“Twenty paces to the left in the branches of the Ash tree. Do you see it?” His breath grazing against her ear sent an involuntary shiver down her back. He dropped his hand from her mouth and she lifted her gaze. There among the branches was the outline of a large winged creature.
“A bird?” she whispered flatly. By its size and the shape of its curved neck it was probably a vulture
“A messenger,” he corrected. “Its eyes are red.”
“A messenger for who?” How could anyone use a bird as a messenger? “Do you mean it’s intelligent enough to follow us and report back to someone?”
“I don’t know, and yes.” A bow and arrow were suddenly in his hands. He slid around beside her, planting a knee firmly in the grass. The twinge of the bow echoed in the night, and a loud squawk grated against her ears when the arrow pierced the vulture’s chest before it fell to the ground. “It’s time to move.”
Days passed with only short stops. She brushed her fingers over the Gaudrey’s root in her pocket often to make sure it was still there. All she needed was an opening. The breakneck pace stunted any opportunity to slip the poison into the food or drink, until tonight. They made a stew and left it over the embers to eat in the morning. Now was the only chance she’d get to slip in the Gaudrey’s root. After nearly twenty-five years this nightmare would finally be over. She wouldn’t have to live with the constant anxiety of looking over her shoulder anymore. She prayed that whoever followed them was after the High King, and not her, considering no one stalked her before he showed up.
Slipping poison into their food seemed a little too easy for something she trained for all her life, and a little guilt nagged at her when she thought of Thane’s guards having to die along with him. But she couldn’t get away free if she left them alive. She assumed that King Tenebris was indeed dead and that Red told the truth when she said Thane didn’t want anyone to know where she’d hid all these years.
The moon was high and the lack of any murmuring voices convinced her they’d gone to sleep. She slowly pushed open the door and quietly put her foot on the step. She froze; a dark heap laid at the base. Was someone sleeping right there? Ugh, of course there is!
Three of her captors laid beside a small fire not far off but one of them, one of the males by his size, was wrapped in a cloak laying on his side right below her. Maker, had he been sleeping there every night or did he suspect her tonight? No, there was no way they could know what she planned.
This might be her best chance. If she waited until they arrived at the castle it would make her escape far more complicated if not impossible. Keeping her breathing shallow, she grasped the carriage handle and hung off, stepping over him and quietly put her foot down right beside his chest. If she jumped, he’d no doubt hear her. Carefully, she let go of the carriage, and stood over him, one foot still on the step and the other almost touching him. He didn’t move.
She swung her other leg over and took in a breath. Confident in her mission, she started for the pot of soup. A hand latched around her ankle, and she gasped, barely holding in a scream.
“I knew it wouldn’t be long before you tried to sneak off again,” Thane said from beneath his hood.
Her heart lurched into her throat and she tugged her leg, but his fingers gripped tighter. “I’m not trying to sneak anywhere—I just can’t be in the carriage anymore. I need fresh air.” The moonlight revealed there was nothing around for miles but open land, not a house or even a mountain range in sight. This was called the Flats for a reason. The few scattered trees and boulders offered nowhere to hide. Likely nothing to eat either.
“Sure you do. You know we’re being followed, and we are in unpatrolled human lands. There are trolls, wraiths, more than likely bandits, and pale ones. You must stay inside.” His voice was barely above a whisper. Then his hand flashed out and he caught her wrist. “Now be a good girl and—”
She wrenched her hand away. “You’re not going to drag me anywhere.”
“That’s where you’re mistaken. I will. I’ll throw you over my shoulder if I must. And I might even enjoy it a little.”
She scoffed, but she didn’t doubt he would. “You’re just used to everyone following your orders, High King, but I’m not one to take them.”
His mouth twitched. She couldn’t tell if he was irritated or amused.
One of the males by the fire stood up chuckling; the driver, she’d come to know him by his rich black skin. They called him Fennan. “Having trouble with your betrothed, Thane? She’s a feisty one,” Fennan folded his arms. “Good luck taming her.”
