Trail of Fate by Michael Spradlin Page B

back of my neck. But there were times when I thought that at any moment I would turn my head and he would appear. I was sure of it.
    â€œLet’s go,” I said.
    Robard roused Maryam, and we moved slowly toward the enemy campfire. It was pitch black out with no moon, and the going was slow. The terrain was steep and rough, and more than once we stumbled over the uneven ground and tree roots that fought for purchase in the rocky soil.
    It took us the better part of an hour to draw close enough to the fire to get a sense of what we were facing. Their camp was pitched just inside the tree line. The fire was large and sat in a small clearing. We crept closer until we could see the outlines of several men seated and standing about it. I counted twenty, which was about half of the original force. There was no sign of their horses, so they must have had them picketed beyond the fire. We would need to circle around.
    We pulled back deeper into the woods and considered our options.
    â€œWhere do you suppose the rest of the men are?” Maryam wondered.
    â€œProbably gone with the High Counsel to gather reinforcements,” I said. “These few remain here to keep anyone from leaving or entering the castle, until more troops arrive.”
    We crept back into the trees and circled, always keeping the fire to our left.
    â€œThey aren’t going to expect anyone, so I’m betting they have a single guard on the horses,” Robard whispered.
    This turned out to be true. When our eyes readjusted to the darkness, we saw the dim shapes of the horses tethered to a length of rope running between several trees on the far side of their camp. It was a good fifty yards from the fire, so I hoped we could make it away silently.
    â€œHow are we going to get rid of the guard?” Robard asked.
    â€œI haven’t thought that far ahead yet,” I replied. “Give me a minute.”
    Maryam sighed dramatically, dropping her head, and muttered under her breath, “Only by the grace of Allah have we made it this far.” This stung, true as it might be.
    â€œWait here,” she said, and she melted into the night.
    â€œMaryam, hold on!” I whispered. But she was gone.
    It was so dark that I could barely see Robard, though he stood only inches away.
    â€œSome girl,” he said quietly.
    â€œShe is indeed.”
    We waited in silence, having no idea what to do or if we even had a role in Maryam’s plan.
    Then very faintly I heard the guard speak.
    â€œLouis? C’est toi?” Louis, is that you?
    Next came a clunking sound and a groan, followed by the snorts of nervous horses, pawing away. Then in the dim light there was Maryam, frantically untying the animals one by one and turning them loose. I held my breath until she reached the last three in line.
    â€œCome on,” I whispered to Robard.
    We picked our way through the darkness until we reached the horses.
    â€œQuickly,” I said.
    We each mounted up. Luckily the High Counsel’s knights had not unsaddled.
    We guided the horses through the woods and, using the distant fire, tried to steer them through the trees until we could reach the trail. Unfortunately the underbrush grew thickly in this area and in order to reach the castle we would need to pass very near the fire. I found it hard to believe we would escape unseen, and indeed, an instant later, someone saw us trying to quietly pick our way through the darkened forest.
    â€œArrêtez! Arrêtez!” he shouted.
    The fire became a clamor of chaos as the soldiers began to shout and jump to their feet, scrambling for their weapons.
    â€œLet’s go!” I shouted and kicked at the sides of the horse. The horse bounded forward and Maryam and Robard spurred along right behind. Angel barked, but I concentrated on holding the reins. Bending low in the saddle, I trusted the horse to pick its way through the trees and not run me into a low-hanging branch.
    We moved