Excerpts
Passages from each book to whet your appetite!
Book One: The Legend
As the man’s life slowly drifted away, his eyes drooped shut, and he gave a sigh of relief. “My life is over. I am afraid I failed in my task.” He struggled to open his eyes and looked up at Andrew. “What is your name, young man?”
“I am Andrew MacLean,” Andrew replied.
The man gazed deeply into Andrew’s eyes and spoke. “Andrew MacLean, with my last breath, I charge you to find the descendants of King Reginald DuFay and return the sword to the rightful bearer. Protect it with your very life.”
“Protect it I will,” Andrew said with a slight grin on his lips as he beheld the object in his hands. “Do not worry about that.”
The old man closed his eyes, and the last remnants of his life ebbed away. He breathed his last, and his head slowly drooped forward.
Andrew shifted his unsympathetic gaze back to the deceased man.
“I regret that I was not able to avenge my brother’s death on you, old man. That you did not live beyond the battle gives me little consolation. I will leave you where you spoke your last and let the beasts of the field dispense with your remains. Since you were not honorable as you murdered Donald, you will not receive an honorable farewell.”
As he finished his speech, Andrew heard horses approaching from behind him. He whirled with his own sword drawn, expecting to see the enemy, but was only partially relieved to see his own countrymen. King Gallard and his three officers dismounted their horses.
“So this is where you disappeared to, Andrew,” the king said.
“It was this man I followed,” Andrew said, indicating the corpse. “My intentions were to slay him.”
“A field full of enemy soldiers for the killing was not enough for you? You had to pick out one fleeing old man to pursue into the forest to slay?” Walter said accusingly.
“He stabbed Donald in the back, like a coward. I saw him running for the trees, and knowing that the battle was going well, I followed him. I wanted to pay him back for killing my brother in such an unworthy manner.”
“I see,” the king murmured, looking at the sword in Andrew’s left hand. “You were successful in your efforts from all appearances. I have never seen that sword before. Did it belong to the dead man?”
“No,” Andrew answered, for indeed it had not been the man’s personal property. “I found it under some leaves several feet from him.”
“Maybe he was trying to hide it from you,” Donovan speculated.
“Why would he bother to hide a sword from me?” Andrew innocently asked. “Surely he would have no use for it after he died.”
Donovan did not reply.
“May I see it?” the king asked.
“Surely, my lord,” Andrew replied and handed the sword to his king. He disliked parting with his prize, but he had no other choice. The king hefted the weapon and inspected it closely.
“Yes, yes,” he mumbled to himself. “I believe this is it.” His advisers gathered closer to him and also peered closely at the sword. Andrew could tell that they were getting overly excited, and he did not like it.
“This would be a fine gift to your king to show your loyalty,” Gallard said to Andrew.
Now Andrew was in a corner. If he did not give in, he would be accused of being a traitor and killed. If he did give in, then the king would be in possession of the sword. If the dead man’s words were true …
“It would be at that, my lord. But has not my brave fighting shown my loyalty over the years? Did I not do you honor on the field today?”
“Are you refusing to relinquish this fair weapon to your lord and king?” Walter asked in astonishment.
“I believe that I would like to retain this sword as compensation for my brother’s death,” Andrew answered.
“Many men died on the battlefield today. It is a part of life. Who are you to require compensation for one man’s death?” Walter asked.
“What are we to do now?” John asked the king. “We must have it.”
“And we shall,” Gallard replied confidently. “Andrew will present this to me, as is proper for a servant to present his master an offering.” The king handed the sword back to Andrew. “He knows that such a sacrifice on his part will be well rewarded in the future. Very well rewarded.”
Andrew reached out and grasped the outstretched weapon. For a moment, he reconsidered his decision about keeping the sword. However, the thought quickly passed, and he knew that he could not surrender it.
“Good King Gallard, I regret that I will not be able to accommodate your desires today. I will fight a thousand battles for you, and I will gladly sacrifice to you any of my earthly possessions. Any, that is, except for my latest acquisition. I must retain this sword.”
“I see.” Gallard eyed Andrew deeply. “Then I regret what must now happen, but it is by your choice. Gentlemen, the sword please.”
The three men slowly advanced toward Andrew and drew their weapons. Andrew laid his prize on the ground, picked up his shield, and raised his own sword. For some reason, he could not bring himself to brandish the beautiful weapon in battle. Walter moved over to Andrew’s right, and John took to his left. Donovan remained in front. For a moment, there was no movement and complete silence as the men contemplated what course of action they were going to take. Then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the melee began.
