BooksBarbecue
Back Cardinal Black Save as PDF
Chapters (44)
  1. Title Page
  2. One: Into the Storm
  3. One
  4. Two
  5. Three
  6. Four
  7. Five
  8. Six
  9. Seven
  10. Two: London Calling
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Three: The Malignant Seven
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-One
  26. Twenty-Two
  27. Twenty-Three
  28. Four: Squirrels and Cats
  29. Twenty-Four
  30. Twenty-Five
  31. Twenty-Six
  32. Twenty-Seven
  33. Twenty-Eight
  34. Twenty-Nine
  35. Thirty
  36. Thirty-One
  37. Thirty-Two
  38. Five: Revelation
  39. Thirty-Three
  40. Thirty-Four
  41. Thirty-Five
  42. Thirty-Six
  43. Thirty-Seven
  44. About the Author

Together they braved the terrified animals and the flashing hooves. They got two out but the third huge horse was thrashing and jumping so hard neither Matthew nor Greta could get in close enough to release the tether. The fire was getting hotter as more hay caught, and smoke was filling the place. Matthew kept looking toward the open barn door, expecting at any second for another shot to come at him. He and Greta were about to try the task again when the third beast pulled not the tether free but the wooden bar that the lines were tied around, and off the horse galloped, dragging the bar behind it and missing trampling its would-be saviors by mere inches.

The fire would either have to burn itself out or take the barn down in flames. They had to get back thirty yards to the cottage. Matthew figured any gunner out there was in a good firing position and aiming at the opening. Where might a gunner be? Across the road in the woods? No, probably closer by now. Where, then? In cover behind the coach?

He heard a voice outside call for Montague. He recognized Sandor Krakowski’s accent. Had Lash brought the whole group with him? Cardinal Black and the Owl as well? He remembered how many weapons were in that basket he’d dumped into the hedges; if they’d brought all those, this was going to be like battling a small army. He realized he’d left Bogen’s powderhorn in the coach though he still had the fringed pouch of flints and ammunition in his jacket. Was it worth trying to get the powder? He would have to, because Julian didn’t have any.

All these things spun through his mind in a matter of seconds. He was going to have to go for the coach. He had one shot in his pistol, which he drew from beneath his jacket and cocked. Greta was peering out, the musket at her side and smoke whirling past her. “Greta!” he said, coming up behind her. “Any more bullets for the musket?”

“A box,” she said, still warily looking toward the sinister line of forest across the road.

“Gunpowder?”

“A pouch about half full.”

“Good.” Matthew was relieved he wouldn’t have to run for the coach after all, as that was surely tempting a mortal wound. He looked past Greta’s shoulder and saw that Oliver was crawling toward the cottage. “I’m going to step out in front of you and fire,” he told her. “I want you to run when I pull the trigger. Are you ready?”

She nodded.