Free Kingdom Come by Kathryn Le Veque Page B

her hands together at his waist, firmly, so she wouldn’t slide off.  There was something inherently fulfilling having her sleeping against him; in fact, her quiet, warm presence centered and strengthened him. He took a deep breath, smelling the air, reacquainting himself with the smell and feel of his time. He’d gotten used to the exhaust fumes and chaos of Rory’s time.  Now, he was back.
    And he had a job to do.
     

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FOUR
     
     
    Kieran’s first sign of trouble was when a projectile sailed past his head, very nearly clipping him on the helm. Startled, he yanked the charger to a halt as he tried to determine where the arrow came from. It would do no good to tear off in a panic and run right into the enemy. It was a very dark night and it took him some time to see a dark tide of figures cresting a sandy plateau in the distance. They didn’t emit a sound as they roared in his direction; the only sound in the air was that of more arrows sailing towards him through the still desert air.
    They were coming from the southwest, spreading out as they reached the base of the plateau. Kieran spurred his charger east, thundering out into the desolate land at top speed.  He was at a distinct disadvantage; Rory was behind him and he was terrified that she would catch a stray arrow in the back but he could not spare the time to stop the horse and remount her in front of him. His only hope was to maintain distance between him and the onslaught until he could lose them. He was familiar with the surrounding territory and he knew he was heading into increasingly open desert.
    Behind him, Rory awoke with a start as the horse sped off at a gallop. She yelped, almost losing her seat but for Kieran still gripping her hands around his waist. He held her fast.
    “What’s wrong?” she cried. “What are you…?”
    Another arrow sailed past them; this time, Rory heard it and she yelped again, burying her head against Kieran’s back.
    “Oh, my God,” she squealed. “What’s going on? Who’s attacking us?”
    Kieran didn’t answer; he just kept running. There were a few settlements to the southeast, further out into the oases that dotted the deserts of this land, and he knew that Danun Castle about a morning’s ride from Nahariya.  At the moment, Danun Castle was occupied by Christian forces as it perched like a lioness on a rocky hill overlooking the arid countryside. Kieran had even spent some time there when he had first arrived in The Levant, another name for the Holy Land. He knew the castle well and he knew it would provide ample protection if they could only reach it. He pushed the horse faster.
    More arrows sailed past, one of them glancing off of the armor on Kieran’s right arm. Terrified, Rory tucked herself into a ball and huddled against Kieran’s back, praying they would live through this. She just couldn’t imagine that God, or whatever deity existed, had allowed them both to return to Kieran’s time only to be murdered by bandits.The wind was whistling past her and the horse’s fast gallop had her teeth rattling, but she held on tight and continued to pray. Panic or a lot of frenzied questions would not help Kieran get them out of this bind.
    They flew across the rocky, sandy terrain. The wind whistled around them, whipping Rory’s braids into a frenzy.  The land was relatively flat but there were small rocky outcroppings jutting intermittently out of the ground, like little hills. Kieran directed the horse around these outcroppings, creating some measure of barrier between them and their pursuers.The silver moon was a sliver against the night sky but it was enough light for Kieran to see where he was going and navigate in the direction of Danun Castle.  He still didn’t see any familiar landmarks as he concentrated on heading in the right direction, making sure Rory didn’t slide off behind him, and ensuring that the bandits trying to catch them didn’t get the chance.  He was