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not return soon, Catrin should raise an alarm. |
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Madog was not hurrying to the meeting spot either. He was more interested in covering his tracks than in arriving early, although he moved swiftly for fear Mallt would get tired of waiting. For the sake of the guard at the gate, he walked down the road until the first curve hid him before he stepped into the trees. As soon as he was out of sight of the road altogether, he began to run, keeping within the wooded area but heading for the meeting place as directly as he could. |
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The caution of both parties gave Simon more than enough time to find an adequate hiding place in a clump of trees back from the edge of the woods but near enough to see a broad area that could be considered opposite the east postern. It was heavily shadowed among the close-growing trunks, and Simon hoped he would be able either to surprise Madog or, if he were too far away, to challenge him. |
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It was disappointing when Mallt appeared outside the stockade and walked quickly toward the wood. Her presence would complicate matters. Simon wanted no witnesses to what he would do to Madog, but as his fear and anger grew, he cared less and less about anything except laying his hands on the man. Then for a few minutes he thought he would need to silence Mallt before he could get at Madog. She seemed to be coming directly toward him; however, she stopped just inside the trees and looked around. |
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At the edge of the clearing the trees were widely spaced and the brush had been cut away by Llewelyn's order to prevent men from concealing themselves there for a surprise attack. Farther back there was no need to remove the brush. Little grew where the treetops met, and the ground was deeply shaded. |
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Mallt idled on the periphery, watching for Madog across the open field while Simon tried to decide whether to seize and silence her or not. Either way she was a nuisance. If he grabbed her, she might cry out |
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