by Tracy Lauren
But before I have the chance to lean in, I hear the snap of a branch and I spin in time to see the onset of a raid coming down on us. Swords flash in the firelight and the faces of men emerge from the woods. At first all I can hear are their shouts, but then I hear Adelaide screaming and that’s what makes me see red.
Chapter 37
Adelaide
I’m screaming for them to stop, trying to tell them that Brom is no monster. But they don’t listen. Brom pushes me back and gets to his axe in one swift motion. Though these men have armor, Brom slices through it like they were the bare-chested wild men from back in the Perished Woods. At first, I think they’re no match for my Brom, but more and more of them pour from the shadows. They leap at Brom like animals, swarming him, and just as I’m about to dive blindly into the fray, a hand snakes over my mouth and another goes around my waist.
I scream again, but the sound is muffled, so I opt instead for kicking and scratching at my captor. When that doesn’t work, I bite him.
“Arg! You wench!” the man hisses, jerking his hand away.
“BROM!” I scream. Brom swings his arm and throws four grown men back on their asses. When he turns and sees me restrained, his demeanor shifts, no longer on the defensive. His eyes assess the crowd as he plots his next move. Before I can blink, he’s felled the two men that stood in the distance between us and thrown a knife into the throat of the man that held me. He falls to the ground, but before Brom can get to me another is quick to take his place. This one though, he holds a knife to my throat.
“Stop right there!” he shouts. “Take another step and you’ll regret it, troll.”
“Please,” I beg, choking back sobs. “You don’t understand…”
Brom holds steady but doesn’t lower his axe. His yellow eyes seem to glow with rage.
“Leave the girl alone,” Brom demands.
“It speaks!” some of the men gasp and I cringe. Monster or not, Brom doesn’t look like an animal. Of course he speaks.
“Quiet, everyone just be quiet,” the man behind me orders. “I’m making a deal with the troll. You like deals, right, troll?”
Brom answers with a sneer, flashing his vicious fangs at my captor.
“We’re here to rescue the girl. I can see you don’t want her to get hurt. So drop your weapon and put your hands behind your back and I promise you, no harm will come to her. In the morning we’ll ride her back to Pontheugh, back to where she belongs. Safe and sound.”
“I do not trust you,” Brom growls. “You promise to keep her safe, yet you hold a blade to her throat.”
“Now, now. This is not for her, this is for you,” the man says, wiggling the knife against my neck. “I’m just trying to make sure you don’t kill any more of my good-intentioned men. We’ve come here to save the girl, don’t make it any harder than it has to be.”
“Hurt her and I will make your death very hard on you,” Brom vows.
“Time is running out on this deal, troll. Drop your weapon and put your hands behind your back.”
While I know Brom would never let me get hurt, I’m still shocked when he tosses his weapon to the side.
“No!” I scream, terrified of what they might do to him. The men inch forward, but Brom doesn’t put his hands behind his back until the man holding me lowers his knife. Then, the others pounce. They wrap Brom with ropes, tying his arms down to his body. Brom doesn’t struggle, he only watches me, his brow furrowed and his nostrils flaring.
I sob and try to kick free of the man’s hold, but once Brom is secured, they drag us in opposite directions.
Chapter 38
Adelaide
The knight sits with me as others construct tents in the surrounding area. A short distance away I can see the light of the fire Brom built. It seems the rest of the king’s men have carried away the dead and are now congregating by the warmth of the flames, tending to the many injuries Brom inflicted on them. I know Brom isn’t with them and I dread what they might have done to him.
“Please, you don’t understand. He’s a good person, my village was slaughtered by orcs, I ran into the Perished Woods to escape, but the orcs chased me. Brom saved my life and brought me here to ensure I got to my aunt safely. He did all that out of the kindness of his heart. He’s taken nothing in return. I’m sorry he killed so many of your men, but you attacked us. He was only trying to protect me!” I say, pleading my case for the hundredth time. But my words fall on deaf ears.
“You have had a terrible time, I can tell. But you don’t have to protect this troll any longer, you’re safe with us. We can get you to your Aunt and see to it you get the help you need,” he assures me in a placating voice.
“The help I need?” I echo.
“You aren’t thinking clearly,” he tells me. “You’re hysterical.”
I baulk.
“Now, don’t get upset,” he’s quick to say. “A reaction like this is understandable after all you’ve been through. Once you have your family by your side, and help from a doctor or priest, all will be well again.”
“I’m not hysterical,” I try to reason. “I’m scared you’re going to hurt my friend. Please, I’ll go with you, but you have to let him go.”
“This one’s all done,” another armor-clad man calls from a nearby tent.
“Thank you, Nash!” the knight answers, then turns back to me. “The first thing you need is a good night’s rest. I assure you, come morning your mind will begin to clear and you’ll feel better for it. Smile, miss. You are among civilized company once more.”
My jaw tightens and I want nothing more than to leap at this foolish man’s throat. I’ve heard all this before, all this placating and down talking. I know what this knight wants. He wants me to be the damsel in distress and the fact that I don’t fit that mold must mean I’m hysterical or not in my right mind. This is exactly how I was treated when my parents died. Gods forbid I feel anything besides melodramatic gratitude.
