CHAPTER 27

C HAPTER 27

T he rest of the day was quiet as Cade and Tamsyn removed all traces of their stay from the cottage. He kept a wary eye on her, but she had stepped back into treating him as a brother, showing no signs of anger or frustration. She just looked thoughtful, which could mean anything. He tried to get a sense of her emotions, but she was very good at withdrawing into herself so that he couldn’t read her.

After they finished up their food supplies with a last lunch, Tam said, “Because we’re going to slip away in the night, should we muddy up Zeus’s fine white coat so he won’t be as easy to see?”

Cade considered. “Maybe some splotches so his outline won’t be as clear. I’ll take care of that.”

“I’m sorry we must leave Zeus behind, but I’m sure Madame LeBlanc will see that he’s well cared for.” Tamsyn was folding the bedding, but she paused. “Will we get back to England safely? There is a war going on and I have a feeling our return won’t go smoothly. What do you think? You’ve always been good at sensing danger.”

Apart from a general sense that they’d make it to England, he hadn’t thought much about their escape because most of his mind was engaged in thinking about Tamsyn. Damned careless of him not to be paying more attention when they were in enemy territory!

He stilled his mind, then reached out with all his senses. “There will be danger on our escape,” he said slowly. “Something wholly unexpected, and perhaps disturbing, but I do feel we’ll make it across the channel. Very frustrating not to sense it more clearly!”

Tam shrugged. “The limits of our gifts are maddening. But whatever happens, presumably we’ll be able to deal with it or we wouldn’t make it home.”

She was right, but still he worried. He didn’t like the unexpected.

The hours passed slowly, and fog settled in as dusk approached. That would help them to travel unseen.

They both had their carry bags slung across their bodies and were dressed for riding. In her boy’s clothing and with her hair braided and pinned up, Tam looked like a well-bred schoolboy. They spoke little as they waited, but Cade wanted to memorize every detail of the cottage where, for a few brief hours, he’d been happier than he had ever thought possible.

It was almost dark when a light knock on the door was followed by the entry of two people. The single lamp that lit the cottage was sufficient to reveal the upright figure of Madame LeBlanc. A step behind her was a slim young man. He was dark-haired, of medium height, and had a small-boned build similar to that of his grandmother.

Tamsyn rose from her chair to greet them. “I assume that all the arrangements are in place, Madame.” She turned to the young man and offered her hand. “It’s good to meet you, Andre Jameson.”

He made a courtly bow over her hand, and when he spoke, his English had a slight Scottish accent. “The pleasure is mine, Lady Tamsyn. Grandmère assured me that you’ll get me safely to England and guide me when I reach there. I am most grateful.”

Andre’s eyes were dark and intelligent, and he had an aura of quiet power. Wondering what the young man’s gifts were, Cade stepped forward and offered his own hand. “We’ll certainly do our best. Both Tam and I think we’ll make it safely across the channel, though not without some trouble.”

Madame LeBlanc sighed. “Isn’t there always trouble? But I have faith in your abilities. It’s time we left. We have some distance to cover to our destination and your smugglers need to catch the tide.”

Cade waited until the others had left the cottage before turning out the lamp. Then he stepped outside to where three horses were waiting. A moment later, Tam joined the group, leading Zeus. Cade’s carefully applied muddy smears made the gelding less eye-catching.

After they were all mounted, Madame LeBlanc led their small group down to the sandy beach and turned left, heading south away from Calais. Cade took the rear position, all his senses alert for possible danger. The fog distorted sound. Visibility was limited, but the light-colored sand made it easy to follow the edge of the beach. Though the ride was easy, Cade’s sense that they were approaching danger became stronger.

After they’d ridden for an hour or so, Madame LeBlanc halted her horse and waited for the others to join her. “We’re almost there,” she said in a low voice. “Captain Jones, the owner of the boat, is English and he’s a good, reliable man. I’ve already paid him for the journey, but he won’t mind if you give him a bonus when you’re safely on the other side.”

