“But Garreth…”
“Let’s go child, time is running out. I want you out of the city and into the Dark Woods before first light. Now. Let’s go.”
He grabbed her by the hand, and together they rushed down the stairs and out the back door to the waiting wagon.
CHAPTER 10
Garreth led Melenthia out the door and down the corridor to some stairs that ran along the back of the building. The only other two people staying in the inn were still asleep, and no one was in the tavern at this time of morning. They went through the tavern, through the kitchen and out the back door. Kya was waiting for them just outside the stables. They went through the stables to a wagon with a tarp covering the back cargo area. Conor sat in the driving seat.
Garreth helped Melenthia up into the back of the wagon. He tried his best to smile.
“Stay covered until Conor tells you it’s clear. He’ll take you to your horse. From there, stay to the woods until you get to the Xanthe. There’s a ferry that will take you across into Isamar. The ferryman is expecting you, and he’s already been paid. Be careful, Melenthia, and God speed.”
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, then hugged Kya. She then laid down, and Garreth and Kya covered her with the tarps. They were dusty and smelled like tubers, but she hunkered down as best she could and did her best to be still.
“Whatever you do, Melenthia, don’t move. Kya’s cousin knows Conor is coming through and will make sure his pass through the gate is speedy, but whatever happens, stay down and don’t move.”
When she was settled in a relatively comfortable spot, she told them to go; she felt the wagon lurch forward and start down the street. She lay on her back, with the tarps falling on her, the rough surface of them scratching her face. The wagon ride was bumpy and jostled her around quite a bit, but she stayed very still. She thought about what Garreth had told her about the stranger. She knew that if Fallon was on to the fact already that she had run, she would not have time to get enough of a lead on him. She knew he was early, but could he have possibly been that early? There were strange things happening around the kingdom; perhaps he had learned to play with time, too. She admonished herself for being silly but then remembered that people had said he was known for playing around with dark magic. Anything could be possible, she supposed, and the thoughts of what he could do if the rumors were true frightened her beyond sanity.
The wagon plodded along, and soon she was so used to the up and down movement of the wagon wheels on the dirt road, she allowed it to hypnotize her, and she drifted off to sleep.
***
Melenthia awoke to Conor shaking her urgently. “M’lady you must get up, now! Please, Melenthia you need to go.”
She jumped from the rear of the wagon and looked at him.
“What is it, Conor? What’s happened?”
“Someone is taking an interest in you, m’lady. They’re coming back for us.”
She looked in the direction where Conor was pointing and saw three horsemen heading in their direction. They were trotting, not seeming to be in that much of a hurry and thought perhaps Conor was just being paranoid. Until she felt a chill run from the top of her spine all the way down to her toes. She felt somehow violated, like something was digging down into her heart and listening to all her desires. She felt cold and scared. She squinted in their direction. The lead horseman was covered; he was wearing a cloak, and the hood was pulled up. The other two men had on mail and wore the colors of the Rommel house, black tabards over mail with green gryphons embroidered on the front, silver piping along the edges. She suddenly decided Conor wasn’t being paranoid. She scrambled down from the wagon and started pulling Conor toward the woods. He was pulling back.
“Conor, let’s go, we have to run.”
“You have to run, Melenthia. They’ll catch you if you don’t.”
“I’m not leaving you out here.”
“My father made me promise to get you to your horse safely, to make sure you escaped. I won’t let him down.”
If they were not being pursued by enemy horseman she would have swooned with honor, but time was short. She kissed him on the cheek.
“If anything happens to you, I’ll never forgive myself.”
“I’ll be fine. Go, now, Melenthia, before it’s too late.”
She let go of his hand and raced into the woods. Her horse was waiting for her just inside the trees, the bags weighted down with supplies. The horse lifted her head when she approached, nickered, and rubbed her nose against her.
“No time for play, Lila, we have to go now.”
She swung up into the saddle and snapped the reins. “Go girl.”