Sitting atop the horse, again in front of Larek, Allyssa fumed. She was dripping wet, cold, and tired. Up ahead, the other half of their group waited for them. Squinting, she tried to find Odar. None of the horses carried more than one rider. Two of the horses didn’t have anyone at all. Her breath caught. Hopefully Odar was okay.
As they neared, one of the men’s shoulders slumped forward. It had to be Odar.
“All good, Larek?” the leader asked.
“We threw them off our trail, split them up, and then disposed of them.”
Allyssa’s body stiffened. “You disposed of them?” she said. “What does that mean?
The leader responded, “Good. We killed those pursuing us as well.”
Horror filled her. That was why two of the horses didn’t have riders and Odar sat alone. They’d lost three men. Three.
“What happened to her?” someone asked.
“The princess took a tumble in the stream.”
She did not fall. Larek had pushed her in.
“The village we’re supposed to meet Zerek in is ten miles from here. We can’t reach it before nightfall.” The sky had already started to turn dark.
“Let’s hunker down for the night. We’ll leave at first light,” Larek suggested.
Lovely. Another night with these men. Larek unclasped his cloak and wrapped it around her. A small, but much welcome, comfort in this hostile land.
* * *
Dozens of Russek soldiers surrounded the small village of Henec. “Is that normal?” Allyssa asked, suspecting it wasn’t. She squinted in the bright morning light, thankful it wasn’t raining.
“No,” Larek said, following close behind the leader.
There couldn’t be more than fifty small wooden structures situated haphazardly with no clear organization to them. If there were any stores, they weren’t marked with a sign.
Allyssa shivered at the eerie silence of the place. “Where are all the people?”
“They’re probably dead,” Larek whispered.
“What do you mean?” Surely these barbaric Russeks wouldn’t kill their own people. What would be the point? Larek didn’t respond.
The leader stopped before one of the buildings and dismounted. “Wait here,” he instructed before entering.
An odd smell permeated the air. Glancing around, Allyssa saw a mound of smoldering ashes down one of the crooked streets. Revulsion filled her.
“They were probably loyal to Prince Kerdan,” Larek whispered. “Queen Jana must dispose of those who oppose her regime.”
“By slaughtering her own people like pigs?” she replied. Who could do such a cruel thing?
“These aren’t her own people,” Odar pointed out. “Jana is from Emperion. Haven’t you ever wondered why hatred for your kingdom is so prevalent here?”
She felt Larek’s arm, which was around her, stiffen at Odar’s remarks. Was that how Russeks truly felt? That Jana represented Emperion? That Jana was Emperion? Allyssa was about to try to explain that Emperions despised Jana as well when the leader returned.
“Bring the prisoners inside,” he ordered.
Allyssa dismounted and Larek took hold of her arm, leading her inside the dilapidated building. She entered a dimly lit room with a round table that had been shoved into one of the corners. A tall, imposing man rose from the chair, staring at her. She recognized him from the castle in Clovek—this was the man she’d impaled with her dagger when he’d thrown himself in front of Jana to protect the horrid woman.
The man’s cold eyes looked over Odar and then Allyssa. “These are the correct prisoners.” His words lacked the heavy accent most Russeks had.
“Captain Zerek, we were told that once you verified their identities, we were to deliver them to Queen Jana,” the leader said.
“That is correct, Rutek,” Zerek replied. He hastily wrote something on a piece of paper, handing it to one of his men, who read it and hurried from the room.
“Are we taking them to Clovek?” Rutek asked.
“No. Duke Opanek’s home. He is expecting you. When you deliver the prisoners, he will pay you.” Zerek sat down at the round table, which was strewn with papers and maps.
“The duke will pay us?” Larek asked. “The order said that the first one to deliver the prince and princess to the queen will get the reward. It didn’t say anything about a duke.”
“The queen is at the duke’s house. She has something... special planned for these two.”
The capital city was well fortified. There would be no logical reason for Jana to leave unless... “What’s happened in Clovek?” Allyssa asked.
Zerek jerked his head in her direction. “What did you say?” he demanded.
“You heard me,” she replied. All reports indicated Jana had the backing of the nobles. However, what if one of those nobles tried to overthrow her? The only thing Jana could do would be to flee, gain forces by killing Kerdan and taking control of another section of the army, and then return to Clovek and retake it.
Zerek stood, his face contorting in rage. “Tell me what you know.”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking what happened.”
He remained still, staring at her for several uncomfortable minutes before turning to the leader and responding, “You have three days to deliver the prisoners. The money you so desperately seek is at Duke Opanek’s dwelling. Dismissed.”
