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

“Shut up,” the farmer grunted.

In a louder voice he called: “What do you want?”

“Step away from the cart.”

“There isn’t anything in there but wood,” the farmer called. “Come and see for yourself if you want.”

There was a clatter of hooves as whoever was giving orders ventured closer.

“Look, it is just wood,” the farmer assured the man. “What do you want?”

“What are you doing out here?”

“I am taking this to my customer,” the farmer replied.

“Thirty miles away from where you live?”

The farmer squinted at the arrogant man seated high atop a huge bay horse. “How do you know where I live?”

“I know everything you have been up to,” the man drawled as he raked the farmer with a sinister look.

“Oh? I don’t see as I have anything to do with the likes of you. What business is it of yours if I want to deliver wood to my customer out here or even further away?” The farmer’s voice was mildly curious if a little defensive.

“Who is your customer?”

“Mrs Wilton. She lives in the village beyond that hill.”

The man looked in the direction the farmer pointed. He knew that the farmer had seen his men hiding in the undergrowth. While they were hidden, and at first glance could be missed, some of them weren’t so clever and were visible from the bridge.

Citterton Bridge.

The man on the horse leaned forward and lowered his voice.

“If I find you are lying to me, I am going to kill you slowly. You know that, don’t you?” he drawled in a voice that was laden with menace.

The farmer lifted his brows at him. “Now why would I lie to you about a thing like my wood delivery? What business is it of yours?”

The horseman sat upright and turned to study the cart.

It was then that the battle began.

When the first shots rang out, they were so unexpected that the horses pranced about nervously. The farmer hurried to the head of his horse and tried to stop it running off, but the gunfire didn’t ease. The horse continued to dance and tug at the reins that confined it.

The man on horseback slid to the ground and ducked behind the stone walls of the aged bridge. Built many years ago out of stone, it had been poorly maintained. When once it had been used as a main thoroughfare, it had long since been abandoned and a new route forged through the countryside. Still, it afforded shelter to the Melrose, who took shelter while his men waged war with the Star Elite all about them.

Determined not to have his cart stolen by the fop, the farmer led the horse off the bridge. Before they reached the end, Melrose’s horse cantered into the woods, eager to be far away from the terrifying noises. The farmer made no attempt to stop it. Nor did he pay any attention to Melrose’s snapped command to stay where he was. He merely turned his horse away from the bridge and led him deep into the woods with the cart still attached.

“Get out,” the farmer urged.

Mallory didn’t answer. She daren’t.

“You can’t stay in there. If they decide to steal the cart, they are going to take you too. You must get out and find a place to hide. That’s Melrose’s men firing at the Star Elite.”

Mallory clambered out of her hiding place. She accepted the farmer’s hand and jumped down.

“Find yourself somewhere to hide. Use your cloak. Curl up and don’t come out until the guns have stopped and you see one of the Star Elite. If they don’t turn up, you know they have been overwhelmed. Stay still and wait for Melrose to leave. Give it a day or two before you go anywhere.”

With that, the farmer turned around to leave.