Donovan and John attacked simultaneously, raising their swords above their heads and taking several quick steps forward. Andrew raised his shield and moved forward to meet John. The latter’s downward blow glanced off the shield, and Andrew rapidly turned. He parried the thrust from Donovan and kicked him in the midsection, sending him tumbling off to the side. Andrew dropped to the ground and rolled several yards to his right, just avoiding another stroke from John. Quickly, Andrew jumped to his feet and turned to face his attackers. John’s sword had momentarily embedded in the ground, but he tugged it free and sent a pivoting, waist-high slash at Andrew. The warrior stepped back and gave the off-balance attacker a tremendous kick to the side of his head. John crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Just as Andrew was about to finish him off, Donovan made another charge and forced Andrew to change his motion, throwing his balance off. He was barely able to deflect the incoming sword with his shield and stumbled to the ground.
Sensing the kill, Donovan straddled Andrew and raised his sword high. He did not have a chance to bring it down. Andrew rolled backward and thrust his legs up, catching Donovan in the groin. With a scream of agony, the attacker dropped his sword and doubled over. Andrew brought his weapon up and sliced Donovan’s midsection. As the dead man fell, Andrew rolled to the side and pounced onto his feet to face whatever else was next.
To this point, Walter had not taken part in the battle but had merely watched. Now he took a battle stance, his legs spread apart and slightly bent at the knees. He held his weapon out in front of him, pointing it at Andrew.
“You have held yourself well, traitor, but those two were always the weaker. Let us see how you do against a real man.”
“Should one appear, I would be more than happy to show you,” Andrew replied, not the least bit intimidated. “Until then, I will just have to keep fighting you pathetic women.”
With a cry of rage, Walter raised his sword and attacked. He covered the fifteen feet between them in the blink of an eye and brought with him a blow intended to kill instantly. The defender raised his shield and braced for the impact but nevertheless was knocked back several feet. It was followed immediately by another and then another until all Andrew could do was hope that the big man tired quickly, for he could not take any sort of offensive position. His sword dropped from his right hand, as it took all his concentration just to hold his shield. Suddenly Andrew felt a boulder at his back and could retreat no farther. His arms ached from holding the shield, and he nearly panicked from the unyielding situation.
“The man is here, boy, and has taught you a lesson. Too bad you will not be around to learn from it.” Walter smirked evilly as he raised his weapon for a mighty stroke. Andrew was not a man to submit to defeat so easily. He lunged forward and punched his adversary in the midsection, knocking his breath out of him. Without a moment of hesitation, Andrew swung his shield up and connected with Walter’s face. Walter stumbled back, completely taken by surprise. Andrew took two quick steps and swept his sword from the ground. At the same time, he caught a glimpse of a figure ten feet to his right. It was John. He had regained consciousness, and the prized sword was in his possession. Andrew reached into his right boot, and a six-inch dagger magically appeared in his grasp. With a flick of the wrist, he sent it flying at the man. The deadly weapon embedded itself deep into John’s back. He took three steps forward before crumbling to the ground. That was all the fighting Gallard needed to see.
“Enough!” he cried. Walter froze in place, coiled to spring on Andrew again. He looked at his king with a quizzical and almost contemptuous glare but said nothing.
“Take the cursed sword, you traitor. I have seen enough killing for today. Be warned, however. This is not the last of the fight. I will have that sword along with your head. For years, I have battled for it and will not give up now. A little more time will not matter. I will track you down. You shall never have a moment of peace as long as you hold that sword. When the day comes that we meet again, you will dearly wish that you had relinquished it to me here and now.”
“You shall never have this sword. It does not belong to you, and you do not deserve it. I shall do with it as I please.”
Andrew walked over and picked up the sword from beside John. He pulled his dagger from the man’s back and wiped it off.
“Another day,” Walter hissed as he mounted his horse.
“Another day.”
King Gallard turned his horse and raced out of the woods without another word. Walter followed, leading his fallen companion’s horses, leaving Andrew alone with the two dead men. The warrior, tired and sore, pulled himself up onto his own steed and left the gloomy scene. He headed opposite of Gallard and his army, not knowing where to go or what to do.
Book Two: Fallen Kingdom
“Lawrence!” Marie exclaimed with a smile of relief on her face. “I cannot believe you are here! How did you find me?”
