***
Talon
“Captain.”Dardinelpointed to the ground behind a hedge of bramble, a grin on hisface.“She’s left you another one.”
Talon squatted down and lifted anupside-down bird’s nest.Beneath the nest sat two rocks, andbetween the two rocks were two stems of yarrow with their whiteflowered tops pointing west, straight up the mountainside.Hestared down at them, trying to think of what little he knew ofyarrow plants, to what purpose Lara would have placed them whereand how she did.An image of her picking some to use for medicineswhen they’d ridden through Roncesvalles Pass on their way to joinup with Charles came to him, and he stood and rubbed the back ofhis neck.“This is why I love my wife.”
“So she can leavemysterious clues to help you chase her up and down mountains howmany times now?”Phillipe said.
“Exactly.”Talon motionedfor his men to circle around.“If I’m reading these clues right,they’re planning to ambush us in a pass two days from now.Now weknow when, the question is where and how.”He looked to Anglbert.“What do we have in numbers?”
“Twenty-three here now.Atlast count, twenty-seven trailing behind.”
“And them?”
“Nine riding with thewomen.But at the pass, waiting?”Anglbert adjusted his mace overhis shoulder.“I’d guess four to six more.They wouldn’t have leftmore waiting than they used to take our people.They’d know they’dneed numbers in case we did catch up with them.”
Talon looked to Willem, who’d beenborn and raised in Oloron.“Any idea where this passis?”
“No.I’ve never been westof the valley.”
“I know these hills,”Rilke, the silversmith, spoke up.“I’ve been trading up and downthem the last five years.”
“Trading?”Talon said.“With Basques?”
“With some Basques, yes.With these Basques, I don’t know.I do know a pass two days’ ridefrom here.”
Talon looked to Phillipe and posed hissilent question.After a moment’s thought, Phillipe nodded.Helooked to Anglbert, who stared hard at the silversmith beforegiving Talon a nod as well.Talon eyed Rilke.The silversmith stoodtall and square shouldered at his perusal.He suspected Nithard hadplanted a spy in the valley, though he had no idea who.He’d heardno harm of Rilke before or since Mallus, and something in the man’ssteady gaze told Talon he could trust him.And yet.
“Before you answer me,Rilke, think hard on what I say.”Talon lifted his chin towardWillem.“This man stands to lose his wife, his son, his wife’ssister, and their mother.”He jutted his jaw toward Anglbert.“Thisman his wife, or as good as.”He looked to Phillipe.“This man wasa step away from going down on bended knee to his intended.”Talondrew himself up and watched Rilke’s gaze follow him.“Nithard andhis Basque cohorts have taken my wife and child.”He swallowed hisgall.“Lie to me now, and your life is forfeit.”
“I’ve had the honor ofmeeting your ladies, sir Count.”Rilke never let his gaze waverfrom Talon’s.“The countess ordered a present for you from mywares, for the one-year anniversary of your marriage.Your ladywife is as gracious as she is beautiful, and your daughter asprite’s version of her mother.”
“Then you know,” Talonsaid, his voice catching.“You know I can’t lose them.”
Rilke nodded.
“You’re sure of thispass?”
“I am.”
Talon made his decision.“What’s theterrain like between here and the pass?”
“Straight up.Not toorocky.Trees thin out the higher you get.”
Talon gazed up the mountain’s side.“Can we ride around them, get ahead of them in two days’time?”
Rilke rubbed his stubbled jaw.“We’dhave to double our pace and hope they don’t do thesame.”
“They won’t.They don’twant to lose us.They keep their pace to ours.”Talon glanced downthe mountain to the cloud of dust from the valley’s men stillplodding on behind them.He took the measure of the men there withhim.Oswald was the closest to his size, but he didn’t want to bemissing his bow or his sword arm when the fighting came.The Blackwould likely let Anglbert ride him, but Talon knew better than toask him to stay behind when Berta was one of the captives.Plus, hewas still deadly with that mace of his.He looked to Dardinel.“Canyou ride the Black?”
“Captain?”
“I need someone to ridethe Black, wearing my armor and leading the farmers behind us as ifhe were me, and the farmers, armed warriors.”
Dardinel glanced down the mountain andthen back to Talon, his disappointment showing.
“I’d rather you wereriding with us as well,” Talon told him.“You’re a good man in afight, but we need to give them something to watch and worry aboutwhile we swing around them.”
