Chapter 24
The punch resounded through the main room of the inn.
Marcus’s head snapped to the side with the movement. He shook it to clear the throbbing in his mind and turned his head, spitting blood. His hands were tied behind his back; his lower lip, fat from a blow one of the soldiers delivered; his eye, swollen closed.
The soldier who had hit him stepped back, and Guillume leaned close to Marcus. “Where did she go?”
Marcus sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. Not that he would tell them, even if he did know. He waited for another blow. “It doesn’t matter how many times you hit me. I can’t tell you what I don’t know.” He met Guillume’s detestable glare with one of his own. Hate boiled in Marcus’s blood. Traitor. He had believed in his cousin. He had trusted him. But Sage had been right.
Sage.His entire body ached for her. He was sorry for getting her involved in this. Lord, he hoped she’d got away. He hoped she took the book and ran. He hoped she would not come back. He almost laughed out loud. Just when he thought his future looked bright, just when he believed his luck was finally changing, it was all taken away from him. Now, he simply hoped to survive.
Still, his mind dwelled on Sage. The thought of never seeing her again caused him more agony than all the beatings the toothless soldier had delivered.
The back door opened, and another soldier entered the room.
Guillume walked over to the man. “Where is she?”
Marcus turned his head and bent in slightly to hear what the guard said. He held his breath, waiting for another soldier to haul Sage in.
Instead, the soldier shook his head. “She eluded us.”
“Eluded you?” Guillume said from between clenched teeth.
Happiness and pride erupted inside Marcus, and he couldn’t help the grin that formed on his lips.
“Yes, m’lord. She escaped. She entered the village and...disappeared,” the soldier explained.
Sage had got away. She had the book, and she had disappeared. He was proud of her, and he was relieved they had not been able to capture her. She was clever. And well trained. For that, he was grateful.
“Disappeared?” Guillume roared. He shoved the soldier back, furious. “Find her. Find her now. I want that book. Do you understand? Find her!”
“Yes, m’lord,” the soldier said and hurried out of the inn.
Guillume stood stiffly with his fists balled, glaring after the soldier.
Marcus could almost see the steam rising from his flesh. He smiled around his fat lip, relishing Guillume’s defeat. If they hadn’t found Sage by now, she was long gone. Hopefully, she was traveling back toward le Bezu to meet with her sisters. Marcus’s joy faded as the realization hit him that he wouldn’t be there when she finally decoded the book. He wouldn’t be there when she saw her family again. He wouldn’t be there, ever.
His heart ached to see her one last time because he knew his future looked grim.
The sun was setting as Sage walked through the forest to locate the perfect place to observe the inn. She had left her horse tethered behind a group of tight trees nearby in case she needed to make a quick escape. She moved cautiously around the bushes and trees; her booted feet softly crunched on fallen leaves and twigs. She slowed as the inn came into view. She crouched down, studying the front of the inn. When she saw no movement, she carefully dashed from tree to tree until she could also see the stables at the rear of the inn.
When she came to a spot where she could observe both the stables and the inn’s back door, she knelt in the brush behind a tree. She scanned the area; the yard was empty, and there was no sign of Marcus. I should move closer, she thought and was about to step from her hiding place when a soldier emerged from the cover of the stables.
She squatted behind the brush and watched him until he disappeared into the inn. Then, she looked back at the wooden stables. She could make out the rumps of the horses in their stalls, but she couldn’t see all the way inside. Was the soldier tending to his horse, or was that where they were holding Marcus? She had every intention of releasing him. But there were too many soldiers for her to battle. She had to be patient and wait for the right moment, even though every one of her irrational senses was telling her to run in and fight them all to free him.
A fleeting thought crossed her mind. What if they had killed Marcus?
Anguish and desperation paralyzed her, but before it could consume her, she shoved the feelings aside and used her rational mind to think. Guillume would keep him alive until the book was returned; she was certain. Marcus would be useful either to discover her whereabouts or as bait. At least, that was what she would do if she were in Guillume’s shoes. She had to believe Guillume would do the same thing.
The back door of the inn opened, and two soldiers dragged a man out into the yard.
Marcus!Sage sat up straight, straining to see. Anxiety filled her. Her heart pounded.
Marcus stumbled, and the soldiers held him tightly, one at either side, pulling him across the dusty yard to the stables.
He looked hurt. Possibly beaten. Fury boiled her blood, and she clenched her jaw, vowing revenge. They must have questioned him and not liked the answers.
She watched through the leaves of the trees as they ushered him into the stables. She shook her head. She had tried to warn Marcus not to trust his cousin. She sighed softly. But she couldn’t blame him. She would never have doubted her family. What kind of man was this Guillume to betray a family member?
