Lion Heart
Page 6
We made it back to the heart of London, and Allan tugged me down an alleyway that weren’t half as crowded. He nodded me ahead, farther away from the mob.
“My lady!” David shouted, grabbing me as we pushed down into an alley that were open and dark.
“Lady?” someone growled, grabbing me round my waist.
I yelped as one arm held me tight and the other started patting and grabbing my clothes, looking for money or jewels or God only knew what else. Three other men set on David and Allan as the man pulled me off my feet.
I drew my legs up and let them drop, slamming my heel into the man’s kneecap. He howled and dropped me, and I whipped round to shove my elbow against his face.
He roared out a curse, covering his eye and wheeling back.
One man were bleeding on the ground and David dispatched a second. Allan slung a punch over the third with a little whimper. The man stumbled, and I jumped over him, running down the alley. Allan ran ahead with his long loping legs, leading the way. I followed behind him, and David followed behind me. I were the middle. The weak point—the one that needed defending. I’d always been one of the guards, not the guarded.
It weren’t far, now that we were away from the crush. Allan took us down closer to the river, to a tavern that bore the name Rose and Thorn, and I near collapsed against the door, heaving for breath. “It’s shut,” I told Allan.
He looked wounded, knocking twice, pausing, and knocking twice more on the door.
We waited several long moments.
The door opened a crack, and whoever were behind it saw Allan and opened it.
He nodded us in. I went first, and a young man led me into the tavern room. Windows that would look onto the street were boarded over, and there weren’t no fire in the hearth. There were a few candles on a table near the casks, and two other people at a table. They looked up at me.
One were a boy, and the other were a grizzled old man.
The one who led me in pointed to a bench. “Sit.”
I blinked at the sound of the voice. “You’re a girl,” I realized.
She looked at me like I were mad. “So are you.”
She turned away from me, going to the back, and I sat at the bench, feeling strange and put out of my own body.
David came and sat at the bench of another table, his back to the wall. It were a soldier’s choice. He could move from there, cover me, and fend off attackers, while still sitting closest to the door to defend an exit.
Allan didn’t sit. He paced, jumping to help the girl in men’s clothing with cups for us and a plate of bread. “My thanks, Kate,” he said.
She frowned at him as she passed us ale and the bread. I took a piece of the bread and handed the rest to David, and he took some and passed it to the others at the table. “You shouldn’t have brought her here,” Kate said to Allan.
This made the others look at me, and the bread went to ash in my mouth.
“Not here, Kate,” Allan warned.
“They can be trusted,” Kate snapped. “As much as I can, at least.”
Allan frowned.
My surprise must have shown. “I know who you are,” Kate told me, crossing her arms. “I’ve heard you’re a bastard royal,” she said to me. “And if King Richard’s dead, you can bet your head will start causing an awful lot of problems.”
“He’s not dead,” I told them. “That’s what the rioting is about?”
Kate nodded. “We heard he was killed in the Holy Land. And Prince John set off to murder the king’s nephew to replace him as the heir.”
I shook my head. “The king’s been captured. Ransomed.”
“By who?”
“I don’t know,” I told them. “But the man who told me had no reason to lie.”
Kate frowned. “Every man has a reason to lie.”
“Not when he were planning to murder me a moment later.”
This settled over the others, and the man and boy looked at each other.
“How did you find us?” David asked, looking at Allan. “You never said.”
“I told her,” Allan grumbled. “You were too busy knocking my block off.”
“Me!” David returned, but Allan weren’t paying him mind.
“We’ve all—we were told you were dead,” he said, looking at me.
I put the bread down. “We?” I repeated low.
“It wasn’t more than a week after you left Nottingham that our noble sheriff got a letter, telling him you’d been executed.” My chest squeezed. “He never believed it. Not once. But he sent me south to find the truth of the matter, and for all the people I know, I couldn’t find you. Rob said that if you were dead you’d be easy to find, but I never had the same faith. Until a few days ago, when I followed the prince to Bramber,” he said, looking up and crossing himself dramatic.
“And Rob—” I didn’t know what I wanted to ask. But the feel of his name on my mouth were painful.
“Doesn’t know, yet. I couldn’t write to him till I were sure. But he writes to you,” he told me. I frowned, confused, and he went to a satchel I hadn’t noticed, opening it and pulling out a small stack of papers, looped together with a ribbon. He came and handed them to me, and I reached out to touch them.
But my hands were filthy, bloody and dirty and cut, and I pulled back.
I looked up at Allan, and to my horror, saw pity bright on his face.
