In the second word, they had figured out two of the letters. She chewed her lower lip in thought. The two letters they had not figured out were S and T. She traced down the code again, her finger skimming each letter as she assigned them a letter of the alphabet. S was M. T was N.
She looked at the second word and substituted the letters. M-A-I-N. She tried to sound the word out. “Ma, I, n. Mah In.” Frustrated, she shook her head. Maybe one of the letters was silent. “Min? Man?” She scrunched up her nose. Could it be the name of a street?
“Take man road east to first crossroad,” she whispered. The book was directions!
She opened the book to the first page. The next line was “mu tuxzn.” They had already figured out some of the letters. She knew U was O. But they had not figured out M. She turned back to the code parchment, wishing she had her quill. She repeated the process to find the coded letter, mumbling the alphabet. “G.” She turned back to the book. “Go,” she whispered.
The second word was longer. They had already figured out most of the letters.
She looked around on the ground until she found a rock. She carved the letters they had decoded into the ground. She had just figured out that the T was N. What was the coded letter N?
Her hand trembled with excitement as she traced the path over the letters to decode the N. H. It was H. She stared at the word etched into the ground. “North.”
She had done it! She had figured out the code. Exhilaration filled her. She gaped at the book. They would be able to read it all now. She had to tell Marcus.
Marcus. She swung her gaze back to the stables.
She wanted to rush in right then, free him, and triumphantly report her victory. She inhaled deeply, but her entire body shook with success. She wiggled her fingers and clenched her hands in an attempt to calm herself. She needed to wait and be patient.
She folded the parchment with the code and shoved it into her boot. Then, she picked up the book and gazed in triumph at the cover. She did it. She could read, and she had figured out the code. Joy and exhilaration charged her as if a fuse were lit. She replaced the book in her armor and looked at the stables. Her heart hammered in her ears. She couldn’t wait to tell Marcus. She couldn’t wait to see him.
A twig snapped behind her.
Sage froze, and her stomach dropped. Every instinct she had warned her to be careful. She turned slowly.
A soldier stood two feet from her, the tip of his sword pointed toward her. “Where is the book?”
Marcus hung his chin on his chest. Pain wracked his entire body. He had been beaten, even though he could not tell them what they wanted to know. Sage and the book were long gone. He imagined they would kill him once they realized she was not returning for him.
At least then, there would be no more pain. Yet his little Rose would never live a comfortable life. He would not be there to give coin to Emma for Rose.
He tested the rope around his wrists behind his back. He twisted his arms attempting to free his hands, but it held tightly. He glanced across the yard at the inn.
The wooden structure was dark beneath the night sky. Warm, flickering light shone from a broken beam near the bottom of the inn door.
Guillume must be furious at having had the book in his hands and then losing it. That made Marcus smile for a moment, but disappointment quickly swelled inside of him. How could he have been so wrong about his cousin? They were family! He bowed his head again. Apparently, “family” meant nothing in Guillume’s pursuit of power.
He had been so wrong.
Sage had known.
At least she had got away with the one thing that meant so much to her—the book. Lord, he missed her. He missed her insatiable curiosity and focus. He missed her warm lips and her curvy, soft body. He had given her everything he could. Freedom and that damned book. Regret filled him at the lost possibilities. He wondered what the future would have looked like if they were together. He wondered if she would have traveled the world with him. He wondered if she would have spent her life with him.
He heard footsteps entering the stables and looked up. Were the soldiers coming for him? Already? He’d thought he would have until the morning to think about his mistakes, to lament for his lost future.
But no one came forward.
He struggled to glimpse the soldiers that had been guarding him in the yard. But he could no longer see them. There had been two. Had they moved positions? Maybe he hadn’t heard footsteps after all.
He peered into the shadows of the yard, but as he twisted, agony flared up from his stomach where he had been beaten. It was to no avail anyway; dusky silhouettes stretched across the yard and filled the stable. He could barely make out the tree in the yard.
A horse in one of the stalls whinnied.
Then, a shadow separated from the black wall and came forward, blade gleaming in the light cast from the inn.
Chapter 25
Marcus stiffened, preparing for the final blow. He would fight if he could. But with his hands bound, there was not much he could do to stop the fatal blow. He clenched his teeth as the shadow moved closer.
But something was off about the shadow. It was the way the shadow moved. Something in the way it held the sword alerted him.
The dark form rushed up to him. He winced, but the shadow grabbed his face in warm hands and pressed hot lips to his.
“Sage,” he whispered in relief between kisses. His lip ached from the swelling and cuts, but he was willing to endure the pain to feel her touch.
“Are you well? Did they hurt you?” she demanded with concern.
He shook his head. “I’m well. A few cuts and bruises.” His concern was not for himself. “What are you doing here?”
She moved behind him and sliced the rope around his wrists. “I’m freeing you.”
His hands fell unbound, and both hope and concern surged within him. He was free! But Sage was here. She could be caught. Even as joy surged through him that he was free, anxiety churned beneath it. If Guillume captured her, he would give up anything for her safety. Even the book.