The other male, distinguishable by his lighter skin and the golden hair that sometimes peaked out from under his cloak hood, she called Sunshine. He smiled the most and with his hair color it just fit. He shook his head, “My coin is on Layala.”
Layala gaped at them. Taming her? Bets? Was this how they spoke of all females? “She doesn’t like to be spoken about as if she can’t hear,” Layala said. “And I’m not a beast that needs to be tamed.”
A pale one shrieked somewhere in the distance. She lifted her head, searching the night. It sounded far off, but pale ones were fast. Was this what hunted them? No wonder they’d been so quiet this entire time.
“Grab what you can!” Thane yelled to his crew. He turned to Layala. “We’re almost to the border. Get back in the carriage.”
She slowly shook her head.
“Please,” he said as if it caused him pain to utter the word.
A massive lake gleamed on the horizon, Lake Lamora, which meant they were but miles from the elven kingdom of Palenor. The lake served as a barrier between elven and human land since it spanned hundreds of miles between the two.
“I’m not getting back in this time.” She didn’t trust that the carriage could be pulled fast enough to outrun pale ones on this uneven road. “I’d rather run if you won’t give me a horse.”
“It’s too dangerous to have you out in the open. Do you have any idea what a mage like you is worth?” The driver, Fennan hopped onto his seat. “Don’t make us do this the hard way.”
The other two quickly mounted the horses that remained saddled, but Thane didn’t move from his spot in front of Layala. Instead, he whistled and his gigantic horse lifted his head from grazing nearby and trotted over. He stepped into the stirrup and lowered his hand toward her. “If you want to ride, it will be with me.”
She stared at his outstretched hand, clenching her jaw. She didn’t want to share a horse with the High King but a chilling wail broke through their silence and Layala’s blood went icy. Then another cry, and another. There were many. Their screams sounded far off before; they didn’t now. Pale ones were far worse than her captors.
She reached for her weapons on her belt and then cursed, remembering they weren’t there. Her magic tingled down her arms like the spindly legs of a spider, itching to escape. They hadn’t dosed her with the serum in a day and her magic wanted to let loose on whatever wished her harm. To destroy. But even if she now had the ability, she couldn’t allow it free. It was too risky.
“What do you want us to do, sire?” Red asked, pulling her sword.
He twisted in his saddle when another shiver-inducing shriek pierced the warm air, but it was closer this time. Much closer. The hairs on the back of Layala’s neck lifted. They left her vulnerable when they took her blades.
“They’ve been tracking us for days,” Sunshine said. His sorrel brown horse whinnied. “Their forces may be large by now.”
Thane’s horse shifted nervously, grunting and pawing at the dirt. One of his hands rested on the reins. “We make a run for Palenor. Cut the horses loose from the carriage. It will slow us down.”
“Tracking us?” Layala’s heart thundered as she looked along the grassy landscape waiting for them to appear. Was the vulture Thane shot used by them? Were they intelligent enough for that? “How do you know that?”
“We’ve killed three over the last four nights while you slept,” Red answered. “There is no doubt.”
How had she not heard the pale ones, let alone the creatures being slaughtered? Why were they being followed? She hadn’t used her magic to draw them.
She sucked in a gasp when on the edge of the amber meadowlands the road bordered, at least ten pale ones charged toward them. Weapons of various kinds in hand, howling and wailing. Damn, they were fast.
Thane didn’t wait for her to voluntarily climb up. He grabbed her arm and lifted her like she weighed no more than a small child. As soon as she straddled the horse, her back pressed against Thane’s solid chest. His arms circled around her to grab hold of the reins and he nudged the steed’s sides. “Make for Palenor. Do not stop until you see the sentries!”
Fennan and Sunshine quickly unhitched the six horses. The herd bolted for Palenor, their home. The driver hopped on the mare behind Red, and the other mounted his own horse.
