Allyssa woke up and found herself sitting atop a horse with a man behind her, his arms securing her in place. Odar was already awake, similarly situated on a horse next to her. They were traveling through the forest, and she had no idea how much time had passed since she was darted in the barn. A dozen mounted men surrounded her and Odar.
“Where are you taking us?” Allyssa demanded.
No one answered.
“If it’s money you seek,” she said, “I can pay you. My parents are the empress and emperor of Emperion. If you take me home, they will bestow great wealth upon you.”
“Shut up,” Odar snapped. “They don’t need to know who you are.”
One of the men chuckled. “Won’t matter anyway,” he said. “We’re meeting one of the queen’s guards who knows what Prince Odar and Princess Allyssa look like. If you’re them, which I suspect you are, it won’t matter what you say or do because we’ll have all the confirmation we need.”
“Why are you loyal to Jana when she isn’t even the rightful queen?” Allyssa asked.
“Stop talking,” Odar said. “Honestly, I think you enjoy hearing yourself speak.”
She bristled, not sure if he was serious or not.
“You two,” the leader said, pointing at two of his men toward the back of the group. “Double back to make sure we’re not being followed.”
She peered through the cover of the trees; the sun had already set and it would be dark soon. “Are we in Russek?” she demanded. “If we aren’t, you have no authority and will be hanged for your crimes. And I can’t figure out why you’d even want to follow Jana when you have Kerdan, who is—”
A calloused hand slid over her mouth. “Shut the bloody hell up,” the man behind her said. “If I have to listen to you yapp any longer, I’ll dart you myself.”
Having no desire to be drugged again, Allyssa nodded. He removed his hand, and she refrained from speaking.
They came to a small clearing, and the leader barked out orders to set up camp for the night. Allyssa and Odar were tied to opposite sides of a tree while the rest of the men gathered around a fire, talking and laughing with one another. At any given time, three of them were gone, presumably on some sort of watch.
“Do you have a death wish?” Odar demanded, his voice hard and furious.
“What are you talking about?” Allyssa asked. A piece of bark was poking into her back, and she wiggled, trying to scoot sideways to a more comfortable position.
“We have no idea who these men are, and you keep shooting off your mouth, not worried about our situation at all.”
Leaning her head against the tree, she stared up at the leaves barely visible in the dark sky. “These have to be Kerdan’s men,” she whispered. “I’m sure everything is fine.”
“But you don’t know that for sure,” he pointed out.
“No,” she admitted. “That’s why I pushed them—to see if they’d retaliate or hurt either of us. They didn’t, so we must be okay.”
He cursed. “You have got to be kidding me.”
No, she wasn’t kidding. Why would she joke about something so serious?
“I can’t believe I agreed to go along with this foolish plan,” he muttered. “This entire situation is ridiculous.”
“No, it’s not.” Bold, daring, and a little bit crazy, but not ridiculous. “I think you’re upset because it’s not your plan.”
“That has nothing to do with it,” he hissed. “I’m upset because I swore never to be captured again.” The roped pulled against her body, pinching her. Odar must be trying to wiggle free.
“You didn’t have to be a part of this,” she reminded him.
“Of course I did. I couldn’t let you do this alone.”
“I could have.” She didn’t need him here complicating matters. Being so close to him confused her. Even though she didn’t care for him like she used to, it was still hard to work with him because of everything they’d been through.
“I’m not going along with this plan much longer,” Odar whispered. “One more day and that’s it. I’m leaving.”
“Alone?”
“That remains to be determined.”
* * *
Sitting astride the horse in front of the same man as yesterday, Allyssa observed her surroundings. They must be well into Russek by now. Yet, nothing looked familiar. The low rolling hills were dotted with flowers, making the kingdom appear beautiful and serene.
“We’re too exposed out here,” someone commented.
The leader grunted. “This is the only way to Henec where the meeting is to take place.”
Allyssa didn’t recognize the name of the town. The dark clouds from yesterday had passed, leaving the sky a brilliant blue. However, the air was still chilly and she wished she had on a fur jacket like some of the men did.
“What’s that noise?” one of the men toward the back asked.
The leader gave a signal, and everyone came to a stop.
“What’s your name?” Allyssa asked the man behind her.
“Larek.”
