“To think it would throw a shoe here of all places,” Taliesin murmured. The lame pony’s front fetlock was perched on Taliesin’s thigh. In his hand he held the horseshoe in question, covered in sticky mud.
Rhiannon crouched beside him. “Can we fix it?” The shoe was intact. As far as she could tell, they had rescued all the nails from the muck that had sucked it right off the unlucky animal’s foot.
“I have neither the tools nor the knowledge,” sighed Taliesin. “We’ll need a proper blacksmith for this, and until we find one, I don’t think we can ride Espus here.” He wiped his hand off on the grass and then gave the pony a reassuring pat. The horse whinnied and nuzzled his cheek.
From his bag, Taliesin produced a worn map and traced his finger along the parchment until he found their location. He then followed along the road until he reached a dot that he tapped. “If we walk, we could reach the rest stop and continue tomorrow to reach Monsain by sundown.”
“But that’s miles off!”
“It’s not ideal,” he agreed, refolding the map, “but we don’t have much choice. If we’re lucky, we can hitch a ride with a merchant the rest of the way.” Though he feigned confidence in this new plan, both knew it was a long shot. Even with folks chomping at the bit to deliver goods, few would risk it until someone else gave the all clear about the wyvern. “If that fails, they might have a horse we could exchange for. In the worst-case scenario, I could carry you if you get tired, Miss Sofia. It won’t be a problem.”
Rhiannon felt the heat creep into her face. “I’ll be fine, thank you.” It would be difficult, but she knew herself to be in better shape than most royals. Long walks of the grounds had been one of her few means of escape from Brodrick. She could manage it now.
Taliesin nodded and stowed the map. “I’ll do my best to keep up.”
At least the weather was on their side. After a soft morning snowfall, the sun had come out to warm the air and send the icicles in the trees into a dazzling display. A few hours later, the road was freed from the forest, the muddy patches dried out, and the scenery changed into open fields dotted with melting snow. Soon after that, the road became cobbled together brickwork that signaled the approach of the roadside inn. Relief and the promise of a hot meal and cozy bed awaiting them at the next waypoint pushed them to pick up their pace, despite the building still being just a smudge on the horizon ahead of them.
Back toward the forest, Rhiannon’s ears caught the telltale clopping of hooves on cobblestone.
It took her a long moment to realize what she was hearing. The hoofbeats were too fast and heavy to be simple travelers. She turned to glance behind, her heart suddenly pounding in her ears. In that same moment, Taliesin gripped her arm and ushered her quickly to the side of the road.
Huge war chargers bore down on them. Sparks flew from their hooves as they struck the broken brick and cobblestone. Horses screamed and danced as their riders, knights in tabards and chain mail, wrenched back on their reins. Rhiannon kept her eyes downcast and her face hidden in her cloak, but the glimpse of a crest depicting a winged stag was all she’d needed to see. Her instinct had been to run as soon as she saw them, but Taliesin’s hand on her arm, strong but gentle, kept her still.
“You there!” barked their leader. It had only been a little while since she’d last heard Brodrick’s voice. It still cut through her like freezing wind. She tried to hide her shaking. “Have you seen this woman?”
He thrust a sketch of Rhiannon in their faces. The princess kept her head down while Taliesin studied it. “I can’t say I have,” he lied smoothly.
Brodrick’s heavy gaze turned on her. “Who’s this?”
“She’s with me,” Taliesin lied again. “Pray, don’t mind her. She’s cripplingly shy.”
The knight ignored the bard. Voice hard, he commanded, “Lift your head, girl.”
The breath caught in Rhiannon’s throat. Her shaking worsened. Brodrick would recognize her. He would recognize her and drag her back, and she would be powerless to stop him. He could even slay Taliesin for helping her with claims of kidnapping or—
Taliesin caught her hand and gave it a squeeze. The knight frowned. “Are you deaf as well? Lift your head, woman!”
“It’s all right,” whispered Taliesin. “Go ahead, Anna.”