Magic in His Kiss by Shari Anton Page B

sped down the lane.
    Rhodri grabbed the sack. “We need to leave Oxford. Now.”
    Nicole rubbed at her arms. “Have you a plan?”
    He did, and though he disliked once again exposing Nicole to danger, he knew they must press forward or become victims of the denizens of the area or, worse, be captured.
    “I do. Think you can carry out a deception?”
    Nicole glanced upward at the charred beams, then at the now menacing gap in the corner. “What do you want me to do?”

Chapter Seven
    R hodri squinted through a gap in the wall of yet another burned-out, abandoned building, one with a decent if not complete view of Little Gate.
    “How many guards?” Nicole asked.
    “Six on the ground. One more up on the wall walk.” He shifted to get a better view of the area in front of the gate. “No other people around.”
    ’Twas a better situation than he’d hoped for. Granted, most people would leave town through the larger gates, on the roads that led into the countryside. He’d feared some might decide to use the smaller gates to avoid the crowding at the larger ones. Apparently, that hadn’t happened yet.
    “The gate is open?”
    “Aye.”
    Again as he’d expected. Towns closed their gates during daylight only to keep out an invading army, not to prevent a person or two from leaving.
    “Have you heard the tale of how Empress Maud escaped Oxford?” she asked. “We should wait until nightfall and try something similar.”
    Rhodri came away from the wall.
    The tale of Maud’s escape was legend throughout the kingdom, and impossible for them to emulate.
    “We have no bed linens to tie together, and even if we could find a rope long enough, I doubt the guards on the wall walk would stand aside while we tossed it over the wall and slid down. Nicole, this is truly the only way for us to escape Oxford.”
    Nicole didn’t look convinced, and Rhodri felt as if he faced a youth about to engage in first battle. Uncertainty marred her doe-brown eyes. Her lips were pressed together tightly, a further sign of worry. For a moment, he considered kissing those lips to ease their tenseness.
    He put a finger under her chin and gently nudged it upward.
    Her skin was so soft and smooth, so touchable. Other places on Nicole’s body would be just as soft. Intrigued by the thought of touching those other places, he almost forgot his purpose for raising her chin.
    “You know what to tell the guards. Leave the rest to me. We will be out the gate and over the bridge in a trice. You can do this, Nicole. I have every confidence in your ability to play the ill-used princess.”
    She huffed. “’Tis not my part I worry over, but yours. You have no proper weapon.”
    Rhodri was torn between being flattered that Nicole worried for his safety, and chagrined that she doubted his skill as a warrior.
    He picked up the stout, almost sword-length piece of wood he’d found among the ruins and slashed it through the air to again test the weight and balance. Not perfect, but it would serve the purpose.
    “Between this and the dagger, I am armed well enough. Are you ready?”
    She still looked dubious, but she picked up the harp’s sack and clutched it to her lovely bosom. “You have a care. I will meet you on the other side of the gate.”
    With that welcome bit of confidence in their plan, Nicole strode out the door. Rhodri scurried back to the gap in the wall to watch her run toward the gate, the end of her braid bouncing rhythmically against her beautifully shaped rump.
    Rhodri hated using Nicole this way but knew no harm would come to her if the plan failed. ’Twould be his neck in a noose if he’d not judged the reactions of the guards rightly.
    As expected, every guard watched in wide-eyed wonder as the beautiful woman ran toward them, screeching at them to chase after the cur of a bard who’d audaciously kidnapped her from the tower.
    Nicole didn’t bother to hide her nervousness from the guards. She was supposed to be afraid. The guards