by Genia Avers
“Do what?” That voice was new.
“Forget it, I’ll do it myself.” She heard a loud thud.
The sinister voice laughed again. “Quick, get out of here!”
Subena heard feet moving across the floor. Fast. She strained to hear more, but no more sounds resonated. She called upon her restraint. She couldn’t rush into the room.
A door slammed.
Please let them be gone.
She counted to ten. Let Kamber be alive. I’ll even forgive him for the human blood.
She listened again. And heard nothing.
After counting to five, she stormed the door. Ouch. Ouch.
Stepping back, she shoved her full weight into the wood. The slow swing of the door seemed to take a year.
The sight that greeted her took ten years off her life. She sprinted toward Kamber as he dangled from the rafters—a noose squeezing the breath from his neck.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“No!” Her voice echoed in her own ears.
“No, no, no.” Subena raced toward Kamber.
How could she save him? She didn’t even have a knife. Nothing to cut the rope that choked his life. His sprained neck would heal. He could only survive a few minutes without air.
Kamber held onto the rope with both hands. His feet twitched and jerked.
“Hold on.” She darted toward the desk. She rammed her hip against the furniture. It didn’t move.
Adrenaline surged. She shoved again. The heavy desk made a creaking noise and moved an inch.
Another shove. And another. On her fourth attempt, the edge of the desk slid under Kamber’s dangling feet.
He stood on the tips of his toes, lessening the tension on the rope. Barely.
She needed something else. The stool. She flung the wooden furniture piece onto the desk.
“Place your feet on this,” she cried. Subena jumped on top of the driftwood surface to help, but Kamber had already placed his boots on the flimsy stool.
She reached up, trying to help him loosen the noose, but she couldn’t reach his neck.
Crouching low, she jumped. Her hand grabbed the cloth shoved in his mouth, but she landed on the edge of the desk. After teetering once, she fell.
“Mother of Bockle.” She rubbed her leg. Would nothing be easy?
Kamber gasped for air, choking.
“Are you all right?” she called, righting her body to climb back onto the desk.
“Never better,” he croaked. A coughing fit followed.
“I need a knife, Kam. Or a sword. Quick.”
“In the desk,” he wheezed. “Grandfather’s dagger. Bottom drawer.”
She found the ancient blade and sliced through the rope binding his wrists. She handed the blade to Kamber. He cut the rope from the rafter with his freed hand. He stumbled off the stool, sinking to his knees on the desk.
She hopped on the desk and wrapped her arms around him. “Who did this?”
He shook his head. “Don’t know. They wore masks. I didn’t recognize any of their voices.”
He wheezed again. Using both hands, he popped his neck into position. A loud, unnatural sound came from his throat.
“Ouch,” she said. His pain would be torturous. For several hours.
“You’re supposed to be waiting at the exit.” He pushed an errant strand of hair back under her cap. “What are you doing here?”
“Saving your raggedy ass. I guess I can’t seem to do anything right.”
His lips curved slightly. “When this is over, I’ll thank you properly. We have to move now.”
Sitting on her hands, she shifted her body to the edge of the desk and gingerly put her feet on the floor. Her right hip hurt like hell. Her pains seemed miniscule compared to what Kamber must be enduring. She hobbled toward the door.
“Subena, stop. Where are you going?”
She turned, surprised. “You need help.”
“No one’s here. Remember? We planned it this way so no one would know that I’m not really in my study.” He panted. “I’ll be okay.”
“You need help. Stop talking.”
“Don’t think you can go all bossy on me just because you saved my life.” He put his fist under her chin. “Actually, you can be bossy anyway.”
She stared at him. Damn fool tried to grin.
And choked. “God of the Mountain, that smarts.”
“Serves you right.”
“As much as I’d like to bask in your sympathy, we have to get out of here.”
“Ronan.” She pushed his hand away. “Oh, Bockle. How could I have forgetten him? He’s alone.”
Kamber nodded. He leaned against the desk, coughing hard. He took a few seconds to regulate his breathing.
“Let me go, Kam. You’re not…well.”
He waved a hand, apparently smart enough to know he shouldn’t shake his head. “Not going is not an option.”
After he cleared his throat again, he walked to the armoire. Reaching in, he held up the “Kamber” dummy.
When he leaned over to place the dummy on his chair, his collar fell forward. Purplish-red marks ringed his neck, about an inch wide. Bile rose in Subena’s throat.
