A Knight of Honor (7 page)

***

Jared lifted the mug of ale to his lips and took a deep drink.
 
When he replaced the mug on the table, he noticed Slane standing in the doorway, searching the room.
 
Jared waved him over.
 
“Where’s Sully?”

“Seeing to the horses,” Slane answered, taking the seat opposite him.

Jared signaled the innkeeper, and the short, rotund man started in their direction.
 
They ordered three bowls of porridge and a duck.
 
The innkeeper nodded in satisfaction and went off toward the kitchens.

“You know Sully well,” Slane surmised.

“Well enough,” Jared said.

“Where did you two meet?”

“You ask a lot of questions for a man who refuses to be questioned in turn.”

Slane made no reply.

“We were hired by the same lord years ago.
 
When that job ended, we just stuck together.”
 
Jared shrugged as if that was all that needed to be said.
 
Slane opened his mouth as if to ask another question, but Jared cut him off.
 
“After we eat, I’ll talk to the innkeeper here and see if he’s seen the ring or if anyone’s tried to sell it.”

Slane’s eyes narrowed.
 
“Sell it?” he asked.
 
“Why would they try to sell it?”

“It’s silver -- must be worth a lot of coin.
 
If it was stolen or –”

“Who said it was stolen?” Slane demanded.

“Well, I just assumed –”

“And how did you know the ring was made of silver?
 
I never mentioned that.”

Jared swallowed hard and looked away.

The door opened again, causing a gust of wind to sweep the room and the flames in the hearth to flicker.
 
Taylor entered and shut the door behind her.

Jared felt relief course through his body as she approached.
 
She stopped before the table, dusting her hands off on her leggings, eyeing the two men.
 
“You two boys getting along?” Taylor inquired innocently.

Slane slapped his palm on the table.
 
“Enough of this,” he ordered.
 
“I want answers.”

Taylor ignored his outburst and casually took a seat at the table, grabbing the third ale.
 
“Answers to what?” she asked after taking a deep drink of the brew.

“He wants to know why I thought the ring was stolen,” Jared told her.

“And how he knew the ring was made of silver,” Slane added quickly.

“He used to work for lord Sullivan.
 
Of course he knows what the ring looks like.”

Slane’s gaze shifted from Jared to pin Taylor to her seat.
 
Jared tensed, but then quickly remembered that Taylor was not one to squirm.
 
Not even under the piercing glare of an angry lord.
 
“How did you know it was Sullivan’s ring?” Slane asked.

The grin never slipped from her lips.
 
“I know his crest.
 
I worked for him once, too.”

Jared smiled inwardly.
 
She was a quick thinker and it made him proud.

Slane sat back in his chair, but the suspicion still shone in his eyes.
 
He crossed his arms over his chest.
 
“That still doesn’t explain why he thinks it’s stolen.”

Taylor imitated him, leaning back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

It took all Jared’s will not to burst out laughing.

“Well,” Taylor answered, “if Sullivan doesn’t have it then it must have been stolen.”

Slane winced.
 
He leaned toward her over the table.
 
“How come you have all the answers?”

Taylor leaned toward him.
 
“Jared and I have talked about it,” she said simply.

A rumble of laughter sounded from Jared’s throat.
 
When Taylor and Slane shifted their gazes to him, he covered his amusement by clearing his throat and looking away from them toward the door.

His humor died quickly as he saw their prey enter the inn, flanked by four rather large men.

***

Taylor watched the mirth leave Jared’s blue eyes as he gazed at something over her shoulder.
 
A tingling raced across the back of her neck and she turned.
 
When her gaze locked on Irwin, every muscle in her body tensed.
 
A sudden surge of anger rushed through her, followed just as quickly by resolve.

Jared’s hand covered her own.
 
“Don’t do something rash,” he warned her.

“I never do anything without thinking it through,” she replied coolly, forcing the words through tightly clenched teeth.
 
She never took her gaze from Irwin.

“What’s going on?” Slane wondered.

Taylor could feel her blood pounding through her veins.
 
She attempted to rise, but Slane grabbed her arm.

“Where are you going?” he asked, turning his gaze back from the men entering the inn.
 
“I’m not paying you to settle the score with an old lover.”

“This one’s on the house,” she quipped with her usual sarcasm and attempted to pull her arm free.
 
But when Slane didn’t release her, she turned her enraged glare on him.

