Ian would never know she had been there. She could watch him fall in love or miserably choose some other woman—either option was fine. She certainly did not care. But seeing it happen in front of her eyes might help to close the buried “what if?” that she had never been able to fully set aside.
Fortunately, before she could carry out her plan, Nele had gotten word that Gareth was smuggling in two Majis on an incoming ship. So she had spent that night in the port city instead, smuggling the Majis to safety.
“It was not the right time,” she added. Now was also not the right time to share the thoughts and memories that had just surfaced in her mind. There would be time for that later.
Hopefully.
“Now is also not the right time for whatever this is,” Mistress Cedrice said. “We need to get you inside that castle while Zimri has his hands full with this crowd.” The woman’s soft eyes bore into Robin with sharp intensity. “Now tell us what this plan is.”
Robin pulled two wooden blocks from her satchel.
“Biters.” Ian raised his eyebrows in recognition. “But will they work on the castle wall?”
Robin leaned into the group, instinctively keeping her voice low. Not that their conversation could be heard above the noisy crowd around them. “I think so, but not the white wall. There is that section at the back of the castle where the old eastern tower is blended with the newer white stone. The old masonry has a rougher texture.”
Ian nodded. “From the top of that wall, we can drop onto the roof of the barracks and into the back courtyard,” he said, catching on to her plan with his intimate knowledge of the castle.
Robin nodded. “And the barracks will be quite empty while Zimri has all hands on the wall here.”
Ian reached out for the biters. “I will get going, then.”
Robin held the wooden blocks possessively. “I am going with you.”
“Not with that arm, you are not,” Ian replied.
“You and I can climb up first,” Lane interjected. “We will throw down a rope for her and drag her up.”
Ian looked from Lane to Robin. He opened his mouth as if to argue, then closed it again and nodded. “We do this together.”
“Together.” Robin held out the biters, then turned to Mistress Cedrice. “Keep the crowd busy for another half hour if you can manage it.” Then, to Sol, she asked, “Is that enough time to get your people into formation?”
“Half an hour.” Sol nodded. “Then we march.”
Lane stepped forward, breaking up the small circle as he handed the horse’s reins to Peter. “Can you see to these two?” he asked.
Peter took the reins with a nod. “See that my daughter remains safe,” he said, looking past Lane to Ian.
“I will,” Ian said in response.
Peter bowed to Ian, bending at the waist in a true gesture of respect. “Be safe,” he said.
Ian bowed his head in return.
Robin looked around the circle at each of them in turn, as she did before every raid.
“Half an hour,” Mistress Cedrice said, stepping forward. “I will see you all at the castle gate.” She squeezed Ian’s arm and then melted into the crowd.
Robin settled her hood over her hair, needing the familiar weight of it before they started this new raid. “You heard the woman,” she said. “Let us raid.”
Chapter 55
Placing one hand on the roof for stability, Ian swung his lower body over the edge, then dropped to the ground below as quietly as he could.
Scaling the castle wall with the biters had proved to be a simple—albeit physically taxing—task. He and Lane had made it to the top of the wall as planned and, between the two of them, had easily hauled Robin up after them.
The back courtyard was relatively empty; fortunately, everyone’s focus was on the commotion happening in front of the castle. No one looked up to see them on the roof of the barracks. Or into the shadowy corner where Ian had dropped to the ground.
Reaching back up, he caught Robin’s waist as she jumped down beside him. He was attempting to help break her fall, though she managed the jump gracefully on her own.