“Come on,” Kate said. “You lot can’t go anywhere tonight. I’ll show you where you can wash up and sleep.”
“My lady!” David shouted, grabbing me as we pushed down into an alley that were open and dark.
“Lady?” someone growled, grabbing me round my waist.
I yelped as one arm held me tight and the other started patting and grabbing my clothes, looking for money or jewels or God only knew what else. Three other men set on David and Allan as the man pulled me off my feet.
I drew my legs up and let them drop, slamming my heel into the man’s kneecap. He howled and dropped me, and I whipped round to shove my elbow against his face.
He roared out a curse, covering his eye and wheeling back.
One man were bleeding on the ground and David dispatched a second. Allan slung a punch over the third with a little whimper. The man stumbled, and I jumped over him, running down the alley. Allan ran ahead with his long loping legs, leading the way. I followed behind him, and David followed behind me. I were the middle. The weak point—the one that needed defending. I’d always been one of the guards, not the guarded.
It weren’t far, now that we were away from the crush. Allan took us down closer to the river, to a tavern that bore the name Rose and Thorn, and I near collapsed against the door, heaving for breath. “It’s shut,” I told Allan.
He looked wounded, knocking twice, pausing, and knocking twice more on the door.
We waited several long moments.
The door opened a crack, and whoever were behind it saw Allan and opened it.
He nodded us in. I went first, and a young man led me into the tavern room. Windows that would look onto the street were boarded over, and there weren’t no fire in the hearth. There were a few candles on a table near the casks, and two other people at a table. They looked up at me.
One were a boy, and the other were a grizzled old man.
The one who led me in pointed to a bench. “Sit.”
I blinked at the sound of the voice. “You’re a girl,” I realized.
She looked at me like I were mad. “So are you.”
She turned away from me, going to the back, and I sat at the bench, feeling strange and put out of my own body.
David came and sat at the bench of another table, his back to the wall. It were a soldier’s choice. He could move from there, cover me, and fend off attackers, while still sitting closest to the door to defend an exit.
Allan didn’t sit. He paced, jumping to help the girl in men’s clothing with cups for us and a plate of bread. “My thanks, Kate,” he said.
She frowned at him as she passed us ale and the bread. I took a piece of the bread and handed the rest to David, and he took some and passed it to the others at the table. “You shouldn’t have brought her here,” Kate said to Allan.
This made the others look at me, and the bread went to ash in my mouth.
“Not here, Kate,” Allan warned.
“They can be trusted,” Kate snapped. “As much as I can, at least.”
Allan frowned.
My surprise must have shown. “I know who you are,” Kate told me, crossing her arms. “I’ve heard you’re a bastard royal,” she said to me. “And if King Richard’s dead, you can bet your head will start causing an awful lot of problems.”
“He’s not dead,” I told them. “That’s what the rioting is about?”
Kate nodded. “We heard he was killed in the Holy Land. And Prince John set off to murder the king’s nephew to replace him as the heir.”
I shook my head. “The king’s been captured. Ransomed.”
“By who?”
“I don’t know,” I told them. “But the man who told me had no reason to lie.”
Kate frowned. “Every man has a reason to lie.”
“Not when he were planning to murder me a moment later.”
This settled over the others, and the man and boy looked at each other.
“How did you find us?” David asked, looking at Allan. “You never said.”
“I told her,” Allan grumbled. “You were too busy knocking my block off.”
“Me!” David returned, but Allan weren’t paying him mind.
“We’ve all—we were told you were dead,” he said, looking at me.
I put the bread down. “We?” I repeated low.
“It wasn’t more than a week after you left Nottingham that our noble sheriff got a letter, telling him you’d been executed.” My chest squeezed. “He never believed it. Not once. But he sent me south to find the truth of the matter, and for all the people I know, I couldn’t find you. Rob said that if you were dead you’d be easy to find, but I never had the same faith. Until a few days ago, when I followed the prince to Bramber,” he said, looking up and crossing himself dramatic.
“And Rob—” I didn’t know what I wanted to ask. But the feel of his name on my mouth were painful.
“Doesn’t know, yet. I couldn’t write to him till I were sure. But he writes to you,” he told me. I frowned, confused, and he went to a satchel I hadn’t noticed, opening it and pulling out a small stack of papers, looped together with a ribbon. He came and handed them to me, and I reached out to touch them.
But my hands were filthy, bloody and dirty and cut, and I pulled back.
I looked up at Allan, and to my horror, saw pity bright on his face.
“Come on,” Kate said. “You lot can’t go anywhere tonight. I’ll show you where you can wash up and sleep.”
