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Alyce yanked herself free of her husband and headed to the door. “Septimus is not here to war with you, and I will not help you make plans to attack a friend.”
“We are your family,” Lachlan said, stopping her before she could grab hold of the latch.
“Are you?” she asked. “I see that you all trust each other, and yet not one of you trusts me when it comes to this matter.”
“I must protect my people,” Cavan said.
“Which is exactly what I did,” Alyce said and shut the door hard behind her when she left.
She hurried her steps, mixing with the shadows of the great hall until she reached the kitchen entrance and then made her way through, the cooks so busy they barely noticed her. Once outside she knew her time was limited. She needed to get to her horse and out of the keep before the gates were sealed tight. Local farmers were probably still arriving seeking the safety of the walled village, but soon the gates would be closed tight and she would have no way out.
The wind whipped Alyce’s wool cloak around her, and she was glad for its protection. She made it unnoticed to the stable, everyone much too busy to pay heed to her actions and she wished to keep it that way, though it would not be easy. If she could reach Septimus and talk with him she knew she could have this misunderstanding settled before any blood was shed.
Men were much too quick to raise a sword, and though Cavan sent a messenger to Septimus, she knew full well it would read more like a demand and that would not set well with the mercenaries.
And selfishly she had another reason. Septimus would have news of home, and she wanted desperately to hear about her sisters and Everagis.
After her mare was saddled and she had a chance to consider her actions, she realized that if Cavan or her husband did not want her to leave the keep, they would make certain she was unable to. Therefore, Cavan had purposely let her go and there was no reason for her to hide her departure. But why argue over it with her?
She had no time to give it thought, wanting more than anything to see Septimus and hear of home. She rode through the village and out of the open gate assuring those who called frantically to her that she was going to help as many to get to safety as possible.
They certainly would report her departure to Cavan, but then he already knew where she went.
Alyce knew from what Piper had taught about Septimus’s scouting tactics that while he led the troop, he would have men scouting a few miles ahead and also along the perimeters. They would know of the messenger’s approach long before he arrived, and they were probably also aware of the exact positions of the sentries Cavan had posted. One thing she had learned about the mercenary group was that they were no ordinary ragtag band of men, and she couldn’t help but wonder again over their origins.
Once she left the moors, and reached the woods she kept to the edge of the forest knowing Septimus’s men would spot her and take her to him and sure enough that was what happened. Two of his men she was familiar with, Dale and Hagen, approached.
She had to smile for they were night and day in appearance, Dale short and stout and Hagen simply large.
Hagen was grinning. Surprisingly, he possessed all his teeth and not a one was yellow or rotted. His diction marked him more an educated man than a mercenary.
“Septimus advised you would arrive before we reached Caithness. It is good to see you again,” Hagen said
Alyce grinned from ear to ear; she was happy to see them. “How is everyone at home?”
“Septimus warned us you would ask at once about Everagis, but he asked that we should get you to camp before we answered any questions or we might never make it there.”
She laughed. “He is wise.”
“He says it’s because he understands women,” Dale said, motioning her to follow him, Hagen taking up the trail behind her. “And strangely enough, I bloody well think he does.”
Alyce had a string of endless questions to ask, but she knew it was best that she waited and though the ride wasn’t long, it seemed like it took forever. Finally, they arrived at the camp and after greeting her, Septimus walked her to a more secluded location at the bank of a creek and sat with her a few feet from the water’s edge.
“My sentries are posted well. No one spies on us here,” he said.
“Why are you here?” she asked eagerly.
“Why, to rescue you, of course.”
“I’m going after her,” Lachlan said as soon as he received word that his brave wife rode off to help bring the farmers to safety. He turned to leave the solar and found Artair blocking the door.
