Page 7 of Always
I picked up my skirts and ran faster. The bottles of milk clinked within the blankets, and I hoped they wouldn’t break. I’d asked the wet nurse to accompany me, but she’d been too fearful to even think of trying to sneak out, especially when I’d revealed my hastily devised plan to jump from one of the rear castle windows into the moat and swim, pushing the two satchels ahead of me in the water. It didn’t matter that the moat was filled with refuse or that the enemy surrounded the banks. I was counting on the cover of darkness to conceal me.
Did this knight have another, better plan? Perhaps he could be of some use to me.
“Where are you intending to take the princesses?” I called after him.
“It’s best if you don’t know, my lady,” he retorted. “Then you won’t have to worry about Ethelwulf torturing the information out of you.”
Torture? I shuddered.
The knight and his companion entered the stairwell of one of the many castle towers. I wasn’t far behind, my footsteps slapping against the stone stairs, my breath starting to come in heavy bursts from my exertion. I grew almost dizzy from the speed of our descent, the rapid winding in the narrow stairwell.
Without warning, the knights halted at a landing before a closed door. I rushed down the last few steps between us, finally catching up. “I must insist—”
My statement was cut off by the door flying open and someone hurtling into the stairwell with a screech that sent chills racing up my spine. The first knight was holding both satchels in the same hand and had unsheathed his sword in the other. He swung his weapon through the air with such strength and speed that I heard it swoosh and then slice.
At the same moment, the second, taller knight threw his dagger so that it flew end over end, the silver blade flashing its deadly sharpness. I didn’t understand why he’d tossed his knife until another screaming blur launched into the stairwell. The knife hit the intruder directly in the heart, the speed and force of the motion sending the blade deep and killing the attacker on impact.
Through the light emanating from the wall scones placed strategically on either side of the door, I could only stare at the carnage, my mind trying to make sense of what I was seeing. One of the dead had black hair that hung in tangled locks, half hiding a crinkled leathery face that resembled a shriveled prune, parched lips still open in a dying scream. The dark skin was strange, something I’d never seen before and had only heard in tales.
When the shorter knight glanced at me, I realized my face was likely a frozen mask of terror.
“Saracens,” he said in a hard voice. “You should have heeded me and stayed in the queen’s chambers.”
I lifted my chin. “If I carry the satchels, you will have your hands free to better protect the princesses.”
The knight’s keen eyes flickered with surprise before both his mouth and jaw hardened.
“She’s right, Lance,” the taller knight said. “I suspect she’ll help more than you think.”
Lance.I tested the knight’s given name, repeating it silently and studying him. Underneath the grime and grizzle lay a face with sturdy, chiseled features that some women might have considered handsome.
He seemed to be weighing my suggestion seriously. For a fraction of a second. Then he thrust the satchels at me. “Stay right behind me.”
I didn’t wait for another invitation. Stuffing my bundle of blankets and bottles inside, I peeked to see that both the babes were now asleep before sealing the bags properly. Then I hefted the satchels onto my arms at my elbows.
The weight of each with the babes, bottles, and blankets was heavier than I’d anticipated, but I was determined to do my part in saving the princesses. If this young knight could lead me to safety outside the castle, from there I’d surely be able to find a way to Everly and the Princess Constance before King Ethelwulf learned where she was and sent his soldiers to capture her.
Lance had already resumed his rapid descent. His friend waited more patiently for me as I started down once more. I hurried to catch up with Lance, stumbling over the hem of my gown while the other knight followed behind me.
When we reached the bottom, the dampness made me realize we were underground. Lance paused in front of a door and listened. Then, with a flick and twist of his knife, he picked the lock, threw it aside, and swung open the door, revealing a storage room filled with crates, barrels, and miscellaneous items of furniture and decorations.
We were obviously in the wrong place. But the thought of climbing back up the stairs made me sag against the wall, my arms already aching from the bags. My previous plans had included walking until daylight, at which point I’d hoped to find a ride in the wagon of anyone else fleeing from Delsworth. But with the weight of the bags, perhaps I wouldn’t be able to walk as far as I’d hoped.
The tall knight retrieved a torch from the wall sconce outside the door. He lifted it, shining light into the room while Lance scanned the contents. He focused on something on the opposite wall and crossed over, shoving boxes and barrels aside.
“It’s here,” he said, scraping at a stone.
“Good.” The tall knight held the light higher so that it illuminated the wall.
“We have no time to look for jewels or other valuables to take with us,” I stated, but then stopped as suspicion took root. What if they were attempting to steal from the king for their own personal profit?
Before I could voice my mistrust, Lance dug away the mortar between the stones to reveal a deep groove. He stuck his gloved fingers into the slit and then pulled until he strained with the effort.
Stone scraped upon stone. To my astonishment, a section of the wall began to slide open like a door, screeching louder and echoing past us up into the tower stairwell that we had just descended. Lance stopped and met the gaze of his comrade. Something somber passed between them.
“Take my knife.” Lance tossed it, and the other knight caught it easily as if they made a practice of throwing knives as young boys did balls.
“You’ll need it.”
