she gets home and reports that—”
“Or if she broke her neck coming through the other side…” I added in a whisper, staring at Gabi. Terror waved through me.
“Or if the Fiorentini find her, fleeing from our men…” Gabi said, bringing a hand to her lips.
“We have to find her and bring her back,” I said. “Fast.”
“Before supper,” Gabi said. “They come to get her tomorrow. And if she’s not here…”
I nodded. “Alessandra, please allow us to help,” I said a tad loudly, feigning conversation for Dario’s benefit.
Gabi smiled, looking a bit like her old self. “Come now,” she added, equally as loud. “Surely you can see—”
“Very well. Mayhap you’ll feel better after a rest.” I lumped some blankets under another, roughly forming a body in case the guard peered in. “You’ve been through a great deal.”
“Are you certain you do not have need of anything else?” Gabi said, by the door now, not quite as loud, gesturing for me to hurry. Who knew how long she’d been gone?
We slipped out the door, giving Dario an exasperated look. “There’s no reasoning with her,” Gabi said. “The best thing for her is rest. See that she is not disturbed.”
“Yes, m’lady.”
We walked away down the hall, fighting not to appear hurried or harried. “The guys are gonna so kill us when they find out.”
“They’d better not,” she returned. “It’s their fault. If they hadn’t pushed her, pressed her as they did…”
We paused in the courtyard. “I’ll get the horses ready. You fetch your sword?”
Gabi nodded, understanding my reluctance to enter the armory. We divided, trying to act as natural as possible. But adrenaline surged through my veins. If we didn’t take care of this fast, we were sunk.
I entered the stables, cautiously looking around for Luca, and relieved to find him gone, gestured to two squires. “Lady Gabriella’s and my mount, quick as you can.”
The boys ran off and I moved to the saddles, thinking about ditching them, but then deciding we had to depart on side-saddle, as if we had all the time in the world, or the guards would know something was up. Just an afternoon ride out to the construction site...I rehearsed it in my head, practicing tone, phrasing. Second-guessing myself.
Gabi arrived then, her sword already in its traditional place; in a sheath at her back. But when she turned, I could see she’d also brought a bow and a quiver full of arrows.
“Gabs…” I shook my head. “It’s one thing to mess around in the courtyard but another to—”
“C’mon. Take them. You know that we’re going to get hassled, trying to ride out without a posse. Put it across your shoulders. A costume, of sorts. We’d be idiots to head out unarmed.”
She was right, of course, and precious minutes were passing. I shouldered my bow and quiver, then helped the squire toss the saddle across my mare’s back, as Gabi did with her own. Then, as I was about to mount, I stopped cold.
“What are we doing?”
“What?” she asked.
“You can’t come with me,” I whispered. “Gabs, your preggers, remember? And I’m pretty sure riding a horse at a gallop, chasing someone down, isn’t on the list of recommended exercises in What to Expect When You’re Expecting .”
She paused and frowned. “I’ll be okay. It’s so early—”
“No, it’s not,” I said, mounting, gathering confidence when she still hesitated. It was so un-Gabi, I had to be right. “You stay here. Get me through the gates. Cover for me. I’ll bring Alessandra back.”
“I can’t send you out alone,” she said.
I gathered the reins and urged my mare forward, passing her. “I won’t go far. I’ll surely catch up with her, long before the border. And with our patrols out, the woods have to be clear.”
She reached out and grabbed hold of my reins. “No, Lia. You can’t even get yourself to use that bow these days. You might talk me into going solo, but I’m not
“Or if she broke her neck coming through the other side…” I added in a whisper, staring at Gabi. Terror waved through me.
“Or if the Fiorentini find her, fleeing from our men…” Gabi said, bringing a hand to her lips.
“We have to find her and bring her back,” I said. “Fast.”
“Before supper,” Gabi said. “They come to get her tomorrow. And if she’s not here…”
I nodded. “Alessandra, please allow us to help,” I said a tad loudly, feigning conversation for Dario’s benefit.
Gabi smiled, looking a bit like her old self. “Come now,” she added, equally as loud. “Surely you can see—”
“Very well. Mayhap you’ll feel better after a rest.” I lumped some blankets under another, roughly forming a body in case the guard peered in. “You’ve been through a great deal.”
“Are you certain you do not have need of anything else?” Gabi said, by the door now, not quite as loud, gesturing for me to hurry. Who knew how long she’d been gone?
We slipped out the door, giving Dario an exasperated look. “There’s no reasoning with her,” Gabi said. “The best thing for her is rest. See that she is not disturbed.”
“Yes, m’lady.”
We walked away down the hall, fighting not to appear hurried or harried. “The guys are gonna so kill us when they find out.”
“They’d better not,” she returned. “It’s their fault. If they hadn’t pushed her, pressed her as they did…”
We paused in the courtyard. “I’ll get the horses ready. You fetch your sword?”
Gabi nodded, understanding my reluctance to enter the armory. We divided, trying to act as natural as possible. But adrenaline surged through my veins. If we didn’t take care of this fast, we were sunk.
I entered the stables, cautiously looking around for Luca, and relieved to find him gone, gestured to two squires. “Lady Gabriella’s and my mount, quick as you can.”
The boys ran off and I moved to the saddles, thinking about ditching them, but then deciding we had to depart on side-saddle, as if we had all the time in the world, or the guards would know something was up. Just an afternoon ride out to the construction site...I rehearsed it in my head, practicing tone, phrasing. Second-guessing myself.
Gabi arrived then, her sword already in its traditional place; in a sheath at her back. But when she turned, I could see she’d also brought a bow and a quiver full of arrows.
“Gabs…” I shook my head. “It’s one thing to mess around in the courtyard but another to—”
“C’mon. Take them. You know that we’re going to get hassled, trying to ride out without a posse. Put it across your shoulders. A costume, of sorts. We’d be idiots to head out unarmed.”
She was right, of course, and precious minutes were passing. I shouldered my bow and quiver, then helped the squire toss the saddle across my mare’s back, as Gabi did with her own. Then, as I was about to mount, I stopped cold.
“What are we doing?”
“What?” she asked.
“You can’t come with me,” I whispered. “Gabs, your preggers, remember? And I’m pretty sure riding a horse at a gallop, chasing someone down, isn’t on the list of recommended exercises in What to Expect When You’re Expecting .”
She paused and frowned. “I’ll be okay. It’s so early—”
“No, it’s not,” I said, mounting, gathering confidence when she still hesitated. It was so un-Gabi, I had to be right. “You stay here. Get me through the gates. Cover for me. I’ll bring Alessandra back.”
“I can’t send you out alone,” she said.
I gathered the reins and urged my mare forward, passing her. “I won’t go far. I’ll surely catch up with her, long before the border. And with our patrols out, the woods have to be clear.”
She reached out and grabbed hold of my reins. “No, Lia. You can’t even get yourself to use that bow these days. You might talk me into going solo, but I’m not
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