Page 116 of The Robber Knight
Finally, she was finished, and put theinstruments aside. Washing the wound, she noticed with appreciationthat the soldier had stopped jerking. He was a strong man.
“There,” she sighed, wiping the water off.“That's it!”
When she got no reply, she looked up and sawthat the soldier had passed out.
Soldier? For the first time she noticed thathe was really quite young, only a few years older than her. He washardly more than a boy. And yet, there were rings under his eyes.The past few days had clearly been too much for him—as foreverybody else.
Lookingup further, Ayla saw Captain Linhart and Sir Waldar atop thebarricade. Captain Linhart was commanding the men, while Sir Waldarwas swinging a gigantic mace and grinning madly, as if this were agiant orgy[49]and not a battle for life ordeath.
Linhart, in contrast, did not smile. He juststood there, directing his men with calm, determined efficiency.For a moment, his eyes looked at Ayla and she thought he looked...sorrowful? Apologetic?
Two men appeared at Ayla's side, taking theunconscious soldier with them and placing another wounded man infront of her.
We cannot keep this upall night, Ayla thought, depressed.We are few, and they are many. No matter how well we fight,they will grind us into dust like a millstone does thecorn.
The moon chose this moment to appear frombehind the clouds and Ayla gasped. In the white light of thenocturnal celestial majesty, she could, for the first time, see thetrue extent of the enemy army. They truly had come in full force.It looked to Ayla like even more soldiers must have joined theMargrave's army in the gloom of evening—the murderous mass of steelstretched all the way from the wood to the forest, clamoring foradvance, for attack, for blood.
On the same hill as before, Ayla saw thefigure of the robber knight, not red now, but in the night, whichrobbed all things of color, as black as his stallion, as black ashis accursed soul that he had sold to the devil! The Lady ofLuntberg still couldn't see much in the faint light of the moon,but she could see the figure on the horse, outlined against theshimmering sky. She could see him raising a hand, staring directlyat her.
The message was clear. He had come to crushthem.
Would he succeed?
*~*~**~*~*
Reuben stirred in his sleep. Something...something was near. The night wasn't as silent as it was supposedto be. Night? Why was he waking in the middle of the night?
His eyes snapped open—and he beheld a darkfigure in the shadows, towering over him, spattered from head totoe in mud and gore. His hand went to his belt lightning fast!
Confession
The figure stepped out of the shadows and Reubenrecognized Ayla's lovely, dirty face. She was frowning down athim.
“What are you looking at me like that for?”she asked. “You look like you've seen a ghost.”
Reuben breathed in a heavy sigh of relief,and let his hand drop from his belt at which, of course, no swordhung.
“Err... nothing. You just startled me, that'sall.” He looked around the room, which was dark, except for acandle Ayla had probably brought with her, standing on the table,too far away for its light to quite reach him. Looking back at her,he smiled, suggestively. “I'm just not used to waking up in themiddle of the night and finding a beautiful girl in my room,” helied smoothly.
Ayla's face changed color. Reuben thought shemight be blushing at the compliment, though under all the mud itwas difficult to tell.
“I... I'm sorry, Reuben. I suppose I shouldhave let you sleep. It's just, I was so excited, I simply had tocome and tell you, I couldn't wait! We won! We actually won!”
Reuben's brow creased.
“Won? Won what?”
“Why, the battle of course.”
“Thewhat?”
*~*~**~*~*
Even in the semi-darkness, Ayla could seeReuben's eyes go wide.
“Battle? Ayla, what do you mean, battle?There was no battle!”
“Yes, there was. Just now, down at thebridge.”