The same name as the merchant boy from Emperor’s City. A sign or a coincidence? Before she could think more on the matter, she heard the distant sound of horse hooves rapidly approaching.
“Ride,” the leader yelled.
Larek urged his horse into a full gallop. The group of them thundered over the land, the horses’ hooves kicking up grass.
“Split up,” the leader ordered. “Five with me, five with Larek.”
Larek veered right while the man Odar rode with went to the left. Blimey. The people pursuing them could either be a rescue mission or a group of mercenaries hunting them. How was she supposed to know who was friend or foe?
Kerdan had told her to behave like herself no matter what. In that case, she would use this as an opportunity to try to escape—with or without Odar. Glancing back, she saw a group of twenty or so men on horses pursuing them. It didn’t appear that anyone had bows and arrows. That, at least, was something.
“They’re gaining on us,” Larek said.
“Instead of these six horses remaining together,” Allyssa said, “you can conceal me on your horse. Everyone should go in a different direction then. Our pursuers won’t know who to follow if they can’t see me. At most, you’ll only have three or four men to contend with instead of twenty.”
“I’ve got a better idea,” Larek said. “I know a place to hide you until the threat passes.” Turning to his men, he yelled, “Create a diversion while I hide the princess. I need a solid thirty seconds where they won’t see me.”
The men slowed their horses while Allyssa and Larek headed eastward.
“Stay low on the saddle,” he instructed, his cape flying behind him. They headed over the next hill and then veered sharply to the right toward the line of trees at the bottom of the valley. “When we reach the stream, jump off and hide in the water.”
The urge to ask if he was one of Kerdan’s men was strong; however, it didn’t matter at this point. If he was, then she needed to listen to him because he would protect her. If he wasn’t, then the men pursuing her were most likely affiliated with Kerdan. The only logical thing was to do as he said. Once she was alone, she would make a run for it.
“While I’m hiding, what do you plan to do?” she asked.
“I’ll draw the men away from you. We must be quick for this to work.” They were almost at the trees. “Get both your legs to the left side of the horse.”
She did as instructed, preparing to jump. Hopefully he would slow the animal so the impact wouldn’t injure her. Instead of going alongside the stream, he went right into it, shoved her off, and continued to the other side, heading up and out of the valley. Glancing back, she didn’t see anyone coming over the rise yet. There was a trail from the horse’s hooves leading straight to where she stood in the waist-high freezing water. She climbed closer to the bank where it was shallower and ran northward, wanting to put at least thirty feet between her and the trail. There were several good-sized rocks along the edge of the stream. At one of the bigger ones, she went deeper into the water. It wasn’t too fast or rough, which made it easy to maneuver in.
Once it reached her thighs again, she went under and found a good spot to wedge her feet to keep her body from floating away. Holding onto the side of a rock, she slowly let her head rise until her nose came above the water so she could breathe. Her hair started to float around her face so she grabbed it, tying it into a knot and shoving it under her shirt.
The ground rumbled as horses neared. A lone tree not far away swayed in the wind, casting long shadows over the water, helping to conceal her body. Several men rode their horses through the river without stopping. A couple paused on the bank.
Taking a huge breath, she went farther under the water. Her body violently shook from fear. Or maybe the frigid water. Regardless, she tried holding still, keeping her body in place so she wouldn’t cause any disturbances in the water and garner the men’s attention.
The water turned murky from the horses thundering through it and stirring up the sandy bottom. The few men who hung back rode their horses up and down along the bank, searching for any sign of Allyssa. One stopped only a few feet away, looking at the ground.
“See anything?” someone called out, the words muted and difficult to hear under the water.
The man near her replied, “No, nothing. The grass along the bank looks untouched.”
Thankfully she’d had enough foresight to travel in the stream instead of alongside it. Huddled under the water next to the rock, she closed her eyes, begging the man to move on. It was hard to remain still and not lift her head above the water.
After what felt like forever, the man left. Allyssa slowly let her nose come out of the water again, and she took a much-needed breath. However, she remained in the water, trying not to move, for another ten minutes in case someone still lingered nearby. A fish swam by her leg, and she almost screamed. She’d have to thank Kerdan for her predicament later. Assuming she saw him again and the men she’d just evaded weren’t his.