“You didn’t think I’d leave without you, did you?” she asked.
She was in danger. If Guillume apprehended her... “Sage. You have to leave,” he commanded, swiveling around to look at her. “They’re after me.”
“They’re after me, too,” she said and knelt before him to cut the rope around his ankles.
He stood up, grasping her arms. His gaze swept her face. Even in the darkness, he could see the familiar curves of her face, a face he knew well. He had never seen or felt a more beautiful thing in his life. He was so grateful she had returned but fearful at the same time. He couldn’t believe she risked everything for him. “Why did you come back?”
“I couldn’t leave you,” she admitted with anguish. “I couldn’t leave you with them. With him.”
“But you risked your life.”
She grinned and placed a hand on his cheek. “For you.”
He had been wrong. It wasn’t Guillume he could trust. It was Sage. She was the one he could depend on. “I love you,” he whispered before caressing her lips with his in desperate euphoria.
She wrapped her hands around his neck and deepened the kiss. It was a kiss of relief and love. She pulled back. “We don’t have time. I disabled two guards, but I’m not certain how many more there are.”
Marcus bobbed his head. Two soldiers had been guarding him, but he hadn’t seen them recently. He wasn’t certain if more had taken their place, or if they had gone inside the inn. His sore muscles and bruises protested his movements, and he clutched his abdomen and moved to one of the stalls to untether the reins of his horse. He wasn’t going to let his beating prevent him from escape. He took his belt and scabbard from the steed and slid it around his waist. It felt good to have the sword with him again. Now, he wasn’t defenseless. When he turned to her, she wore a large grin on her lips.
“I did it,” she whispered.
He nodded. “
Yes. I’m free. But we have to get out of here.”
“No,” Sage clarified. “The code. I figured it out.”
“What?” Marcus asked, stunned.
She removed the book from her armor, displaying it to him. “I decoded it. I know what it says.”
Marcus stared. Slowly, her words sunk in, a light moving through the fog. “You did it?”
Her grin turned into a full-fledged smile. “I did it. We can leave the book. We don’t need it anymore.”
The thought of forsaking the book to Guillume sent anger through Marcus. “No,” he snarled and shook his head vehemently. “No. I’m not giving it to him. He’s not getting his hands on it.”
Sage’s happiness faded, and she stared at him for a moment before nodding and returning the book to her armor.
Marcus grabbed her hand, guiding her and the horse out of the stables and around the side of the inn. His mind churned. Sage had decoded the book. He longed to ask her about it, but they had to be quiet to make their escape.
Together, they silently hurried toward the road. Marcus scanned the area for movement or soldiers, anything that might give them away. Once his booted feet hit the dirt road, he felt relief.
“This way,” Sage whispered, taking a step toward the town.
Marcus shook his head. They had to get away—as far away from the town as possible.
“My horse is near a group of trees,” she insisted.
“We can take mine,” he argued quietly.
Sage signaled him to follow with a wave of her hand and spun, jogging down the road.
Marcus clenched his teeth but followed her, clutching his side against his bruised ribs.
A few paces down the road, Sage turned off and headed into the brush toward the forest.
Marcus glanced back at the inn. He wondered how long it would be before Guillume discovered he was gone. They should be riding hard out of the town. But he knew Guillume would never stop searching for him or the book. He rushed after Sage.
In the moonlight, he trailed her slinking shadow around farmers’ fields to the edge of the forest. His feet crunched over the branches as he led his horse around the trees. He heard the gentle rush of water and knew a river had to be close. Sage waited for him to join her.
“We should not stay in Les Labadous long,” Marcus advised, casting a glance toward the inn.
Sage nodded and escorted him through a large moonlit clearing filled with tall grass.
“What did the book say?” Marcus couldn’t help but ask.
Sage looked up at him, her beautiful, large brown eyes sparkling in the dim light. “It is directions.”
“To where?”
“I didn’t decode the entire book, so I don’t know. I only decoded enough to know I was right.”
“Are you sure?”
She stopped and placed a hand on her hip to stare at him in disbelief.
Marcus chuckled, and his ribs hurt. He tightened his arm around them as he held up a hand. “Sorry.” He rubbed his tongue along his swollen lip thoughtfully.
She continued across the grassy plain.
She had decoded the book. He was so proud of her. He had known she could do it. Now, the book was even more valuable. “I don’t understand,” he finally admitted. “Why did you want to leave the book with Guillume?”
“So he wouldn’t come after you.”
“I know that. But if you haven’t decoded the entire book, we still need it if we want to know where it leads.”
Sage grinned and sheepishly bobbed her head. “We don’t need it. I copied the book.”
Shock erupted inside of Marcus, and he straightened, bringing the horse to a halt. “You copied it? The entire thing? When? Where?”
Sage swiveled to him, her head bowed. “I tried to make it look like I were decoding it. Sometimes, you were sleeping. Sometimes…” She shrugged. “I started at the smithy with Gareth and Thomas.”
Marcus winced in disbelief and astonishment. “You are a planner.”
“I knew I was going to get away. And I wanted the book.” She grinned sheepishly. “It was the perfect way.”
