Ransom turned and struck his destrier’s flanks hard to encourage a gallop. He passed the creaking wagons and the unwitting drovers. Then he hurried past the queen’s wagon, catching up to the king and his son, who rode before it.
When he reached them, Jon-Landon nodded a greeting to him. “How far to St. Penryn? Will we be there after nightfall?”
“We can’t stop at St. Penryn,” he blurted.
The king’s look darkened. “What is it?”
“I sent knights earlier today to go back down the road toward Averanche. The Black King is coming.”
“How many?”
“Thousands.”
Jon-Landon’s eyes widened with shock. “By the Lady! So many?”
“My lord, we must abandon the wagons. Their advance scouts are already on our heels.”
“I will not!” Jon-Landon said sharply. “I’ve gathered it and preserved it and—”
“It will do you no good if they catch us!” Ransom interrupted. “My lord, the peril is real. If we left yesterday, we’d be halfway to Glosstyr already.”
“You condemn me? This is my fault?”
“No, my lord. I’m saying eight hundred or more knights are bearing down on us. We’re outnumbered, and our baggage makes us slow. The storm that’s coming will turn the road into a mire.”
Jon-Landon’s scowl was fierce. “No! I did not come this far to lose everything I’ve saved to Estian. I’ll not lose an even greater ransom than what he took from Bennett.”
Ransom stared into his eyes, trying to get through to him. “Maybe it’s not the treasure he wants. It’s your life.”
The king glowered. “You must buy us time. Take my knights and add them to yours. Hold the road. Give us time to escape.”
Ransom’s feeling of danger, of unease, seemed to double. “My lord, we might hold them off for a time, but I can’t stop the full host.”
“But most of them will be on foot,” Jon-Landon countered. “We must try, Ransom. I command it.”
Ransom lowered his head in anger. The coins meant nothing to him. But he knew what it felt like to lose everything. He recognized the king’s look of desperation, his fear of failure, and he saw the same emotions in the prince’s eyes. The boy was listening keenly to their conversation, glancing back and forth between them as they spoke. Then Ransom’s gaze caught something behind the prince—massive thunderheads coming from the north. He didn’t recall seeing them earlier.
“As you command, my lord, but at least send the women ahead on horseback. Get them to safety.”
“Where? St. Penryn?”
Ransom shook his head. “I don’t trust Estian to honor the right of sanctuary.”
“He won’t,” Jon-Landon agreed. “Glosstyr is still too far away.”
“And that’s where they are expecting us to go. They might send outriders to stop our flight.”
“You’re right. Wait—Lady Deborah’s castle is even closer! Thorngate. It’s to the east. That may work, but they don’t have a strong garrison. We’d need to send some knights ahead to bolster it.”
“Of course,” Ransom agreed. “Come, let’s tell the queen what’s happening.”
They circled back and approached the wagon, the prince coming with them.
“What’s happening?” the queen demanded.
Rain began to plunk on the roof of the wagon, and the wind howled in accompaniment.
“Estian is behind us,” Jon-Landon said. “With an army bearing down on us.”
The queen’s eyes blazed with concern. “And we’re too far from Glosstyr.”
“Thorngate castle is nearby,” Lady Deborah suggested immediately.
Ransom smiled at her. “We were thinking the same.”
“Yes,” Jon-Landon said. “We’ll send you with some knights, on horseback, to Thorngate. Lord Ransom will stall their advance while I accompany the remaining wagons to Glosstyr.”
“No, Jonny!” the queen said worriedly, her pet name for him slipping out. Ransom had never heard her use it before. “Come to Thorngate too!”
He shook his head adamantly. “I’ll not forsake the treasure. I’m bringing it to Glosstyr. I just need you all to be safe.”
“But Papa, it’s raining!” said his daughter, perplexed. “Are we to ride in the rain?”
Cecily put a hand on the princess’s leg. “It’ll be an adventure. Think what you can tell Willem and Devon.”
The princess smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
The queen made a grab for Jon-Landon. “Please! Don’t leave us!”
“Where will I go?” asked the prince.
“You’ll stay with me,” said the king. “As before. If we must, we’ll ride on to Glosstyr together, just us.”
The prince nodded bravely, though he looked sick with fear.
A memory burst into Ransom’s mind. The Elder King and Jon-Landon had escaped the burning ruins of Dunmanis with just a handful of knights after the fortress fell. It did not seem to bode well that it was still in Occitania’s possession.
Lady Deborah looked at the king. “It would be more prudent if you came with us. A castle is a better defense than a road.”
He shook his head stubbornly. His will was like iron at times. “He has siege engines and wagons. We’ll need all of our strength to repel him. If I can get Faulkes and Wigant down here with their men, then we may be able to even the odds. No, I’ll not be bottled up in a siege. I’ll come to your rescue. I promise.”
Lady Deborah seemed to have misgivings, but she did not speak them. “We’d best get horses ready, then. I’m a fair rider, but not in the dark.”
The king gave Ransom an encouraging look. “Get your knights ready to defend the road. I’ll send some of my guard to take the women to Thorngate. Send word as soon as you can.”
“I’ll also send a man ahead to Glosstyr to warn them of the situation. They can bring fresh horses to relieve our beasts. We must rest them, my lord. They’ve been going all day. If we don’t rest them, we’ll cripple them.”
“I know, Ransom. I’m not a fool.”
Ransom gave him a tight nod, attempting to ignore his tone. “I’ll do as you say.”
A streak of lightning flashed through the sky, and the rain began to pour down in earnest. Thunder boomed overhead. By the next day, the roads would be a muddy mess. Saving the wagons was a fool’s errand, and the king was an eejit for persisting in his plan.
Ransom gave Cecily a warning look. The queen and princess needed protection, and not just from the Occitanian army. Cecily was the closest thing they had to a poisoner, and she would need to accompany them to Thorngate. Jon-Landon ordered the wagon to halt, and Ransom turned back and went to his men. The dusk was soon overpowered by the rain and the storm. He sighed with weariness, knowing it would be a long night.
When he reached his mesnie, he reined in. “Did you tell them?” he asked Sir Galt.
“Yes, my lord. What does the king command?”
“He’s asked us to defend their escape. We are going to ambush the Occitanians on the road. It’s not a fight we can win, but we’ll hold them back and provide the royal family a chance to escape. Right now, we must rest our horses and prepare to fight. I don’t think they’re going to stop, so we can expect them to arrive at the darkest hour of night. We’ll use the darkness to our advantage.”