The Scottish Outlaws Collection, Books 1 - 5 by Lily Baldwin

Author:Lily Baldwin [Baldwin, Lily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Duncurra LLC
Published: 2018-11-18T18:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Bent low, Alex quickly climbed from the riverboat onto the King’s bridge. She stayed close behind Rory as they hugged the palace’s inner wall. Turret’s loomed overhead bearing the king’s colors. They came to a break in the wall.

“Wait,” David hissed behind her. She and Rory stopped, hunkering down against the wall.

“Wasn’t that the gate?” David whispered as he pointed to the map Alec had drawn. Paul and Nick sidled up behind them.

“I think it was,” Nick whispered.

Rory grabbed the map and shook his head. “’Tis the second gate. We must circle around first. “Then we’ll have a straight shot into the abbey grounds.”

David nodded and rolled up the parchment, then motioned for Rory to go. Alex stayed right behind Rory as they continued around the wall.

At the next gate, Rory turned and looked at her. “Remember,” he whispered, “this is the most vulnerable stretch. The abbey’s infirmary is to the left. Alec said the monks who remain there are loyal to Edward, but seldom leave. Move quickly.”

She nodded and turned to David. “This is it,” she said.

Rory raced through the gate. She followed right behind. Her eyes darted to the left. Torch fire lit the glass windows in the infirmary. She pushed harder, following the narrow path, which cut through the abbey’s cemetery. Up ahead, she could see the circular design of the Chapter House. Rory lead them away from the garden entrance, knowing that was where Richard and his cronies had made their hole, and instead followed the cemetery to the dormitory.

Alec had assured them that at that late hour the rest of the monks would be in the palace’s great hall well into their cups. Alex held her breath as Rory slowly pushed the door open. Inside was dark. She dared not breathe as she silently crossed the floor, expecting the hand of a holy man to snake out and grab her arm at any moment. Then she froze. A soft snore rattled from the far corner of the dark room. Rory seized her hand, and David grabbed her arm from behind. They stood rooted to the floor for several moments. Her heart pounded, almost drowning out the sound of the sleeping monk. Then Rory eased forward. She followed behind, waiting to hear Rory’s fingertips graze the far wall.

A soft tap sent a surge of relief through her. She heard his careful exploration of the wall and knew when he had found the door by the quiet click of the handle. He eased it open. She held her breath as candlelight from the cloister invaded the dormitory. She glanced back at the monk now clearly visible in his narrow bed.

Her heart pounded in her ears as she followed Rory into the hallway with David, Paul, and Nick at her heels. They circled halfway around the cloister, and just as Alec promised, there was the sacristy, beside which was the only entrance to the crypt beneath the Chapter House. Resisting the urge to race forward, she kept pace behind Rory.

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