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“Why would you think that?” he asked, surprised by her question.

“The better question is,+ why wouldn’t I question the word of a stranger?”

He nodded slowly. “A wise assumption.”

Sky looked and saw the two warriors whispering among themselves. She wondered if they were just as suspicious of her as they were of Lester.

“You are in more danger than you know, Sky,” Lester whispered with a quick glance at the warriors. “I hoped I would have time to explain, but I don’t. You are not who you think you are. Trust no one. The truth will reveal itself soon enough.”

His words stunned her, and she quickly asked, “Who are you?”

“A friend, please trust that I am a friend,” he said and suddenly dropped the bowl, yanked her to her feet and with a strong hold on her pulled her along with him toward the garden.

Sky did not waste a minute. She screamed out for her husband, “SLAYER!”

The two warriors were rushing toward them and when they got close, Lester shoved her at them, sending her crashing into them and tumbling to the ground.

Fane came running around the corner of the keep moments before Slayer. The hound rushed to Sky, snarling and snapping, ready to attack the stranger. Fury sparked in Slayer’s eyes when he saw one of his warriors helping Sky to her feet and the other one chasing Lester who had managed to climb the large tree on the other side of the vegetable garden and was disappearing up in its branches.

“Silent, Fane,” he ordered when he reached the tree and the hound stopped barking and stood beside him, his eyes, like Slayer’s, looking up from where they stood under the tree branches.

“You won’t get away,” Slayer yelled.

“You will not find me,” Lester called back, sounding a distance away.

Slayer’s face turned red with fury. “I will find you and make you pay.”

“Save your strength, Slayer. He will come for her. Save her.”

CHAPTER21

“Ready a troop, Reed, we hunt him,” Slayer ordered.

“Aye, sir, with his wound he should not get far,” Reed said with a bob of his head and hurried off.

“My lord.”

Slayer turned at the sound of his wife’s voice and he took hasty steps to her, seeing her limp toward him. Without thought, he swung her up into his arms as soon as he reached her.

Fane stuck close to his side as Slayer hurried her to his solar., yelling as he walked through the kitchen, “A bucket of water and cloths, Euniss.”

Sky saw Angel run toward them and before she could warn her husband not to step on the kitten, Fane’s mouth scooped her up with his mouth for her to join them.

Slayer sat Sky in a chair near the hearth and went to grab a nearby bench while Fane deposited Angel in Sky’s lap then sat beside the chair.

“Which leg?” Slayer demanded, after placing the bench in front of her.

She pointed. “The right ankle.”

He crouched down and lifted her right leg gently and placed her foot on the bench. He pushed her garments out of the way and slipped off her shoe.

“There is no swelling,” he said as he caressed her ankle with a tender hand. “Does it pain you?”

Euniss entered then to Sky’s relief since she did not want to lie to her husband.

“Keep everyone away from here, Euniss,” Slayer ordered.

“I have taken care of that already. Everyone believes you are admonishing her for speaking to the prisoner. They will avoid you not wanting to catch the tail end of your anger.”