“Leg knife,now.”
Lara lifted her skirt and handed theblade to him.He motioned with it toward the other women andchildren, who were being herded together by the other four raiders.Reinforcing her stay command to Wolf with a hand signal, Larajoined the other women and took a hiccupping Isabeau in her arms.“What now?”she asked the leader.
“Now, we tie you together,take you with us.”
“To where?”
“You find out when wethere,” he said as two of his men poked and prodded the women intoa straight line and a third man started tying their hands to a lineof rope.
“Is it a long journey?”she asked, switching Isabeau to her hip.
“Long enough.”
Lara indicated the heavily pregnantMarta, who stood crying into her grandmother’s shoulder.“She istoo far along with child.She won’t survive a journey of anylength, and the babe won’t survive if born this early.”
The leader had a quick conversationwith the slightly older man who’d threatened to shoot Wolf and whoseemed to be his second.She heard the words “baby” and “die” and“slow down” and “move fast.”
“She can stay,” the leadertold Lara.The older man went to Marta and started to pull her awayfrom Berta, who went red-faced and mother hen, screeching andslapping at the man’s hands.
“Berta,” Lara called outover the din.“Berta, stop.They’re letting Marta stay here.She’llbe safe here.”Until our men find her.Then she’ll be able to tell them what happened.
“Baina, Inigo,” one of theother men said.“Ranulf…” The only other words Lara recognized were“all” and “women.”
“Ez keskatu.”Don’tworry, the leader, Inigo, answered.“Lortuko du haren sariakpreziatua.”He’llget his precious prizes.
Forewarned by the Basques speakingRanulf’s name, Lara was prepared when they crossed the river intothe woods where a hooded man waited with horses enough for each manand woman, plus a spare, no doubt meant for Marta.
“Hello, cousin,” she saidto the hooded man, whose slight frame and slender fingers gave himaway.“When do we meet up with my uncle?”
Ranulf whipped the hood from his headas Inigo and his second exchanged glances.“What makes you thinkyou or your brat are going a single step farther?”
Lara tilted her head, absorbing thefact that he didn’t seem surprised at her calling him cousin.Shesmiled, slow and smug, baiting him.She wanted to see who was incharge, and prayed it was the Basque, Inigo, who’d shown mercy toMarta and her unborn child.Ranulf would have killed them bothrather than leave them behind.
“I know if it were up toyou, I’d already have an arrow through my heart,” she said.“Yourfather must have other plans for me, or he figures this time itwill work only if he kills me himself, since you’ve failed twicebefore.”
“Shut up, witch,” Ranulfhissed.
“Sorgina,” one of the Basquesmuttered.Witch.
He and two other men crossedthemselves and stepped back from her.Talon had told her what heknew of the Basques during their march up the Pyrenees to joinCharles, and one of those things was that they were a verysuperstitious people.A fact she intended to use against hercaptors in any way she could.
“Bai,” she said with her fiercest smile.“Sorgina.”
Ranulf spit onto the ground, the menmuttered and crossed themselves again, and Inigo spoke to a fourthman, who untied Lara’s hands and indicated that she should mount ahorse another man held next to her.They did this with each womanin turn, tied the horses to another line, and rode west up themountain’s side with one rider taking point, Inigo, his second, andRanulf riding behind the point man, followed by the line of women,and brought up the rear by the other three Basques.
They rode from noon until dusk, andonly stopped then because Berta fainted and fell off her horse.Holding Isabeau tight, Lara jumped off her mount and kneeled atBerta’s head.She let Isabeau loose to walk around while she liftedBerta’s lids to see her eyes rolled back in her head.
“Water,” she called out asInigo and his second were making their way to her and Berta.“Sheneeds water.”
Wilric started crying that he neededto go pee, and Doralice slid off her horse and hit the ground in apile of skirts and tears.
“Everybody, dismount,”Inigo ordered.“Stretch legs, drink water, relieveselves.”
He handed Lara a water skin, and shedripped some onto the hem of her skirt and wiped Berta’s flushedand sweaty face with it.Berta’s eyes fluttered open.
“It’s me, Berta.You felloff your horse.”Lara held the water skin to Berta’s parched lips.“Take a sip.Slowly, slowly, you don't want to make yourself sickdrinking too much too fast.”
When Berta was able, Lara and Inigohelped her back onto her feet, then Enid escorted her mother behindsome bushes to relieve herself.
