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Chapter 19
Jacob knew something was wrong the next morning when he’d approached the castle to find the wall walks void of any soldiers and the gates to the castle opened wide. It was way too easy to enter, and that concerned Jacob. He had camped at the edge of the woods and, to his knowledge, only a dozen soldiers left on the hunt.
That wasn’t right. The High Sheriff was much too greedy to only send a dozen men on the hunt. And if there were so many soldiers left in the castle, why weren’t they patrolling the battlements?
He knew. The High Sheriff knew Jacob was coming. That had to be the answer. Jacob had to sneak in but, then again, mayhap Sir Gregory knew about the secret tunnels as well. This wasn’t going to be easy.
Jacob knew the High Sheriff too well. Even if he did have the tunnels guarded, he wouldn’t think anyone would come in through the tunnel that led into the well. Plus, the man would never want to get his hands wet. Aye, that was how Jacob was going to sneak in. Without an army, he was going to have to find the High Sheriff and kill him, and then try to appeal to the knights that used to be loyal to Jacob.
As the former Captain of the Guard, Jacob had made friends with the men he led. Hopefully, enough of them would still be loyal to him and feel the same way as the villagers about the High Sheriff. If not, he would probably lose his life in the process, but it was a chance he had to take.
Silently, he crept toward the castle and the secret tunnel under a stump that led to the well inside the courtyard. He missed Maira deeply and hoped to see her again. But even if he was killed in the process, one thought made him feel at ease. Maira was long gone from Castle Durham and hopefully by now, she and her cousin were nearly back to Whitehaven. Her father would care for them and see to their safety. Jacob would never forgive himself if anything happened to Maira. And if he died today, his biggest regret would be that he would never be able to hold her in his arms again and look into her beautiful blue eyes and tell her how much he really loved her.
* * *
“Lady Maira!”
Maira stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around. She had been carefully staying in the shadows as she sneaked to the stable, wanting to get a horse to ride out to warn Jacob. But with her ill luck, the High Sheriff saw her.
“My lord,” she said, slowly turning around to see him walking across the courtyard with his sidekick, Delbert.
“I thought I locked you in your room.”
“Aye, my lord, I was,” she said, trying to think of an excuse. “But I snuck out when the guard left to use the garderobe.”
“Delbert, did the guard at her door leave at all?” he asked his soldier.
“I don’t believe so, my lord,” said the man.
“Don’t play me for a fool, Maira,” spat the High Sheriff. “I know you snuck out through the tunnels.”
“What tunnels?” she asked, hoping she sounded convincing.
“I have known about them for years. That’s how my henchman, Delbert snuck out of the late bishop’s room after he hung him three years ago.”
“My lord! What are you telling her?” asked Delbert.
“It doesn’t matter,” chuckled the man. “She already knows all our plans.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. Her hand wavered above her dagger.
“Don’t think I don’t know you were spying through the peephole.”
“What peephole?”
“Shut up!” He swung at Maira but she managed to step out of the way of being hit.
“My lord, I don’t think she should know all this,” complained Delbert.
“It doesn’t matter, you fool. Because as soon as you kill the bishop and frame Jacob, you’re going to kill her, too.”
“I am?”
“No one is going to do that.” Maira reached behind her back and drew her sword.
“Ah, good!” The High Sheriff seemed to like the fact she’d drawn her blade. “I would love one last swordfight with the wench. It makes my blood flow with excitement.”
Maira’s sword clashed with the sword of the High Sheriff. She was light on her feet and he was clunky, and that gave her the advantage. She jumped to the side as his blade swiped down next to her, ripping her gown in the process. She managed to catch him off guard and strike him across the cheek.
