There ended up being no need for Rose's rocks or Silver's drawn sword. The promised soldiers arrived led by Gilbert and his superior.
Following the signs, Gilbert pointed toward the cove, and Silver motioned for them to approach.
Realizing the coast was clear, Rose peeked over for permission to descend, but the Guardian covertly waved her off. Instead of questioning his judgment, the princess hid once again and listened from her perch to the goings on below.
After surveying the cove, Colonel Jay gave the Guardian an informal salute. "You seem to have some prisoners for me yet again."
"The same ones, no less. Though this time they are far worse for wear. I hope you have a good healer back at the fort. Not that they deserve it...these rogues." Silver scowled beneath his hood. "How did they manage to get out of your clutches?"
"Curious that you should ask." Jay looked in both directions. He turned to the men with him. "Go relieve Sir Ethyn of the prisoners."
When Gilbert and the others made their trek across the cove, Jay lowered his voice.
"After the raids started, Commander Borit sent someone to oversee the investigation. I do not like judging others based on appearance, but..."
"Let me guess. He seems less than honorable." Silver shook his head.
"Yes. He goes around wearing a cloak to hide his face--not that there is anything wrong with that!--but one of the few times I saw him without his hood, he had a myriad of scars on his bald head. He hunches over but I get the impression he is a skilled fighter." The colonel glanced to make sure no one was listening. He had no idea of the feminine eavesdropper overhead.
"This is interesting, but what does that have to do with Sir Kent and his little friends?" The Guardian tried to keep the conversation moving before Jay looked up. Silver had already noticed a torn hem of Rose's purple dress showing over the side of the ledge. If Jay saw it, things could get...tricky.
Fortunately, up was not a direction that Jay perused while he finished his thought. "It had to do with their escape. Their cells were closed and there was no sign of tampering or digging. Someone let them out, And you see that they stole back their horses! How in the world did they know where to find them, no less get out without being seen?"
Jay had wanted to share these grievances with someone, and oddly, the 'outlaw' Guardian seemed like the only person he could trust.
"You think Borit's investigator set them free?" Silver tried to hide the emotion in his voice.
The colonel nodded. "I've been thinking about it long and hard while we searched, and it is the only thing that makes sense. But it also makes no sense at all. Why would someone working for the commander want to release enemies of Birle? I will have to conduct an investigation of my own when we get back."
"I advise you to be very careful how you go about finding answers. It is likely a certain someone will not like you looking into it, and getting too close may get you a knife in your back."
If Borit was involved as Silver expected, he had no doubt the shifty investigator would not hesitate to put an end to anyone who suspected him.
"I cannot just let this pass without looking into it. What kind of leader would that make me?" Jay gripped the pommel of his sword. He did not like the idea of doing nothing.
Silver held up his hands. "I am not saying not to look into it."
The colonel raised his eyebrows. "Then what did you mean?"
"I mean do what you can to find out what you can, but be careful. I will handle an inquiry of my own. If the commander or his lackey is involved in all this, I will be able to get you the information you need without you or your men risking their necks. And if he isn't involved, then you have saved yourself some embarrassment."
The Guardian's proposition was pleasing to the colonel. While he couldn't say that he trusted the man in black fully, Jay believed that Silver wanted what was best for the people living in the area. Unable to think of a reason that the Guardian would accuse the wrong person, Jay decided to let the mysterious man have his way.
"Very well. We will both see what we can find. If we come to the same conclusions, then they are more likely to be right." Jay looked past Silver to call out to his men. The Guardian cleared his throat.
"If I may, one more thing, I do suggest that you send a detail to transport Sir Kent and his bandits directly to another fort and request that the king personally oversee the sentencing. We do not want another opportunity for the men to escape."
Silver's words were said in such a way that they were simply advice, but the weight they carried was heavy. If the king knew that the men were captured, Borit would be foolish to free them again.
"You read my mind," Jay agreed. "I don't want you to have to track them down thrice. That would be embarrassing. I am glad Gilbert saw your signs or we would not have known to come here at all. If you don't mind me asking, how did you and Sir Ethyn find Sir Kent this time?"
Jay could not see the smile twist onto the Guardian's face. "I cannot take credit for the find this time, I am afraid. Quite the contrary in fact. Sir Kent found Sir Ethyn and a horse found me. We were not the ones tracking, but the ones being tracked!"
Pulling his mouth to one side, Jay grunted softly. "A horse tracked you, you say? Honestly, Guardian, if you don't want to tell your trade secrets, you can just say so."
"Crazier things have happened..." The Silver shrugged. "Uh, Colonel? I did have a small request if it is not too much trouble..." The Guardian spoke in a hushed tone so not even the eavesdropper overhead could hear. She thought about trying to get closer, but knew it better than to tempt fate.
The hushed voices continued for a few moments before Jay cleared his throat and ended the negotiation.
Silver's voice returned to its normal volume. "I appreciate your help in this matter, Colonel. Trust me when I say, the less you know, the better for you."
Looking across the cove, the cloaked man watched as Gilbert and Ethyn conversed. He could hear their conversation was coming to a close and he needed to finish his own quickly as well.
"Oh, and I may want to mention that I think I hit Kent a little too hard on the head. He has been spouting some strange nonsense ever since I tied him up." Shaking his head, the Guardian sighed.
Together, the two men joined the rest of the soldiers and prisoners to prepare for transport. Sure enough, Sir Kent had found his voice and was ranting to anyone who would listen.
"You think I am the bad one here? Those two have abducted the princess of Birle! They have her squirreled away here for who knows what terrible purpose. Let me go and I'll show you her. Your king will thank me. I am being wrongly accused. I am merely a victim!"
Silver clicked his tongue. "I really hoped he would come to his senses."
Jay scratched his head. "I see what you mean about nonsense..."
"It isn't nonsense!"
"Then please tell us where the princess is. Is she next to me?" Gilbert piped in. Silver wondered if Ethyn had let him in on their little secret or if he just intuitively knew to help discredit the knight. The end effect was the same.
Kent rose to his knees. "You fool! She's on top of the rocks. I can see her purple dress from here!"
Ethyn and Silver both laughed awkwardly.
"I applaud his commitment." The redhead nodded appreciatively. "I almost believe him myself."
"Look Colonel! If I am lying about her being up there, you can execute me here. She's up there."
Jay turned his eyes in the direction of the boulder in question. The purple hem of the torn dress was suddenly missing from view. He saw absolutely nothing of note. The colonel tapped his chin and hummed softly.
"How very uninteresting! Unless the princess is a rock, I cannot confirm your claim. It was a nice try, and fortunately for you, I am not wearing the right shoes for an execution today. I shall send word to the palace for your sentencing instead..." Jay jerked his head and his men forced the prisoners to begin to move.
Those who could not walk were carried and lashed to the horses.
Once they were ready to go, Jay dipped his head to the Guardian and knight. "I will honor your request," the colonel said. "Until we meet again."
Silver gave a small bow. "As long as it isn't tracking down these fools again, I look forward to it. Next time I shall charge a finder's fee!"