“The switch has been discovered, sir. The Saxons are hunting for Lieutenant Gallagher.”
Marc’s stoic expression didn’t change, but he had to be unnerved by the news. I pressed my fingers to the back of his hand, catching his attention. He quirked an eyebrow at me. “It was to be expected.” He addressed Bran. “Will they be able to search your quarters, sir?”
“We’ll make sure they’re empty before they get here.” Bran glanced outside, at the sun hanging low in the distance. “We’re still a good thirty minutes from sundown. I hoped you’d have the cover of darkness, but we’ll have to work around the remaining daylight. To your positions. Rendezvous as agreed.”
The soldiers dispersed in a flurry, Bran staying a few moments longer. He reverted back to our native language and spoke softly to me. “Take care, Ms. Cammell. Do
not
take any risks.”
It was time to go. I tugged the dark brown cap low on my head, partly to disguise my face, but also to hide my cropped hair—a giveaway of my slave status. Jared and Marc both wore leather armor, the same as Bran’s squadron, and Jared now hid his bandaged hands in leather gloves. I hoped it would be enough. “Jared, how long will it be until Rowena realizes you’ve gone?”
His fingers flexed around the knife Bran had given him. “Any time now. She’ll be expecting me to serve her at dinner.”
Jared
The
ghardian
stared at Lila before they left the room. “Excuse me for this.” He reached into the cold fireplace and rubbed his fingers in the remains of the ash, and then wiped some rough smears on her face. “Your hands too. A servant wouldn’t be so clean.” She blushed under his scrutiny, the color making her eyes sparkle, and Jared felt a spike of jealousy at the
ghardian
. He had to look away. He couldn’t bear to see the other man holding her hands, dirtying them. The memory of those slender fingers on him, loving him, was too raw. He breathed through his nose, blinked at the sky, and forced himself to wait.
“We hide best in plain sight, remember.” Marc repositioned her cap, his fingers brushing against her cheek in the process. “You are my servant, and we have every right to be here. It will look as though we’re going to join the feast.” He nodded to Jared. “Let’s go.”
They strolled down the corridors, chatting about unimportant things, with Lila trailing a step behind like a well-trained servant. Instead of heading deeper into the building, toward the banquet hall, they peeled off and went outside.
Mischa had been right. Saxons bustled around the courtyard in small groups, a general sense of unease visible in their lack of coordination. Some had been called straight from their quarters, by the look of it. Buckles were being fastened and armor hastily fitted as they gathered. One of the child slaves was busy lighting torches, and Jared was struck with a horrible realisation.
Kai
. He’d forgotten about Kai.
The Saxons didn’t seem to notice them ducking into the stable block, and Jared led the group to the corner where he’d stashed the tack. He handed them a lightweight saddle each, along with a pair of bridles. “Top field has our two ponies. It’s about ten minutes’ walk, heading up the side of the hill.” He looked directly at Lila, drinking in her image for what was possibly the last time. “You’ll need to share. I’ll take the second one with Kai. Leave our tack on the ground. Just get the hell out of here as soon as you see the blaze.” God knows how, he managed to dredge up a reassuring smile for Lila. “We’ll only be a few minutes behind you, but don’t wait.”
She opened her mouth, no doubt to object, but he talked over her. “It’ll be easier for us to get away separately, rather than riding out together.”
Lila nodded at his words, although she looked uncertain. He swallowed as he gazed at her. So many things he wanted to say, but he was out of time.
Marc shifted his feet on the straw laden floor. “We’ll wait in the village.”
In the gloom of the stable, Lila’s eyes looked huge. She glanced up at the
ghardian
and then back to Jared. Did she suspect? Jared couldn’t speak. Twisting inside in agony, he felt as though his heart was being ripped from his chest, one piece at a time. He turned his gaze to the
ghardian
, hoping Marc would understand his unvoiced plea.
Please take her away
, he begged silently.
This is killing me.
One last kiss, did he dare? Her lips called to him, the sweetest siren song. He couldn’t resist. He began to lean forward, everything in slow motion. One last taste, enough to sustain him. One last memory.