I take a deep breath, willing my hands to stop shaking from anger. I know this road all too well. If I show them too much of what I’m feeling they’ll turn on me and I can’t have that. Seems like maybe I will have to play the damsel after all, if I’m going to make my way back to Brom that is.
I put my hand to my head and sigh. “I suppose you’re right. Thank you, sir. It’s been weeks since I entered the woods. It’s a very disorienting place.” Dipping my chin, I look up at him through thick lashes—my best attempt at looking sheepish.
His smile lights up. It’s what the foolish man has been waiting for. “It’s amazing you survived as long as you did.”
“My parents’ spirits must have been watching over me. It was the thought of them that gave me the strength to continue,” I lie, trying to think of the sweetest thing I could say. The words leave a sour taste in my mouth however. It makes me realize for the first time that as much as I’ve missed my parents over the past year, I’ve never tried to commune with them since their deaths. I’ve visited their graves of course, but never spoke to them. Even on this dangerous journey, I haven’t once thought to send a prayer to my mother to lend me her strength or considered what my level-headed father might do were he in my shoes.
The knight gives me a sympathetic look and offers me a cup of water. His eyes are dark and his lashes thick. There’s scruff on his jaw that makes him look rugged and his hair is cut short in that messy way that makes women want to run their fingers through it. He’s exactly the kind of man I would have flirted with when I was young and stupid.
“I am sorry to hear about your loss, miss. It’s becoming a common story as of late. The orcs have been on a warpath which started long before your village,” he informs me. “A dozen settlements between here and Envercress Castle have been burned to the ground. That’s why we’ve been so heavy with our patrols along the border of the Perished Woods. This troll isn’t the first beast that the orcs have shaken out, and refugees keep finding their way to our city’s gates.”
“So it’s happening all over then? How terrible.” I feign a shudder.
“Do not worry, miss, you’ll be safe with us,” the knight assures me.
“I know I will be. You and your men did best a troll, after all.”
“He was a strong one.” The knight laughs, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. Contrived modesty if I’ve ever seen it.
“Thank goodness you didn’t have to fight him yourself,” I say emphatically. “If it weren’t for you threatening to kill me, he might have taken down your entire patrol.”
“Oh, I doubt that,” the knight assures me, his smile faltering ever so slightly.
“Still, it was very cunning of you to play on the troll’s one weakness. You should be proud of yourself,” I tell him, twisting the knife.
His smile fades, but he maintains his polite demeanor. “I would do anything to save a woman in need.”
“Well, I commend you on your keen ability to detect those in need. I’m sure it will take you far, Sir…”
“Baker,” he tells me, his smile tight and forced. “Bennett Baker. You should take your rest, miss. I know you’ll be feeling more yourself come morning, then we will see what we can do about getting you to your aunt.”
“Thank you,” I tell him with a gentle smile. He offers me his hand so that I may rise.
“I’ll put a guard on your tent so you have nothing to fear throughout the night,” he offers.
“That’s very thoughtful of you. Good night, Bennett Baker. May the gods bless you with just rewards for your deeds this evening.” I give the man a shy curtsy. His cocky and self-important smile lights up his rugged face. He appears appeased once more…while I secretly hope he trips over a rock and knocks his front teeth out.
I duck inside my tent and listen as he assigns a guard to watch over me. At least his heart is in the right place, I think to myself as I eavesdrop on his instructions to my guard. He must be young. An idealist. I’d assume everything in life has been handed to him if it weren’t for his humble surname. I listen as Bennett walks away, then I bide my time forming a plan in my mind.
I want my blade. If I’m lucky it’s still out there somewhere by the fire. If I’m unlucky, one of Bennett’s patrolmen has already discovered it. There’s only one thing left to do.
For the first time in a year, I drop to my knees and clasp my hands in prayer.
“Ma,” I say quietly. “Da…” I choke on the words. “I know you’ve been watching over me all this time. Not just since I found myself on this journey, but since the day you left this life. And…and I have to say I’m not proud of the way I’ve been. I don’t suppose you would be either. I was lost for so long, without you both to love and guide me. But I want you to know, I’ve found my way. Please walk with me just this one last time. Help me get back on the path I belong on.”
I have never been a particularly spiritual woman, but in that moment, I swear I feel the presence of my family’s love and I open my heart to it.
I rise, taking a deep breath, and step out of the tent.
“May I help you, miss?” the guard asks.
“I can’t sleep,” I tell him. “I’m still spooked from everything that happened earlier. I thought I might sit by the fire for a while, just until I get tired enough.”
The guard looks a bit older than the young Bennett Baker, but twice as stupid, for sure. He nods his assent and leads me over to the fire. Logs have been felled to offer the remaining men seating and they talk quietly around the fire. I scan the area for what I’m looking for, all the while mentally calling on my parents’ spirits to guide me.
