Shayn considered turning back to include Walter in the search, but time was of the essence, and he wasn't sure his horse could carry both him and the rather overweight man with any sort of speed.
He was a far bit larger than the slender librarian who had ridden with Shayn before.
"Come on, let's find them," He whispered to his mount.
The horse sped up, seemingly eager to find his friends as well as the ladies. There was no clear road, but intermittent tracks and bent grass indicated someone had been through recently.
The land was still flat, with low brush and tall grass covering much of it. He spotted a copse of trees ahead which would make the perfect hiding place for bandits to rest after escaping with so much loot and two captives.
He dismounted and pulled his horse's head a little lower. The grass here wasn't quite tall enough to hide them both, but they obviously would know that one of the horses got away while they were stealing the rest.
Moving to a particularly large bush, Shayn removed his steed's saddle. Dropping the reins, he patted his horse's rear to send it walking in the direction of the trees. He trusted the creature to continue to avoid capture, but his appearance might prove enough distraction for Shayn to get some good reconnaissance.
He frowned, wondering if they would realize the horse was now fully bridled when it hadn't been before. Hopefully since it was in the dark of night when they had attempted to take him, the minor discrepancy wouldn't be obvious.
Removing the saddle was enough sacrifice.
If he needed a quick getaway now, he would have to jump onto the horse and ride bareback, coming back for the saddle later.
He crept along a distance behind the animal as they approached the grove. The crouch was uncomfortable but necessary to keep his silhouette below the sightline of anyone who glanced in his direction.
Coming closer, he heard the noise of voices and saw a cart departing. He saw two of his party's horses lashed to the back, and supplies loaded onto it as well. One man drove, and two others rode their own horses on either side. Shayn's horse neighed to its companions, who pulled at their leads in reply.
"Hey, Boss, it's that 'un that got away!" One of the riders pointed. The man in the wagon sneered.
"Well, get it! What are ya waiting for, an invitation?"
Shayn moved forward quickly through the tall grass, circling to approach the wagon from the rear. The two riders attempted to corral his steed, while the driver of the wagon shouted unhelpful advice at them.
"No, use a rope! Don't you know how to throw a rope? Idiots!" The man in the driver's seat was calling. The horse, playing his role to perfection, neighed and taunted and stayed just out of reach of the two men trying to catch him.
As he edged closer, Shayn could hear some sort of irregular thumping coming from the back of the wagon. He paused just once when the driver became annoyed enough to throw the pit of an apricot back at the noise.
"Shut up back there! We're trying to catch something and you're scaring it off, fool woman!"
Shayn froze until the man turned his attention back to the chase. Adrenaline was pumping through him with the confirmation that at least one of the girls was alive, and moving.
He lowered the panel on the back of the wagon and peeked inside. Facing away from him, a woman lay on her side, hands tied behind her back, feet bound, blindfolded and gagged. Golden hair lay in disarray around her head.
Simone.
He exulted and despaired at the same time. Where was Victoria?
One step at a time. He glanced up at the man on the driver's seat, trying to determine whether the man was likely to turn around again or not. Simone had, for the moment, listened to the man and become still once more.
Shayn slipped closer. He needed to get her attention and keep her quiet at the same time. Irritating female that she was, if he touched her she might scream. He couldn't really blame her for that; these men looked unwashed and unpleasant.
He drew close, and could see her tense.
Moving one hand to cover her mouth gently, but ready to clamp down if she made a sound, he whispered in her ear.
"Shh," He said softly. They were only a few feet from the driver. Anything more was sure to be heard. Simone didn't react, and he moved to untie her hands. Once free, hers immediately flew to undo her blindfold and gag while he worked on the knots around her ankles.
He didn't look at her face while he struggled with the thick rope, only darting glances at the man who was still yelling at his incompetent helpers.
Finally, the rope gave.
His eyes met Simone's, and for a split second he was lost. There was such fear, and grief mixed with hope in her gaze behind a sheen of unshed tears. As if he were the person most in the world she had wanted to see when her blindfold came off. A drop of blood was sliding down her cheek from a cut there.
It sent his head reeling. She must have been mortally terrified by the abduction. The trust in her blood-framed eyes was too much for him to handle. They needed to move.
He pushed back his rage at the bandits and gave Simone an encouraging smile, offering his hand. Her eyes flickered to her captor as she eagerly placed her palm in his. He pulled her silently towards the back of the cart and pointed to the two unsaddled horses tied to the back of the wagon, a question in his eyes.
She blinked at him and hesitated, then nodded. She must not be used to riding bareback. It was understandable. He could put her in front of himself, but a horse carrying both of them together would be slower.
He indicated that she should climb on the first as he untied the leads, but now that he couldn't keep his head below the side of the cart, he was easily visible.
"HEY! BOSS! WHO'S THAT?" One of the henchmen yelled.
Shayn bit back a curse and jumped onto the second horse, kicking it into a gallop and pulling on the lead of Simone's horse. She leaned forward, clinging to the base of its mane while her legs squeezed its sides trying to stay on.
The bandits' leader bellowed in rage. "GET THEM!"
The fleeing man looked back, giving a sharp whistle to let his gelding know it was time to go. The horse obeyed immediately, and Shayn wished he were on his own horse instead of this one.
With one hand he guided the horse he rode. With the other he held fast to Simone's lead. He wished he had had the foresight to throw it to her so that he was free to draw his sword, but it wasn't reins and it wasn't nearly as easy to control the animal with the one rope.
He wished he had paid more attention to Simone's abilities as a horsewoman so he could know what degree of confidence to place in her right now. It was too late for that. The horses tore across the grassland and through the shrubbery, and he could hear the bandits behind.
If he could get back to the wagon, he, Kyler, and Walter would outnumber the two pursuers… not that Kyler was particularly useful in a swordfight. Neither was Walter for all Shayn could surmise, but at least it would afford Simone more protection.
For his part, Shayn had the blood of Ashmayne in his veins, and had sparred with his oldest brother Riley on many occasions during his year of military service. He could probably take both bandits in direct combat now that the third was left behind in his slower cart.
He chanced a look over his shoulder. If they had weapons on them, it wasn't obvious. Perhaps knives at best. He smiled. He could turn and take them now, except he had no rope to tie them up with, and disliked the idea of killing them in front of Simone.
Simone. His eyes caught an impression of her face before he had to focus on the path ahead.
She was pale. He hoped she wasn't hurt. He hadn't seen any obvious injuries other than her bloodied face, but that didn't mean there was nothing. The most painful injury he'd ever had was a broken rib, and that wouldn't have been obvious at a glance.
"Hold on!" He called to her over his shoulder as the path through the brush narrowed and was blocked by an old fallen log. The horses would have to jump it at this speed and it might unseat her if she didn't cling tightly. Would the bandits give up and depart? He rather hoped so.
He had no such luck. Drawing closer to where he'd started, he let out three sharp, shrill whistles, a signal he and Kyler had long ago devised to indicate trouble was on the way.
Surely it would be trouble they could handle.