To Have A Heart (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 7)

“We cannot go through that village,” Mallory protested when a small group of houses came into view.

“It is where he has told us to go.”

“Do you do everything he tells you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It’s my job.”

“If he told you to jump off a cliff, you would go and do it, would you?”

“If I thought it was going to keep me alive then yes, I would,” Callum replied. “And so into the village we shall go.”

“We have company,” she murmured when she looked over his shoulder and saw a group of men riding down the lane toward them.

“It’s Melrose’s men,” Callum announced.

He knew that none of the Star Elite men would be that blatantly visible.

“Do you think there is any way for us to get to that woodland without going through the village?”

“If Sir Hugo has told us to go this way it is probably because it is the safest and fastest route. The man knows what he is doing,” Callum growled.

“What can I do to help?” she whispered.

“Nothing. Just sit tight. Keep an eye on the area. Tell me if you see someone hiding who might be able to ambush us, or if someone comes up behind us too closely. As long as that group keep their distance there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Warily, Mallory watched the group of riders behind them. Thankfully, they didn’t close the distance but didn’t stop following either.

“Do you think they are waiting for something?”

“I think they are making it clear that they know we have to go through the village,” Callum replied honestly.

“They are waiting for us in the village as well, aren’t they?”

Mallory felt sick at the thought of being ambushed.

“It is what I would do if I was in their situation,” he said honestly.

“What do we do? It is foolish to blithely follow your friend’s orders when we know we are going to ride into an ambush. Are you sure your friend, Sir Hugo, knows what he is doing?”

Callum wasn’t at all sure he did. “We have no other support right now. We have to trust him.”

Mallory turned to study the main street they were approaching. Thankfully, dawn was fast approaching. While it cast a steel grey pall over everything, it also penetrated the worst of the shadows.

“Over there, slightly to the right of the tavern,” she whispered. “There is a man hiding in the doorway next to the shop.”

Mallory began to shake as danger surrounded her.

Callum slowed Horace to a steady walk. While he couldn’t see a weapon in the man’s hand, Callum knew that the man would be armed.

“On this occasion, Sir Hugo is most definitely wrong,” Callum sighed.

He was about to turn Horace around so they could take a detour around the outskirts of the village when the man flicked out a rapid sequence of hand signals only Callum could understand. While he didn’t recognise him, Callum knew the man could be trusted. He was probably a colleague of Sir Hugo’s.

“Come on,” he whispered.