They exited and climbed onto their mounts. A chill slid over Allyssa’s body that had nothing to do with the cold air. Where was Nathenek? What about Kerdan and her father? Did they know the queen was no longer in Clovek? Allyssa vowed to come up with a plan of her own just in case something had gone terribly wrong. When she glanced over at Odar, she found him watching her, his lips pursed and his eyebrows bent inward. His thoughts must mirror her own.
* * *
At midday, they reached a small village. While staying at the castle in Clovek, Allyssa saw a great deal of poverty at the town she’d traveled to with Kerdan. This village reminded her of that one. The houses were small shacks in no condition to withstand the harsh Russek weather. The roads were uneven and rough, the people haggard with torn clothing, and there was a feeling of despair to the place.
Rutek stopped before the general store and went inside alone while everyone else remained outside. Not far away, a person stood filling a bucket with water from the well located in the center of the village. Surrounding the well were a few carts with people selling goods. One had bread, another some withered vegetables, and the last cart had some sort of meat. Allyssa vaguely wondered where the meat came from and then decided she didn’t really want to know.
At the northern end of the town square—if one could even call it that—some men had started to gather. Each held a hoe, shovel, or pitchfork.
“Should we be concerned about those people?” Allyssa asked Larek.
“They’re no match for us,” he replied.
The villagers probably weren’t nearly as proficient in fighting as the soldiers. “I’d rather not see anyone die,” she replied, peering over her shoulder at Larek. “There are other ways to prevent a confrontation from happening than wielding a sword.”
“Oh.” He shifted on his horse. “Well, what are you suggesting?”
The soldiers had turned their mounts to face the forming crowd, their backs to the general store.
“I suggest that instead of trying to intimidate these people, you help them. You are all Russeks.” Whenever Allyssa traveled with her father and the army, the army was highly regarded by the citizens of Emperion. It was not only a great honor to be in the army, but those who served were also the protectors of the kingdom.
He chuckled. “That is a lofty notion, but that’s not how Russek works.”
“Get out of our village,” one of the people yelled. “You’re not wanted here!”
“Let’s go,” Allyssa insisted.
“We can’t,” a soldier replied. “If we leave now, it will make us look weak.”
“It’ll avoid you having to murder your own people,” she retorted. “Let’s go.”
“You’re not in charge here,” another soldier replied snidely. “We do as we please.”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “You do as your lieutenant tells you. He does as his captain tells him, who does as the king orders.” She purposely used the word king instead of queen, saying it loud and clear to drive home her point. “None of you are masters of your own destiny. Therefore, you cannot—and will not—decide to take action in your own hands now.”
She feared Rutek would return at any moment and give the order to attack. This situation needed to be diffused as soon as possible. “I suggest one of you go into the store to see if any help is needed while the rest of us exit the village.”
The mob started to move toward them. Larek tensed. She couldn’t let this turn into a massacre. “Stop,” she called out to the people. “I beg you! I am Princess Allyssa of Emperion and am being held against my will. This is Prince Odar of Fren, and he has been kidnapped as well. I fear if you continue your advance, these soldiers will show no mercy. They will cut you down. I don’t want any harm to come to you.”
The people stopped advancing, but they still held their hoes, shovels, and pitchforks at the ready.
“We can help,” an elderly man offered. He had several teeth missing and his skin was wrinkled, sagging below his eyes.
“I’m sure you can,” Allyssa replied. Larek slid his arm around her waist, holding tightly onto her. “However, your safety is more important than my own. I will not risk your lives on my account. Please stand down. These soldiers will leave as soon as they have the supplies they want.”
“What happened to the king?” a young woman asked. “We heard he died and the queen is ruling. Is Prince Kerdan dead, too?”
“Prince Kerdan is a traitor who murdered his father,” Rutek replied, exiting the store. “Queen Jana now leads our great kingdom. All hail the queen!”
The soldiers replied, “Hail Queen Jana,” and pounded on their chests.
The people stood in stunned silence. “Suppose it makes no difference who sits on the throne,” one of the women commented. “It’s not like the royalty cares about us common folk.”
Allyssa would ensure that mentality changed if she married Kerdan. And if she didn’t, she would advise him to rectify this thinking immediately.
Rutek barked out orders for some of his men to go into the store to carry out food. The old man looked at Allyssa again. She mouthed, Please, stand down. Now was not the time to fight.
The man nodded. “Let’s get back to work,” he said, turning and walking away. Many hesitated.
Rutek withdrew his sword. “Go home,” he said. “I don’t have time to deal with rowdy villagers. You’re all pathetic! The entire lot of you can rot in hell.”
Allyssa closed her eyes, allowing the pain his words caused to show on her face. When she looked at the people again, she said, “I can’t see any more death today. Please go home to your families. These are well-trained soldiers who will slaughter you all.”
