Page 125 of Kingdom of Chains

She began to cry. ‘I cannot breathe.’

‘Shh.’ He stroked her hair in an attempt to soothe her, but it had the opposite effect. She pulled out of his hold and backed up to the bench again.

‘Why are you doing this?’ The words came out on a sob.

He looked around the smoke-filled kitchen. ‘It is better to face our fears together.’

The stove spat out a huge chunk of burning wood. It landed between Isabel and Hodge, and he made no effort to stamp it outthis time. Isabel slid down to the ground, forced to watch it burn as she prayed the floor would not catch fire.

Hodge crouched down to her level, watching her like she was the most fascinating thing in the world. ‘Do you wish to be rescued?’

Her gaze went to his sweat-soaked face. ‘What?’

‘Do you want me to pick you up off the floor and carry you out of here, like he did?’

She was completely lost for words. And he was completely insane.

Moments slipped by as they stared at one another. The noise in her ears quietened long enough for her to hear her own thoughts. And her heart slowed down, too, likely due to the heat. She shook her head. ‘No.’

‘No?’

‘If my options are to leave in your arms, only to be trapped by you again, or to burn to death in this very spot, then my answer is no. You can leave without me.’

Hodge rose and marched over to the fire, pulling a burning log from it with his bare hands. ‘I am not leaving Llanelieu without you. We leave together, or we burn together.’

The tears on her face were evaporating as quickly as they appeared. She lay down on the floor and drew up her knees. ‘Then I hope you are ready to burn for all eternity.’

CHAPTER 41

King Becket wanted to see the people of Carmarthenshire back on their feet as much as Blackmane did, but there were concerns that sending a unit of men to help train a rebel army would look a lot like they were preparing for war.

‘Now is not the right time,’ the warden had told Blackmane, sounding almost disappointed. ‘King Edward has given them space and time, ensuring all the boundaries the wastelanders have put in place are respected. Unless something changes, it is best we stay out of military matters.’

It had been a hard thing to hear. It had been even harder to hand over his uniform and say goodbye to the people who had been his family for the past five years. He had tried to carry on with his old life and purpose, to find contentment, anything to fill the emptiness, but nothing had worked.

‘We can’t let you go alone,’ Tatum had said. ‘We’ll come with you.’

But he could not let them do it, could not bear to see them hand their uniforms over too. So now he was on his way to Llanelieu, alone, where his other family waited for him.

He was a mile south of the village when Margery appeared overhead, circling low as she awaited an invitation to land. He obliged, extending an arm to her. She landed, talons digging into his flesh. Then the yelping started, the same unsettling noise she had made the day she came to find Ita in the forest.

‘I really hope this fuss isn’t about me coming to live with you.’

The bird took flight, shooting off in the direction of the village.

An uneasy feeling flourished in Blackmane’s chest. Despite his mare being fatigued, he pushed her into a slow canter for the final mile.

Maddock House sat on a gentle hill outside the main village. A soft glow came from it, making it visible from the road.

He stopped halfway up the gravel path that led to the house, listening. At that distance, he should have been able to hear the hum of conversation and tinkle of plates, but he was met with complete silence. His eyes went to the horses pacing the nearby fence line, tails raised like flags.

Something was wrong.

Lifting one arm, he waited. A few moments later, Margery came to land on him, but this time she did not make a sound.

‘Where is she?’ Blackmane whispered.

The eagle twitched in the dark, then flew off over the house. He dismounted and moved off the gravel path onto the grass, leaving the horse behind so no one would hear him coming. The warden had let him take the mare under the pretence that it was the quickest way for him to exit. She was a gift from a man who had no idea how to give.