Odar got up and moved next to her, rubbing her back. “Are you all right?” he asked.
She was fine; she just needed to think about the idea of being captured on purpose. Odar touching her, however, made her tense up.
“You do not get to care about my daughter,” Darmik said, standing. “You lost that privilege.”
Odar removed his hand and apologized, but Allyssa didn’t hear anything he said because all she could think about was needing space from Odar. How could the two of them work together? Especially in a life-and-death situation? She no longer trusted him. When he’d touched her, her body hadn’t responded the way it used to.
Strong hands gripped her shoulders. She blinked, trying to focus on what was going on around her. Odar and her father were arguing over the plan.
“I won’t let anything happen to her,” Odar said.
“That’s what I’m counting on,” Darmik replied.
“You’d honestly put your daughter’s life in jeopardy?”
“It already is. What I propose will ensure her safety.”
“Get your bloody hands off her,” Odar abruptly said, startling Allyssa.
She glanced up and saw him staring at Kerdan, his face contorted with rage. Kerdan’s hands squeezed her shoulders tighter, clearly using her to restrain himself. She patted his arm in reassurance and stood, trying to be strong. Kerdan’s steadfast presence had grounded her.
“Father, why don’t you tell us the plan so we fully understand what part each of us plays and how this will work?” The idea of them joining together to go after Jana was rather appealing—especially if she got to participate.
Brookfel came into the room. “Captain,” he said to Kerdan. “I need to speak with you. Immediately.”
“Can we put this conversation on hold until I return?” Kerdan asked.
“Of course,” Darmik said. “I’m sure Odar could use something to eat. We’ll be in the dining hall.”
As everyone headed for the door, Odar said, “I need a moment of the princess’s time.”
“I’m sorry,” Darmik replied, pausing at the door. “That’s not possible. You lost that right when you ended the engagement.”
Odar bristled. “Do you want my help or not?”
“I expect your assistance. It’s the very least you can do considering how callously you severed the marriage contract. Not only that, but Jana will come for you and your family. No one is safe until she is gone. I think you already know that.” Neco whispered something in Darmik’s ear and then left. “Now that you are engaged, your fiancée is also in danger. I assume you want to protect her as well.”
It felt as if Allyssa had been kicked in the chest. Odar was engaged to another woman? So soon? She couldn’t breathe. The bastard wouldn’t even look at her.
Kerdan came to stand before Allyssa. “I need to go,” he said so only she could hear. “If it’s any consolation, I never liked the guy.”
She glanced up into his intense eyes blazing with anger while a smug smile washed over his face. “Sometimes, I wish I was like you,” she whispered. “I wish I could put on a mask and hide my emotions. I wish I could be strong even when cowering inside.”
His eyes widened in shock, the anger in them instantaneously gone, replaced by an emotion she didn’t recognize. “Sometimes, I wish I was more like you,” he whispered back to her. “I wish I could show my feelings more readily.” He took a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling. “This is me attempting to do that.” He leaned down, quickly kissing her forehead. She closed her eyes, breathing in the smell of him, shocked by his display of affection. “Now it’s your turn.” Taking a step away from her, he bowed and left the room in a hurry, not once looking Darmik’s way.
Walking over to her father, she paused by Odar. His face had an odd hue to it, as if he’d eaten something foul and had become sick from it. “Congratulations on your engagement,” she said to him, her voice strong and articulate, surprising her.
She could have sworn he whispered her name, but she took her father’s arm and they left the room.
***
Nathenek returned late that morning covered in mud. He went with Darmik and Neco into a private room where they spoke for over an hour. Allyssa tried more than once to enter, but they wouldn’t let her.
Tired of lurking in the corridor, unable to hear anything they said through the thick wooden door, she went to her room and sat by the window, gazing outside. A short while later, Kerdan returned with a group of his men. She watched him bark out orders, pointing in various directions, before coming into the house. His heavy footsteps pounded on the stairs. Allyssa jumped off her seat and rushed to the hallway.
“Not now,” he said. He attempted to go around her, but she stepped in his path, refusing to let him pass. “Allyssa,” he whispered. “I need to change.” He had on heavy leather armor. The bottom half of his pants were covered with mud, his shirt dripping with water.
“Where’d you go?”
“Your father told me not to tell you anything.” His thick, tangled hair hung loose around his face, a leaf sticking out of it.
Trying hard not to smile at his appearance, she asked, “Do you agree with him?”
“I haven’t decided.” He rubbed his face, smearing some of his black war paint. “Right now, I’m doing what he says because someone needs to be in charge for this to work, and since he’s the greatest military commander on the mainland, I respect him.” He leaned against the wall, watching her.
Odar stepped out of a room down the hallway. He wore clean clothes, his hair freshly washed and combed. Every time she saw him, a deep pain rippled inside of her. This man—who she thought she’d spend the rest of her life with—had destroyed everything between them with just a few words.
Odar walked slowly toward them. “I never trusted you,” he said, his voice low and furious.
“Excuse me?” she said.
He shook his head and pointed at Kerdan. “I knew you had a secret agenda. Was this it? To get your hooks into Allyssa?”