Suddenly I see something brown discarded in the leaves—my dress. I make my way to the nearest log and take a seat. My guard hovers close and I motion to him.
“I notice some of the men have meals,” I point out. “I hate to be a bother, but could you spare a few rations?” I ask politely.
“Of course, miss,” the guard tells me, looking embarrassed I even had to ask. He hurries away toward a small, crowded tent. It must be where someone is doing the cooking. Most of the men around the fire are concerned with their own meals and the others are deep in conversation. No one is watching me. I lean back toward my discarded dress and skim my hands through the leaves. I’m not feeling anything, so I brave a glance. As luck would have it, a leaf shifts on the breeze and beneath it I see something metallic—light from the fire reflecting off of it. Indeed, someone is watching over me.
I cast a glance back to the men around the fire before I take the knife in hand, carefully dragging it closer to me and I tuck it under the bodice of my dress, the dark fabric hiding any lumps the knife creates.
The guard returns and I thank him for the small bowl of fish stew he offers me. I take my time eating the meal, listening to the men talk and hoping to hear something of importance. They worry over the orcs and a few even express concerns over the king’s ability to deal with the problem. “These woods are becoming more and more dangerous,” one of them worries.
“If it weren’t for the captain, that wretched troll would have killed us all,” another points out.
“It isn’t just trolls we have to worry about out here on the border.”
“Trolls,” one of the men spits. “I don’t see why we have to round up any of these cursed beasts. I say we execute them and bring an end to the problem once and for all.” He waves his hand to the south and my gaze shoots in that direction. Far out amongst the trees I see the dim light of a torch burning. It could be another set of tents for the remainder of the king’s men, but something tells me it’s more. Something tells me that’s where I’m going to find Brom.
I finish the last bite of my stew and turn to my guard. “I’m ready to go back to my tent now, if that’s alright with you,” I say. When I rise to leave a few of the men nod or offer me a respectful bow. They’re a polite bunch and I hope I don’t have to kill any of them. I do know one thing however, I’m getting Brom and we are getting the fuck out of here.
Together.
Once back in my tent, the remainder of my simple plan falls into place. I cut a short slit in the back of my tent and slip out through it, the guard at the front never the wiser. I step carefully across the leaf-covered forest floor, making a wide berth around the encampment and the bonfire at its core. Once beyond the fire, I pull my knife free, making haste lest my absence in my tent be discovered. I search for the torch lights I saw before, my hands shaking with fear as I pray it was a true flame I saw and not more wisps.
Eventually the light comes into full view. A twin set of torches stand staked into the ground. In the center of them is a cage and I can tell from the size of the shadowy figure within that it’s my Brom. Quickly, I tuck the knife back into my bodice and I emerge from the bushes, hurrying toward him.
Chapter 39
Brom
When Adelaide appears from the brush, I push myself to my feet, ready to fight my way out of this man’s cage. Bound or not, I will find some way to save my woman. The knight hears her approach and rises as well. When she sees him, she stops in her tracks, a look of surprise crossing her face.
“What are you doing here, miss?” the knight asks.
“Bennett, you startled me,” she gasps, her hand flying to her chest. I growl low in my throat. How does she know this one’s name?
“I’m sorry,” he says, smiling warmly at my Adelaide. “It was not my intention. Though it is funny that I startled you more than this troll here.”
“Yes…well, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“I gathered that. What were you expecting?” he asks. I don’t like the way he’s talking to her. He reminds me of a sly fox, coaxing his prey nearer so that he might strike.
Adelaide’s expression grows steely. “I had to get something off my chest before I’d be able to move on,” she tells him, never once looking past the knight to lock eyes with me. I press closer to the front of the cage, willing her to look at me.
“I can’t imagine
what you’d have to say to a troll,” the man called Bennett challenges.
“No, I don’t believe you can imagine,” Adelaide tells him. At first her words sound strong, but then her voice cracks and she puts the back of her hand to her mouth. Her eyes fill with tears as her shoulders tremble gently with a muffled sob.
“Miss—” the knight says. His sly smile vanishing, he steps forward to comfort my woman. When his hand touches her elbow my blood boils and I growl, bumping into the bars of the cage.
“I’m sorry,” Adelaide apologizes. “What I’ve been through over the past weeks, no woman should ever have to endure.”
The knight’s back becomes rigid. “Did he harm you?” he asks. “The mage has asked us to gather these cursed ones for him, so that he may conduct his experiments. But if this one harmed you, I won’t allow him to take another breath.”
“No, nothing like that,” Adelaide assures, swiping at her tears with one hand. I can’t help but notice her free hand on the knight’s mail-clad arm. “But there were other indignities…things I don’t wish to speak of in front of a man. I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course, I didn’t mean to—”
Adelaide waves away the knight’s worries. “You’re a good man, Bennett, a knight in shining armor,” she says, smiling shyly up at him.
I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Adelaide is flirting with this man before my eyes, acting like a schoolgirl and batting her wet lashes at him. It’s a side of Adelaide I haven’t seen before and I can’t bear to see another minute of it. I kick my cage door in anger and the metal rattles.