Ed sighed. The lords had to pay tribute regularly to be part of the Kingdom of Ilia, to prove their loyalty and that of their people now that they were all one. Generally, supplies were presented such as grains, meat, metals—or so Ed thought. He might not have paid proper attention to just what was asked of the people.
‘If you are so sure she was taken to give to the capital, would it be better to go there and ask for her return?’
If Phillip weren’t in such a hurry, Ed was certain from the look on the older man’s face that he would have pulled the cart to a stop and put him off.
‘Do you really think they would give her back?’ he asked solemnly. ‘They might think I am an old man desperate for a new wife. And once the kingdom has her, she belongs to the kingdom, no matter how it came about. They wouldn’t be giving her back.’
‘I thought the people gave willingly,’ Ed murmured.
‘Would you give your sister to a stranger, just to keep the peace?’
Ed shook his head. Not that he had family he could offer, but if he did, he would feel just as Phillip did. ‘We are going to get ourselves killed,’ he murmured.
‘Maybe,’ the old man admitted. ‘But either way, they aren’t sending my girl anywhere.’
‘We’ll all die together then,’ Ed quipped sarcastically.
‘That’s the spirit. Unless you know how to use that fancy sword.’
Ed put his hand on the pommel of the sword in his belt. The trees were closing in around them again. He felt claustrophobic in the darkness beneath the canopy, and the road narrowed significantly. He only hoped there were others who could bear witness in case someone ever wondered what had become of him. They should have followed the main road that traversed the kingdom. It travelled around the forest and up into the mountains before it reached the bridge to Sheer Rock.
Ed tried to swallow the uneasiness, but it stuck in his throat. If there were as many men as Phillip had said, men brazen enough to steal young women from their homes, then an old man and a boy with a sword he had never used outside the practice halls didn’t stand a chance.
As the trees became denser still, Ed cleared his throat. ‘How far ahead of you were they?’ he asked, trying to distract himself from the darkness and determine how much longer he might live.
‘Maybe a day,’ Phillip murmured, looking through the trees.
‘Do you know how to use a sword?’
‘Been some time for me, lad, since I needed to.’
‘What is your plan?’ Ed asked seriously. He sat up and focused on the old man rather than the shadows between the trees.
‘I’m going to start with asking.’
Ed was sure his jaw hit the wooden bench he sat on as he stared at the old man. ‘A gang of young men who stole your daughter directly from you, and maybe other men’s daughters. You are just going to ask for her back?’
‘No harm in asking,’ the old man said, glancing at him. Ed was sure he winked.
‘Do you think they will give her back?’
‘She can be a troublesome girl sometimes. They might think she isn’t worth holding on to.’
Ed sucked in a breath.
‘I’m sure they still have her,’ Phillip muttered, a determination in his voice.
Ed could only hope he was right. If they found these men—he shivered at the idea—and Phillip’s daughter was already dead, there was no telling what the man might do. Ed was starting to think he should have continued on foot.
They were only an hour or so into the forest when Ed thought he could hear voices. He tried not to wiggle in his seat as Phillip pulled up the horse and climbed down from the cart.
‘Are you sure about this?’ Ed asked.
The old man didn’t answer him as he tied the reins to a nearby tree. The path had almost disappeared before them. Phillip climbed into the back of the cart. He lifted some of the cloth and peered at the supplies when something scraped across the base of the cart.
‘Pull that sword out, lad,’ he said, coming around the cart with an axe in both hands. He appeared to struggle with the weight, and Ed wondered what he would really be able to do with it.
Ed drew the sword and for a moment regretted that it was as shiny as it was. It appeared to glow in the dim light of the trees. Phillip raised his eyebrows at it, then motioned for him to follow.
They moved as quietly as they could through the trees, but it took a few minutes before Ed could hear again what they were working their way towards. He wondered at the silence when they had climbed down from the cart, and perhaps at why the men would allow such noise, for surely others would hear them as well. The chatter and murmuring of women was louder than any conversation he had overheard before. Anyone trying to find them would have had little difficulty. Maybe these men weren’t as scary as he first thought.
