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Page 262
that his shield was in rest position, rather than on his arm and ready for offense or defense, was a signal of intended neutrality. He was thus considerably shocked a few minutes later to hear cries of recognition and threat.
Although Walter could scarcely believe what he heard, he was forewarned. He shouted to the men ahead that they should not stop but ride on, even into the woods if the road ended, and he heard the order relayed to those in front. He also heard the whir of one crossbow bolt and then another. The flesh of Walter's back quivered in involuntary fearful expectation, even though his conscious mind recognized that the bolts were wide of the mark. At least the track they now followed was so narrow that most of the danger, that of a mass volley, was eliminated. No more than two could ride abreast, and even then, Walter thought, the horses would jostle each other so much as to reduce nearly to nothing the none-too-great accuracy of the crossbow.
That was some comfort, but if the road opened out into a village or mown fields, they would be in desperate danger. There was also terrible danger in abandoning the road for the woods, for their party was already small. If they became separated, they would be even easier prey. Walter cursed himself bitterly for not foreseeing the danger, but even as he did, he could find no sense in it. Danger from whom? Heribert leapt into his mind as soon as he realized he was the target, but it seemed utterly impossible that the man should be guilty. He had been away from the hall no more than five minutes. He could not have arranged an ambush in that time, and he had not known more than a minute or two earlier that Walter intended to leave Clyro. But no one else had known, either. It must be a mistake; his shield must have been misread for someone else's.
Mistake or not, there was no way to explain, and to flee was no answer, not with pursuers so close behind. They needed a refuge. Simultaneously with Walter's thought of refuge came shouts from ahead warning of a village and a crossroad.
"Longbowmen to the rear!" Walter bellowed. "Tostig, take my lady left on the road, left!"
That was back in the direction from which they had come. And since the track did not simply end at the village, Walter had hopes that it would curve around and rejoin the main

 
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