When enough time had passed, she slowly brought her head above the water, observing the area. No one was in sight. Not wanting to go farther into Russek, she knew she needed to head south. Based upon the placement of the sun, she guessed the stream flowed southward—more or less. Since she was already soaking wet and half frozen, she decided to travel in the water for the first mile to conceal her tracks. Then she’d need to climb onto dry land and run to put distance between her and her pursuers and to warm her body before she became ill. At least she would be traveling the direction the water flowed instead of against it.
She carefully stood, wondering how much time she had before Larek returned for her. Might as well lure him in the opposite direction. Scrambling out of the water, she ran north along the stream, trying to trample the grass so her trail could easily be seen. After thirty feet or so, she climbed back into the stream and headed south, half swimming and half floating with the slow-moving current. There were several rocks along the way. She tried not to bump into them as she hurried along, attempting to stay in the deeper sections so she wouldn’t get hurt.
Nathenek had promised to be nearby. However, she didn’t know how that was possible. The stream widened and the water’s depth dramatically decreased, making it difficult to swim. Clambering to her feet, she stumbled out of the water and onto dry land, her body shivering uncontrollably. Up ahead, a group of rocks was clustered together on a mound. She ran toward them, needing to hide before Larek found her. Maybe once the sun went down, she could make a fire. Bloody hell—she still didn’t know how to start one. That would have to be rectified. Eventually.
When she reached the rocks, she quickly surveyed the area. If she hid on the south side, she would have a better view of the valley to the right. However, someone would be able to spot her between the rocks. The north side provided better coverage. She sat on the ground, shimmying her body in a small crevice and out of sight, thankful for the refuge from the harsh wind. Hopefully there weren’t any small creatures waiting to pounce on her.
As the silence settled in around Allyssa, she had nothing to do but think. How long did she have until someone found her? She didn’t particularly want to travel at night; however, the darkness would provide cover, and she couldn’t remain in this crevice forever. Glancing at the sky, she guessed it would be dark in two to three hours.
It felt like her fingertips would freeze and fall off. Shivering between the rocks, she vowed she would return home and get to know her brother. The image of Savenek looking regal as he stood on the balcony next to her mother came to mind. Their mother, she corrected herself. Darmik hadn’t said too much about him, and she’d been afraid to ask. She didn’t want to be sidetracked or lose focus on the mission. One thing at a time. Kill Jana, then return home. Even Kerdan had pointed out that her emotions affected her focus. Kerdan . . .
She still needed to decide what to do about him. She’d agreed to marry Kerdan because she feared Odar would have some hold over her. That if she was tied to another man, it would help when she faced him again. However, it didn’t matter. Whatever attraction she’d felt for Odar had simmered. The way he’d treated her in Fren, and the callous way he severed their engagement, had managed to destroy the love she’d had for him. Even though she’d said yes to Kerdan’s proposal, her father had made it clear she could change her mind—that nothing would be finalized until after Jana was dead. Which brought Allyssa back to deciding whether she should marry him.
If she chose not to, that left her options open for other suitors. Not that there were many worth considering at this point, especially since Emperion had acquired Landania, Fia, and Kricok under its empire. No other kingdom could match them in terms of size, military strength, or economic prosperity. Russek did offer a large military, but it brought with it a kingdom in poverty. Once they disposed of Jana, Russek would no longer pose a threat to Emperion.
Allyssa did need to marry to produce an heir to ensure the royal line continued, but she was still young. That could wait. Kerdan’s words came back to her. He’d told her to marry because she wanted to—to do what was best for her, not Emperion or anyone else. Yet, all she could think about was doing what was best for her kingdom.
Kerdan... could she marry him and be happy? They were friends, and she enjoyed being around him. Could there be more to their relationship than mere friendship? Although she’d never acknowledged it before, she did find him attractive. In fact, she found him more attractive each day she was around him. But it was too soon to move on after Odar, wasn’t it?
The sound of horse hooves pounding over the land startled her. She pulled her legs in as close to her chest as possible, trying to remain small and hidden between the rocks. It was still too light out to make a run for it—she would be seen. Her only hope was that no one would think to look for her here.
A horse snorted close by. Blimey. She held her breath, trying to be as quiet and still as possible. A moment later, a man she recognized squatted in front of her.