“And this messenger specifically requested that you travel unmarked?” Robin asked.
Ian nodded.
Robin’s eyes narrowed into a tight squint. “We overheard information that an unmarked noble from Chendas would be riding south tonight on this very road.”
Ian considered her words. “So this entire attack was orchestrated by Gareth,” Ian said. “Clever. But who was his target? You or I?”
“Who is to say?” Robin replied. “Possibly both.”
“Then where is Meena?” Ian asked, alarm growing in his chest. If Gareth knew all of this, then he had likely captured the princess already.
“She should be safe,” Robin said. “My men should have met with her ship yesterday, and Gareth should not have known that.” Robin looked up at him then, concern in her eyes. “But there is only one way to find out.”
Ian noticed that three of Robin’s bandits stood behind her, listening in on their conversation now that it seemed to pertain to all of them. They needed to get to the port, or wherever it was on the southern coast that Robin had planned to bring Meena and Sol. “We no longer have horses, and the port is still a two-hour ride away,” Ian responded. He turned to Erich as another thought crossed his mind. “We need to send someone back to inform Father.”
“The horses cannot have gone far,” Erich replied. “If we can get back to the road, we will probably find them.”
“Unless Gareth’s men took them,” Ian said.
“We routed them good,” the oldest of Robin’s bandits cut in. “I would not worry about encountering them anytime soon.”
“As we pushed them down the road, Rigelt kept casting pockets of darkness,” a young woman explained to Robin. “They were confused, separated, and turning tail when we left them.”
“Good work,” Robin said, a smile returning to her face. She nodded at a red-haired man standing a few paces away. “Some of us will have to travel north to get back to Lockwood,” she continued, stepping back to include everyone in the discussion. “Let us all go in that direction and search for a few horses. If we find one, I will ride on to the port, and the rest of you can head to Lockwood and get a few mounts.”
The only horses Ian had seen were the ones his party had ridden. He noticed that Robin had not asked permission to take one of them.
“I can run ahead and send horses out to meet you,” Nele offered. “It would save us some time.”
“You have the energy for that?” Robin asked.
“The night is young,” Nele replied.
“Thank you,” Robin said. The words were hardly out of her mouth before the younger woman dashed into the darkness.
Ian watched the exchange with admiration. This mismatched crew responded to Robin’s leadership with ease and loyalty.
“As much as I want to see Meena,” Erich said, drawing Ian’s attention, “I should be the one to return home and alert Father. If Gareth is ready to attack us at this large of a scale, even if it is covertly, he needs to know immediately.”
Ian nodded. “I will see that Meena is safe. Take Kiral with you.”
“And Lane,” Robin said, looking at the youngest man in her bandit crew.
The man in question nodded. Ian had the vague memory that this Lane looked familiar, but he did not have time to entertain the thought. “I will guide them back to Iseldis,” Lane said, “using the less-traveled roads to avoid any further patrols by Gareth’s soldiers.”
“Ian and Ulli,” Robin said. “With me. We will search for the horses while the rest of you head toward Lockwood.”
With the plan set, the bandit group quickly dispersed. The older woman, who had been at the tree first, picked up her satchel of medical supplies and put out the single lantern that was lighting the area.
Ian blinked in the darkness, falling into line behind Robin as she led them through the trees and back to the main road.
While he was not sure they would find the other horses, Ian had no doubt that they would find Rowena near the site of the attack. If he had to guess, she would have continued to run south until she could no longer hear the sounds of the battle. Then, shewould have stopped near something large and stable enough to make her feel safe while she stayed quiet in the darkness.
Erich’s mount was trained to do the same, but based on their positioning when the soldiers attacked, Ian guessed that Erich’s mount had ended up further north on the road.
By the time they reached the road, Ian’s eyes had adjusted to the night as much as they were able. The road appeared empty and quiet. “How far are we from the place of the attack?” Ian asked.
“It was just around that bend,” Robin replied, pointing north.
