The Lady Quill Chronicles - The Promise

The Lady Quill Chronicles - The Promise - Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Finan strode through the camp his mind filled with worry. If Gradock had Rafe was it possible that he would hand him back unharmed? The Gradock family were after all known for their fiery temper and Lord Gradock’s was particularly vengeful. Finan blanched at the thought.

“The men are ready, Finan,” Leofric emerged out of the mist, his face grim,  completely different from the usual genial expression that resided there making him appear much older.  

“Good.”

Finan took the reins from the boy who held his horse  and swung up onto its back before giving the command to get under way.

“What do you expect to find,  Finan?” asked Leofric quietly.

“Pray Fricka: more fervently than ever you have before.”

Leofric nodded for both knew that the chances of Rafe still being alive were slim at best, old Lord Gradock was still smarting from King Ine’s request…no, demand…that the matter between him and Rafe be settled with money rather than blood.

There was little hope and Leofric knew that, so why was he finding it so hard to believe that Rafe was probably already dead? He had engaged in enough battles to have had the idealism that he had once possessed, stripped away. He knew the odds, he wasn’t naive and he had learnt long ago the penalties of the lives that they led. They had only reached the outskirts of the camp when Leofric raised his hand to still the men.

“What is it?”

Leofric looked anxious and shook his head.

“I don’t know, I thought I heard something.”

“What?”

“I’m not sure,” replied Leofric.

“We have no time for this, Fricka.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Leofric demanded, Finan shook his head and sat motionless, listening. After a while he turned sharply.

“Horses.”

Leofric nodded.

“And coming from different directions,” as Finan spoke he was pulling his sword free of its sheath.

Leofric watched the movement, sensing the tension that hid beneath his calm exterior before turning his eyes back to the thick whiteness before them.

-------

Rafe moved quickly, he knew that his pursuers were close and once again was grateful for the covering mist. He could hear the sound of horses, not only behind him, but also hemming him in on each side. He knew that only three men had followed him and had surmised that the rest had followed Eda and Adele’s tracks, they would come from an eastern direction and would therefore be the riders on his left. But who were the mounted men on his right?

Rafe watched the two groups of horsemen on each side of him halt some distance from each other and even over the gap that separated them from him, saw each man reach for his sword.

“Who are you and what business do you have here?”

It was Finan’s voice breaking the silence, it’s timbre challenging.

Rafe heaved a large sigh and cautiously made his way toward the huge animal that Finan was astride, belatedly recognizing the beast as his friend’s favourite horse, Brute.

“Tis a question I have been burning to ask these three days.”

Finan’s head turned sharply in his direction and Rafe saw barely contained relief in his friend’s face.