“Get that noose. I need you to help me.”
“The noose? Are you insane?” She glared at him, understanding he wanted to hang the dummy. “Kamber, that’s just sick.”
“We can’t very well just sit him in the chair now. We’ve got to let them think I’m dead.”
“No.” He was psycho.
“You have to be strong—Ronan is alone. Remember?”
“You can’t make it look like you’re…like you’ve been hung. What if your parents come in?”
“We can’t worry about that now. If those thugs look up at the window… My body needs to be visible.”
“Ewww.”
“Quit being a sissy. We’ve got to get to the rendezvous point.”
“I’m not touching that noose.”
“It’s just a rope, angel.” She watched him with a sinking feeling in her stomach. When he’d hanged himself, or his dummy, he reached for her hand and pulled her into the passageway.
After covering a few feet, Kamber yelled, “Wait.”
He darted back into the study and returned almost as fast. Again, they were in the secret tunnel and running. Subena didn’t ask him why he’d gone back.
* * * *
Kamber spotted the equestors, tethered to a tree. The spot where they were supposed to meet Ronan.
“Why isn't he here?” Subena asked.
He didn’t know. Kamber tried to hide the foreboding he felt. “Ronan will be here. Maybe he’s gone looking for us. We’re late.”
He watched her breathe. Her stomach caved into her ribcage and then returned to normal. She looked up at him and winced.
“What’s wrong?”
She touched her hand to his neck. Her fingers feathered over the spot where the rope had burned his skin. “Does it hurt terribly?”
He shrugged. “I’m fine, but it probably looks damned ugly in the daylight, huh?”
She didn’t reply.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’”
She shook her head and rubbed her hand along his jaw line. Only his fear for Ronan kept him from pulling her into his arms. He scanned the horizon, looking for his brother.
“Maybe I should find some roots and make a salve for this?”
“Not now. I don’t want anyone else wandering in the woods alone. We have to wait here for Ronan.”
She bit at her lip. He’d seen her angry, he’d seen her determined. He’d never seen dismay etched on her features. He succumbed to his desire and pulled her against him. A burst of new pain seared through his body when he moved his neck. The sting was worth it.
“Who would do such a horrible thing?”
He tried to make a joke. “Didn’t you threaten to do the same thing?”
She didn’t smile. “It’s clearly not me they’re after. Or not just me. They
tried to kill you.” Unshed tears glistened in her silvery eyes.
“Shhh.”
“What would anyone gain by killing you? Your father’s still king and you have three brothers so they couldn’t hope to gain your crown.” Her last words were barely audible.
“I’ve been thinking about that. After the chocolates were poisoned, I thought they were after you, but the attack at the opera could’ve been aimed at either one of us. Or both of us. Someone must be trying to break the treaty. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“You’re right.” She nodded. “I believe the priest really was drugged—to prevent our wedding. But what would ending our alliance accomplish?”
“It would destroy the new cooperation between Gatsle and Mydrias.”
“Maybe, but how would our deaths end the peace?”
Kamber reached into his pocket and handed her a note. “They put this inside my journal when they were stringing me up. I think it was supposed to be found after my death.”
You are impossible. I cannot remain married to a lecherous brute. I will never return.
Subena
She swayed. Her skin turned pallid. “Kamber, I didn’t write that.”
He kissed her open mouth. “Hush, sweets. I know you didn’t.” If his wife had penned the note, he’d smell her sweet scent on the paper.
“It’s not even my handwriting.” She took the note out of his hands and looked at it. “It’s pretty close though.” Subena continued to stare at the note. “And those brutes thought I was in the carriage. They knew no one in Gatsle would question the handwriting.” Her volume increased by several octaves, “Oh, Bockle. Did they really think it would look like you killed yourself? Because of me?” The color drained from her face.
Kamber wrapped his arms around her, holding her arms down. “We need to be quiet. I’m not sure we’re safe yet.”
She nodded, nuzzling her head against his chest. “I wanted to kill you, but I don’t want anyone else to.”
“Such affection, sweets.” He tightened his hold on her. “This is worth having a rope around my neck.”
Her body went rigid. She stared into the woods, her eyes unfocused.
“Subena?” He shook her shoulders gently.
“Ronan isn’t coming.” Her voice cracked. “What do we do now?”