As they stopped by a large tree, Ed came around Phillip to look into a wide clearing. The women sat in a tight group and didn’t appear too concerned. As he looked over the group, Ed noticed a thick rope circling the wrists of each young woman.
‘You are going to have to feed us at some point, or there won’t be enough for you to hand over,’ a fierce female voice rang out through the clearing.
Phillip nudged him and pointed to the young woman who had spoken. She climbed to her feet. Although the woman next to her tried to tug her down, she appeared very determined. She also wore a dark bruise across one side of her face, and he wondered if she had spoken out before.
‘Tribute must be willing,’ she said. ‘We hardly look willing.’
‘By the time the soldiers come for the tribute, you will be happy enough to go anywhere you are told.’
‘I don’t think so,’ she snapped.
Ed smiled. He liked her. Despite where she was and the situation she was in, she was a fighter, and he was more than a little jealous of her courage. He glanced at Phillip, who wore a look of pride, although there was an element of concern on his face.
‘Girls are never keen to leave their families, even if it is an advantageous marriage,’ one of the men with them said, moving closer. ‘Now shut up and sit down, or there will be no food for any of you.’
The girl beside her tugged again and, with a sigh, she sat down amongst the group. Despite her bruised face, she was still a beautiful girl. Long blond curls were loose about her face, and freckles dotted her nose. He wished he was close enough to get an idea of the colour of her eyes. Yet as he looked through the group, he saw they were all beautiful girls, each of them different but special nonetheless. He realised they had been chosen for a reason.
‘They are all…’ Ed started in a hoarse whisper.
‘I know, lad,’ Phillip returned, putting a finger to his lips. ‘You have to offer the best of what you have.’
Ed nodded. The better the tribute, the more loyal you were. He had no idea where they were in the Near Forest. Nor what they were going to do once they managed to free these girls and how they might get away. They must be headed towards the Lord’s Seat. But try as he might, he couldn’t remember the map of the forest or where that might be. It hadn’t been his plan to come through the forest, so he hadn’t taken the time to remind himself.
All of this was well outside his plan. He needed to get to the mountains, he thought, and find his mother’s friend.
Then Phillip was charging out of the trees into the small clearing, axe raised, a mad scream rushing ahead of him. Ed had no choice but to follow lest he get himself killed.
There weren’t as many men in the group as he’d expected. They had only seen six from their hiding spot, and they all raced at Phillip. Ed was quick with the sword, and despite his earlier concerns, it was very much like the practice hall. He blocked a scruffy man racing at Phillip’s side. With a quick twist, Ed took the short sword from the man’s hold. He backed off, but Ed could see he was thinking over his options.
Then he glanced over his shoulder as Phillip grunted. His axe planted deep in a man’s skull. The crunch and spr
ay of blood nearly brought Ed undone, and he was reminded that this was not practice. He blocked another man, tall with narrowed eyes. Ed tried to fend him off, but he was strong. Although Ed had some skill, he doubted he could beat this man. Then he nicked Ed’s shoulder.
Ed groaned and pushed the other man back, managing to kick the short sword towards the prisoners. One girl grabbed at it eagerly and started to cut away at the rope. The man nearly caught him again as he was momentarily distracted. Ed swung at him with a solid determination not to die. He felt his own heartbeat pause as the sword pushed easily between the man’s ribs.
Letting out a long sigh, the man dropped to the ground, and then the noise in the little clearing closed in around him. The girls screamed, some in fright, others like they were fighting back. He looked up to see Phillip’s daughter with a sword. She sliced at a man, but he grinned as he dodged her. Then the grin slipped, and he dropped to his knees.
Phillip stood behind him as he went down and pulled the axe out of his back. The movement around the clearing stopped. The last two men standing took to the trees, dragging the injured and leaving the dead behind.
