The sliver of a moon and the bright stars provided more than enough light to move and see all but the smaller rocks, branches, vines, and holes that tripped them. Hannah found herself trying to fit her feet into the same places he did, and when he tripped or stumbled, she slowed to navigate that place.
Sir James had been mostly right about the need for a shirt. She hardly noticed until he pulled to a stop and slipped the remnants of his shirt over his head. The night grew colder. She listened to the night sounds, the insects, and for any sound that shouldn’t be there. She knew to do that because even though she had spent no time in the forests, it was what she would do.
The shirt she wore hung to her knees, the sleeves also to her knees, and the hole she places her head through tended to slip off to one side and over her shoulder. But it warmed her from the night air and the warmth it absorbed from her body, and it smelled of an earthy man, strong, but good.
She pulled the long sleeves of each arm into her fists and said, “Let’s go.”
“Yes, my princess.”
Before she could wonder at the name and respond, he again trotted ahead. The vegetation thinned, but he made no effort to move faster. He kept up the same relentless pace, one step, two. One step, two.
She said, “Is it wise to follow the stream?”
“We’re lost,” he said. “All streams eventually come to crossings, bridges, or flow into larger streams and river with crossings or bridges. People live along them, so the farm animals have water.”
“We’re looking for people? I thought we were hiding.”
“We need a pair of horses and directions.”
Thinking of all the coins they’d left on the floor of the carriage, she asked, “Do you have money to pay for horses?”
He ran on in silence for a short time, then said, “I have my weapons so I’ll take what I need.”
“That’s not fair.”
He ran on. “I can send the money to them later.”
“In the meantime, the farmer cannot plant or carry his goods to market. Paying for his horse is not enough.”
The Knight ran on for a longer time before saying, “You’re right. I will pay more than the horse is worth, but I’ll use your money to do so.”
She chuckled to herself despite the cold and danger. She’d almost made a good deal for a farmer she had yet to meet, but Sir James intended to pay with her money. Wait until he finds out I’ve never even held a thin copper.
The idea that she had outwitted him gave her something to cling to as they continued. She didn’t notice when the eastern sky first turned lighter. When it turned a dozen shades of reds and grays, she found she’d ran almost the whole night, didn’t know where she was, and she followed a warrior she’d known for less than a day.
Still, she was out of the Earl’s Palace and alive, traveling behind a man her father trusted with his life. She couldn’t believe the men chasing them had moved all night, let alone as fast as them. She had skinned knees, elbows, hands, and more. Sir James had fallen as many times, too. She didn’t know what the rest of the day would bring, but her life had altered the day before, and she needed time to assimilate and understand it, as well as the changes during the night. Yesterday morning, she didn’t have a father. Then she had one. This morning, she was fatherless again.
“There’s what we want to be,” Sir James said.
Ahead rose a spire of smoke and at the base of the smoke a light glowed in a window. On the other side of the river, they followed spread a pasture containing goats, sheep, oxen, cows, and at least three horses. Around the farmhouse stood five smaller buildings, storage sheds, a barn, and others.
Ahead of them wound a small dirt road on their side of the river. It entered one side of the river and rose up the bank on the other. Sir James headed directly for it, telling her, “A ford. We’ll get wet, but it’ll be shallow.”
The idea of entering the stream and getting cold again didn’t set well with her. The night had turned ever cooler, even in the guard’s shirt, intentionally getting wet on a cold morning did not appeal. However, when he marched directly into the water without hesitation, she followed.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Hannah walked directly behind Sir James, even when the two dogs emerged from the barn and charged them. A yellow one, and an older black dog barking enough for six. The dogs raced crossed the field and leaped a fence to reach them, and Hannah reached for her knife but hesitated when Sir James didn’t try to defend himself.
Instead, he dropped to one knee and spread his arms wide in welcome. The yellow reached him first, and he wrapped it in his arms and fell backward onto the grass. Hannah almost leaped to his defense but saw the dog was trying to lick him to death. The black arrived, and the three of them wrestled and played until a gruff voice behind her spoke.
“Mind if I get my watchdogs back?”
A grizzled farmer and what had to be his son stood just beyond the fence. Working in the sun had darkened the older man’s face until it took on the color of new shoes. The son stood taller, thinner, and wore the same features.
Sir James climbed to his feet. “Good morning, to you.”
The farmer spat in the grass. “Hope so, but doubt it.”
“Why is that, if I may ask,” Sir James said, obviously confused at the statement.
“I usually judge a man by how my dogs do with him. If they don’t like him, I don’t either. But in this case, that don’t apply.”
Sir James drew himself up and said, “Sir, we have no money, but we require enough food for a few days and two horses. I’m not asking. I promise to return the horses and more than enough silver to repay you for your inconvenience. I don’t expect you to trust me, but you have no choice. We will take what we need and explain later.”
“There’s no need of threatening me, Sir James. Your word is good.”
Hannah exchanged a look to the son, who seemed as confused as her. Nobody had used names, yet. But there was more happening than she understood.
The farmer spat again, “I might have a shirt that will fit her, then you can take yours back, but what’s this going to cost me? More than horses, I suspect.”
Sir James said, “There are men after us. Men hired to kill this girl. I think we lost them last night, but they’ll pick up our trail this morning.”
“And come directly here.” The farmer said, his tone flat.
Sir James said, “No matter what you and I do, or how much we talk about it, they will come. If we have the horses or not, they will come. They’ll ask you about us, and you may not survive those questions. I advise you to take your whole family and leave your farm for at least a few days.”
“When we return, what will be left?”
“The ground is good from all appearances, some of your buildings are old and can stand replacement. But I wouldn’t expect to return to find much if you want the truth. However, I will repay you for all you lose and more, but I can only do that if you leave and allow them to burn your buildings and kill your stock. Of course, they may decide to chase after us and do nothing, but I wouldn’t count on it.”
“How close are they?”
“We left the Earl’s Palace around mid-day and stopped before dark at the river. They came after that, and only the two of us escaped.”
The farmer backed a step, as if not believing him. “You came all that way? In the dark? In a single night?”