“Nay, lady,” he rumbled softly. “Stay where you are.”
She was prepared to snap at him but again decided to keep her mouth shut. Du Bois could bully her all he wanted and she wouldn’t say a word. Turning her head away from him, she laid her left cheek on her up-bent knees and closed her eyes, struggling to keep the tears at bay. Her exhaustion had them very close to the surface.
But her eyes flew open and her head came up as the sounds of hooves suddenly intermingled with the rain. Shouting filled the air and soon there were horses and men tramping in the distance, several of them with torches. They were heading for the cluster of trees that shielded them.
Eyes wide with fear, Elizabeau slid back in du Bois’ direction until she brushed up against him. The closer the men came, the more terrified she grew.
“They’re coming closer,” she hissed. “We must run.”
He shook his head steadily. “They would only chase us down.”
“But they will find us,” she pressed. “We must flee!”
He turned to look at her, then. “My horse is bordering on exhaustion, my lady,” he replied quietly. “He would not get much farther before collapsing and that would not be a good thing on open ground. At least here, we have cover.”
“But they will find us. There is nowhere to go should we become boxed in.”
Rhys’ brilliant blue gaze remained on her a moment before his eyes suddenly traveled upwards into the trees surrounding them. An idea occurred to him as he reached out to finger one of the yearlings. “Can you climb a tree?”
She could see where he was leading and her gaze snapped to the canopy above. “These trees will never hold you,” she hissed.
“I am not concerned with me. I am only concerned with you. Can you climb a tree?”
He was deadly serious. They stared at each other a moment and she felt that odd buzzing sensation again in her head as their eyes met. Though distracted by it, she nodded. “Aye.”
“Good. Then get ready to climb. I’ll push you up as far as I can, but the rest is up to you. And you will stay there and not make a sound no matter what you see or hear. Is that clear?”
She nodded, wide-eyed, before returning her gaze to the approaching group. It seemed as if there were dozens of men, carrying both torches and weapons. They were spread out in a search pattern, searching for tracks on the ground. Just as they entered the edge of the trees, a rumble sounded off to the east. Elizabeau and Rhys turned their attention to the new sound, seeing a large party of men on horseback approach. They, too, had torches and swords drawn. Beside her, Rhys suddenly stood up and moved to his charger.
He removed his double-sheath and two broadswords from where they were lashed to the saddle. The swords were almost as long as Elizabeau was tall, enormous weapons that Rhys slung over his back and secured in a harness that wrapped around both shoulders and across his narrow waist. All he had to do was reach over either shoulder to unsheathe a weapon, or even both at the same time, making him twice as deadly an adversary than the normal knight. He then took his shield in one hand and the re-loaded cross bow in the other. He was preparing for battle. Elizabeau watched him anxiously.
“Where do you go?” she demanded.
His brilliant blue eyes watched the approaching party in the distance. “De Lohr approaches,” he replied. “I must be ready to defend you if the fighting grows close.”
She turned to see the large contingent of men closing in on the group that was near the edge of the trees. In fact, the group near the edge of the trees was scattering as de Lohr’s forces closed in. Soon, the clash of metal filled the air as the battle commenced.
Rhys stood beside Elizabeau as they watched de Lohr and his knights engage the others. Elizabeau recognized de Lohr himself in the middle of it; he was a very large man and there was no mistaking his size or strength. The sound of men struggling for their lives was amplified in the rain, which was now pounding with epic proportions. The wind howled through the trees, whipping branches about and creating spray. Elizabeau watched the battle, pulling her cloak more tightly about her slender body. It was an awesome sight.
Suddenly, a pair of knights burst into the trees near them, locked in mortal combat. Rhys and Elizabeau watched as the men fought ravenously, hacking away with skill and power. One knight’s charger slipped in the mud and the beast fell to its knees, allowing the opposing knight the upper hand. Off balance, the knight on the compromised horse was at a distinct disadvantage.
In a flash, Rhys lifted his crossbow and fired at the dominant knight, striking him squarely in the ribs when he lifted his right arm to deliver what could have been a mortal blow. The knight grunted, dropped his sword, and fell to the ground shortly thereafter.