The knights in the field below widened their line and guided their horses into a wide arc.
They were forming a maneuver to attack!
A shout echoed across the field. Two knights were pointing at her and Joneta.
God in heaven, they’d been seen!
The two men broke from the line and galloped toward them.
“Hang on!” Emma lifted the girl and ran.
Hooves pounded behind them. An arrow streaked by, drove into the soil a pace away.
Joneta screamed.
Another arrow flashed past, lodged in a nearby tree.
They weren’t going to make it! Emma set the child down. “Run. Hide deep in the woods. Whatever happens, do not look back!”
Tears streaked the child’s face. “I do not want to leave you.”
“Go!” At her command, the girl stumbled back. “Hurry!”
Joneta turned and fled, the legs of her doll bouncing beneath her arm.
Furious, Emma reached for her knife as another arrow hissed by. She might die, but damn them, she would hold the knights off until Joneta hid.
Joneta’s scream had her whirling.
As if in slow motion, the young girl slammed against the ground. Her gown flew into the air, then it crumpled upon the still form.
“Joneta!” Emma ran to her.
The child lay still.
A scream caught in her throat as Emma stumbled to a halt. God, no! From the folds of cloth covering the girl’s body rose the shaft of an arrow.
Chapter II
Cristina’s scream ripped through the air.
Heart pounding, Patrik whirled. He searched the knoll where the two knights who had broken off from the contingent had ridden—straight toward Cristina and Joneta.
The knoll lay bare.
Were they dead? After witnessing Cristina’s skill with a blade, he clung to the belief they lived. He glanced toward the tufts of sod that covered a hideout belowground where Marie lay. If only time had allowed Cristina and the child to run back.
The rumble of hooves slammed against earth as the main contingent closed on them.
He peered through the weathered wood slats, cursed. The wagon he and Fergus hid behind would buy them seconds at best.
A flaming arrow shot past, sank into the crofter’s hut. Dark smoke belched around them. The thatched roof, which had been set ablaze moments ago, now shuddered beneath the greedy flames. Sparks rained through the air, the stench of soot and growing heat suffocating.
Several more arrows whipped by.
Against the swell of smoke and the screams of the knights, Patrik readied his sword. “When they are within two lengths, I will take one with a dagger, then use my sword.”
Fergus nodded. “As I.”