The High King’s horse reared up, Layala latched onto the saddle horn. The wind whipped through her loose midnight hair as they tore across the land. She turned back, the pale ones weren’t gaining, but they weren’t falling behind, either. One wrong move and the group would overtake them. Would the horses be able to keep up this pace? Pale ones were notorious for their endurance; they could run for days and not tire, not even get winded.
Heavy huffs of breath shot from the nose of Thane’s horse. The hooves slammed yet glided across the uneven road. The huge white-trunked trees with deep blue and silver leaves shaped like stars loomed on the horizon. Only the Forest of Brightheart had trees like that, luminor, they were called. The elven sentries would be among them, high in the thick branches, guarding their lands. If Layala’s small company could make it another mile they’d be safe.
A horse scream forced Layala to twist, clutching onto Thane for support as she peered around him. Sunshine’s horse had hit the ground, and he was trapped under the weight of it.
Layala cupped her mouth. He’s as good as dead. Part of her didn’t want to say anything. So what if one of her abductors wouldn’t make it? She planned to poison them all not even ten minutes ago but that didn’t include suffering and being eaten by pale ones. He was only following the orders of his king.
“Your guard fell!” Layala shouted over the rushing of the wind and pounding of hooves.
Thane’s strong arms tightened around her when he pulled back on the reins and turned his horse in a wide circle. He snarled a curse as Sunshine struggled to wiggle free. The horse on top of him wasn’t moving.
Layala was shoved in the back and fell from the horse, barely managing to land on her feet. She glared up at the king who pointed to the Brightheart Forest, his horse stamping and turning. “Get to the trees! Stay out of sight!”
Red and Fennan were already riding back to aid their friend. The pale ones seemed to be going faster now; they smelled their chance to pounce. But there was a single pale one on a snowy white horse, hanging back. As if he were directing them. Layala had never seen such a thing. Never seen them ride horses, never seen them with a leader.
She hesitated, debating on rushing in to fight or running to get help. The cries and shrieks of the pale ones kept her frozen in place, watching in horror as they drew closer. Their evil twisted faces elated at the prospect of the feast before them. Her stomach cramped. Do something! She screamed at herself.
Layala turned, breaking into a sprint, her light feet flying. She pumped her arms, breaths coming fast, wishing she had a mouthful of the speed-enhancing leaves. Her eyes watered from the air rushing past. When metal clinked against metal, she turned her head. Sunshine was up and all four of the elves fought the group of pale ones with swords at close range. Too close.
She couldn’t figure out why it bothered her to leave them. She wanted Thane dead. She could leave him to rot on this road, to have his bones picked by the vultures and Adalon would be better for it, but the others… she didn’t want them to turn into pale ones. She could use her magic to save them, but she didn’t want them to know what she was capable of.
A flash of white caught her attention, and she skidded to a halt, nearly falling back as a pale one darted into her path. He smiled, revealing his pointed teeth perfect for tearing through flesh. “Come with me.”
Chest heaving, she took several steps backward, putting a hand over her mouth and nose. “Stay away.” She reached for her belt again out of habit, her breath ragged with fear.
The monster stepped closer, swinging his rusted jagged-edged sword at his side. “Come, dark mage.”
She recoiled at the name. How did he know of her magic? How did they know who she was? “Stay away from me or I’ll cut you in half.”
“Yes, show us your power,” he said, his black eyes gleaming. “My master wishes to see it.”
“I will kill you if you take one more step.” She might not have a choice but to use her power unless—he advanced. With a spinning kick she knocked the sword from his hand. It flew into the air. She snatched it, and with bent knees, held the blade point at the pale one, ready to strike.
With wide eyes, he stumbled back. She charged and swung, missing as he maneuvered to the side. Another swing caught the arm he used to block; ebony blood oozed from his pale flesh. When she was about to hack down again, an arrow struck through his chest, then another through his neck. Layala jumped back as the body crumbled forward.
