Cadán pulled his horse to a halt. “Now then, wildin’, we part company.”
The pouring rain hid Lindisfarne from sight. The wet pathway disappeared into the misty distance, unobscured by the tide, as the waters had receded while they were pursuing the Mercians.
Thomas couldn’t see the sun, but he guessed it was shortly after midday. The tide wouldn’t come in again until evening, so it would be safe to cross. As long as he didn’t wander off course in the rain and head towards the ocean instead of the tidal island. There were good reasons why the monks didn’t cross in foul weather. They had set up rocky cairns in the sands between the tidal island and the mainland, to mark the way when the weather was bad, but still, it was dangerous. The cairns often got knocked down when the waves were ro