More of the people left. Larek’s arm loosened around her waist, and she knew the worst of it had passed. Odar sat on his horse, looking aloof. Why hadn’t he helped her out? She didn’t care for the way he’d just sat there as if the outcome didn’t matter to him. Perhaps it didn’t. Maybe it was best he severed their engagement. She was not inclined to be with someone who didn’t stand up for what was right. The person she married would have to be a fighter.
As they rode out of the village, the sun descended and the sky started to darken. On the horizon, Allyssa could just make out three distinct plumes of smoke rising in the air.
“Burning villages,” Larek answered before she even had a chance to ask what they were.
“Why?” A plague or something more sinister?
“It’s the Russek way. When we win a fight, we burn down what’s left of our enemy.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she replied. Did everything Russek soldiers touch have to be destroyed?
“It’s tradition.”
As far as she was concerned, it was sheer stupidity. How did these absurd traditions start and why? It was hard to outsmart her enemy when she didn’t understand them.
Rutek stopped at a relatively flat area and ordered his men to set up camp for the night. Allyssa sat with her hands tied together and her body tethered to a thick pine tree. Odar had been similarly situated and tied to a tree across from her about ten feet away. They hadn’t spoken a word since the village. Three soldiers left to do a perimeter run while the remaining men gathered around a small fire.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” Odar whispered.
She shook her head. He had no right to ask her such a thing. Staring at him across the way, the dark shadows flickering over his face, Allyssa felt... stronger. As if her heart was mending itself. For the first time since Odar broke their engagement, she understood they would have never been happy together. Their priorities were vastly different.
“I’m leaving. I have played this game long enough and have no intention of remaining with these men any longer,” Odar hissed.
She glanced over at the soldiers eating, drinking, and laughing around the fire, no one paying them any heed.
“Do you want to come with me? Or do you want me to leave you here? You don’t still have faith in Kerdan and this plan of his, do you?”
She clenched her teeth, irritated by Odar’s callous feelings toward the man who had single-handedly gotten them out of Russek. “I want to give him one more day.” She had to assume everything was okay; otherwise, Nathenek would have stepped in.
“What’s happened to us?” Odar asked, his eyes intense.
Was he serious? “You severed our engagement.” There was no us.
“To protect you.” He tried leaning forward, but the ropes didn’t give him much leeway.
She distinctly remembered what he said on the balcony that night. “You said I made you weak. That you couldn’t be with me and be an effective leader for Fren. You chose your kingdom over me.”
“You, of all people, must understand that.”
“I do.” She would always put Emperion first. “What I don’t understand is why we’re discussing it. You made your choice.”
“I didn’t expect you and Kerdan would form some sort of relationship. It took me by surprise.” His voice sounded pained, ragged.
But they had been over this before, and she had no desire to trudge it up again. “Odar, you knew this when you broke up with me. I asked you how you would feel when I married another and shared his bed. You still severed the engagement.”
“I didn’t think it would be this hard.”
She had no sympathy for him. When they were in Lakeside, when she thought he was Jarvik, she’d grown to love his quick wit, strategic planning, and his devotion to Fren. Ever since they were kidnapped by Soma and she learned Jarvik was Odar, there had been a shift between them. She thought she still loved him. But he’d lied, and she’d never gotten over that she loved Jarvik, not Odar. To her, they were two very different people. And while she appreciated him putting his kingdom first, she really wondered why he did it. Did Odar truly love Fren? Or did he break up with her because that was what his parents wanted? Or what he really wanted? She couldn’t be certain because she didn’t trust him.
Even though she no longer loved Odar, that didn’t mean she automatically loved Kerdan. She didn’t have to be in love with a man. The fact was that Kerdan had been there for her through a dark time in her life, and she appreciated him for that. They had managed, against all odds, to form a friendship. And while she didn’t think she had romantic feelings for Kerdan, she did care for and respect him.
“Allyssa,” Odar whispered. “Tell me what happened to you in the dungeon.”
Of all the things for him to say, she did not expect him to ask that. “I don’t want to relive it.” He had no right to that part of her.
“Why didn’t you tell me in Russek?”
She curled her fingers into fists, feeling the edge of her nails, trying to remain grounded in the present and not be pulled into the past. The pain she’d experienced, what she suffered, while Odar simply strutted around the Russek court and tried to bargain for their freedom. “Do you feel guilty?” she asked.
“Yes.”
He wanted the details to appease his conscience. “I was tortured. That is all you need to know. Now leave me alone; I’d like to go to sleep.”
“Do you want me to take you when I leave in a few hours?”
“No.” She would not be in league with Odar again. She would trust her father, Kerdan, Neco, and Nathenek. “But I do wish you good luck in all your endeavors.” She squeezed her eyes shut, praying for pleasant dreams to consume her and for the nightmares to remain at bay.