Kerdan chuckled. “You severed your marriage contract with her. I had nothing to do with that.” He pushed off the wall and stood tall in the hallway, towering over Odar.
“Now is not the time to argue,” Allyssa said. “We need to go downstairs so we can discuss the plan.” She realized Kerdan hadn’t denied Odar’s accusation.
Both men ignored her. “Is this some sick, twisted game?” Odar demanded. “You’re so intent on conquering Emperion because that was your father’s dream. Only, instead of waging a bloody war, you want to marry the princess so you can have the kingdom without fighting? It’s genius really.” His words echoed one of Nathenek’s concerns.
“I don’t want to rule Emperion,” Kerdan replied. “I only want what is rightfully mine—Russek. I would like to have Emperion’s backing since they are a force to be reckoned with, but that is all.”
Odar turned the full force of his gaze on her. “I thought you were against marrying for political gain. That you wanted love. Or was that a bunch of rubbish?”
“The only reason I agreed to marry Prince Odar in the first place was for political reasons. Oh, but that’s right. You switched places with your squire, deceiving me. Once I fell in love with you, you revealed your identity. At that point, I thought I had it all—a solid marriage alliance and love. Until you destroyed it all.”
He jerked back as if she’d struck him.
Shaking her head in disgust, she turned and left, sweeping down the staircase without a backward glance. When she was halfway down, she heard Odar say, “You don’t deserve her.”
“Neither do you,” Kerdan answered. “You had your chance. And you blew it.”
“I’m trying to keep her safe,” Odar responded. “Everything I did was for her. Now, you’re ruining it all. She shouldn’t be here.”
“Do you even know her?” Kerdan asked.
“I know her better than you do.”
Kerdan made an odd noise, s
omething between a laugh and a growl. “If you truly knew Allyssa, you wouldn’t force decisions upon her or make them for her, and you certainly wouldn’t doubt her ability to take care of herself. She should be here. This is where she damn well belongs—in Russek. Now move out of my way.”
Allyssa heard footsteps nearing so she ran the rest of the way down the stairs and along the hallway, smacking right into her father, Neco, and Nathenek.
“I need a moment to myself,” she stammered, wanting to collect her thoughts before they read every emotion on her face.
“I want you composed and in the dining hall in five minutes,” Darmik called as she hurried down the hallway. She raised her hand, letting him know she’d heard.
Allyssa reached the training room and went inside. Going over to the wall, she grabbed a wooden practice sword and swung it, trying to release her pent-up energy. Odar was engaged. She swung. Odar loved her too much to marry her. She swung again. Odar had broken her heart, then had the gall to come here and question Kerdan. She threw the sword. It clattered to the ground. Heaving deep breaths, she put her hands on her hips. Bloody hell. When Kerdan spoke to Odar, he’d defended her—and not like a man defending a woman—but like an equal defending someone he respected. His words had such conviction that it was inspiring.
Rubbing her temple, she took a deep breath. While she didn’t love Kerdan, she considered him a friend, trusted him, and valued his opinion. And… and…
“He likes you, you know,” Nathenek said from the doorway, making her jump.
She bent down and picked up the practice sword. “Excuse me?”
“Kerdan,” he said. “When you come into a room, his eyes focus right on you. He watches your every move.”
She put the sword away and straightened her dress. “Some might consider that creepy.”
He chuckled. “It’s easy for a person to hide his true feelings, but not the eyes. The eyes are a direct line to a person’s thoughts.”
“I’ll try to pay more attention.” Whenever Kerdan watched her, she felt him assessing her like a captain would with one of his men—nothing romantic about it.
“Odar also watches you like a hawk.”
“I don’t want to talk about him.” Especially with Nathenek. When she returned to Lakeside, she needed to have a nice, lengthy conversation with her mother, Mayra, and Madelyn. They could help her work through her feelings on the matter. But not Nathenek—he was a man and older than her parents.
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said as if she hadn’t spoken, “I don’t like the guy. But he does love you.”
“Odar?”
“Yes.” He nodded toward the door, and they headed out of the room. She wanted to ask why he didn’t like Odar when he continued, “You’re young. He was probably your first crush so it hurts worse than it should. You’ll get over him.”
“You sound as if you speak from experience.”
“Your father is expecting us.”
He hadn’t answered her question. When they arrived in the dining hall, Darmik and Neco sat on one side of the table while Kerdan and Odar sat on opposite ends. Nathenek and Allyssa quickly sat down across from her father.
“We will allow Jana’s plan to play out,” Darmik said. “Allyssa, Odar, and Kerdan need to arrive in Jontis separately. Odar and Allyssa will be taken into custody, but Kerdan will manage to escape.”
“I will ensure there is a significant amount of confusion in the town,” Neco added. “That way, Kerdan’s escape will be more believable.”
“We’re just going to let the Russek soldiers capture us?” Odar asked, his voice sounding like he was speaking to an inept child. “And hope they don’t maim or kill us before we’re taken to Jana?”
Odar’s concerns mirrored Allyssa’s. While she wanted to kill the queen, she didn’t understand how they would be able to do so if they were prisoners. Also, her father had specifically said she would only be involved with the planning stages. What had changed that he now allowed her to be in the thick of it?
