Empire of Ashes

Chapter VIII - Daring Adventures

I awoke alone and sweating the next morning. The rising sun pierced the thin material of the pavilion, blinding me with golden rays. Temris must have slipped out before dawn. His bed was empty but still warm to the touch. If my chains were long enough, I would have slipped into it. I had never slept on a mattress before.

Within arm's reach was a plate of fried potatoes and ham. Beside it rested a scrap of paper with a message written in a bold, neat handwriting which could only belong to Temris. You were sleeping too peacefully to be woken for dinner last night. We'll be hunting in the western woods all morning. Anlai has a list of chores. Behave yourself.

The last two words were underlined several times. I snorted and began shovelling forkfuls of cold food into my mouth, quiet as a mouse. If it was Anlai whom I could hear breathing behind the curtain, I didn't want him to know I was awake. What I wanted to do was follow Temris on his hunting trip and see who the prey was. Rebels or soldiers. The answer would confirm my suspicions or stamp them out entirely.

So, once the food had curbed my appetite, I examined the bed. It wasn't bolted to the ground, which meant Temris's plan had a major flaw. When he was lying on it, I wouldn't have been able to free myself, but when he wasn't...

Once the mystery person began whistling, I was almost certain it was Anlai. Who else would Temris trust to keep an eye on me? One of the Iyrak would be with him, the other would be sleeping. Bevan would be hunting too, and besides, he was still half a boy. His cousin was the only other person I knew Temris trusted — enough to give him charge of the camp in his absence — although I couldn't fathom why, because I didn't trust Anlai as far as could throw him (which was nowhere at all, once my upper body strength was taken into consideration).

I sat myself down so my legs were on either side of the bedpost, and excruciatingly slowly, I lifted the bed. The part of my chain which had circled it fell to the floor. I dragged it out of the way with one foot before setting the bed back on the floor. Mission accomplished.

Now all I had to do was escape the tent. That was easy enough — a cloth prison wouldn't hinder anyone very long. But first, I would raid the sheepskin bundle. After tucking a knife and a short sword into my belt, I cast an eye over the contents of the bedroom table. Right in the centre was the official-looking scroll that the Anglian captain had delivered. It was too tempting an opportunity to pass up.

The seal had already been broken, so I unrolled the parchment and skim-read the small text. It was essentially ordering Temris to move his army south to Saford, burning and pillaging as he went. While they made the slow crawl through the forest, the warlord himself was to lead a splinter force to take the local lord's stronghold. As Temris had obviously read his orders, the camp should have been moving by this morning, but for whatever reason, we were still here.

I set it down on the desk, taking another inventory. The last item to catch my eye was a yew bow and full quiver set in a corner. Yew — the tree of death — an ironic material for a weapon. Tommas had owned one and taught me to shoot it last summer. I wasn't the best archer ever to bend a bow, but I could hit moving objects with reasonable accuracy. I strung it as quietly as I could.

There was one corner of the tent much looser than the others — one of the pegs had gone askew, so I burrowed under the fabric, dragging the bow and quiver with me. That would teach Temris to use tent pegs properly. The scuffing noises must have finally caught Anlai's attention, because he called out, "You awake?" even as I ran towards the supply lines. I had maybe a minute before he realised I was missing.

There were three score tacked-up horses tethered near to the river. I chose the sleepiest, skinniest one I could find, because what I was about to attempt would be easier with a smaller horse. After slinging the bow and quiver over the saddle, I slipped my blade into the saddle sheath. Her reins were picked loose from the fence and draped over her neck.