A few minutes later, a man’s voice rose above the others. “Make way! Clear a path.”
The people around them began to move, spreading downthe hallway toward the Moreaus’ doorway and beyond. Bodies jostled against him, but Charlotte moved close to his side and acted as a barrier to keep him from being bumped. He would get out of the way if he could, but he didn’t dare attempt it with this throng of people shuffling around him. His balance on these walking sticks was still precarious, and if he were knocked over ... A shot of pain speared up his hip, as though his body was giving him a taste of the possibility.
A new noise sounded from the direction Wesley had disappeared, like a hammer striking stone. Or not a hammer...
Just as his mind registered the sound of hooves on rock, a horse appeared through the dim light.
A flush swept through his body. That couldn’t be. They’d brought ... Chaucer?
The gelding snorted, sidestepping shadows cast by flickering torches. Every few steps he halted, and the man leading him tugged on the rope, pulling Chaucer forward a few steps until he jumped at another shadow.
Poor Chaucer. Between the darkness and smoke from the torches, he must be terrified. Levi hadn’t been there for the barn fire the gelding had barely escaped, but he’d dealt with the aftermath in the horse’s behavior. For weeks, Chaucer had jumped at falling leaves or the faint scent of chimney smoke wafting from a nearby home. Even now, the horse always shifted nervously if Levi tied him too close to a campfire.
With his walking sticks, Levi maneuvered toward the gelding, weaving through the villagers still clearing the hallway. Chaucer and his handler were about ten strides away now, and the horse balked again at the shadows from the torch mounted on his left.
The handler muttered something in a low voice, thentugged the rope. Wesley eyed Levi as though he might be part of the reason the horse refused to walk freely.
Levi eased forward more slowly and started a calming monologue for the gelding. “Hey there, Chaucer. There’s a fellow. It’s good to see you again, my friend.”
Little by little, the horse’s ears perked toward him, and his body seemed to relax.
“Walk on, fellow.” As Levi drew near, the horse tensed, preparing to bolt. He must be put off by the jerky motion of Levi’s swinging and the clatter of the walking sticks.
He paused and held out a hand toward the horse. “Come on, boy.”
Chaucer’s posture relaxed again, and Levi sent a glance to the handler. “See if you can lead him to me.”
Wesley sent Levi a suspicious look, then finally gave a tug on the rope, and the horse stepped forward, closing the distance to Levi.
After letting Chaucer sniff his hand, Levi reached up to rub the spot behind the gelding’s ear that always itched the most and received the usual nudge of approval. The horse’s backbone still showed prominently, but his ribs no longer protruded as sharply. He’d clearly regained much of his energy, too.
As Levi continued to stroke the horse in all his favorite places, he glanced at the man. “Is he needed for the rescue?” If there was barely space for a person, he couldn’t imagine how the horse would help.
“Yes, and there’s no time to waste. The other horse is too lame to work.” Wesley growled the words and looked like he would tug Chaucer forward again.
“Wait. Can you tell me what he’s to do? I may be able to help him settle so he can accomplish it.”
The handler sent him a glare. “The rocks blocking the men in are too big for one man to move, and there’s not enough space to fit two people. We need the horse to pull the boulders out.”
Levi worked to keep his reaction from showing. Chaucer was no cart horse. As far as Levi knew, he’d never worn a harness. Mixed with the darkness in that room and the smoke drifting from the torches, he’d never be calm enough to do the job safely.
But if he was their only hope...
He leveled his focus on Wesley. “Are the trapped men injured?”
The man’s jaw set. “We don’t know. We can’t hear anything through the wall of rock.”
Levi sucked in a breath. It might be hopeless, but they had to try. If he could get Chaucer to perform the job, that might be the only way they could free MacManus and the other man quickly enough.
“All right, then. This horse was in a barn fire a couple years back, and since then he’s never liked dark areas or smoke. I helped him work through his fears after the fire, so I might be able to help him manage the tight spaces in there. Can I walk along with you?”
The man gave a tight nod, then tugged on the lead line. Levi’s gentle stroking seemed to have settled the horse a little, for Chaucer didn’t startle this time when Levi swung along beside him. He did raise his head as he neared another torch, nostrils flaring as he slowed.
Levi halted and propped the walking stick under his arm so he could reach out and rub the gelding’s neck. “Easy, boy. All is well.” Those same words he’d said to the horse through weeks of rehabilitating the gelding.
At last, they reached the rough doorway hacked from the wall. Several figures watched from the opening, yet one stood out from the rest.
Audrey.
