Page 54 of Sword of Rage
“We’ve reached the end of the city,” Ackley murmured. “Where to?”
She blinked, trying to refocus. “Head east. Cut along the edge of the forest.” Her house wasn’t far from here. And she was going to take Ackley inside of it. What would he glean from this invasion into her life? Panic started to swell. “Is this necessary?” If he thought something amiss, shouldn’t they just leave and return to Owen?
“Pardon?”
“Going to Lyle’s house. Is it necessary?” Lyle was dead. There was nothing to be learned from intruding in on her privacy.
“Yes.” He hesitated a moment before continuing. “Commander Beck wasn’t a good man. Since Lyle was his son, I need to investigate.”
That was what she feared. “Why?”
“I believe Beck was involved with the takeover. I’m going to see if there’s anything that supports my theory.”
She didn’t know how Beck would have been involved since he was in another kingdom when the takeover happened.
“The commander and a large portion of the army were gone, which makes me wonder if this entire thing was orchestrated,” Ackley said, answering her unasked question.
“Turn here,” she instructed him. Although she understood the need to investigate Beck, she didn’t know why Ackley wanted to go to Lyle’s house. Beck hadn’t lived there.
He steered the horse out of the forest.
“My house is right over there.” Twenty feet from the tree line, a stone wall surrounded Lyle’s property. The main house was the building on the right; to the left, the stables and Lyle’s workshop. A small garden separated the house from the paddock. While it was a perfectly respectable house, it wasn’t nearly as grand as her parents’ manor.
Ackley pulled the horse to a halt and dismounted, observing the area.
Harley remained on the horse, silently waiting for Ackley to decide what he wanted to do.
“We’re at the back end of the house?”
She nodded.
“So the road and the front of the house are directly on the other side from where we are?”
“Yes.”
“Any other entrances?”
“There is a gate in the wall to your left.” The dark night and thick fog made it difficult to see it, but she knew exactly where it was. She’d come out here at night often enough. “From there, you can access the back door of the house.”
“Dismount. We’ll head to the stables. If everything appears normal there, we’ll enter the house.”
“I’ll remain here with the horse.” There was no need for her to go inside with Ackley.
“I intend for us to spend the night here. I’ll investigate while you sleep.”
He’d need to sleep, too. She was fairly certain he’d stayed up all last night keeping watch while she slept. Glancing at the dark house in the distance, Harley took a deep, calming breath, then dismounted. Maybe going inside would be good for her. She could say goodbye to this part of her life so she could put it behind her. Thankfully, she hadn’t been married long. If years or decades had passed, she wondered if Lyle would have broken her spirit. If she would have given up.
She walked on the horse’s right side, Ackley on its left. He didn’t make any sounds as they approached the wall. She unlatched the gate, pushing it open.
“I don’t see anyone,” he whispered. “Regardless, stay close to the horse just in case.”
Neither spoke as they crossed the property. When they reached the stables, he stepped forward and slid the door open, inspecting inside before waving Harley in. She led the horse to an empty stall.
“How many horses do you have?”
“Four. But we took them to the royal castle.”
“Good, since the stalls are empty.”
