Page 75 of The Robber Knight
“Before I found you that day,” she continued,her voice a dead monotone, “I had an unpleasant encounter with acertain robber knight.”
The words hit him in the stomach like asledgehammer. He was hardly able to keep his voice steady. “Youdid, did you?”
“Yes.”
“And... what was he like?”
“I swore to see him hanged. Does that tellyou enough?”
“Yes, it does. But why bring this upnow?”
Still, she hadn't turned around. He wished somuch she would turn so he could read her face, so that he couldread the truth in her eyes. So that he knew whether he would haveto kill her now and run.
“Well, it turns out that monster is closerthan I thought,” Ayla whispered. “Very, very close.”
She knew!
There was no doubt in his mind anymore. Sheknew. Slowly, he lifted his hands up towards her delicate ivoryneck.
She knew! But if she knew, why weren't thereany guards with her? She had sworn to have him hanged, and stillshe wasn't ordering her men to carry him off to the gallows.Instead, she was just sitting there, sad and frightened. He hadexpected her to be angry, furious even.
No matter. Soon enough she would call theguards and do what she had promised him. He wouldn't let her! Heliked his neck just the way it was, without a rope around it. Hewas going to stop her.
One of his hands descended on hershoulder—and she sighed, relaxing under his touch.
That was the moment he knew he couldn't doit. Not because he lacked the strength. He would have been able tofind it, somehow. No, even if he were at his full strength, clad inarmor, and holding a sword in each hand, he would never be able toso much as scratch her.
So he just lay there, a hand on hershoulder.
He was an idiot!
“He's close, you say?” Reuben thought hisvoice sounded even raspier than usual. Well, he didn't relish theidea of dying on the gallows. But it was best to get this overwith. “How close exactly?”
“I've just had a chat with him down at thebridge.”
Reuben's hand dropped from Ayla's shoulder.“What?”
“Apparently, he's the commander of the forcesthat are about to attack my castle.”
“Err... Ayla? Are you sure about this?”
Now, she finally did turn to him. “What doyou mean 'are you sure about this'? I just talked with the fiendfor almost an hour! He called me a... a lady of questionable moralsand threatened to kill me! Yes, I am sure about this!”
She glared down at him in an accusing,incredibly cute manner. Reuben tried to think of a good way to say,“Ah, but you see, I'm also pretty sure that I am me, and since itwas I who robbed you that day and now I'm here with you, I can'tvery well be out there commanding an army that is about to kill usall.” However, such a thing was difficult to express at the best oftimes, and these were not the best of times. Reuben's head stillfelt like it was stuffed with wet wool, and he was getting hotterand hotter.
“I threatened to kill you?” he asked,blinking up at her, trying to focus on that lovely face. This wasgetting confusing.
“Not you, you blockhead! The red robberknight, Sir Luca DeLombardi.”
“My name isn't Luca.”
“I know that. Why are you talkinggibberish?”
Suddenly, her facial expression turned fromaccusing to concern. “Oh my God, it isn't the fever, is it? Reuben,I'm so sorry. I was so caught up in my own problems, I totallyforgot that you're sick. Can you forgive me?”
She grabbed his hand. It felt cool and smoothin his.
Reuben pondered her question for a while andthen nodded. “Aye, probably,” he said, grinning, still trying tofocus. “If you give me a kiss again.”
