Chapter 7
The light was disappearing fast and as if she’d summoned the rain just by thinking about it earlier, it was leaking through the canopy of the forest. It wasn’t hard, but it was enough to dampen everything around, under and on them.
She wasn’t sure what material her cloak was made from, probably a mixture of organic and synthetic, but it seemed to repel the dampness better than the girl’s red coat.
She huddled the child in close and draped the cloak over her head.
A howl echoed around them and Bree stiffened. The girl pushed in closer to her side and let out a small cry. Bree couldn’t tell what direction the wolf was but was sure it wasn’t close. “It’s okay. It’s a long way away.”
By the time Bree spotted what she hoped was Horland’s shadow ahead of them, the light had gone, and a constant drizzle fell on her head. He disappeared behind a tree.
Bree pulled the girl up. “Do you think that was Horland?”
She couldn’t see the girl’s eyes, but the way she leaned back, she sensed the girl’s surprise—or was it shock?
“What?” she asked the girl.
Her little shadow shook its head.
“Oh, you don’t like me calling your knight Horland. Do I have to always say Sir Horland?”
She nodded.
“Sorry kid, no can do. It’s way too formal to speak like that here, but I promise, I’ll stick with the correct protocol when we get to Frother.”
The girl tilted her head and gazed at Bree like she was trying to decide if it would be okay.
“We good now?” Bree asked.
The girl frowned.
“I mean, are we all right? Friends?”
The child nodded and they continued along the path to the tree. Horland or whoever the dark form was pounced in front of them.
“Stop where you stand.”
Bree started but grinned. It was Horland. “Thank goodness it’s you.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I, that is, we, yeah, we, got worried when no other wagons or even people on horses came by and it was getting late and I guess I got scared so I thought we should find you. You are a knight, after all, and sworn to save people in distress, are you not?”
He didn’t say anything, and Bree wondered if he could see in the dark, because she was certain he was glaring at her. After a minute of silence, he turned on his heels and strode along the path.
Bree grabbed the girl’s hand and quickly followed.
Letting him have all the space ahead, she kept her eyes on his back, not wanting to lose what faint sight she had of him.
His back was wide and tapered down to his belted waist. She couldn’t help her gaze lowering further but couldn’t see anything but darkness.
A little disappointed, she followed his easy gait.
Checking her stride against the girl’s, Bree realized he’d slowed so they wouldn’t have to hurry to keep up with him.
So, he had empathy, at least for the girl.
They all soon got into a rhythm and made good progress into the forest. The trees closed in on them and the path turned into a single narrow track. Bree thought that either the canopy had thickened exponentially, or the rain had stopped.
She couldn’t see much, but Horland’s dark silhouette dropped to the ground in front of her and she had to stop abruptly before she plowed right into him.
“What is it?” she asked.
“A place to sleep,” he said, and crawled under a bush’s low branches.
The girl dipped down and followed him.
Bree got to her hands and knees and peeked in. The space was about as big as the flatbed of a pickup. She shrugged. Might as well join them.
When she crawled in, the first thing she noticed was dry dirt under her hands, and she smiled to herself. He knew what he was doing all right.
Horland flung something out and let it float to the ground. Bree touched it. It was a thick blanket. He let out a sigh as he stretched out on the outer edge.
“Sleep,” he said.
Bree guided the girl onto the blanket and wondered if she should take the child’s coat off. It was damp through, not soaking wet, but still wet enough to cause a chill.
“Sit up, sweetie. We need to get rid of that wet coat.”
The girl wriggled out of the coat and curled up in a ball. Bree took her cloak off. The underside was dry, and she covered them both with the expanse of it.
The girl had taken up the position on the edge of the blanket, so Bree nestled down between her and Horland. She gazed at Horland’s chest; its rhythmical rising and falling had her mesmerized.
Her gaze flitted up to his face. She couldn’t make out any details but for some reason, his features were clear in her mind. He was still as perfect as any model... and he was too close. She turned over and faced the girl, took in some deep breaths. Don’t think about him.
Although she tried not to, all she could think about was how close he was and that she could feel his body warmth filling the tight space.