“Jana put a considerable bounty on your heads,” Kerdan said. “There are not only Russek soldiers, but also several mercenary groups hunting the two of you. I’ve placed a group of my own men in Jontis to capture you first.”
“Your plan is to toss the two of us in Jontis and hope Kerdan’s men find us first?” Odar asked, disbelief etching his words.
“Yes,” Darmik answered. “I’ve assigned Nathenek exclusively to Allyssa’s safety. He will ensure she is not harmed in Jontis.”
Odar raised his eyebrows. “Anything else?”
“That’s all you need to know at this point,” Darmik said. “That way, as the plan unfolds, your and Allyssa’s reactions will be genuine.”
Odar pushed away from the table. “Let me know when it’s time to leave.”
After he exited the room, Allyssa said, “I’d like to speak to him alone.” No one moved or said a word. She forged on. “If Odar and I are to pull this off, we can’t act like we hate one another once we’re pretend captured. We need to have some sort of understanding in place so we can work together.”
Darmik looked at Kerdan. “Do you have anything to say on the matter?”
Kerdan shook his head. “Allyssa knows what’s best. I trust her judgment. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some last-minute preparations with Brookfel to attend to.” He stood and left the room.
Neco laughed.
“What do you find so amusing?” Darmik asked.
“I know you don’t like him, but I do.”
“Who?” Allyssa asked.
“Kerdan,” Neco answered.
“You don’t like him, Father?” Why had he allowed her to entertain the marriage proposal if he didn’t like the man?
“I don’t know him well enough to have an opinion on the matter yet.”
“You better figure it out since I’m engaged to him.”
“The engagement is not official until you have signed the marriage contract.” And that wouldn’t happen until after Jana was dead.
Standing, Allyssa went behind her father’s chair, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I love you.” She kissed his cheek.
He patted her arms. “I love you, too.”
Chapter Eleven
Allyssa stood in the training room and faced Nathenek. “Faster,” he commanded.
She was going as bloody fast as she could. She knew how to shoot a bow and arrow, wield a sword, and throw daggers. However, she didn’t have the muscle that came with hard, physical, routine training. Nathenek had decided to rectify that situation. He made her do these katas daily, and she was getting better at them.
Block, block, strike, strike. Over and over. Her shoulders ached and her arms felt like soft grass blowing in the wind. Yet, Nathenek wouldn’t relent. He pushed her harder and faster every day.
“Close your eyes,” he said.
She did as he instructed. At first, not being able to see made her feel off balance. Then, after a few minutes of floundering, she found her groove.
Suddenly, Nathenek’s arms felt… different. They were slightly higher and larger. When she opened her eyes, she saw Kerdan had switched places with him.
“You’re stronger,” he commented, speeding up the exercise. He swung low, breaking the monotonous movements. She barely had time to block his sword. “Are you ready?”
“Am I ready to let your men capture me?” she asked.
“I hand-picked them for this assignment,” he assured her. “Nothing will happen to you. I guarantee it.” He swung to the side, and she blocked him.
He started slowing and then speeding up his movements, forcing her to mimic him. It took far more concentration, especially while trying to carry on a conversation. She had to keep repeating the sequence—block, block, strike, strike—over and over to keep the rhythm going.
“Look me in the eyes,” Kerdan said. “Can you do what your father is asking?”
“If this is our best chance to kill Jana, then yes, I
can do it.”
“I have two concerns.”
She glanced at Nathenek standing off to the side, watching them.
“My first issue is you working with Odar,” Kerdan said. He swung high, and she almost missed the block. “I’ve noticed that when your emotions come into play, you hesitate. I need to know if you can view this as a mission and put your feelings aside.”
Being with Odar was going to be hard. There was no way around that. “Are you worried he’ll want me back?” she teased.
He knocked her legs out from under her, and she flew to her back, landing with an umph. “Son of a harlot!” she screamed, surprised to find herself on the ground with Kerdan straddling her.
“This is what I’m talking about,” he said. “You need to work on your focus.” He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Odar was a fool to let you go.” His warm breath sent a shiver through her. He jumped to his feet, reaching down for her. She clasped his hand, and he pulled her up.
“If Odar wants you back, that’s his prerogative.” He shrugged. “My concern—and focus—is on the mission.”
“And what of our engagement?” she asked.
“Your father told me that nothing is official until Jana is killed and we agree on the terms.”
“You do know I’m still here?” Nathenek said idly, leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest.
Her face warmed; she’d completely forgotten he was there and listening to this conversation.
“I’m curious to hear what your second concern is, Kerdan,” Nathenek said.
Kerdan rubbed his sleeve over his face, wiping off his sweat. “I’m worried how she will do emotionally.”
“Meaning?” Nathenek asked.
“I’m afraid Allyssa will have some issues given what she went through with Soma and being locked in the dungeon.”
“You don’t think she is strong enough to handle it?” he asked.
“I’m worried about the psychological toll it will take on her.”
Allyssa had no issue being fake-kidnapped since the soldiers wouldn’t harm her. If someone kidnapped her for real, now that was another matter entirely. She would never be taken to another dungeon ever again.
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