Orphan of Destiny by Michael Spradlin Read Free Book Online

I’ve had quite enough of coming to your rescue.”
    Now it was my turn for mock anger. “What? When have you ever come to my rescue? I caught you on the cliff at Montségur, I saved you from a beating at the hands of Philippe! Well, actually it was Angel, but still. You coming to my rescue? I think you are sadly—”
    “Enough! Goodness, the two of you argue like the old women in my village. Stop this nonsense. Let’s go!” Maryam shouted at us and stomped away, leaving the cover of the woods behind and heading down the rise toward Dover.
    Robard and I followed, and after a short walk we reached the outskirts of the city. The night was cold. I rubbed my hands together and wrapped them in the folds of my tunic for warmth. It would be colder before the sun rose again. There was a half moon in the sky and some of the buildings were lighted by torchlight. Candles burned in the windows of the huts and small shops, and the glow of their cook fires danced through shutters and curtains as we passed by.
    We left Angel behind to guard the horses. She was napping peacefully and opened one sleepy eye when I bade her stay. She had looked at me with her intelligent eyes and, somehow understanding our need to keep the horses as safe as possible, didn’t make a fuss about following us. She rolled back over and was soon asleep. The poor little mutt had been through a lot the last few days.
    Off in the distance high above the city stood the castle where I’d first met King Richard more than a year ago. It felt like only yesterday when I had stood in the Great Hall while the Lionheart addressed our regimento. In other ways it felt like a lifetime since I’d last walked these streets.
    “What are you thinking about?” Maryam asked.
    “Nothing,” I answered.
    “Are you with us, squire?” Robard said, his tone somewhere between teasing and serious. “You need to be alert. I don’t like this idea one bit. I’m willing to bet you my bow Sir Hugh is here, and we’re likely to run into him at any moment.”
    “Yes. I am alert, Robard. I was just thinking,” I said, pointing toward the next street. “This way. We’ll head to the Commandery. It’s on the other side of town.”
    The sky was overcast, and when the moon rose later in the evening, the clouds would cut the light. Most of the dwellings were quiet, with no firelight coming from inside. A few torches were lighted here and there, but we would be able to move about without being seen clearly, for the most part. As we walked, I found myself clenching and unclenching my hands and breathing in short bursts. My side ached, and I was certainly not going to be much help if we had to fight our way out. Had I made a mistake in bringing us here?
    We darted down the alleys and the narrow passageways between buildings, trying our best to stay out of sight. Each step we took made my heart thunder in my chest. In truth, there were very few people out at this time of night and we had little difficulty passing through town largely unseen. But I felt as if danger lurked in the shadows and Sir Hugh was hiding behind every corner. Despite the cold, I was sweating. My legs grew heavy and each step took more and more effort. I kept telling myself it was only nerves and to stay alert, but I had trouble concentrating and only became more agitated.
    Whenever someone appeared on the street, we behaved as if we belonged there—strolling along, talking in low tones and giving no one a reason to suspect us of anything. In a few minutes we had reached the marketplace in the center of town. It was deserted, but as we cut through the closed-up stalls, memories overtook me. I thought of the morning after Sir Thomas had introduced me to King Richard and he’d reacted so strangely. He must have sent the King’s Guards to follow me that day. The guards had tracked me through these very streets, and were it not for the timely appearance of Sir Basil, who knows what may have happened. In hindsight, it was