“Understood,” Tamsyn said with a smile in her voice.

Something pinged in Cade’s mind. He caught his breath and opened his senses as far as he could. “Men are waiting between here and the boat,” he said softly. “An ambush.”

He could feel his companions tense. “Can we go around?” Tam asked, her voice a mere breath.

Cade glanced at the sea cliff to their left. They’d have to backtrack to reach a place where the horses could go to higher ground, which would risk their boat missing the tide. “Not in the time available. We need to proceed on foot.”

As they dismounted, he studied his three companions. They might not look like a military squad, but he knew that all were gifted and determined. “Is everyone here ready and able to fight?”

Madame LeBlanc reached up into her horse’s saddlebag and pulled out two pistols and two ammunition pouches. She handed one of each to Cade and kept the other pistol and pouch. “Andre is already armed. Lady Tamsyn?”

“I’m not fond of firearms, but I have an experienced knife I can use if necessary,” Tam replied as she flipped back her coat to show a sheathed dagger.

They tethered their horses by a pair of straggly wind-shaped trees. Then those who carried firearms checked that their weapons were primed and ready. But in a situation like this, using their gifts would be even more important.

Cade offered his hand to Tam. “Help me focus.”

Her small, strong hand clasped his and his sensing ability expanded sharply. His feelings for her also flared, and she caught her breath until he could get them under control. Their gazes met in the dim light and he felt the impact of their mutual desire, all the more powerful for being suppressed.

Not now, alas, not now. He felt her wry agreement.

What lay ahead? He sensed pulses of energy. “Four men. Three of them are bored and not very alert. One has a fierce, rather jangled mind. I think he’s the leader and the most dangerous.”

He double-checked his impressions. Yes, what he was seeing was accurate. “I have some stealth ability that should make it possible for us to close in on them without being noticed. With luck, no one will have to die.”

“I sincerely hope not!” Tamsyn murmured.

Cade dug into his carry bag and pulled out lengths of rope suitable for binding men’s wrists. As he passed them out, he said, “I hope you’re all good at tying knots. Now join hands so I can share the stealth energy.”

Madame LeBlanc’s clasp was firm and he was startled by the combined power of the four of them when Tam and Andre completed the circle. Andre was clever and brave and had faced danger in the past, and it was clear that Madame LeBlanc hadn’t spent her life doing embroidery and accounts. Tamsyn, as always, was utterly reliable. Yes, his troops were ready and capable.

He sent energy into the circle, touching each of the others and incorporating their special strengths into the whole. Once the stealth energy was as powerful as they could make it, he said, “We’re not invisible, but now we’re less likely to be noticed as long as we move carefully. There are four of us and four of them, and we should all be able to get close enough to hold weapons to the heads of the ambushers to persuade them to surrender quietly. Tam, once they’re subdued and their wrists are tied, can you do something to calm them down or send them to sleep so they don’t cause trouble?”

“Yes,” she said with no elaboration.

“That felt . . . very interesting,” Andre said with surprise as they released their hands. “Can you teach me how to do it?”

“Perhaps. That depends on your own natural gifts. Once we’re in England we can experiment.” Cade described the locations of the ambushers and how they would need to move to reach their individual targets. The night was dark and the fog had persisted, but with the aid of the stealth energy, they should be safe. “Watch your footing so you don’t fall or crash into anything.”

Quietly they moved forward. The murmuring of the waves covered any slight sounds they made. As they approached their targets, he smelled a whiff of tobacco smoke. Fools.

Since he knew Tam’s abilities, he’d assigned her and himself to the longest route that circled around their targets.

As they moved inland from the sea, he kept mental track of the enemy and his own troops. Cade gestured for Tam to stay behind the first man they reached. The fellow was smoking a clay pipe. Cade continued on to the final man, the alert and surely dangerous leader.

His senses were working exceptionally well tonight, and he was able to determine when his friends were in place. He drew a deep breath, then stepped forward and jammed his pistol against the skull of the leader while he bellowed, “Halt and drop your weapons! You’re surrounded. We’d prefer not to kill anyone, but we will if we have to!”