A noise in the doorway snagged his attention. A slave carrying a pail of water. The boy kept his head down and made his way to one of the horses, and the moment had gone. Marc placed a hand on Lila’s shoulder. “We must go.” His gaze met Jared’s. Jared felt as if his spirit was hovering above his body, watching as he stood there, frozen.
Lila fussed with her cap, pulled the bridle higher onto her shoulder and flashed a smile at Marc. “I’ll follow you.” The smile grew and danced as she turned back to Jared. “We’ll see you soon. Stay safe.”
No
, he wanted to cry.
Please don’t go. I’ve only just found you again. Please don’t leave me.
Instead, he nodded, struck dumb by the weight of emotion. She hesitated, maybe waiting for him to speak, and then moved away. He had to say something. One final goodbye. “Lila.” She paused, peered over her shoulder. He opened and closed his mouth, searching for the right words. “Be…” He nearly said
happy
. Nearly. “Be careful.” She gave him a puzzled nod and left, taking the remains of his heart with her.
Lila
I tried very hard to look composed and confident, but inside I was a trembling mass of nerves. Leaving Jared behind seemed wrong. Their plans made sense, and we’d left the hall earlier than expected, but it gnawed at me as we set out for the fields. He’d looked lost. As though I’d abandoned him. I trudged behind Marc, hugging close to the high hedges for cover, and kept the metal parts of the bridle close to my body to muffle any sound. The sun lurked on the horizon, long fingers of light flooding the paths ahead. We’d be visible from the courtyard below. I snagged Marc’s tunic with my fingertips, and he stopped instantly.
“It’s too bright. What if they see us?”
He pointed to a ditch up ahead. “We’ll crouch in that. We only need to wait ten minutes or so.” He moved closer. “Be careful talking. The wind is blowing from us down to the yard.”
I shivered despite the warmth of the evening, anxiety swirling in my gut. Jared had been right about the weather. Storm clouds were building in the distance and the wind was rising.
Huddled with Marc in the ditch, my shivering ramped up a notch. Marc frowned at me. He took the tack from my hands and laid it all carefully on the ground, and then gently slipped an arm across my shoulders and tucked his cloak around us both. It felt wrong, now that Jared and I had been intimate, but I couldn’t say that.
I stiffened against him, and he obviously noticed. “Take my warmth. Let me look after you, Lila.” His mouth brushed close to my ear. “Please.”
I inched closer, and let him hold me tight, my nose pressed against the base of his throat. I had too much going on in my head and I blurted out a question. “What would happen if I didn’t go back with you?”
There was a long pause before he replied, his breath tickling my skin. “Didn’t go back, as in stayed behind?” I gave an awkward shrug and felt him sigh in return. “I couldn’t let you stay. You know that. Aside from the runaway status, I swore an oath of protection, Lila. I don’t break my word.”
Every syllable dumped another load of guilt. What had happened to me? I used to be so focused and honest.
You fell in love with Jared
, said a little voice inside my head.
“Marc, do you believe in love?”
Another long silence. I thought he was going to duck the question, and I was about to say he didn’t have to answer, when he huffed out a long breath. “I believe in trust and responsibility. Loyalty and respect.
Ghardians
are trained to control their emotions, and love is the strongest and most destructive of them all.” I felt one of his hands rubbing slow circles at the base of my spine. Soothing. He cleared his throat. “I suppose the better question might be, do you
need
love?”
Yes
.
Marc froze beside me. “Shhh,” he whispered in my ear. “We have company.”
Jared
Look confident
. Jared left the shelter of the stables and ambled across the busy courtyard. Kai wouldn’t be ready yet and, in any case, he needed to allow Lila enough time to get to the ponies. What could he do to kill some time? The only thing that would give him away was his odd-colored eyes, but in this dim light he didn’t think anyone could tell.
Slipping into the banquet hall, he noticed a couple of Bran’s soldiers and went to stand near them. They nodded politely and then continued their low but heated discussion. They spoke in their native tongue, obviously believing that Jared wouldn’t understand them. He listened while pretending to sharpen his eating dagger. They paid him no notice, and his ears picked up at the word
detonation
. Were they laying explosives? What the hell was their mission? There was plainly more to it than rescuing Lila.
