The Robber Knight's Love (The Robber Knight Saga #2)(92)

Captain Linhart was the only one who didn't look very surprised. He had seen Reuben fight.

“Thank you, Milady.” Reuben bowed his head. “I have already taken measures to prevent the traitor from letting our enemies into the castle as he did that one night when you were almost captured. Up until recently, the guards on the wall went on their patrols alone. This makes it easy for a traitor to make contact with the enemy, as he is unsupervised. I have ordered the guards to form groups of three, so that one would always be watched by two others, who could overpower him if need be.”

“Thank you, Sir Reuben.” She nodded and gave him a minuscule smile that warmed Reuben's heart more than the full force of the sun. “That was a wise precaution. Any other suggestions?”

“We could inform the men of the danger,” Captain Linhart suggested. “It would make them more watchful.”

“It would also make them mistrust each other and rob them of confidence,” Reuben pointed out. “Trust me, I have commanded men in battle before. Telling them there is a traitor among them would not be a good idea.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Reuben saw how Burchard again opened his mouth at his mention of having commanded men in battle before, and again, he closed it without saying a word. Apparently for now, the steward would not pester him with further questions. But Reuben saw the question burning in his eyes: What if he's lying? And worse, what if he's telling the truth?

“What else can we do?” Sir Rudolfus inquired. The tremor in his voice was evident.

“Nothing much except tighten security.” Reuben shrugged. “We will have to keep an even closer watch on everything than before. Especially, we must guard the gates.” He turned to Captain Linhart, fixing him with an intent stare to convey the importance of what he was saying. “The traitor will use every opportunity he has to let the enemy into the castle. We cannot allow that to happen. If we are surprised by an attack through our own gates, we are finished. It is as simple as that. You, Captain, will be responsible for having the gates guarded strictly at all times, understood?”

Linhart nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

The title did not pass Reuben's notice. He smiled.

“No, Captain! You will do no such thing.”

His smile disappeared. Slowly, he turned in his seat to look towards the person who had countermanded his orders.

It wasn't Sir Rudolfus.

It wasn't Sir Waldar.

It wasn't even Burchard.

It was Ayla.

He blinked, the wrath he had been preparing to throw at his adversary evaporating in the blink of an eye.

“What?” he asked, flabbergasted.

“I believe my order was perfectly clear,” Ayla said. A dreamy smile had appeared on her lips. She seemed to look into a great distance. “You will not pay any particular attention to the guarding of the gates, Captain. In fact, you will withdraw all guards from the gates. Let it be known among the soldiers that the gate guards have been sent into the orchard to hold vigil at Sir Isenbard's grave.”

Pity welled up in Reuben. He saw the detached smile on Ayla's lips, and it was like a dagger through his heart. This had all been too much for her! She was beginning to lose it. But she couldn't, not now when everything depended on her leadership.

Reuben looked around. Everybody seemed just as surprised as he had been, but nobody had yet found the courage to challenge their mistress' orders.

“Ayla,” he began in a soft voice, but she cut him short.

“Then, after making that proclamation about the gates being unguarded, you will post your six most trustworthy guards hidden in the two towers on either side of the gates and will tell them to watch for anybody approaching. Whosoever comes to the gate that night, and if it only may be to oil the hinges, will be seized on the spot!”

A cold tingle ran down Reuben's spine as he started to understand. Ayla had not cracked under the strain. Not at all. Suddenly, he saw her smile in a different light. It wasn’t the smile of insanity. It was the smile of a commander who had just found out she had won a victory before she had even so much as drawn a sword.

“Do we understand each other?” Ayla demanded, rising from her chair and looking around the table. The five men, including Reuben, rose as one and bowed to her.

“Yes, Milady,” they chorused.

“Very well.” She nodded grimly, and Reuben almost thought he would burst with pride at the sight of the fire in her sapphire eyes. “We will catch this traitor tonight and make our people safe again. That I promise you on my life and my honor!”





Unguarded Guard

The night was silent over Luntberg Castle as it had not been in a long, long time. No unearthly racket pierced the darkness, no funeral oration was being held in a circle of torches. It was simply dark and quiet.

In the dark and the quiet, a figure slipped from one of the soldier's barracks and moved stealthily towards the outer gate. It didn't go straight across the courtyard. No, instead, it slipped from shadow to shadow in the manner of someone who had a powerful need to be silent. Nevertheless, now and again, a clinking noise betrayed the fact that it was there and that it was wearing pieces of armor.

In the shadows of one of the outer buildings, the figure hesitated, looking around. Nobody was there. The guards at the gate were missing, just as he had known they would be, and nobody else seemed to have noticed his approach either. He noticed that even the doors to the towers on both sides of the gate stood slightly ajar. Had someone simply left them open? They had really left in a hurry to be at the grave.