Chapter Five
Huddled near the exit to the cave, Allyssa breathed in the fresh air from the tunnel. She tried not to glance at her butchered soldiers. Every time she did, she retched, feeling like she was coated with their blood.
Her focus had to be on escaping. Surely she could outsmart these Russek low-life thugs. Odar paced behind her. He kept running his hands through his hair. It now stood up in every direction, making him look mad. He paused, peered down at her, and then resumed his pacing. They hadn’t spoken to one another. Instead, they remained lost in their own thoughts.
“Someone’s coming,” she murmured, clamoring to her feet. Soldiers’ voices echoed in the tunnel as they neared.
“Don’t show any fear,” he whispered. “They will feed off it.” She didn’t know if it was possible to be afraid when she was so furious.
Three Russek men entered. “Come with us,” one of them said. They all withdrew their swords.
Allyssa glided into the tunnel, Odar and the soldiers close behind. In the main cavern, the rest of the men were clustered together in the center as they listened to someone speak.
“Here they are,” her guard said. The speaker turned around to face them.
Allyssa stared into the eyes of the assassin. Fear like she had never known coursed through her. What was he doing here? He should be tied to a tree, paralyzed. Even if ten hours had passed, which she was certain hadn’t, he could not have hiked here so quickly.
The assassin chuckled. “Surprised to see me?”
“How are you moving about?” she demanded.
The assassin stood tall and poised, a smile on his lips. His arm had been wrapped with a makeshift sling—the only indication he suffered any duress. He must have managed to put his elbow back into alignment.
“Do you actually think I’d be stupid enough to use something I’m not immune to?”
She hadn’t even considered the possibility. He must have spent years building up a tolerance to the paralyzing substance.
“Sire, are these the ones you’re looking for?” the Russek soldier next to her asked.
Sire?
“Yes,” the assassin replied. “Thank you for detaining them.”
Odar stiffened beside her. “I knew you looked familiar, but I couldn’t place you until now, Prince Soma.”
“Prince?” Allyssa blurted out. “You’re a prince? Of where?” As the words left her mouth, she realized how condescending she sounded. Surrounded by Russek men, he could only be the prince of one kingdom. “I’m only aware of one prince in Russek, and his name isn’t Soma.”
“You’re referring to the crown prince, my stepbrother Kerdan.” His words were edged with something she couldn’t quite discern. Jealousy? Loathing?
She had never met Prince Kerdan, but she knew he was King Drenton’s only son. Kerdan was born a couple of years before her and was heir to the Russek throne. “Stepbrother?” There were rumors King Drenton had remarried.
“My mother is Queen Jana of Russek.” Her eyes widened with shock. The assassin took a menacing step toward her. “That’s right,” he crooned. “We’re cousins.”
Horror filled her. There was no way she was related to this sick bastard. “It’s not possible.”
“I assure you, it is,” he replied, the cold smile still plastered on his face as if he enjoyed watching her squirm.
“Jana was sent into exile with her mother twenty years ago. She was sixteen, unmarried, and considered to be a sickly girl who wasn’t expected to live long.”
Soma folded his arms and tilted his head to the side. “Why do you think the rumors about Jana being sick were made up? It was to hide the fact that she was with child—me.”
Allyssa stood there, stunned by this revelation. “Who is your father?”
“One of her personal guards. Shortly after she was forced into exile, she gave birth. A few years later, she had my sister, Shelene. Once we were old enough, my father—still one of her guards—smuggled us out of Emperion.” He took another step toward her. “And now, cousin, I am ready to right the wrongs of your parents.”
“Who sent you?” Odar demanded. “King Drenton?” The dozen Russek soldiers surrounding them were loyal to the king, not the prince. A wise move on Odar’s part to remind the men of that.
Prince Soma’s eyes focused on Odar. “My sister isn’t very happy with you right now.” He swung and punched Odar’s face with his good arm. Before Odar could strike back, two soldiers grabbed him, pinning his arms behind his back as Soma kicked him.
Allyssa screamed and dove for Soma. The soldier standing closest to her wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her back. She violently struggled, trying to break free. Soma whipped out his short blade and pointed it at Odar. “Stop fighting, Princess, or I’ll impale this blade into the prince’s thigh.”
She stilled, and the soldier holding her let go.
“Good,” Soma purred. “Now, I do recall threatening you, not him, if either of you misbehaved.”
She took a step away from him as panic set in. “You will not lay a finger on me.”
Soma made a motion with his hand, and the soldier next to her took hold of her wrists, binding them tightly together with rope. This could not be happening.
“Maybe I should let the prince watch as I have my way with you.” Soma’s eyes gleamed with malice, and a wicked smile shone on his face. Her stomach rolled with nausea. She would rather die than have him violate her.
“I’ll kill you!” Odar snarled, his face red with rage.
“Oh, but you already had your chance,” Soma purred. “And you didn’t take it. I told you what would happen when I caught you.”
He stood before Allyssa. When he reached for her, she swung her head, hitting his bad arm. He cried out in pain, cursing, and backhanded her across the face. She flew to the ground, her cheek stinging from the hit. But it had been bloody worth it to see the look of pain on Soma’s face.
A soldier ran into the cave. “Emperion soldiers have been spotted.”
“Where?” Soma demanded.
“Three miles south of here,” the man panted.
“How many?”
“Two dozen.”