One of the kitchen slaves approached the table with a tray of goblets, and Jared stepped away into the shadows. He walked with a casual, unhurried step to the wide archway entrance and back toward the courtyard. Wasting more time. Giving a greater safety margin to Lila. He puzzled over the snippet of conversation he’d caught and dismissed it. He must have heard wrongly. He forced his brain to think about the escape, the fire, the soldiers. Anything but the blonde girl moving farther from him with every passing minute.
It’d nearly killed him, leaving her the first time. How in God’s name would he survive this time? Did he even want to?
Lost in his misery, he collided with a slave coming out of the kitchen.
Connad
. “My apologies, sire.” The slave ducked his head and hunched his shoulders, almost certainly expecting a blow. Jared couldn’t breathe. This slave, more than most, could expose him.
Agonizing seconds ticked by before he could move. He shoved at the slave’s chest and growled in an exaggerated accent. “Watch your step.” He felt light headed, and his knees trembled as he watched Connad hurry away. Jared leaned against the nearby wall while he tried to get his erratic heartbeat under control.
Christ
. That was too close for comfort and a timely reminder to keep his head in the game. He’d mourn Lila when he knew she was safely away from here. Safe with her
ghardian
.
Lila
Marc eased free and placed one finger on his lips as a warning, drawing his sword at the same time. It made a low whistling noise as it slipped free from the leather scabbard. Over it, I heard a dull jingle and the thud of approaching footsteps. More than one guard. I freed my own knife and waited, ready for Marc to give me directions.
He gestured toward the darkest part of the ditch, and I complied, squashing myself into the smallest outline, staying in the depths of the shadows. To my side, Marc stood alert and watchful. I squinted into the dusk, my ears straining to hear the slightest noise. Two Saxon warriors rounded the corner, stomping up from the courtyard. Their grumbling was noisy and clear: the missing prisoner was keeping them from dinner; it was obvious he’d made his escape hours ago; searching the fields was a pointless exercise.
I adjusted my grip on the dagger. Right now I wished I’d taken Marc’s earlier offer to carry his stunner. Marc had vanished in the growing shadows, and for a terrifying heartbeat I thought he’d left me. I saw a tiny flash of metal to my left and blinked, relief bringing a lump to my throat.
With a speed and accuracy that took me by surprise, Marc pulled the second Saxon into the shallow ditch, sliced across his throat, one hand over his mouth and then tossed the body to the ground. The leading Saxon turned and reached for his own weapon, but it was too late. Marc dispatched him the same as his colleague. Within seconds, two bleeding corpses lay at my feet.
“You.
They
,” I squeaked, scrambling away from the dead warriors. Marc leaned down and wiped the blade clean on their clothes. Words failed me. I sat back on my heels, fingers pressed to my face, trying to hold onto the contents of my stomach.
Ghardians
were soldiers but they rarely killed. The risks to the timeline were too great. These men were
dead
. I shuffled farther away. I stared at Marc as I tried to articulate my question. He pulled me to a standing position before I found my tongue.
“The timeline. You’ve corrupted the timeline.”
“No.” His sword hissed as he plunged it back into the scabbard. He handed me both bridles and hoisted the saddles onto one shoulder. “We’ll go faster like this.” Before I could object, he grabbed my free hand and meshed his fingers with mine, giving me a squeeze. “This is an unusual mission, Lila. Commander Fleur has authorised the use of deadly force on all hostile parties.”
His hand felt warm, strong and reassuring. I recalled how safe he made me feel.
“Come.” He couldn’t have missed my hesitation. “I’ll explain as much as I can, but we must hurry. We still have a walk to reach the field.”
He spoke rapidly in a low voice, the words tripping over each other. “The comm-signal went through, but the retrieval team had difficulty fixing a jump location. They jumped early and have been in London for the past month, working with some Briton rebels that were planning a raid on Widreth. The raid was detailed in the archives as a spectacular Trojan-horse attack. This group of rebels pretended to ally with Widreth, came back to his homestead and attacked from inside when the guards were all asleep.” He flashed a smile at me, his white teeth gleaming in the near darkness. “The soldiers were mostly hungover from the solstice celebrations, and the rebels claimed an easy victory.”