She concentrated on her breathing, forcing an evenness of rhythm until finally she slept.
SOMEONE SHOOK brEE’S shoulder. She groaned and opened her eyes.
Horland’s breath washed over her ear. “Get up.”
She sat up with a start. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s morning and we should eat before we continue.”
Bree turned her head. The little girl was still sleeping soundly.
“Let her sleep a while longer.” Horland crawled out of the bush.
Bree rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the sleep fuzz from her brain.
She made sure the child was covered. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of food, and she quickly escaped the bush and stood up.
Rubbing the cold on her arms, she peered at Horland.
While still somewhat dark, the early morning’s sun managed to spread light under the forest canopy, and she noted he held his bow in one hand and an arrow in the other.
“I hope you’re not going to shoot me,” she said.
He eyed her then raised his brow as if she’d just given him a thought.
“You’re not, are you?” She rubbed her arms harder.
He nocked the arrow.
Bree put her hands up, palms facing him. “What are you doing?”
He waved the loaded bow to the bushes. “Collect twigs and small branches from under the bushes where they’ll be dry, and I’ll start a fire when I come back.” He chuckled and disappeared into the forest.
She glared after him. “You think you’re so funny.” She clicked her tongue against her front teeth. He probably thought she had no idea how to start a fire out of nothing. Well, she’d show him.
Bree harrumphed and set about collecting tinder and kindling and some larger branches to keep the fire going.
The larger bits were easy, but she scoured the forest floor for the tinder she needed, checking under the bushes for any dry leaf litter.
She had to get down on hands and knees for that and with her bottom up in the air, she edged forward on her elbows, hoping Horland stayed away long enough that she could exit said bushes with her dignity intact.
She found the perfect pile of litter and scooping it up, she backed out with the help of her forearms.
“This will show him.” Once she cleared the bush’s foliage, she stood up. A man clearing his throat sounded behind her and she wheeled around, coming face to face with Horland.
Heat coursed into her cheeks. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough.” He took the litter. “Well done.”
“Give it back to me, I’m starting the fire, remember?”
He gave it back but most of it fell to the ground before she could get her hands on it.
“Great. Now look what you’ve done.”
“You wanted it back.”
“In my hand, not on the ground.”
He let out a laugh. “You need to be quicker if you are to survive the Forest of Uther.”
“I doubt my being able to catch leaf litter is a detriment to my chances of survival.”
“The deeper we go into the forest, the darker and colder it will get. We might become separated and you will need fires to keep you warm and without litter, you will die.”
Bree dipped her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you thinking of trying to ditch me?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Do you have plans of leaving me stranded somewhere in the forest?”
“No. I am a knight and knights don’t leave women in distress stranded anywhere.”
“You were going to on the road.”
“You weren’t stranded, you knew exactly where you were.”
Bree opened her mouth to say that she didn’t know where in blazes she was but caught herself and swallowed. “Maybe, but you still left us.”
He looked her up and down. “Are you going to light a fire?”
She bent down and scraped as much of the leaf litter as she could off the ground and piled it on top of the tiny sticks of wood she’d already layered on the dirt in the middle of the small clearing. Then she set about getting flames to ignite from the stick she rubbed vigorously in her open hands.
Horland stood over her and when she finally achieved a small spark, she harrumphed and left the clearing.
Bree worked to grow the fire and when she thought she had succeeded, she sat back on her heels and looked around for Horland. He appeared out of the trees and threw a skinned rabbit on the ground.
She looked at the rabbit and gazed up at him, raising one brow in question.
He raised his brows and tilted his head. “I thought you would cook it.”
She stood up. “Me? I built the fire; you can cook it while I go for a walk.”
“Me? I am a knight; you are a woman.”
“I might be a woman, but men are quite capable of cooking too, mate.”
“Mate? I am not your mate.”
“I didn’t mean you were my mate, ugh, how could you think that?” She walked away. “I need to go for a walk.”
“Do not stray far.”
Bree didn’t acknowledge his command, but she did make sure she didn’t go too far. He was obnoxious enough without her having to get him to save her from being lost in the forest.