Roo said, ‘I wish I knew what I was doing.’ He allowed Helen to thread the needle, then said, ‘One of you at his head, and one at his feet in case he tries to move.’
The two women obeyed, Helen gripping Luis’s legs while Karli put her hands on his shoulders, being careful not to touch the wound. Roo began to sew.
Throughout the night, Luis lay in a fever. He awoke enough to take a drink of water. Once they had to restrain him from attempting to scratch off the poultice that Roo had put on his wound.
Karli and Helen sat in the corner, with the children gathered around them, sleeping the best they could. Roo slept across the doorsill, sword in hand.
In the morning, Luis looked better. ‘I think his fever’s broken,’ said Roo.
‘Should we move him?’ asked Helen.
Roo gritted his teeth. ‘I don’t think we should, but we can’t stay here. If those soldiers that rode by yesterday were Kingdom cavalry, the enemy will be here sometime today. If they were enemy soldiers, we’re already behind the lines.’
Luis’s eyes opened, and he whispered, ‘I can ride.’
‘I wish we had something to eat,’ said Karli. ‘He needs it to regain his strength.’
Roo said, ‘With luck we’ll be in Wilhelmsburg by midday. We’ll eat until we pop.’ He grinned at the children, who tried to smile.
They got the horses saddled and, with a great deal of difficulty, managed to help Luis into the saddle. Roo said, ‘Do you want me to tie you to the irons again?’
‘No,’ said Luis, blinking against the morning sunlight. ‘I can manage.’ He looked at his heavily bandaged shoulder and said, ‘What did you do to my shoulder?’
‘Salt water and a poultice,’ said Roo. ‘How is it?’
‘It itches like nothing I’ve ever felt.’
Roo said, ‘I think itching’s good.’
‘Only if it’s happening to someone else,’ said Luis.
Roo took the reins of his horse, and Luis gripped the horse’s mane at the withers. The children rode as they had before, and Roo led them all down the road, eastward.
Erik rode quickly through the town and shouted, ‘Burn it!’
Men at the western edge of Wilhelmsburg ran through the town throwing torches. The larger stone buildings would be gutted, for most had bales of hay placed inside, and the buildings with thatched roofs caught quickly.
By the time Erik reached the eastern edge of the town, the western half was fully engulfed in flames. Erik waited until all his men were out of the town, then said, ‘Let’s move.’
Since before sunrise, soldiers billeted at Wilhelmsburg had been moving eastward, heading for a ridge line that they would defend for another week if possible. Erik knew that as they moved closer to Darkmoor they were going to encounter more towns like this one, Wolfsburg, Ravensburg, Halle, and Gotsbus. All would provide close support, but all would have to be torched before the defenders withdrew.
Robert d’Lyes rode over, obviously very uncomfortable on the horse Erik had secured for him. ‘How are you doing?’ asked Erik.
‘Only the thought of another day walking in the heat convinces me this is a good idea. Captain.’
Erik smiled. ‘She’s a gentle animal. Don’t saw on her mouth and pay attention, and she’ll take care of you. Remember to keep your heels down.’
Erik turned and rode off, and the magician tried his best to keep up.
Roo lay back against the wall of the gully, his sword held close to his chest. The despair had almost been overwhelming when they had reached a point down the southern trail where they could see the smoke from Wilhelmsburg. Roo didn’t have to see the town to realize it had been put to the torch.
They had halted on the road, trying to decide what to do: risk skirting the flaming town, trying to overtake the fleeing Kingdom Army, or turn back north and take the less-used road into Ravensburg. While they debated, a shout from across a large clearing told them they had been spotted by horsemen.
Roo took them into the woods at once, hurrying the frightened group as best he could. He found a gully that quickly deepened, turned to the north, then turned east again. He had shooed them all along, and had doubled back, sword in hand. Luis had followed, his dagger in his left hand. He was weak and disoriented, but he was willing to fight.
While Karli, Helen, and the children huddled deep at the end of the gully, against a steep wall of rocks, trying to keep the horses quiet, Roo and Luis waited just beyond the first turn in the gully.
Voices came from a short distance away, and Roo recognized the speech as being from Novindus. Luis nodded, and his thumb flexed along the hilt of his dagger.
The sound of horses approaching caused Roo to crouch, hugging the bank. The voices grew louder. ‘Some tracks in the mud. Look fresh.’
‘Keep it down. You want to send them to ground?’
The first rider came around the bend, looking backward over his shoulder, saying, ‘When you pay me, you give me orders, you -’