worst escape plan ever implemented throughout history,’ Prince Becket said when they came to a stop. His gaze drifted across the river. ‘Is that a donkey?’
Alveye grinned. ‘Not just any donkey. That’s Basil.’
Eda went over to check on Blackmane. The arrow was still lodged in his shoulder, and his eyes were closed. ‘How’s he doing?’ she asked Hadewaye.
Blackmane opened his eyes. ‘I’m fine.’
A smile flickered on her face. ‘Good to see you’re still alert.’
He wet his cracked, pale lips and stared at her. ‘You should’ve left while you had time.’
‘Why? Because that’s what you would do?’