“Later,” Lawrence answered. “Your questions shall be answered later. We cannot wait any longer. We must leave now!”
“Leave we shall,” Donald replied. “Lady Talbot, you must change clothes. We cannot leave with you wearing that dress. This uniform belongs to one of the younger men,” he said as Lawrence handed him the clothes. “It should fit you well enough for us to sneak out of camp. Change quickly.”
“What about them?” she asked, nodding toward the guards on the ground.
“They are bound and gagged. They should not awaken for some time but there are others who could very easily spot us and raise the alarm. Please hurry.”
Donald and Lawrence walked out of the tent. Donald nervously looked around the area. He knew there was not much time until the camp started to awaken for the day. There was no turning back for him now. The guards knew his name and when they told their story Gallard would want him nearly as bad as he wanted Andrew. Lawrence and Louis retrieved the three horses as Donald waited for Marie. It seemed like an eternity to them for Marie to emerge from the tent. When she did, she was not recognizable as a woman. The clothes were a bit too large for her and there was no way to completely conceal her feminine facial features, but the dimness of the night would help hide her identity.
“Now what?” Lawrence asked as he also scouted their surroundings. He, too, knew that dawn was not far away and soon the camp would buzz with activity. They probably had only minutes to make their escape without being noticed.
“We shall walk out just as we walked in,” Donald answered calmly. “If we keep our heads down and walk with a purpose, we should not raise any concerns if someone sees us.”
“I am afraid we cannot allow that to happen,” a voice called out from the darkness. Half a dozen men appeared out of the shadows and surrounded the foursome, fully armed and ready for business. The man who spoke approached Donald. Donald recognized the man as the guard who had questioned them at the road post.
“It appears you have good instincts,” Donald said as he surveyed those surrounding them. “What gave us away?”
“Instincts,” the man snorted. “I did not need instincts to tell me that you were not what you confessed to be. I know the name of Donald MacLean, though I had never met him before this evening. I could only take you at your word that you were who you said you were. I also had never met Marcus Fordham and therefore had no reason to doubt he was indeed Marcus Fordham,” the man said, nodding toward Lawrence. “However, what you could not have known is that Sean Lancaster just two nights ago won a very nice dagger from me in a game of chance.” He looked at Louis. “And you, my friend, bear as much resemblance to Lancaster as you do a toad.”
“And THAT is an insult to toads around the world,” Lawrence joked, showing not the least bit of fear or intimidation.
“I doubt you will feel much like joking come morning,” the man said knowingly. “I am certain the two men you knocked unconscious will be more than happy to return the favor, and then some. Lay down your weapons and you will not be harmed…for now. I am certain the king will have many questions to ask you and he will desire you to be very alert.”
“Six against three?” Louis asked. “I believe the numbers are not quite fair.”
“How about five thousand against three?” the man replied sarcastically. “The entire camp will be awake in a matter of minutes. It would be grave foolishness for you to attempt to fight your way free. Within seconds of the sound of swords clashing, a hundred men will encircle you. Again, I say, drop your weapons.”
Lawrence turned his head and looked at Louis with a determined glare. Not ones to surrender, both men knew there was no way they were going to get out of there without a fight. The odds of them escaping were virtually none, especially with Marie in tow. Louis saw the resolve in Lawrence’s eyes and answered in kind. Donald saw the men look at each other and knew what was about to happen. He knew they would not allow themselves to be captured and tortured by Gallard. Now he had an even bigger decision to make than before. Did he stay as well and fight alongside Lawrence and Louis, or did he attempt to flee with Marie? Did he and Marie even have the slightest chance of escaping? The man was right, at the first sound of conflict the entire camp would awaken. He knew that he, Lawrence and Louis would not be spared but he knew that Marie would not be harmed.
“Lay down your weapons!” the guard growled more forcefully.
“It appears you give us no choice,” Lawrence replied as he lowered his sword. He turned his head to his right and behind him a bit and looked at Donald. Donald was standing close to Louis, on the left side of the horse Louis was leading. Lawrence gave a nearly imperceptible nod toward the horse. Donald furrowed his eyebrows a bit, not sure of Lawrence’s meaning. Lawrence then turned his eyes toward Marie, who was almost directly behind him, and gave the same slight nod toward the horse he was leading. At this, Donald grasped Lawrence’s intentions. Lawrence and Louis would engage the guards in combat while Donald and Marie jumped on the horses and made a break for freedom. It was a very risky plan since they were outnumbered, and the camp was already starting to waken. Donald knew the chances of him and Marie getting through the camp and into the open were very slim. However, he had no choice. He could not talk his way out of this situation. His position as Security Consul for Gallard was now meaningless. For him, it was either escape or die trying. He returned Lawrence’s gaze and gave one short nod of understanding. Lawrence looked back at Louis.
