Chapter 5
What noise is that? The sound had merged with her dream in which she stood by a brook. Grudgingly, Juliana pulled herself out of slumber. When she opened her eyes, she clucked her tongue in disgust. Will stood with his back to her, pissing a loud stream into the chamber pot. He had his shirt off. She got a good look at his broad back before he turned to her. His skin rippled over strong muscles in his arms and torso as he splashed water on himself in front of the bowl. Juliana turned away from the sight quickly, but the image of his naked flesh had taken root in her mind. The air was so heavy with the smell of wood smoke clinging to their clothes, she felt queasy.
“Oh, good, you’re awake. We need be on our way.” He moved around the room, well aware of the effect he had on her. Twisting his body this way and that, stretching his arms over his head to show off his physique, prancing around in nothing but his hose and breeches.
She slid out of bed. “If you will leave me be a moment, I can get ready.”
“Of course. You want to attend to things. I’ll be outside the door,” he said in a testy voice. He shrugged back into his shirt and grabbed his other clothing.
After the door shut behind him, Juliana had to gulp in the putrid air to calm herself. She put on her own clothes as best she could with shaking hands that refused to obey her. The sound of boots tapping impatiently in the hall, further unnerving her. She completed her toilette in haste, and left the room.
Will leaned against the wall opposite in the hall, arms crossed over his chest. When she stepped out he gave her one long, hard look and then spun on his heels and strode away as if she vexed him. She had to struggle to keep up.
He continued in this strange mood even after they rode away from the village. Now, they rode in a thick forest. The blue-gray sky foretold of snow and the dark, twisted limbs of the trees against it looked sinister. The woods closed in around them. Silent. Other than the soft, wet sound of their horses’ hooves on the slushy ground, there was no noise. She didn’t think she’d say this, but she missed his teasing chatter—even his crude remarks. She wished he’d say something. Anything to put her mind at ease. A strange mood charged the air between them.
Will looked back at her now. The hood on his head threw his face in half-shadow but she saw the scowl on his face. Then, he faced forward again, but his head swung from side to side as if looking for something.
Just then, Juliana reached for her belt, registering something wrong. “No, stop! ’Tis gone! I left my book at the inn.”
He stopped and turned back to her again, a dark look on his face. “You don’t imagine we’re going back for it, do you?” His hand went to the hilt of his sword. “You won’t need it where you’re going, anyway.”
A chill shot up her spine at not just his words, but the dead tone in his voice. She bit back tears at the loss of her precious book, but she didn’t dare bring it up again. Something wasn’t right. He rode on again, his head pivoting this way and that, looking for something. Looking for a spot to….
Juliana saw a large gap in the trees and a grove beyond. She goaded her horse into a run and took off through the gap. With clarity, she saw he’d chosen this lonely, dark place to kill her. Far from her home where nobody who found her body would know her.
Behind her, she heard his gasp of alarm and the snort of his horse as he pulled it to a stop and turned it around. She would likely die, but she was going to make it hard for him. Suddenly, the ground fell away in a slope she didn’t see until too late. It wasn’t steep, but it was slippery with mud. The horse slid, pitching sideways. Juliana found herself on the ground with the wind knocked out of her.
Will erupted on the scene, dismounted, and landed beside her in one move. There was fury in his eyes. “Why did you bolt?” He grabbed her arm, digging painfully into the tender flesh.
With her free hand, she went for her knife. He saw the move and grabbed her other hand in a tight grip, pushing both her hands away from her body. “Stop it, you goose! What has gotten into that head of yours?”
A noise from above made him jerk his head away from her. She could make out shapes moving in the opposite direction they’d been headed in. Muffled voices. Her heart pounded in her chest.
Will looked back at her, eyes wide. He let her go and put a finger to his lips. Next, he pushed away and, walking sideways, drew his sword from the sheath. Not a sound came from him as he crept up the slope. He stopped behind a tree and looked back at her, motioning her to stay down. From between the trees, she caught a flash of something metallic. Her stomach lurched: an evil-looking pike held high. She looked back to Will whose eyesight slid for a second in her direction. Their gazes met. He nodded at her.
The group, whoever they were, had moved past. She couldn’t make out individuals, but it seemed like there were more than a few men traveling together on foot. Both she and Will held their positions for a few minutes until they were in total silence again. Then, he slid his sword back in the sheath hanging from his belt and returned to her side.
He rubbed the tip of his thumb over her lips. The heavy scent of his leather glove filled her nose. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I—”
“You sensed danger! Thank goodness we were off the road when we were...though I’m sure I could have overpowered them.” He smacked a kiss on her forehead.
“Yes, I sensed danger and ran. Though what I feared was closer to me. I thought you were going to kill me.”
He let out a short bark of laughter. “What a ninny you are. Why would I want to kill you? And if I did plan on killing you, I’d have done it before I had to share my favorite cheese with you.” He pulled her to her feet and swiped mud from her cloak.
“But, you were acting so strange.”
“Was I? Mayhap you misread me. I thought this a likely place to be set upon by bandits—and you see, I was right! Let’s give them a few more minutes before we get back on the road. We don’t have much farther to go, and then ’tis the end of the journey for you—a happy end, at that. Not an end in which I dispatch you.”
He pulled such a funny face, she had to laugh. “Where are you taking me?”
“You shall soon see. You’re going to love it.”