Landyn and Raven helped Rolf and his wife clean up. They loaded the bodies into Rolf’s wagon. When they were finished, Rolf’s wife made a warm porridge for them.
Raven finished the meal and glanced across the room toward Landyn. He towered over Rolf as he spoke to the old warrior.
Landyn had done what she couldn’t. He had killed Boucher, avenging his wife, the farmers, and her father.
Disappointment welled within her. The code her father taught her and her sisters forbade them from killing a defenseless man. It was what made them different from these heartless mercenaries. However, that thought didn’t ease her sense of remorse. She wished she could have gone through with it.
At least she had gotten her father’s key back. She pulled it out of her armor and gazed at the gold key. Why had her fathered insisted she and her sisters have it? Why was it so important? She didn’t know what it opened, and he hadn’t given any clues. She stroked it with her thumb. It was the only thing she had of her father’s—besides the traits he had instilled in them. She sighed softly. She would miss him dearly.
Landyn strolled over and took a seat across from her. He reached over the table and captured her hands in his. “Are you well?”
She squeezed his hands. “What if the squadron shows up here?” she wondered, glancing at Rolf. “Will they be safe?”
“Rolf will tell them he never saw Boucher.” Landyn shrugged. “Without a leader, the men will either break up, or the king will appoint a new leader. I don’t think they will cause trouble for him.”
Raven nodded and tucked the key back into her armor. She sat back in her chair, studying Landyn. “What will you do now?” she asked hesitantly.
“Rolf insists we stay for the night while he removes the bodies. He says it is the least he can do for us for saving his family.”
“We have to free the mercenary we left tied to the tree,” Raven said.
“We will.” One side of his mouth moved up in a grin. “In the morning. There’s no hurry. He’ll be fine for the night.”
Raven was satisfied with that answer. That man had insulted her the entire pursuit of Landyn. She would be happy to leave him gagged and tied to a tree for the night. She looked at Rolf. He stood over his wife, who sat in a chair holding their sleeping boy. He stroked her rumpled brown hair and pressed a kiss to the boy’s head.
“What will you do now?” Landyn asked.
Raven stared at the family, and a longing opened in her heart. “I have to find my sisters,” she said.
Landyn nodded. “We will.”
“We?”
He lowered his chin and stared at her. “I gave my word.”
Raven felt a twinge of discontent flip her stomach. He was still fulfilling his vow to her father. She had hoped he would help her because… Her shoulders sagged.
Because he wanted to be with her. Not because of some vow he’d made.
“We should rest,” Landyn suggested. “We can discuss where to go from here in the morning.”
Raven agreed. She was exhausted mentally and physically. She couldn’t remember the last time she had gotten a full night’s sleep. She glanced at Landyn and found him staring at her warmly. Heat flamed through her. And she wasn’t certain she would sleep tonight.
