Page 137 of Royal Rebel

“Maybe—”

“They’re here for us. Tobin is with them.”

Mia’s eyes rounded, but she lifted her bag without a word. He shouldered his pack as well, and then he took her hand and tugged her from the room. The stairs led to the common room, which was deserted. Jon was somewhere hiding his gold, and hopefully Timothy had found his brothers.

Grayson could hear the soldiers outside, their voices muffled as the leader called for everyone to dismount. He pushed open the door at the back of the common room and closed it more gently behind them.

The early morning air was cold, the sun not yet peeking over the mountains, though it was close. Long shadows stretched over the yard, and through their joined hands, Grayson felt Mia shiver. The forest was on their left, but a small copse of thick trees was closer, and to their right. He tugged her right, guiding them through the inn’s garden, past the logs that were only half chopped, and to the trees at the edge of the yard.

As soon as they reached the shelter of the trees, Grayson crouched behind a large boulder and raised a finger to his lips.

Mia nodded once. Her fear was evident, but so was her trust in him. Her palm braced against the stone that hid them, and they waited.

It didn’t take long for soldiers to shove through the back door of the inn, the captain in the lead. They all scanned the yard, and the captain swore. “You men, into the forest. Find them!”

Six men broke off, running toward the edge of the woods—the logical place for Grayson and Mia to have fled.

Despite the still-present danger, Grayson’s muscles loosened slightly.

The captain kicked a stone, sending it skittering into the mostly depleted garden. “Bring them out here,” he snapped.

The small hairs at the back of Grayson’s neck lifted.

Tobin was the first to be shoved into the yard. Right behind him was Jon, who looked thunderous. Too soon, Grayson saw why.

Mia inhaled sharply as Timothy, Garrett, and Keegan were pushed into the yard.

Tobin was pale and wringing his hands. “It’s not my fault they’re gone. I reported them to you as soon as I realized who they—”

The captain backhanded the physician.

Mia jerked beside Grayson, her breathing strained.

Tobin’s shoulders rolled inward, and he kept his head down.

The captain turned to Jon. “Did they say where they were headed?”

“No,” the innkeeper said, his voice deep and tight.

“There were no clues?”

“No.”

The captain’s lip curled, and he cursed again. Grayson didn’t blame him; the king would take a personal interest in the men who lost Grayson’s trail. The captain glared at Jon. “You harbored fugitives. That’s a serious crime.”

“Didn’t know who they were,” Jon said tersely. “They paid. That’s all I cared about.”

“I don’t think the king will see it that way.”

The threat hung heavy in the air, strengthening the tension in the yard.

Jon folded his arms across his chest, his shoulders stiff. “You can search their room, but I don’t know what else you expect me to do.”

The captain straightened. “Bring them all to the street.”

The soldiers shoved Tobin, Jon, and the three boys to start moving. Keegan tripped, and Garrett had to steady him. They all disappeared around the corner of the inn.

Mia shot Grayson a frantic look. “What’s going to happen to them?” she asked in a bare whisper.

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