CHAPTER 27
Cap
Cap looked up at the overcast sky and tugged his hood a little lower. He was grateful that the weather gave him an excuse to wear the hood, but he hoped it wouldn’t actually snow before he and his companions returned to their friends. Snow left tracks, and it was harder to walk through.
And he would have enough walking once they handed off the horses.
He, Jean-haut, and Adrien each had a lead rope tied to a second horse behind the one he rode. Adrien led the line, his fatherly face and friendly expression easing the concerns of those who crossed their paths. Jean-haut followed with a big grin and a friendly nod.
Cap brought up the rear, the longbow on his back and the sword at his hip marking him as the guard for their little group. The eyes of everyone they met slid right over him.
“Ho, there!”
Looking up, he saw a stern-faced man in Amitian blue striding toward them. Two other guards stood behind him.
Since when did Amitié have checkpoints on the roads?
“Where are you going with those horses?” The officer looked them over with a suspicious eye.
Adrien gave the man an understanding smile. “On the eye for horse thieves, are we? Don’t worry, my good man; these are some of Lord Cheval’s horses that he loaned to a friend. We are simply returning them to him.”
The guard frowned. “You should be careful traveling this region with so few men. Le Capuchon has been active in this area, and we don’t have enough soldiers to flush him out.”
The minstrel’s eyebrows rose. Cap frowned a little himself. Someone else causing trouble in his name? He didn’t need more to overcome once he proved the prince’s innocence.
“Le Capuchon?” Adrien echoed. “I thought he operated farther north.”
“It appears he is expanding his territory as well as his exploits,” the guard replied solemnly. “We’ve had reports of five attacks in the last week.”
“Five in a week?” Adrien whistled. “And you haven’t caught him yet?”
The guard shook his head. “No, but it’s only a matter of time. Once we discover who’s helping him, we’ll catch him, never fear.”
“Best of luck to you,” Adrien said with a nod. “If that’s all, we should—”
“There is one more thing.” The guard narrowed his eyes at them. “We’re looking for a young maiden who may have disappeared in these parts. Her parents believe she intended to visit her cousin, but she never arrived. I’m also looking for information regarding her whereabouts.”
Laughing, Adrien swept a hand over their line. “Do you see any young maidens here, my good man?”
Cap’s hands tightened on the reins as the guard’s eyes swept over him. There were only three men and none held their weapons, but delivering the horses would be difficult if he attacked a checkpoint first.
But if it was that or let himself be taken, it wasn’t a choice.
The man returned his eyes to Adrien. “No maidens, but extra horses. Perhaps hers is among them?”
“Do you intend to stop all servants moving horses for their masters?” Adrien inquired with an amused tone. “Unless you have a description of her horse, I’m not sure how you intend to find it.”
“By asking her parents.” The guard motioned with his head, and his companions stepped forward. “We’re confiscating these horses. If they truly belong to Lord Cheval, he can bring proof of ownership to the local barracks, and they will be returned.”
“You mean to steal our horses?” Adrien exclaimed in outrage.
He glanced over his shoulder at Cap, but Cap gave his head a tiny shake.
Lord Cheval couldn’t provide proof of ownership, and neither could Cap.
It would make their work more difficult come spring, but they couldn’t risk the confrontation now.
He watched as the guards led away the three riderless horses. Hopefully, Margit wouldn’t be too upset that her horse had just been legally stolen.
~
They increased their pace after that encounter. The General was getting bolder, and Cap didn’t want to be in the open for longer than necessary. But he still needed a home for the horses the guards had let them keep.
He began paying more attention to the expressions of those they met. The people were scared, and no wonder. How many other goods had been confiscated since the last time Cap traveled the roads?
It would be harder without horses, but it might be time to start harassing the King’s Guard.
No, the General’s Guard. Because there was no king in Amitié. If there was, the people meant to protect the citizens wouldn’t be causing them grief.
After quietly dropping the horses off with the stable master, Cap and his companions slipped around the side of the manor building. He would have preferred to hide in some trees, but Cheval had cleared his lands to provide more pasture for his horses.
“Which way do we need to go, Jean-haut?” Cap reached a hand to his quiver and fiddled with the fletching. “I would rather not linger in the open, given our welcome to the area.”
The forester’s eyes glazed over as he dipped into his magic. Cap took his elbow and pulled him to a stop at the corner of the building.
