Page 9 of The Knight's Pledge
“No matter the cost, we must make sure that he is safe. Sir Lucan, you are the only one of us with any hope of getting near the palace outside of shackles. Will you help us?” The man’s brown eyes were intense, sincere, and Lucan couldn’t help but feel a recognition there. “Please,” Gorman said softly.
“I need time…” Lucan began.
Effie pushed Gorman’s arm out of the way. “We don’t have time!”
“Ihave to think.”
“You can think on the way there,”she challenged.
“I doubt I could sit a horse.”
Dana piped up brightly. “We have thecorpse wagon!”
“Oh,right,” Gilboe responded with dawning enthusiasm. “He could lie in the back!”
“That’s actually quite good,” Gorman admitted.
Lucan found he was frowning. “I don’t think I like the sound of a corpse wagon. My horse—”
“I’ll ride your horse,” Effie volunteered.
“Thehell you will.”
Gorman shook his head. “No, we’ll tether him to the back; he’ll be more likely to follow willingly if he can see his master.”
“You can rest along the way,” Dana cooed.
“And ask God’s guidance for what you might do,” Gilboe suggested.
“Or,” Effie’s eyes were neither sympathetic nor enthusiastic, “you can say no. In which case, we shall blindfold you and leave you in the deepest part of the forest. So you shan’t be able to lead othersto the Warren.”
“I do doubt I would find it so difficult,” Lucan jeered.
“It’s eluded you forfifteen years.”
He felt his ears burn, but tried to hide his consternation. “You realize you’ve kidnapped a knightof the realm.”
“How dare you accuse Rolf of such a thing,” Dana huffed. Lucan thought for a moment that he glimpsed an Adam’s apple, but then it disappeared beneath a rather square jaw dropped in disappointment. “Hasn’t our Winnie healed you?”
“That remains to be seen.”
“You’ll be a hero,” Gilboe encouraged. “A warriorfor the Lord.”
“You’re certainly free to crawl back to Steadport Hall and wrap yourself in your wounded pride and rot beneath the weight of your ego. Until the king sends for you himself,” Effie added pointedly. “We leave within the hour, with or without you.”
Lucan felt all four pairs of eyes watching him. He knew he wasn’t yet thinking clearly, but he was being pressed into making a choice. If he refused to accompany the party of bandits, they would leave him in the woods to find his way back to Steadport Hall. His condition mayworsen unaided.
If he agreed to go with them…well, it was only hastening the inevitable, was it not? And if he improved en route and changed his mind, he could always abandon the mission.
“Alright,” Lucan said at last.
“Huzzah!” Dana squealed and gave a short burst of applause.
Gilboe turned with a swirl of brown robes, one of his stubby fingers pointing heavenward. “I’ll ready thecorpse wagon.”
“Gilboe, alert my father as well,” Gorman called after the friar.
“Oh, Rolf is already with the horses,” Dana advised and then glanced at Lucan with a proud smirk. “So conscientious. Like father,like son, no?”
