With a thunderous boom, Reynaldo’s carriage fell off the cliff with him still in the driver’s seat. Thanks to the trees acting as cushions, he didn’t slam directly into the ground. Nevertheless, the branches whipped every inch of his body, and when he slipped from the trees, the tremendous impact of hitting the earth nearly caused him to black out.
The coachman and guards, who’d also fallen, were moaning faintly. Their survival was a cause for celebration. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder and the bruises he’d sustained from falling, Reynaldo sat up and took in the situation. Most of the party had plummeted off the road. Many of the guards who’d fallen before him had passed out. Thanks to the cliff being relatively short and the trees growing at the bottom, they had—at the very least—survived. Still, he couldn’t just sit there. So he slapped the faces of those who’d passed out to wake them.
“Wake up,” Reynaldo instructed. “You need to get out of here as fast as possible.”
“Lord… Reynaldo…”
“Listen to me. Don’t return to Rose. There might be an ambush waiting for us there.”
Somehow, Reynaldo got everyone awake and on their feet. Though no one had sustained serious wounds, no one was unscathed either.
He then checked on Rosemary’s coffin, which had fallen alongside him. Thanks to the nails keeping the lid shut, the casket remained sealed and unharmed despite the steep drop. Still, he wouldn’t be able to carry the coffin. Frustrated, Reynaldo balled his hand into a fist.
“Are we dealing with bandits?” a guard asked while helping the wounded.
Reynaldo shook his head. “I recognize those arrowheads. The small northern tribes use similar ones. These aren’t bandits.”
When Reynaldo pulled the arrow from his shoulder, he recognized the tip. It resembled those belonging to the tribes he’d once deceived and subjugated.
They have every reason to seek vengeance against me, but why now of all times? Also, how did they learn that I’d be traveling with this carriage?
“We don’t have time,” Reynaldo said. “Those who can move, carry the injured to a safe place and hide. Those who can still ride a horse, make haste to the capital or the McClain region.”
“What will you do, Your Grace?” a guard asked.
“I’ll slip out of here after confirming the enemy’s identity.”
“You’d be putting your life in peril! Please take a guard with you!”
“You will only get in my way right now. I’ll have an easier time acting by myself.”
The guards all hung their heads.
No one had shallow enough wounds to serve as Reynaldo’s protection. He couldn’t even move his dominant right arm himself. The place where the arrow had pierced his flesh still throbbed. Everyone had a higher probability of living if they hid themselves rather than running around without a plan. Thus, Reynaldo had given these directions.
In the worst-case scenario, Reynaldo could escape on his favorite steed, which had survived the volley of arrows. However, he couldn’t leave without Rosemary’s coffin. The enemy must have been aware of his circumstances. He could never leave her side and flee, regardless of how long ago she’d died.
“The enemy will come looking for us soon,” Reynaldo warned. “Get out of here now. If you can ride a horse, go call for help. The representative feudal lord should be in McClain. You can also report to King Rizel in the capital.”
After giving their assent, the guards picked up their wounded allies—as well as the unconscious coachman—and fled the scene. One of them mounted an uninjured horse and galloped down the road. Though the enemy would most likely target him, attempting to deliver a message was better than dying in vain here.
Alone, Reynaldo placed a hand on his sister’s coffin. “Forgive me, Rosemary…”
How pathetic that I still can’t protect you, even after all these years, he cursed himself. Even so, he couldn’t flee while carrying such a heavy coffin. He would have to return to this place after regaining his footing.
“I’ll come back here no matter what,” Reynaldo said. “Please wait for me until then.”
Suppressing his reluctance to leave her, he moved to find a hiding place. The enemy’s ringleader would undoubtedly check the carriage. Reynaldo covered his tracks while searching, anticipating that the enemy would scour the area.
Finally, he found a hole in a large tree big enough for one person to squeeze into it. Pressing a hand against the wound on his shoulder, he forced himself to endure the pain. Sweat poured from his brow, but somehow, he held his breath and waited for his enemies. A horse whinnied in the distance. Hooves and human footsteps crunched the fallen leaves.
“They were here.”
The distant voice belonged to a man with a heavy accent. Reynaldo tried to distinguish a single person’s voice from the chatter of a group.
“Search the area,” a voice commanded, followed by the sound of horses galloping. Among the speakers, he even heard a woman’s voice.
“Thank you,” she said with a laugh. “That was a most delightful stroll through the mountains.”
Reynaldo would recognize that unpleasant voice anywhere. His blood boiled. Had he ever been so angry in his entire life? The mere sound of Tia’s unforgettable voice drove him mad with rage.
The way she elegantly rode her horse seemed out of place with the situation. After someone helped her dismount, she stood in front of Rosemary’s coffin, which lay on the ground. Her lips curled into a twisted smile.
“It’s been far too long, Lady Rosemary,” Tia said, repeating the same greeting she’d often spoken as a girl. “To think you would prove so useful even in death. You never cease to amaze me.”
She spoke to the coffin at her feet with utter delight, as if Rosemary were actually standing in front of her.
✦ ✦ ✦
If Reynaldo could have leapt out and decapitated Tia, he would have, even if his other foes struck him down. However, he couldn’t do anything with his injured dominant arm. His body trembled with frustration. He’d never hated anyone as much as he loathed Tia. He’d believed his thirst for vengeance had been quenched, but a voice inside his head screamed at him to kill her.
I want to slaughter her. I want to tear Rosemary’s torturer apart, limb from limb.
Now was not the time to act based on emotions. He needed to consider how Tia prepared this ambush. How had she known that Reynaldo would be transporting Rosemary’s coffin? What was her goal, and what were her ties to the small tribes?
After formulating several hypotheses, Reynaldo came to a single conclusion. This danger could likely befall others, not just himself. There was a high chance of Mary becoming another one of Tia’s victims.
If there’s a traitor in the palace, she could be in danger.
Even in the absence of a traitor, rumors had been circulating about Reynaldo’s relationship with Mary. Suppose this attack had been arranged by someone with an intensely personal grudge against him. In that case, they would no doubt target Mary, whose safety could be used against him.
Please, Albert… Reynaldo prayed. Please protect Mary in my pitifully inept stead.
If his hypothesis proved correct, Mary was in danger. Reynaldo couldn’t allow any harm to come to her. Unable to do anything but curse himself for this absurd situation, Reynaldo prayed. Hopefully, his desperate pleas would reach Albert and Mary, who were still in the capital.