“It will do me no good if you’re dead,” he said.

“It’s not me who’s going to die,” she replied.

“He has the ring you’re searching for,” Jared broke in.

Slane’s gaze slid past Taylor’s shoulder to again eye the men who were now moving into the inn.
 
“A man?” he murmured.

“Stay out of it,” Taylor warned.
 
“This is my fight and I wouldn’t want that pretty face of yours to get messed up.”
 
She smiled at him with her still swollen lips before pulling her arm free.
 
She turned to face Irwin.

As soon as Taylor stood, Irwin’s gaze locked on her.
 
Dread filled his pinched features, and his beady little eyes glanced nervously from side to side.
 
For a moment, Taylor would’ve bet he was going to run.
 
But apparently the four men behind him gave him courage because he suddenly straightened up and approached her.

Her eyes narrowed, and she licked her lips in anticipation of giving him a taste of what he had done to her.

“Well,” he smirked.
 
“I see you enjoyed being taught a lesson.
 
Back for more?”

Taylor had to take a deep breath before the customary calm washed over her.
 
“Not as much as you’ll enjoy the lesson I’m going to teach,” she replied.

“Still so proud?” Irwin reached out to touch her face, but before his grubby fingers touched her, she seized his arm and twisted it.
 
“I believe you took something that belongs to me,” she stated calmly.

His body twisted with his arm as he cried out in pain.

“I offered to work this out before, Irwin.
 
But now it’s gone far beyond that.”

“Please!” the innkeeper called.
 
“I want no trouble here.”

“Give us the ring and we’ll go quietly,” Jared said, leaning forward in his chair.

Taylor held Irwin’s hand tightly.
 
He squirmed in her hold.
 
She wanted nothing better than to beat this little rodent, to make him feel a portion of the pain she had felt.
 
But if Irwin gave her the ring, she would leave.
 
She hoped he wouldn’t do it.
 
She twisted his hand and he stiffened, groaning.

The four men behind him moved forward, hesitantly.
 
Their glowering faces locked on Taylor.

“I would give it to you, I swear!
 
But –”
 
Irwin yelped as she twisted his arm farther.

“All you have to do is give us the ring.
 
I’m not even asking for the coin you stole from me.”

“Take it outside!” the innkeeper hollered.

One of Irwin’s companions smiled, revealing two rows of crooked brown teeth.
 
“He lost it to me.”

She bent to Irwin’s ear.
 
“I’m disappointed, Irwin.
 
Very disappointed.”
 
She shoved Irwin away from her and the little man tumbled to the ground.

Slane put his hand on her wrist.
 
“There’s no need for this.
 
The ring isn’t that important to me.
 
I just want to find the woman who was supposed to be wearing it.”

“It’s important to me,” she returned hotly.
 
She jerked her hand free and drew her sword.

The sound of Jared freeing his weapon echoed Taylor’s.

“Please, no swords!” the innkeeper shouted.

Taylor heard Slane’s muttered curse as she pointed her weapon at the burly man’s neck.
 
“Just give me the ring and we’ll be on our way.”

The burly man walked toward her slowly.

“Don’t make me use this,” she said.

“You won’t use it,” he said, laughing.
 
“I have no weapon.
 
It is against your code to hurt me.”

Her eyebrows rose and with a slight jerk of her wrist, she slashed his arm with the tip of her blade, drawing blood.
 
“You obviously have me mistaken for a knight,” she said lightly.
 
“Now give me the ring or I’ll run you through.”

The wound seemed to enrage him.
 
He rushed at Taylor, and she had to step quickly aside to avoid his rampaging bulk.

Jared stuck out his leg and the burly man tripped over it, his momentum propelling him forward.
 
As the big man flew past, Jared snatched the man’s coin pouch from his belt.
 
The burly man slammed straight into a table.
 
Mugs and trenchers went flying everywhere.

Taylor watched Jared glance into the coin pouch.
 
Anxiety tensed her body.
 
What if the ring wasn’t there?
 
But Jared looked up at her and nodded.
 
She allowed a grin to form on her lips, but suddenly she was shoved from behind into Slane.
 
As their bodies collided, she caught sight of Irwin fleeing the tavern.
 
She pushed herself away from Slane to dash out the door after Irwin.

“Sully, wait!” Slane called, but he had to duck the blow meant for his chin as the room erupted in fighting.