“What will they do to you?” His voice grew tighter, and his words were like a hand around her own throat.
She shook her head, working to clear the panic. “I’ll be fine. We have to get you across the courtyard.” She would work out her own problems after he’d gone.
Surely once she explained her reasons for aiding him ... The villagers knew her well—knew her heart to help those in need. Wouldn’t they trust her instincts?
Too much worry answered that question. She couldn’t let fear slow her down now. She’d gone too far to turn back, and she still believed strongly that Levi should be allowed to go free.
“My horse?”
She frowned as she thought through where they might have taken the animal. Laurent didn’t own any livestock. “Evan’s horse was limping badly, so they kept him in the courtyard. He’s not fit to travel. I suspect your horse was tied somewhere outside the village walls where he could graze. Either to the southeast, or maybe to the west.” She pointed each direction she named. “I don’t think you have time to look for him now. Once Leonard finds you missing, all the men will begin searching. You have to be gone by then.”
They couldn’t waste another minute. Cracking the door, she peered outside. Apartments lined two sides of the square courtyard, and the stone wall formed the other two sides. A gatehouse had been built in one corner where dwellings met the wall. Would it be occupied right now? Even though the council put a great deal of importance on safety, she knew better than anyone that the guard manning the gatehouse didn’t always actively scan its tiny windows for threats. Especially this early on a morning so cold.
No motion appeared in the courtyard. She scanned the fronts of the apartments once more to make sure no one stood quietly in front of their quarters.
Then she pulled the door wider and stepped outside. After Levi followed, she closed the door, then strode toward the front gate. Everything in her wanted to sprint forward and be done with this final leg of the journey, but if they kept to a walk, anyone glancing outside might think she was strolling with her father. Of course, anyone who knew Papa would find it very odd that he would be up and moving so early.
She glanced sideways at Levi. “Pull your hood up. People might think you’re my father.”
The way the words sounded struck her the moment they left her mouth. Anyone who got a look at this man’s face would never think he looked like her father. His shoulders were broader too. But they only had to convince people from a distance.
They’d nearly reached the gate when shouts sounded from behind.
She grabbed Levi’s arm and broke into a run. By the time they stepped through the opening, he’d switched to pulling her.
Outside the wall, she scanned the open area. There was no sign of his horse grazing nearby. “Go. Run through those woods. There’s not enough snow to leave tracks and you can stay under the trees for quite a distance. Then you’ll see a row of mountains in front of you. Go past the first one, then on the east side of the second peak, there’s a cave. There’s a cliff just below it that makes it look impossible to reach, and a juniper tree blocks the entrance so you can’t see the opening until you’re standing at the branches. You’ll find a steep path to the left of the cliff that will get you up to the tree. I don’t think anyone here knows about the cave behind it. I only found it when I was gathering juniper bark. God go with you.”
He spun to face her, his eyes almost fierce. “I don’t like leaving you in danger. What will they do to you?” Worry formed deep lines across his handsome face.
Her chest ached, partly from breathing the icy air, but mostly from the fear that now gripped her insides. Again, she shook her head to clear it away. “I’ll be fine.” Although this new pounding in her chest didn’t feel fine. It felt like she would face severe punishment.
“Come with me.” The earnestness in his voice drew her gaze to his. “I’ll keep you safe.”
The thought appealed to her more than it should, so much so that it scared her. She pulled back and shook her head once more, breaking their gaze. “Go. Quickly.” The pounding of footsteps behind them gave urgency to her words.
Without another sound, Levi turned and sprinted into the trees.
As the crackle of his feet stamping twigs faded, she prepared to face the oncoming hoard.
7
Leonard burst through the gate first, sliding to a stop when he saw her. As he panted, Brielle plunged through behind him, Evan nearly stumbling on her heels.
“Where is he? Did you see him?” Brielle pushed past Leonard and scanned the area around them.
Then she turned to Audrey. “Where did he go?” Both her tone and her glare said she knew Audrey had something to do with the escape. But recapturing the man remained her primary goal at present.
Audrey released a steadying breath. “He means us no harm, Brielle. Let him be.”
Anger flashed across her friend’s face, and she shifted her attention to the ground around them. Looking for tracks, no doubt.
Audrey fought the urge to step in front of the path Levi had taken so Brielle wouldn’t see his prints in the snow. Once in the woods, his trail would be harder to find.
But true to her usual ability, Brielle found the tracks within seconds. Striding forward, she broke into a run as she headed toward the woods. Evan and Leonard followed in her wake,and the glare Leonard sent Audrey as he passed made her want to wrap her arms around herself.
The three disappeared into the trees, and she could do nothing but watch. Was Levi far enough ahead to get away? Would he find the cave? With so much snow on the ground to reveal his tracks, hiding up there on the rocky mountain might be his only hope of staying protected.
More footfalls sounded from inside the village wall. Philip and Wesley sprinted through the opening but slowed when they saw her.