‘Hello, Pa,’ she said, and he dropped the axe to take her in his arms.
Thankfully, the women were not as skittish as Ed expected them to be. He almost voiced this to Phillip and his daughter, but the look she gave him indicated there was no way she would put up with such comments. In fact, in didn’t appear to Ed that she would put up with very much at all, from anyone.
He stood back and allowed Phillip and his daughter to determine what they should do next. How so many would make it on their own was a concern for Ed, but he still had his own journey to complete.
They remained in the clearing where, so far, the men hadn’t returned. Phillip started a fire and Ed helped to ensure all were cut free as Phillip’s daughter oversaw some first aid. As they sat around the fire, the consensus was reached that they would head back towards their homelands in the morning.
Ed tried not to sigh.
‘So is the skinny lad coming with us?’ asked Belle. Not that he had been introduced to her, but Phillip had used her name a number of times.
‘No, he isn’t,’ Ed answered for himself. ‘I have business in the north.’ He rolled his shoulder and winced.
‘Business?’ she asked, half laughing, looking him over as though he wasn’t old enough to have left home.
‘He has a family friend to find,’ Phillip said. ‘Maybe we should give you a hand. Escort you in case you get into any more trouble.’
‘I didn’t find any trouble until I met you,’ Ed said with half a smile, putting his hand to his shoulder. ‘You need to take your daughter home. And help out some of these other girls.’ The material under his fingers was wet, and he tried not to wince again as he remembered the sword catching him earlier.
‘You aren’t worried what might happen to them?’ Belle asked with a curious look he couldn’t quite read. Any hint of the laughter she had shown before was gone.
‘You managed to look after yourselves fairly well so far.’
‘We might have had men around to ensure no one else took us.’
‘And they took such care,’ he said in jest. But when she looked away, he regretted the words. He wasn’t used to talking to many people, let alone a large group of pretty girls. He just wanted to be on his way. He stood, unsure what else he could do, and brushed himself off.
‘Wait till morning, lad,’ Phillip said. ‘Sit yourself back down.’
‘What happened to your shoulder?’ Belle asked, her face still unreadable.
He shrugged, and groaned involuntarily with the movement. She gave him a look that scared him somewhat, and as she took a step towards him, he took a step back.
‘Take that shirt off and I’ll have a look,’ she said. Her words were kinder than the look on her face, but he made no move to do as she instructed. ‘It might not be a serious injury, but if you leave a wound out here, it will quickly turn into something serious.’
He nodded slowly and pulled his jerkin off, groaning again as the material dragged across his shoulder. Before he could put it down, Belle was standing before him, her fingers against his skin as she pulled at his shirt. They were warm and gentle, and he focused on the top of her head.
‘Pa, can you fetch the water?’
Ed had forgotten anyone else existed in that moment.
‘Sit down,’ she instructed, but as he made to move away, her fingers were still on his shirt. ‘Can you pull it off?’
He nodded and pulled it over his head, surprised by the blood marking the shoulder and the material sliced open. He looked around for a moment, wondering where he had put his bag. ‘I have another,’ he said as he lowered himself to the ground.
At her continued silence, he looked up. She was balling the shirt in her hand, her face flushed as she stared at him. He wanted to cover himself.
She must think I’m such a boy.
As Phillip returned with water, she tore his shirt. The ripping material was loud in the space, and the general conversation amongst the girls quietened. He watched as she continued to tear the material into long strips. Phillip knelt beside him.
‘It isn’t too bad, lad,’ he said.
‘Just a scratch,’ Ed murmured.
Then Belle was squatting in front of him, her hand on his chest as she wiped wet cloth over the wound. He grimaced, but bit his lip to prevent any further unmanly groans from escaping. She wrapped the long strips around it carefully, without saying a word. And then she stood up.
‘You’ll freeze like that,’ Phillip said.
‘I have another in my pack.’
‘In the cart, I’ll go,’ Phillip offered.
‘It isn’t far,’ Ed said, standing again.