“The man has left us with no choice.” Louis nodded in understanding.
Donald looked at Marie who appeared nervous and confused. Donald could not tell whether she understood the non-verbal plan. She looked at him inquisitively, knowing something was going to happen but not what. He shifted his eyes from her to the horse by her side and gently motioned toward the horse with his head. She quickly understood that they were going to make a run for it. She shifted her weight so that she would be ready to jump onto the horse when the time came. Her wait was short.
“We shall simply have to kill you and your five thousand comrades,” Lawrence said calmly as he looked into the eyes of the guard in front of him. Then suddenly, without warning, a cry of rage and force burst from Lawrence and in the blink of an eye he leaped forward and swung his sword at the guard who had been doing all the talking. The guard had been prepared for an attack and successfully defended against Lawrence’s first blow but with lightning speed Lawrence re-directed his deflected sword toward the guard’s midsection and delivered a fatal blow. At the same moment of Lawrence’s attack, Louis also pounced forward and engaged the guard closest to him. There were several exchanges before Louis broke through his opponent’s defense and skewered the man. Lawrence was already attacking a second guard.
At the very moment of Lawrence’s first move, Donald grabbed the horse’s reins and leaped onto the back of the beast. Seeing Donald make his move Marie did likewise. She quickly grabbed the reins and scrambled onto the horse Lawrence had been leading. By the time they oriented themselves on the horses, Lawrence and Louis had disposed of the first two guards, opening the path for the riders. Donald violently kicked his horse in its ribs and the stallion reared up momentarily, then bolted forward. Marie did the same and her horse chased after Donald’s.
As they dashed through the encampment, they could see men pouring out of their tents at the sound of fighting. The just-awakening men were too groggy to fully comprehend what was happening as the horses and riders bolted by at a full gallop. Several men had to leap out of the way to avoid being run down. The riders cleared the last tent and headed up the road, thundering across the wooden bridge.
In the growing light of dawn Donald could see that the guard who had confronted them at the post and then in the camp had evidently stationed additional sentries at the outer post due to his suspicions. There were now nearly a dozen men stationed along the road.
As Donald and Marie approached within a hundred yards of the post, several men stepped out into the road with swords drawn as if to block their passage. Donald glanced to his left as Marie brought her horse even with his. He was surprised at her skill and comfort in handling the horse. She obviously had plenty of riding experience. Seeing the sentries, Marie stole a glance at Donald. He did not try to say anything over the thunder of the running horses. He simply leaned forward to make as small of a target as he could. Marie did likewise.
The sentries began waving their arms and hollering for the riders to stop. Donald and Marie ignored them and urged their horses on faster if that were even possible. Donald could see that the men along the sides of the road had retrieved their bows and were readying arrows. The situation looked grim. Despite the speed at which they would pass the post, Donald knew it would be nearly impossible to pass through the hail of arrows unscathed. He inched his horse closer to Marie’s.
“Upon my signal,” he yelled to her, “break to the outside of the road! If we can throw the arches off-balance, we might have a chance of making it through them!”
Marie nodded in understanding. She, too, saw the guards standing along the left and rights sides of the road. As they neared within fifty yards, they heard several arrows whistle by uncomfortably close. If either of the horses took an arrow it would mean disaster. When they were thirty yards from the archers, Donald yelled.
“NOW!!!”
Both riders tugged on their horse’s reins, Marie to the left and Donald to the right. The horses, trained for battle, immediately responded without missing a stride. They broke for the sides of the road as planned. The archers, caught by surprise, jumped backward and several of them fell. The two horses charged by the post. Just when he thought they had made it through unscathed, Donald felt a sharp pain in his left thigh followed by one in his left shoulder. He cringed in pain but did not cry out. He glanced to his left and was relieved to see Marie keeping up with him. He stole a peek back toward the post and saw several guards heading for their horses. That was not good. He looked forward again. They would rendezvous with Andrew in about sixty seconds with nearly a dozen veterans of battle less than sixty seconds behind them. Andrew would not be happy.
