The Lady Quill Chronicles - The Promise

The Lady Quill Chronicles - The Promise - Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Rand crouched in the clearing and studied the ground carefully. From what he could tell there were tracks  of several horses and a few hunting dogs.

“Master?” Bron was on his knees beside him, “Master, you know what this means?”

“That they met up with a hunting party from Gradock.”

“More than that Master,” replied Bron, “Two horses continued in that direction,’ Bron pointed off into the forest before, ‘but they left some one here.”

Anxiety became evident in Rand’s eyes and Bron noticed tension beginning to build up in his Master’s frame.

“Twas neither of the ladies, Master.” Bron pointed to the disturbed ground, “there was an almighty fight.”

“The warrior?” asked Rand quickly.

“Yes Master, I would say that he sent the ladies on alone and held the hunt here so that they could make it to safety.”

“Why were they in danger from the hunt?” asked  Rand turning to survey the surroundings.

 Bron shook his head indicating ignorance.

 “Very well; for some reason they were in danger from the hunt, the warrior stayed and fought…but it does not seem as though they killed him, there is no blood.”

“No.” agreed Bron, “The fighting was fierce but when the warrior went down they dragged him over here,” Bron stepped over to where the leaves had been dragged into a pile, “From here they must have lifted him onto a horse.”

“Then Lady Adele is without protection.”

“Perhaps.”

Rand had stood and was making his way back to his horse, but he turned at this utterance and watched as Bron frowned down at the ground.

“What is it?”

Bron hesitated.

“Something that I do not understand.” he pointed again to the ground, “This is another two sets of horse tracks which are only a few hours old, they enter from a different direction to the rest, one rider dismounted and followed lady Adele’s tracks, the other took both horses and returned from whence he came.”   

“What!” Rand returned to Bron’s side, “What is this all about?” murmured Rand raising his hand to his brow in bewilderment and closing his eyes.

“Why did the warrior think that lady Adele would not be safe from Gradock’s men? Why did he prefer to risk sending them away without protection into he knew not what danger? Why did Gradock seize the warrior in the first place with such violence and then let him go, yet deny him a horse?” Rand looked again to Bron as if appealing for an answer to the conundrum.

“Perhaps Master, the only way we will ever know is to find the one who makes those tracks.”

Bron caught the bridle of Lord Rand’s horse and led it to his Master. It was only when both men were seated on their mounts again that Rand spoke .

“We have followed this man for some days now Bron, have you not yet learnt that he is harder to keep track of than you might at first think?”

Bron looked vaguely affronted.

“I have yet to meet the man I could not track.”

“And so you doubt that such a man exists?” returned his Master with a grin.