A group of elven sentries in navy and silver garb emerged from the thick woods with long ivory bows in hand, arrows knocked back. She looked at the fight still going on between the others. “The High King Thane is under attack!” she shouted, knowing that would make them run. The fifteen or sixteen sentries moved in swift unison. Soon arrows flew and the remaining pale ones dropped to the dirt.
Layala stood frozen, watching to see if any of the king’s guards died. Sunshine limped with an arm around Fennan’s neck for support. Red held her forearm but otherwise she appeared fine. Thane unfortunately, by his easy movement, didn’t seem to have a scratch on him. His hood had also fallen but his back was to her. His shoulder blade-length deep brown, almost black hair in the night’s dim light was half tied back and disheveled. He pulled his hood up before he turned, and the group of them made their way to her.
When they reached her, Thane leaned over on the horse’s back, scooped her up by her arm, and swung her behind him. “You and I are going ahead.”
As the horse trotted forward, when Layala lost some balance, she begrudgingly grabbed onto his waist. “Why?”
He didn’t reply as they rode far ahead of the others. They passed groups of sentries standing in small wooden outposts high above. Some leaned over the edges of the railings to watch as they went by. No one saluted or acknowledged him as their king. Perhaps they didn’t know. Layala pulled her own hood back up.
They were on a small winding path, but turned off it, traveling away from anyone, deep into the forest where only animals scurried about. Silver-tailed squirrels chittered, leaping from branch to branch. One dropped an acorn on her head. She rubbed the spot, scowling up at it. The farther they went the more nervous she became. What did he plan to do with her? Why was he taking her where no one might hear her scream? She eyed the outline of his swords beneath his cloak. There were two. Perhaps she could get her hands on one.
When they reached a small clearing in the woods with wildflowers of all colors and glowing nighttime butterflies lifting and lowering from bloom to bloom, the High King stopped and slid down. He wouldn’t even look at her as the moon cascaded through the opening of the canopy of trees, shining on him as if a beam of celestial light. Layala grunted at the thought of anything about him being celestial.
He whirled around on her. “How do they know where you are?”
The anger in his tone surprised her. It was the first time he’d shown any aggression toward her. Layala’s heart beat faster, her breaths a little shallower and dropped to the ground. “Who?”
“The pale ones,” he barked. “They’ve been tracking us since Briar Hollow. Tracking you.”
It couldn’t be because of her. They only knew where she was if she used her magic and she hadn’t, not once. She learned that lesson as a child. She’d been practicing and a pale one appeared the next day, Aunt Evalyn was almost bitten, but the guard master saved her. When it happened a second and third time, it couldn’t be a coincidence. From then on, she tried to bury her power, to forget it was even there. She wanted to be rid of the magic that so many others sought after. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He snarled. “I nearly lost one of my friends back there and that’s your answer? What were you doing in that pool? Magic of some kind?”
“I’m not leading them to us if that’s what you’re saying, and I couldn’t use my magic that night even if I’d wanted to thanks to your soldier poisoning me.” She thought of the pale one on the horse. Had he gotten away? She didn’t see him when the skirmish ended. He might have gone to get more.
Thane stomped toward her, his face inches from hers. His sweet breath smelled of honey and mint. Without thinking she reached up to shove his hood off; she wanted to look into his eyes, to see the evil behind them, but he snatched her wrist. “We kept you alive. The least you can do is tell the truth.”
“I got help. Maybe you should say thank you.” Layala attempted to shove him back but he didn’t move, as if he’d rooted into the ground like a tree. “How did you know where I was? Your spies?” Her mind drifted back to the charming elf she met at the Smoky Dragon. He must have told.
“I’ve known where you were for years,” he snapped. “Now tell me. Are you doing it on purpose?”
Her heart seemed to falter and she choked on her own spit. He had known for years? Years?! How? And if he had, why wait until now to get her?