Marcus stared at her in admiration and incredulity. He should have known she was up to something, especially in the beginning. But he had never thought she would be able to copy the entire book. She was amazing. Beautiful, focused, skilled, and ever so intelligent. He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her to him. “Why did you come back for me? I mean, you could have escaped, and with the book.”
She softly sighed as she stared up at him. “I could have. But I couldn’t leave you. We’re in this together now.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“I know. I know exactly how dangerous it is.” She tugged at a lock of her short hair before slowly lowering her hand to rest against his chest. “But I couldn’t leave you.”
“Why?” Marcus asked in anguish. “I wanted you to. I wanted you to go far away and find your family. You could have been safe. Now, we’ll have to look over our shoulders. I didn’t want this for you.”
“All I wanted was you. I don’t care about any of the rest of it.”
“I care. I care that you are safe. I care that you could have gotten away. It makes me angry to think that I’ve put your life in danger. It makes me angry to think you came back for me.”
Sage scowled.
With a gentle sigh, he admitted, “And yet I can’t be angry.” He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I can’t be angry because you are here with me. And I thought I would never see you again.”
Sage lifted on her toes and pressed her lips to Marcus’s. She nuzzled his neck affectionately. “You were wrong about Guillume.”
Marcus grunted in disgust. Then he relaxed as her gentle breath washed across his mouth before she peppered kisses over his swollen lips. It hurt, but it was a pain he would gladly endure. “I was very wrong.”
“I was right,” Sage whispered with a grin, pressing her body along the length of his.
Marcus tightened his arms around her. “You were right,” Marcus agreed with a soft laugh. He claimed her lips in a deep kiss, tasting her, relishing her. She was a treasure. His treasure. His lip burned where it was cut, but Marcus didn’t want to stop. He wanted to continue kissing her, holding her, touching her. Afraid that at any moment, she would disappear, and he would be back in the stables tied to the chair.
She nestled herself against him, holding him tightly.
He groaned, willing the agony from the blows away. But it was no use.
Sage pulled back, examining his face. “You’re hurt.”
“Just bruises. They didn’t like that I had no idea where you were.” He grinned, and his fat lip pulled. He winced and stopped. But he would suffer the pain to kiss her again.
“Let’s get my horse, and I’ll tend to your injuries,” Sage said.
Marcus couldn’t argue with that.
Sage cautiously entered the haunted barn the farmer had told her about, leading the horses. They had retrieved her horse from the spot in the forest where she had hidden it.
Marcus walked beside her, his hand wrapped around his midsection. She was worried about his injuries.
She scanned the barn. It was dark, and she couldn’t see into the outer reaches of the shadows against the walls, especially where the roof had collapsed. Moonlight shone in through the broken beams. If ghosts were real, this was where they would live, she thought with a shiver.
“We can’t stay here long,” Marcus stated, looking around at the dilapidated barn.
Sage knew he was searching the shadows. She nodded. She didn’t like lingering in one place, not with Guillume and his soldiers after them. She knew it wouldn’t be long until more soldiers were sent after them. Still, Marcus’s wounds had to be cleaned and wrapped. She wanted to make sure he was able to travel. She wanted to run her hands over his flesh again.
Sage tossed the reins of the horses over a fallen beam and turned to Marcus. Moonlight gleamed in his gol
den hair. His shoulders sagged, and he looked exhausted, but he managed a relieved smile. She stepped up to him.
His gaze shifted to somewhere behind her, and his eyes widened. He shoved her aside and reached for his sword.
Sage landed on her stomach; the air knocked from her. She shifted to glance over her shoulder.
A shadow separated from the collapsed part of the barn and lunged toward Marcus with the tip of his sharp sword.
Chapter 26
Sage’s cry echoed in Marcus’s mind as he twisted out of the way of the lunge and began to pull his sword out. The man immediately followed up with a swing, and Marcus ducked, fully pulling his sword free.
He crossed blades with the attacker, glaring at him. This was no soldier. He must be the last assassin.
The man charged forward, arcing his weapon. Marcus’s reasoning was quickly cast aside as all thought and instinct turned toward defending himself. Marcus parried the swings, the metal blades ringing out through the barn.
Marcus wore no armor and couldn’t afford to miss a swing. He ignored the burning pain from his beating to concentrate on protecting himself. He didn’t attack, making sure to stay out of striking distance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sage get to her feet. He had to keep the man from Sage.
She pulled her sword from the scabbard but didn’t join in the fight, even though her hand was so tight around the pommel that her knuckles were white. She was being honorable, Marcus realized, allowing the one-on-one battle. More reason for him to admire her. She gasped as the man lunged in again.
Marcus stepped aside and knocked the blow away.
The two men moved around each other carefully. Marcus tried to relax his muscles in preparation for the attack, but his side burned where Guillume’s soldiers had punched him. He ignored the pain to focus on the battle. He had to win. After Sage had risked her life to come to his aid, he would not die here. He would not fail her.
Sage: Medieval Romance Beauties With Blades Page 16