Allyssa got to her feet. It had to be Marek with a squad searching for her. She just had to hold out a little longer and help would arrive. However, were Marek and his men skilled enough to fight these Russek barbarians? After all, these soldiers had already killed some of her best men. At least there were twenty-four of her men to twelve of these idiots. She’d take those odds.
“We must move quickly,” Soma said. “You two, guard the prisoners. Everyone else, with me.” He moved over to the section of the cave where the supplies were located. His men started packing food and provisions in saddlebags.
“That monster is my cousin,” she muttered.
Odar ran his hands through his hair. “Cousin or not, he is an assassin and a Russek prince. We need a plan.”
“We bide our time and wait for my men to find us.”
One of the soldiers guarding them laughed. “Neither of you will be found before you enter Russek.”
Allyssa was about to argue and tell this bloke exactly what she thought of him when Odar shook his head. “Ignore him. We don’t have much time.”
She sighed, trying to think of ways to stall so her men could catch up to them.
Odar leaned forward so his lips were next to her right ear. “Do you have anything you can leave behind? A piece of jewelry or clothing that your men will recognize? We could leave a trail so they can find us easier.”
“I have nothing.” Before she departed on the journey to Fren, she had left all distinguishing items behind, dressing as a commoner so no one would know her identity.
“Back up,” the solider said to Odar, hitting him on his shoulder. “And no whispering.”
Odar leaned away from her. “Let’s assume we are taken to Russek.”
Bloody hell. How could they be in this position? Allyssa had been putting thieves behind bars for years, and now here she was, stuck in a situation she couldn’t fight or talk her way out of. She’d never felt so helpless before. “If we make it to Russek, we’ll be used as bargaining chips against our parents.”
“Maybe.”
“You’re not so sure?” The king would be stupid not to use them.
“I think,” Odar hesitated, “that perhaps the king doesn’t know about this mission.”
“What are you suggesting?” she asked.
Odar glanced at the soldiers guarding them before answering. “Think about it. Jana hates your father. Shelene hates me.”
“So they want us dead?”
“Or to make us suffer.” His eyes were grim, revealing the truth in what he said.
Allyssa closed her eyes. She was going to be sick.
“I promise to get you out of this alive.”
She opened her eyes and looked at Odar. His eye was swollen, lip bloody, and cheek purple. “Likewise.” She wouldn’t let anything happen to him.
He lowered his voice and whispered, “From here on out, whatever I say to Soma, whatever I do at the Russek court, it’s all to save you.” There was an intensity to him that she’d never seen before.
“But who will save you?” she countered.
“I can take care of myself. Have faith in me, and I promise to protect you.”
“Time to go!” Soma called out.
The two soldiers guarding her and Odar shoved them forward. “If we enter Russek, we are entering hell,” Odar murmured. “It will change you, and you will never be the same.” His face hardened as if he had made up his mind about something. Cold fear slithered down her throat, choking her. She had the notion that her horrible situation was about to get worse.
Allyssa moved slowly to the tunnel leading out of the cave.
“Hurry up.” A soldier pushed her forward. She stumbled and caught herself. The tendons in Odar’s arms protruded, but he made no move to help her.
They exited the tunnel. Soma took half the soldiers a few feet away where he quietly spoke to them. When he finished, the men, all heavily armed, pounded on their chests and left.
Soma came over and checked her bindings, ensuring they remained secure, before tying the prince’s wrists together. “Let’s go.”
Two soldiers led the way, then Soma, followed by two additional soldiers, Odar and Allyssa walking side by side, and then the last two soldiers brought up the rear. They remained in this formation as they walked along the narrow dirt path they’d previously traveled on. At the waterfall, instead of descending, they turned and made their way to the other side of the mountain.
The path wound its way down the mountain at a manageable grade. No one spoke, which afforded Allyssa plenty of time to think. How close were her men to catching up? Every time she slowed, the soldier behind her shoved her forward, hurrying her along. Had her men run into the six Russek soldiers who’d parted ways outside the cave? If her men didn’t save her, how would she survive Russek?
At the base of the mountain, a crude fenced-in area with a dozen horses was nestled in the shade of some boulders and tall trees. Soma pointed to three of the horses, and the soldiers immediately saddled them, strapping the bags they’d been carrying to the animals.
“Get them on,” Soma ordered. One of the soldiers roughly grabbed her, sitting her atop a horse. He attached her bound wrists to the saddle.
The assassin approached and withdrew his knife. “This will only hurt a little bit.” He shoved her sleeve up and pricked her arm. A moment later, it went numb from her shoulder down. He did the same to her other arm.
“How do you suggest I stay on the horse without falling off?” she inquired, panic setting in. She couldn’t feel her arms. The situation kept getting worse.
He smiled and then reached down, pushing up the bottom of her pants. He pricked her calves. “Use your core to remain upright. If you lose your balance and fall off the horse, I’m not stopping to help.” He pinched her thigh, but she couldn’t feel it.
Satisfied, he went over to Odar, who was similarly situated atop a horse. Soma pricked Odar’s limbs and then pinched his arm. He didn’t flinch.
“Do you plan on paralyzing us for the remainder of the journey?” she asked. If he did, there would be no chance to escape unless her men caught up to them. Allyssa suddenly found it hard to breathe.
“Yes,” Soma answered, mounting his horse and dismissing his men. “I won’t risk losing the two of you again. And this time, you’ll be lucky if I feed you.” He took hold of the rope attached to her horse and the one attached to Odar’s. The three of them made their way across the valley, leaving the kingdom of Emperion behind and entering Fia.