‘I’ll bring her closer,’ Phillip said, and he disappeared into the trees.
Her eyes still down, Belle held out his jerkin and he slowly slipped into it. Belle turned back to the group of women, and he watched her walk silently away.
Ed didn’t think he could stay in the company of the women much longer. Conversation was not something he had practiced very much with anyone, and he was sure Belle saw him as a useless boy. He walked out to the edge of the clearing. The men they had killed were piled up by the trees, and he wondered if they should be buried or burned. But this was also something he was not familiar with, nor did he want to sound like he was suggesting these young women dig graves or collect wood.
He walked between two large trees. Their smooth grey bark reflected the firelight, although once he passed them it was as though the fire had gone out. There was no sign of the clearing or sound of voices at all. Were they so well hidden from the rest of the world? And if that was so, how had he and Phillip managed to hear them as they approached?
He ran his hand over the nearest tree and looked out into the darkness beneath the branches. He wouldn’t be able to find his way anywhere in this. He didn’t even know which way was north. But then, he didn’t know where to find his mother’s friend either. Nor what he could do once he found him.
He stopped and sat down against the nearest tree. He could stay out here, lost amongst the trees for the rest of his life, and no one would miss him or worry about him. His uncle, he reminded himself, was probably already congratulating himself that he had disappeared. And yet he still wondered how he might explain that. And what might his mother’s friend do when he found him? He might not want to keep him safe; he might not want to help, if that was what Ed needed from him.
Not when he met the weak-willed boy who had given away all his parents had worked for and run. He wasn’t worthy of staying. He wasn’t worthy of what they had hoped for him. He wiped at a lone tear. His mother would be so disappointed.
‘What are you doing?’ a soft voice asked, and he leapt up from the cold ground, brushing at his clothes.
‘Just looking at the night sky,’ he murmured.
Belle looked up, the torch she carried lighting her
face. Despite the shadows flickering over, her skin seemed to transform her into something else. She was one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen.
Her brow creased, and he looked up with her into the trees to see nothing but leaves.
‘Are you hiding from us?’ she asked, the hurt evident in her voice.
‘I’ve travelled on my own for some time. I’m not so good with people.’
‘Pa seems to think you are.’
‘He doesn’t know me,’ Ed murmured. No one did.
‘You helped us. The girls would like to thank you.’
He shook his head. ‘They aren’t really safe yet, are they? Those men could return, and they need to get home to safety. I need to go north.’
‘You said that,’ she said slowly, holding out his bag. ‘What is in the north?’
‘My mother’s friend.’
‘And why do you seek him out?’
‘You ask a lot of questions,’ he snapped, dragging a shirt from the bag. He didn’t want to admit his weaknesses to this woman. She had stood up for herself better than he ever could have done. And he didn’t know what could be done to help him.
‘Pa said you helped him without question. We would like to help you.’
He shook his head and quickly redressed. He made his way past her and back towards the fire. ‘You need to go home with your father,’ he murmured as he moved between the trees, where the world came alive in brilliant firelight and the sound of women talking and laughing.
He made his way to the flames and someone pressed a cup into his hand. He gulped down the contents without hesitation, then continued across the clearing for a space to sleep. He glanced back only briefly to see Belle standing between the trees, watching him walk away. She looked very determined, and he sighed. Even out on the road, his world and his life were not his own.
No matter what he insisted, he knew that somehow Belle and Phillip would find a way to come along. Would she bring these other women with them? He sat down against a tree and rested his head back.
The activity in the clearing was starting to wind down. Sleep pulled at his body, but he was wary of the unknown world around them and sure he should be doing more to help protect these women. Belle seemed to stand too long in the tree line watching those before her. Or it might have been just him, and he tried not to look like he was watching her when she finally walked through the women towards her father. Phillip sat against the cart, the horse now free to move about the clearing, although it hadn’t moved very far. As Belle sat beside him, he took her hand in his, and then she leaned her head on his shoulder.
The Empty Crown Page 7