Book Three: The Heir
"What is this plan of yours?” Angus asked as they approached the front door.
Andrew reached over and cracked-open the door. He peered down the street and saw Colin with ten other men. They were peering into windows and checking doors to see if any were unlocked. It would be only a matter of minutes before they made it to the tavern.
“I only see eleven of them. That means there are at least that many more checking the rest of the town. This is not going to be easy,” Andrew replied, closing the door. “I will walk outside and let them see me. I will lead them away from the tavern, in the opposite direction of the docks. Once we are out of sight, you will grab our horses from the stable and head down to the docks and find the Osprey.”
“How will we know which boat is the Osprey?” Marie asked.
“It is the largest boat in sight, you cannot miss it. If that is not enough, there will be the big O-S-P-R-E-Y painted on the stern. Ask for Captain Eriksson, he will be awake and preparing to get underway. Let him know that our departure has become a bit more urgent than it was when I spoke with him last evening and we need to set sail as quickly as possible. I will evade Colin and his men and join you.”
“And if you do not show up?” Marie asked.
“How long are we to wait?”
“You do not wait,” Andrew replied succinctly. “If I am not there by the time the sails are set and the lines cast, you leave. You disembark in Abershire as planned and make your way to Stanwyck. If I am able, I will meet you there. If I am not able…well, Stanwyck would be a good place for you to settle anyway.”
“I am coming with you,” Lawrence said. “You know very well that you need someone to cover your back.”
“Not this time,” Andrew replied, shaking his head. “I know this town and its nooks and crannies. I can move very quickly on my own and should have no trouble eluding Colin and his men.” He could tell that Lawrence was about to argue and cut him off. “There will be no discussion of it. There are at least ten more of Colin’s men somewhere in town and if you run into them, you will need every sword possible to escape. This is how it must be done.”
“You are a stubborn one,” Marie said, concern obvious in her voice.
“Having you call me stubborn is more than a little ironic,” Andrew replied, smiling at her. They locked eyes for a few seconds before Andrew continued, something unspoken passing between them.
“Get ready,” he said to the group, reaching for the door handle. He cracked it open and saw Colin and his men just thirty yards down the street. “I will see you on the Osprey.” With those final words, he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
Within five seconds there was a shout from Colin as he spotted Andrew.
“MacLean!” he yelled out, not concerned about waking those who were still sleeping within hearing distance. “MacLean!”
Andrew turned toward Colin and did his best to appear startled. He immediately turned and ran up the street as if in panic.
As planned, Colin and his men ran after him, leaving the street deserted.
While his companions were safely boarding the Osprey, Andrew continued his efforts to elude his pursuers and find a way to make it to the ship. While running down an alley between a bakery and a dry goods store, Andrew found an unlocked door for each building, directly opposite each other. He cracked open the door to the bakery, then entered the dry goods store and closed the door. He looked around for something he could use as a non-lethal weapon. His foot kicked a small two-gallon keg that was full and heavy. He picked up the keg and waited. Fifteen seconds later he could hear footsteps coming down the alley and two figures passed the tiny window near the door. They paused at the open bakery door, suspecting that Andrew had entered the building to hide. Before they could investigate, Andrew burst through his door and slammed the keg against the back of the head of the man closest to him, knocking him out. The second man, sword in hand, slashed at Andrew but Andrew easily dodged the strike. As the man tried to position himself for a second attack, Andrew rushed him and slammed him against the wall. Seemingly unphased, the man swung his sword-hand at Andrew and caught him in the side of the head. The blow was not enough to knock Andrew out, but it was enough to knock him backward and off-balance. With barely a hesitation, the man drew his sword back and rushed forward, aiming to skewer Andrew’s chest. Andrew spun away and the man’s momentum caused the sword to imbed itself in the wooden wall of the dry goods store. The second that the man spent trying to pull the sword out of the wall was all that Andrew needed. With all of his strength, Andrew brought down a mighty two-fisted blow to the back of the man’s head. The attacker immediately went limp and fell to the ground. Before Andrew could take a breath, three of Gallard’s men appeared at the end of the alley. They spotted Andrew and raced after him.
“This is NOT how I had envisioned this day starting,” he said to himself as he raced to the back end of the alley and turned the corner. He was not able to stop himself as an unexpected wall appeared before him and Andrew ran into it.