“Southeast,” Jean-haut replied in a distant voice, pointing. “No trees until after we hit the main road, so we should cut straight across to save time.”
Glancing around the corner, Cap replied, “Good, then let’s—”
“Wait.” Jean-haut’s voice was tight. “Cap, there’s one missing. I can’t find one of the tokens.”
A tendril of icy fear threaded its way through Cap’s chest. “Whose?”
The awareness returned to Jean-haut’s eyes as he faced Cap. Awareness…and compassion. “Margit’s.”
He felt the blood drain from his face as he gaped down at his friend. “What? I—I must have misheard you.”
Jean-haut’s eyes filled with compassion, but he repeated, “King Antoine is dead. I’m so sorry.”
“This isn’t like the last time.” Jean-haut’s hand gripped his arm, dragging him back to the present. “It could just be a problem with the token.”
“What kind of problem?” Cap asked, fighting to maintain his neutral expression.
Jean-haut hesitated. “We’ve only been using them for a couple of years. It’s possible there are problems we haven’t encountered—”
“What kind of problems, Jean-haut?” Cap repeated more forcefully.
Sighing, the forester replied, “Until now, the only reasons for losing track of a token have been when it ran out of magic or when it was... destroyed.”
“I thought you filled them last night.”
“I did.”
That left only one option. And how could a token be destroyed without harm befalling the person wearing it?
Adrien’s arm wrapped around Cap’s shoulders. “Hold on to faith, my son. We won’t know anything until we regroup with the others.”
Twisting away from them, Cap ground out, “I am no man’s son. Not anymore.”
He took a deep breath and pushed down the grief, but panic rose up in its place. What if Margit was hurt? Separated from the group, and he had no way of finding her?
What if he really had lost her?
What if he lost others?
He shook himself. He couldn’t help anyone if he lost himself to his emotions.
“We need to find the others.” Turning to Jean-haut, he asked, “Can you tell if the rest are stationary or if they’re still headed toward the meeting spot?”
“They’re too far away. I’ll have to check later and see if they’ve moved.”
“But if they were moving, they’re in the correct position?”
“More or less, yes.”
Cap gave a sharp nod. “Then we’ll head there and adjust if necessary. But the checkpoint and a lost token suggest the need to hide better. Any ideas?”
Looking him up and down, Jean-haut commented, “You’re too tall to hide.”
“Adrien and I are almost the same height. You’re too short.”
Chuckling, Adrien interjected, “If the guards are earnestly searching for Le Capuchon, I imagine it is the bow and the beard that will give him away more than his height.”
“I can’t shave, Adrien,” Cap replied with a frown. “Even trimming my beard might be too much. And I can’t give up my bow.”
“I know,” Adrien said, his eyes twinkling. “But I have an idea that will solve all three: the height, the beard, and even the bow.”
~
Cap trudged along next to his friends. Thinking of his forest family and the missing token urged his feet to jog, but he had to restrain his pace while out in the open.
“Careful how hard you stab the ground with that, Cap,” Jean-haut muttered. “You don’t want it to change back at the wrong time.”
“I still think this is ridiculous,” Cap grumbled. He set the staff on the ground more carefully with his next step. “You may have shortened my cloak for a few hours, but no one will mistake me for an old man. And we didn’t test the magic on my bow. What if it doesn’t work?”
“Sorry, Cap,” the forester winced. “I don’t have enough to do it twice. Not if I want to track the others and fight if necessary.”
“You look fine,” Adrien chided. “But lean forward a little more: your pack is starting to look less like a hunchback.”
“That’s why I keep telling you this won’t work.”
Jean-haut grinned. “Sure it will. You already have the attitude of a curmudgeon; you just have to look the part.”
Cap sneezed when some of the ash in his beard went up his nose. “I thought I was supposed to be a monk.”
“A crotchety old monk,” his friend retorted. “Trust me, they exist.”
Perfect.
Cap dropped his eyes to the ground in front of him; it was hard to keep his head up and hunch like Adrien wanted. He would simply have to use his ears to keep watch instead.
Before long, the beat of hooves and the jingle of tack reached him. He risked a glance up.
Soldiers. What were they doing on the Cheval estate?
Lowering his head, he concentrated on making his steps as stiff as possible. He leaned a little heavier on the staff; now would be a terrible time to look like a twenty-four-year-old playing dress-up.
The hooves slowed to a stop. “Greetings, travelers. What business do you have with the Chevals?” a deep voice asked.