The wagons began to get under way, and Roo got into the saddle for the first time. He felt stiffness in his right shoulder as he moved his sword, but he knew that his own was one of the few swords he could count on.
Roo hovered at the rear of the caravan, watching the west anxiously, to see the approaching riders. As the wagons rumbled toward the highway, Roo glimpsed figures in the west, darker silhouettes against the murk. He could only pray they would be cautious, fearing they were approaching some of the Kingdom’s army, rather than a desperate band of civilians fleeing before them.
For long, terror-filled minutes, they moved over the grass, until they were back on the compacted dirt of the highway. As soon as the metal-bound rims of the wheels began to turn over the dirt and gravel of the road, Roo felt his tension lessen. The farther along they were, the closer to Wilhelmsburg, the better their chances of survival.
Then a half-hour later a man ahead shouted, while another screamed. Shouts from the south side of the road told Roo the riders he had glimpsed had crossed the highway, ridden up on a parallel course until they were certain this was no army column they shadowed, then ridden ahead to spring an ambush.
Roo shouted, ‘Turn north!’ and drew his sword. Ignoring the pain in his arm, he pushed his horse forward to engage the first enemy fighter he could find.
It didn’t take him long to find a ragged-looking rider hacking at the guard on a wagon six ahead of Roo’s own. The mercenary guard was defending himself well enough, but other riders were coming fast.
Roo didn’t try anything fancy. He slammed his heels hard into his horse’s sides, forcing the animal into doing something it didn’t want to do, crash into the other horse. The rider from the Queen’s army was thrown to the ground as his mount reared unexpectedly, and Roo shouted to his guard, ‘Kill him!’
Roo urged his horse forward, toward the riders, who were only a wagon’s length ahead. Then Luis was at his side, reins tied around his right wrist, dagger in his left hand. Roo wanted to tell him to get back and defend the women, but he was too busy trying to stay alive.
Roo killed one man and drove another off, turning his horse to find Luis nursing a cut on his right arm while holding his bloody dagger. Roo said, ‘You madman. Next time stay behind with the women and if you’ve got to cut throats, do it from there.’
Luis grinned and said, ‘I think I have to. I’ve never been that good a rider.’ He used his chin to indicate his wound. ‘I’d do better on foot.’
Roo marveled at his calm. ‘Go get Karli to dress that. I’m going to see how badly we’ve done.’
Roo rode to the head of the little caravan and found that two of his guards were dead and two others had run into the early-morning gloom. The remaining six, with Luis, himself, and Jason, were barely enough to defend two wagons, let alone a dozen. Roo didn’t hesitate. He said to the mercenaries, ‘Get back to the last wagon.’ As they rode back to the end of the line of wagons, Roo turned to those drivers still on their wagons and said, ‘Get moving now! Straight on to Wilhelmsburg and to the Inn of the Morning Mist. You get there in one piece, I’ll give you a year’s wages in bonus.’
The teamsters didn’t hesitate, but at once shouted and got their animals moving. Roo rode to the remaining six guards and said, ‘We’re going to defend the last wagon. I’ll personally kill the first man who tries to run away.’
Luis said, ‘You think they’re coming back?’
‘Absolutely. I think we just surprised them when we put up a fight.’
‘How many?’ asked Jason, trying not to look frightened. The former-waiter-turned-bookkeeper had never been exposed to violence beyond an alehouse brawl before, and was trying mightily to be a calming influence on the children.
‘Too many,’ said Roo. He got out of the saddle and led his horse to the rear of the wagon, tying her reins to the tailgate. He then moved to the front and mounted, picking up the reins from the wagon driver, who sat shaking, and said, ‘Hang on.’
He turned the wagon northward and shouted, ‘Follow me!’
The six guards, Luis, Jason and the wagonload of his family and the Jacobys headed away from the road. Roo knew it was a desperate gamble, but if he could get far enough from the highway when the raiders returned, they might not miss the one wagon seeking to find the small, little-used road eastward, while they pillaged the wagons trying to race to the east.
‘They’ll never make it,’ said Luis.
‘Probably not, but if any does, I will make good on my word and give the driver a year’s wages in gold, on the spot.’
Luis settled back into the wagon bed. It was crowded as he and Jason sat with the children and the two women, but at least for the moment they were safe.