Excerpt from
(Legendary Bastards of the Crown Series)
“I’m on my way.” Rowen walked around the corner of the building and when he did, he thought he saw movement in the shadows. Someone had been eavesdropping on their conversation and was hiding behind the rain barrel.
He ripped his sword from his side, reaching around the barrel with his free hand, and yanked the eavesdropper out into the open. He planned on slitting the man’s throat but stopped when he felt the small size of his arms. The sneak’s hood fell back revealing his face. Rowen swore under his breath when he realized it wasn’t a man at all but rather the witch lady from inside the tavern.
“Damn you!” he spat. “How long have you been hiding there?” He’d been so distracted by thoughts of his sister that he hadn’t even noticed the wench had followed him. This wasn’t good. If she’d heard their entire conversation, she could ruin everything.
“Let me go, Rowen the Restless,” she said, struggling in his grip.
“You know who I am?”
“I didn’t need to hear you and your brothers to figure it out. I saw your birds.”
Damn. Rowen knew those birds were going to give them trouble someday. His brothers had been way too careless. “You know too much,” he growled.
“Lady Cordelia, are you back here?” Her guard came around the corner. Just when Rowen was sure she was going to shout out, he did the only thing he could to shut her up. He pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his and kissed her hard.
“Lady Cordelia?” asked the guard, stopping in his tracks. “Are you all right?”
Rowen heard the sound of shouting and the war cries of his brothers and their armies, realizing the fools must have thought his kissing the wench was the signal to attack. Well, now that the plan was in action, he had no choice but to join them in their ploy.
Spinning on his heel, he hit the guard in the head with the hilt of his sword, sending the man sprawling on the ground.
“Nay!” Cordelia cried out. Rowen pulled her out of the way as a dagger whizzed past her ear and embedded itself into the rain barrel. Water spouted out, hitting the guard in the face. The man’s eyes opened and he sputtered, hurrying to get to his knees.
“God’s eyes, I don’t have time to protect you now,” Rowen said, kicking the sword out of the guard’s hand and then turning around to meet one of the king’s soldiers head on. Swiping his sword forward, he sank it into the soldier’s chest before the man could do the same to him. Cordelia screamed at seeing all the blood. She was going to ruin everything! “Keep your mouth shut unless you want to lose your head,” he warned, this time blocking her with his body as his brother, Reed, tossed a guard through the air. The man landed at their feet, and Cordelia peeked out from behind him and screamed again.
“Sorry about that,” called out Reed. “I didna see the lassie there.”
“You’ve got a girl?” shouted Rook, taking down two guards with ease. “This isn’t the time for that, you fool. Do something with her.”
“Just do your job and get the guards away from the cart and let me worry about the wench,” he spat, seeing a soldier running toward him with his sword drawn. Dressed the way she was, looking like an old hag, no one was going to think a noblewoman was right in the midst of the battle. And they wouldn’t care if a peasant was killed in the fight.
Brody climbed into the driver’s seat of the cart and waved his arm through the air to get Rowen’s attention, while his brothers kept the rest of the soldiers at bay. They had to leave now if they were to have any chance at all of getting the goods to the ship and away from the coast without being caught.
“Go,” he shouted, signaling Brody who slapped the reins and started the horses moving forward. The battle was still in full swing and he couldn’t just leave the wench there unprotected. Besides, she’d heard too much. With one word from her, their operation could be blown apart. He had no choice but to take her with him.
“Let me go,” she cried out as he pulled her by the arm toward the approaching cart. When Brody passed by with the goods, Rowen tossed her into the back of the wagon. Managing to fight off another soldier, he then jumped up into the cart with her. They sped away toward the Sea Mirage, with Rowen wondering how he was going to explain this one to his brothers and his crew.