Alys Clare - The Enchanter's Forest

She stopped him with a kiss.

As the sun rose to its noon height, Josse insisted that he was well enough for them to get moving and proceed with their journey back to the coast. Joanna would have liked him to rest for the remainder of the day for she was afraid that, despite Meggie’s careful bathing, the wound was at risk of developing the hot, red inflammation that told of the onset of the often fatal infection in the flesh. As yet the area around his wound was cool to the touch. Perhaps he would be all right even if they did set off now, for he was strong and healthy and men such as he seemed, in her experience, to fight off deadly infections better than their weakling fellows.

Besides, she herself had an urgent reason for moving on. Cesaire wanted her dead badly enough to have set an assassin on her trail; having encountered the man, she knew that she was right in her assumption that Cesaire would not do the deed himself but hire another to do it for him. But now, were he to become anxious as to what had happened to that assassin, he might very well despatch a second and she and Josse might not be so lucky again. If they left now they might make ten or a dozen miles before stopping for the night; very likely, more. And they surely could not be more than a couple of days from the coast, although for obvious reasons they could not now aim for Dinan but must turn north-westwards and take the longer road to one of the ports that lay further along the coast.

Josse was one-handedly removing the horses’ hobbles, and Meggie was helping him. He would not, Joanna thought, be able to put on their saddles and bridles; since he really did seem determined to set off, she hastened to finish packing away their belongings and, after kicking out the last embers of the fire and throwing the circle of hearth stones back into the undergrowth, she shouldered her satchel and her pack and went to help him.

Studying the sun’s position, she steered them to the west of the track that would lead out of the forest in the direction of Dinan. At first Josse did not notice; he must be suffering, she thought with a stab of empathetic pain, for normally he is acutely aware of direction. Eventually he said, almost apologetically, ‘Shouldn’t we turn slightly to the right if we’re heading for Dinan?’

Reining in, she said, ‘Josse my love, we’re not. I believe I know who attacked us last night. I think it was someone hired by Cesaire.’

So total had been Josse’s immersion in their mission in the Broceliande that, she observed with amusement, he had to think for a moment to recall who Cesaire was and why he should want them dead. Then: ‘Your husband’s brother. Of course.’

‘My late husband’s brother,’ she amended. ‘He threatened me in the inn at Dinan and said I’d got away with it too long, or words to that effect. He always was a dreadful man — a bully and a coward, one of the worst combinations there is.’

‘Just the sort to send another to do his killing for him, do you think?’

‘Oh, yes. That would be Cesaire’s way.’

Josse was frowning. ‘You really think he still carries a sufficient grudge against you to kill you now, all these years afterwards? He must in truth have loved his brother.’

She gave a short, harsh laugh. ‘Love had nothing to do with it.’ She hesitated, then, giving Josse a slightly guilty look, said, ‘After Thorald died, I left as quickly as I could, as I believe I told you?’

He nodded. ‘Aye, you did. Before any of your horrible in-laws could stop you, was what you said.’

She grinned. ‘Yes, they were a family who were quite without redeeming features and I loathed every one of them.’ She paused. ‘What I did not tell you, however, was that before I left, I went to Thorald’s secret hiding place and helped myself to a large bag containing silver coins and some heavy pieces of gold jewellery. That’s why Cesaire wants revenge: not because he thinks I had a hand in Thorald’s death but because I took the family treasure that he reckons should have gone to him.’

Josse whistled. ‘Was it a very big bag of silver?’

Her smile widened. ‘Very.’

They rode on, for some moments not speaking. Then he said, ‘Where do you suggest we go instead of Dinan?’

Dear Josse, she thought, with a rush of love for him. Not one word to the effect that it was a dishonest act to steal from my husband, never mind having actively worked towards that very convenient accidental death. So stout is his support of those he loves that whatever I did, I think he would find a good excuse for my behaviour.

But he had asked her a question.

‘Well, I’ve turned us north-west now in order to avoid both Dinan and Lehon, which lies to the south of the town and is the place where Thorald had his estates. We will pass well to the south-west of the Rance and with any luck, anyone searching for us will not be able to find us.’

‘Can we keep within the forest? Does it extend as far as the coast?’

‘I don’t know,’ she admitted. ‘Let’s keep on this heading and find out.’

They were in luck for, although the forest thinned occasionally and in some cases, around hamlets and villages, petered out entirely, sooner or later the track would once again disappear beneath the trees.

Out in the wildwood, they saw not a soul.

Towards the end of the afternoon they passed a village called Yvignac, whose church’s strange round tower they had been using as a landmark for some miles. There a baker sold them fresh bread straight out of the oven and mouth-wateringly fragrant. They also purchased milk, cheese, cider and apple tarts. On the far side of the village the forest closed in again and soon they came across a clearing close to the track where they stopped and fell upon the food. Josse was clearly in great pain — riding a large horse, even a well-mannered one, was no fit task for a man with such a wound — but, despite Joanna’s urging, he flatly refused to stay there in the clearing and make camp for the night. He was good for many miles yet, he claimed stoutly. Although she would rather by far have lit a fire, made up an analgesic remedy and helped his agony, there was nothing for Joanna to do but agree. She did, however, insist that Meggie rode with her.

They rode on until at last the long daylight began to fade. Then, with the clear sky above deepening to a blue so piercingly beautiful that it seemed like the heavens’ gift, Josse announced that he’d had enough.

Joanna had to help him down from Horace’s back. They were on a track leading north-north-east along a river and quickly she found them shelter under a long, straggling hazel hedge and made Josse comfortable in his blanket. His forehead felt heated but the arm, thank the Great Ones, was still cool. She built a fire, gave Meggie careful orders as to how to tend it, and then slipped down the river bank to collect water. Her most important task was to mix up a pain-killing remedy for Josse and she was going to get it ready as fast as she could and not make him suffer a moment longer than he had to.

The slow-moving water, when she thought to taste it, was brackish: it must be a tidal inlet, which meant they were close to the sea.

We can follow the inlet up to the coast, she thought, visualising the action, where in whatever port we come to, we shall find a boat to take us back to England. Then Cesaire will not be able to find me, and Josse, Meggie and I will be safe.

Back in England, also, she and her daughter would have to part from Josse. But she didn’t allow herself to dwell on that.

Instead she concentrated on tomorrow. It would be the time of greatest danger for, even if Cesaire had not discovered that his assassin was dead, he might in any case be watching the ports since he would be able to reason as well as she could that returning via Dinan would be foolishly risky. What can I do? she wondered as, having fed Josse the analgesic, she watched him slide into a light sleep. How best can I keep us safe?