“It’s not me. I don’t want to be one of those things.” She ground her teeth thinking how she had heard of them more than usual the last few months. Whispers of them in neighboring towns. “I don’t know why they’re following us. If they knew how to track me, I wouldn’t have been able to live in Briar Hollow all my life. I saw one the day before you came, but I don’t know why.” Yet it seemed both of them knew deep down she was the reason the group of them had been there. The one she faced called her dark mage, and wanted to see her power. The cursed ones were far from the Void and a group of them wouldn’t likely travel this far north without reason. “Maybe they’re following you.”
“Why would they be following me?”
“You’re the High King of Palenor, their greatest enemy. Maybe they saw an opportunity. Can you trust your people?”
He whipped around, his cloak floating out around him as if it danced on air, and walked a few paces away. When he turned back, he came at her with a determined march. “I trust them implicitly. Get on Phantom. If we leave now we’ll get to the castle at sunrise.”
“Aren’t we safe from them here in Palenor?” She figured once they crossed into the elven forest it would be well guarded, and they wouldn’t have to worry about being tracked or ambushed. He’d certainly dropped his pretense of silence since they’d crossed the border.
“Safe?” Thane stepped closer. “No, Layala. We may be safe from an army of pale ones, but there are few you can trust.”
What did he mean by that? Were there others apart from him that wanted to use her power? They kept saying they needed to protect her… “I trust no one here.”
“Good,” he said. “Now get on the horse or I’ll put you on it.”
She clenched her jaw, wishing she could punch him. But she wasn’t ready to test her skills against his just yet. They called him the Warrior Prince; she supposed now they’d call him Warrior King. And by his large stature, the way he picked her up with ease, and how he cut down the pale ones with such lethal precision, the rumors were true. “Such a charming king. I bet all the females fall at your feet with a demanding attitude like that.”
“They do,” he said. “And with pleasure.”
Layala scrunched her nose. The last word she wanted to associate this king with was “pleasure.” After reaching for the saddle, she realized the stirrup was out of her reach. She murmured a curse, struggling to get up on her own. Why is this beast so tall? She glanced back to Thane smiling at her struggle.
“Need help?”
Unwilling to accept his help for such a simple task, she took several steps back, ran and leapt. After grabbing hold of the saddle, she pulled herself up.
He chuckled. “Most elven females would just take a leg up.”
“Well, suffice it to say, I’m not most elven females.”
He rubbed a hand over his smooth chin, still smiling. Layala narrowed her eyes, wondering what he could be grinning at right then.
“Would my betrothed prefer I ride front or the back?”
She pursed her lips to keep from snarling a harsh comment at his innuendo. Her foot flinched as she thought seriously about kicking him in the face. From her position it would be easy. Of the many options she chose to scoot back slightly, giving him space to sit.
“You must like holding onto me.” He pulled himself up and settled in.
She placed her hands firmly at her sides, gripping the back of the saddle, hoping it was enough to stay on. He chuckled and they were off, riding through the green grass and in between the ashen white trunks of the luminor trees, back the way they came. “I thought we were going to your castle.”
“We will. After we rejoin with my friends.”
Friends? She didn’t think he had friends, only people he used for his own gain. He was quiet for a while, the sounds of the forest filling in for lack of words; somewhere a creek trickled, there was also the light flutter of hummingbird wings as a pair darted by.
He finally said, “You don’t know me, and what you have heard was less than perfect, so I understand your bitterness, but I’m not my father.”
“I’m not bitter.” Her lie rolled off her tongue easily. She was well past bitter. Vengeful, a more appropriate word. “I simply think that if you want to have me, you’ll have to earn it. When I was promised to you, I was never your father’s to give. You haven’t even asked me to be your wife, just demanded it.”
He half turned his head. “I’m not the one who killed your parents. I was three years old when they died. I don’t even remember the day it happened.”
Anger simmered inside her chest at the mention of them. “I know.” But none of that mattered. Just because he wasn’t directly responsible for their deaths, didn’t mean he was innocent.
“You’ll see.”
She dragged her fingers through her hair, pulling through the tangles. “See what?”
The horse’s hooves patted quietly on the soft ground of the forest floor. “One day you’ll be in love with me.”