After a stunned moment, a spate of filthy French curses burst out. There were sounds of scuffling from Andre’s man, which ended when Andre brought him down. There were thuds as other weapons dropped to the ground.

But not the leader’s. He jerked away from Cade and spun around, his own weapon raised and ready.

It was Claude Bastien, and he was aiming his pistol straight at Cade’s heart.

Cade’s gifts included the swift reflexes of a predator, and as he dodged to one side, he grabbed the other man’s wrist and twisted viciously hard until the pistol fell to the ground.

As Cade kicked the weapon out of Bastien’s reach, he said in a hard voice, “If you wanted me dead, you should have killed me when you had the chance.”

“I wish I had!” Bastien agreed, his hands still but his fierce eyes confused. “Are you going to shoot me?”

“Probably not.” A swift glance showed that his friends had disarmed their opponents and were now tying up wrists. “Though I’m tempted.”

He felt a twinge from Madame LeBlanc, who didn’t want to see her nephew killed even if he wasn’t exactly her nephew. She would get her wish as long as Cade didn’t have to kill Bastien to protect his friends.

Bastien frowned, his craggy face perplexed. “You really do look like me,” he said in a puzzled tone. “I find that very annoying.”

“I’m not fond of the resemblance either,” Cade said dryly, keeping his pistol aimed at the other man.

“What was our father like?” Bastien asked abruptly.

This was a very strange conversation. “Jago Evans was a violent, selfish bully. He threw me out to die when I was five years old. I’ve done my best to be completely different from him. You should try to do the same.” Cade frowned at his half brother, sensing something off balance in the other man. “Why did you ambush us? To kill? To capture? To torture?”

“I’m . . . not sure why I’m here.” Bastien looked baffled, and Cade was beginning to wonder if he was quite right in the head. No wonder he hadn’t sensed the Scorpion’s distinctive energy this time.

Bastien turned to look at Madame LeBlanc. “I wanted to see my aunt Agnes, who has been avoiding me for some time.”

“Because I don’t like your behavior, Claude,” Madame LeBlanc said tartly. “You have become far too fond of hurting people.”

Bastien nodded as if that made perfect sense and turned his gaze to Andre. “I also wanted to see my young cousin. Why are you fleeing to Britain, Andre? I had hoped you would enlist your talents for France.”

“Really?” Andre said coolly. “I thought you wanted to see me arrested and interned with the rest of the British men unlucky enough to be caught in France when war broke out again.”

“I wanted that once, but it would be a waste of your talents.” Bastien still seemed disoriented. He swiveled around and glared at Tamsyn, who had just finished putting the other three men to sleep. “Most of all I want to know what your little witch did to me!”

“I’m not a witch but a healer,” Tamsyn replied in a calm voice. “I tried to remove the anger that makes you so dangerous and unpleasant, but I didn’t have time to be thorough. I’m sorry I didn’t do a better job. Do you want me to correct any imbalance I caused?”

“Can you do that?” he asked doubtfully.

“I believe so, but there might not be time. We have a boat to catch and the tide waits for no one.”

“Please,” Bastien said, his voice between an order and a plea. “ Try! ”

Cade swore silently, knowing that Tam would not leave until she had repaired the damage she’d done. “Madame LeBlanc, how much time do we have?”

The older woman said in a worried voice, “Perhaps half an hour. Is that long enough, Lady Tamsyn?” Cade guessed that she wanted Claude healed, but even more she wanted her grandson safe.

“It should be,” Tam said, but she didn’t sound sure.

“If we combine energies to support you, might that speed up the process?” Cade asked.

“I’m sure it would!” Tam replied.

“Please do it,” Bastien said, a crack in his voice. “It’s . . . hard to live with my mind in a storm.”

“Very well then, Monsieur Bastien,” she said. “Take a seat on that rock and let us begin.”