Page 77 of Sword of Rage
Curiosity got the better of him. “Have you ever been in love?”
“Once when I was much younger. He was my brother’s friend.” She smiled. “When my parents found out I fancied him, he wasn’t allowed to come to our house anymore. I never saw him again. My brother said he wasn’t good enough for me.”
Strange that they considered Lyle good enough for her. “I imagine a great many men aren’t good enough for you.”
“There’s an abandoned barn up ahead,” Ledger announced. “We’ll sleep there for the night.”
“We passed it on the way to meet you,” Gytha added. “We checked it out. It’s safe.”
As the sky darkened, the four of them reached a small, secluded barn on the outskirts of a village. There were no horses in sight, leaving Ackley to believe that Russek must have taken them. He dismounted, observing the area. The walls had holes, and the roof was in dire need of repair. If a storm came through, he wasn’t certain the barn would hold up. Perhaps there weren’t any horses because no one lived here and the place was abandoned. However, it would be better than sleeping in a tent for the night.
While removing his horse’s saddle, Gytha approached.
“We need to talk,” she whispered.
Harley dismounted, and Ledger rushed over to help her. He removed her saddle, irritating Ackley because she was perfectly capable of doing it on her own.
“What’s your take on Lady Harley?” Gytha whispered.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Owen wants to know if you have any hesitations about trusting her implicitly? Something about depending on how it went with her parents?” Her face remained expressionless, although Ackley could tell she wanted to know the details.
“I trust her. Owen doesn’t need to worry.”
She nodded.
“Why?” he asked.
“Your answer determined our next course of action.”
“Which is?”
“There’s a well not far from here,” Ledger said, interrupting them. “I’ll get the horses water.”
“And I’ll handle supper,” Gytha said.
“Harley and I will see to the horses.”
“We’ll finish this conversation later,” Gytha whispered before going over to her horse and grabbing a bow and arrows. She slunk into the nearby forest.
“Is Ledger from these parts?” Ackley asked Harley when they were alone.
“I have no idea.”
It surprised him that she didn’t know much about the man, considering she’d spent several weeks with him.
Once all the saddles had been removed, Ackley slid the barn doors open. Harley led two of the horses inside while he brought the remaining two in. After situating each in its own stall, they found some hay and fed the animals. Ledger returned with buckets of water, putting one in each stall.
Toward the front of the barn, Ackley pushed a few farming tools out of the way, making a space large enough for them to sit comfortably.
“If we keep the doors open, we can have a fire here,” Ledger said.
Ackley eyed the hay and half rotten wood all around them.
“Never mind,” Ledger mumbled. “I’ll make a fire outside and cook the food there.”
“Good idea,” Ackley replied, patting the man on his back. “I suggest you get to it.”