“This is new,” he said to himself. “The one place for someone to build a wall in the past five years.” There were no doors in any of the three walls that now boxed him in. He was trapped. Thus far he had used non-lethal measures to subdue his attackers, but he knew that the time for half-measures was over. Having seen their comrades beaten, there was no doubt in Andrew’s mind that the three men now closing in on him were out for blood. He drew his sword and prepared for combat.
“You have put up a good fight, MacLean, but there is nowhere else for you to run,” the man in the middle said.
“Colin,” Andrew replied, recognizing the voice. “I must say, I am quite impressed that you were able to track us to Porthmaddon. Unfortunately, you should have stayed in Nordham. I cannot afford the risk of you continuing to delay me in rescuing my nephew.”
“That is a task I am afraid you are not going to be able to complete,” Colin replied. He nodded to the man on his right who lifted a bow and notched an arrow, pulling it back and aiming it at Andrew’s heart. “While I could end your life here and now, I believe the reward from Gallard for bringing you to him alive would be greater than the satisfaction of seeing that arrow protruding from your chest. Therefore, you are going to drop your sword, lay on the ground face-down, and place your hands behind your back. You will be bound hand and foot and that is how you shall remain until I place you in front of Gallard. If you fail to comply, then Rutger shall loose his arrow and your life will be ended.”
While Colin was speaking, Andrew took note of a shadow moving along the top of the building behind the men. It was definitely a person, but that is all that Andrew could discern. His attention was diverted so he did not fully hear Colin’s question the first time.
“I say again, MacLean, what will it be?” Colin asked, his patience running out.
Andrew slowly lowered his sword and laid it on the ground. He went to his knees as if complying with Colin’s directions. Seeing Andrew unarmed and appearing to give up, Rutger released the tension on the bow. As if on cue, the shadow on the building dropped to the ground behind him. Before anybody could react, the figure swung a five-foot long bow staff and struck Rutger on the back of the head, knocking him out. In what appeared to be a well-coordinated and choreographed move that boarded on dancing, the shadowy figure twirled and slammed the wooden staff into Colin’s back. Colin screamed in pain and fell to his knees, providing an excellent line of attack to his head which the shadow did not hesitate to exploit.
The third man, not fully comprehending what was going on, had yet to move. The end of the staff was thrust into his solar plexus, knocking the breath out of him. As he bent over, the shadow slammed the staff into the back of his head, knocking him out. All this took place in just over five seconds. Andrew was still on his knees as his savior stepped forward. The person was wearing a hooded cloak which prevented Andrew from being able to tell anything about the one who had just saved his life. A gloved hand reached up and pulled the hood back, revealing a face Andrew did not think he would ever see again.
“I believe a word or two of gratitude is in order,” a feminine voice said. The woman was about five feet, eight inches tall, lean, and obviously quite agile and powerful. Her choice of clothing did well in hiding her womanly figure. Her raven-black hair flowed down her back and her green eyes seemed to practically glow in the dim lighting.
“Victoria,” Andrew said, grabbing his sword and standing. “What a surprise. I see you have learned some new skills over the past few years.”
“And I see that you still like to fight against the odds,” she replied.
“Old habits and all,” he stated. “It is a situation I have been finding myself in all too frequently recently. While I would love to stay and catch up on the past five years, I am short on time. Therefore, I will offer my sincere gratitude for your assistance and bid you farewell.”
“Well, that is certainly more than you offered the last time you left town,” she retorted accusingly.
“I would that I had time to explain,” Andrew replied apologetically, “but I have traveling companions with whom I must rendezvous. Let me just say that we have a very urgent task to complete and there remain nearly a dozen men seeking to stop us, and it is only a matter of time before they are successful in finding us and doing just that.”
“By urgent task, you mean rescuing your nephew, correct?” she asked.
“How did you know?” Andrew responded, surprised.
“You know well how small of a town it is,” she answered. “As for your companions, they are already on the Osprey and as for those other men chasing after you, they are currently on the far end of town.”
“Those green eyes of yours have certainly seen a lot this morning,” Andrew noted, looking at her a little suspiciously.
“That they have,” she replied. “They have also seen the Osprey preparing to set sail and if you wish to not be left behind, then you best follow me.”
Without waiting for Andrew to respond, Victoria turned and hurried back through the alley and toward the main street. She only paused a second to ensure that none of Gallard’s men were in sight and then ran down the street. Andrew, still marveling at her sudden appearance yet feeling somewhat emasculated by having been rescued by her, remained close on her heels.