The words were too horrible to comprehend. His brother should have been waiting for them. “We’ll find him,” he said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. He should have refused to let Ronan get into the carriage. “Let’s hope he’s still in the carriage. Then, Remington can look after him.”
She scrunched her face. “I don’t think so. He’s…he’s hurt.”
He studied her. “How is it that you can feel him and I can’t?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m not even sure I feel him. It’s very weak, but there’s a dull throbbing.”
He detached emotionally, attempting clear thought for Ronan’s sake. “He wouldn’t just wander off. Whoever tried to hang me probably…”
“You sure you didn’t recognize anyone?”
He shook his head, trying to clear the foggy gloom. “No, and it didn’t sound like they tried to disguise their voices. Those men may have been paid assassins.”
“They had to be Creshinite. Anyone from Gatsle or Mydrias would know a rope wouldn’t kill you right away.”
He nodded, stifling a yelp. His neck felt like someone had torched him. “The question is, who hired them?”
“Someone who was able to copy my handwriting,” she said.
“I believe this is your stationery as well.” He pointed to the paper.
She gasped. “I suppose it would be easy to steal my stationery. It probably wouldn’t even be that hard to copy my signature either.”
“That’s true, and there’s someone who’s very familiar with both.”
“Taslin?”
“That’s my guess.” He cocked his head to one side. “Quiet. I hear something. Get down.”
They waited, huddled inside the trunk of a huge decaying tree. A young man came into the clearing. He rode one equestor and led another. He drew his reins about forty feet from their hiding place. Hopping down, he placed a hand to his ear.
“I can hear your breathing.” The man’s voice sounded shaky. Young. “Come out and I won’t shoot.”
Kamber stepped around the tree. He felt Subena’s hand around his ankle. “Marcossi, what are you doing here?” Marcossi. Ronan’s best friend.
“I, eh…”
“Spit it out. Why are you here?”
Marcossi gulped. “I was looking for you, sir.” The lad swallowed again. “I don’t want to get Ronan in trouble but…”
Kamber arched an eyebrow. Fighting the urge to lean against the tree and catch his breath. “You’ll get him in more trouble if you don’t speak up.”
Marcossi rushed his words, “He was supposed to meet me afterward, but he never showed.”
“Afterward? After what?”
“I know he wasn’t supposed to say anything, but he told me about the carriage. About the decoy. He said…”
“He said what?” Kamber wanted to take the young Dökkálfar by his shoulders and shake the words out of him.
“He said to bring equestors. After he got out of the carriage, we were going to follow it.”
“Damn.” Kamber pounded his fist against a tree. He took a minute to regain his composure before he barked an order. “Go back to the palace. Now. If Ronan shows up, you two stay put, understood?”
Marcossi nodded, still unable to meet his eye. He put his foot in the stirrup and mounted.
“Make sure you stay with the guards when you return,” Kamber snapped. “Talk to no one about this except Remington.”
They waited to make sure Marcossi headed in the right direction before mounting their equestors and riding as if demons chased them. Subena feared they’d never find the carriage. They’d already lost so much time.
After an hour of hard riding, Kamber slowed Pollo to a walk and held up one hand. “I see someone. A half-kilometer that way. Until we know who it is, we can’t let them spot us.”
She squinted. Even with her skill, she couldn’t see what he’d seen, but trusting his ancient sight, she nodded her agreement.
“We’ll go through the woods. Stay behind me, but not too close. If they come after me, you ride for help.” They plunged into the trees.
Branches thrashed against her arms and face, clutching at her. Something was very wrong. She tried to sense where Ronan was, but she could only sense the darkness.
She felt both relief and fear when she heard Kamber dismount. He gestured for her to remain hidden. Complying, she watched him crawl toward the road. After looking in all directions, he motioned for her to follow.
She bent low and edged toward him. Without warning, Kamber jumped to his feet and ran. She didn’t know what to do.
She darted behind the tree where Kamber had crouched moments before and peered between the branches. The sight that greeted her made it difficult to inhale.
The overturned carriage loomed like a beacon of warning. It looked out of place in the pristine landscape.
“What the…” She scampered toward Kamber. He didn’t turn around when she approached. All his attention centered on deep grooves in the dirt.
“I don't understand,” Kamber said. “There were six guards with this carriage, but there isn’t a single equestor track.”
A myriad of doubts assaulted her. Ronan had been in that carriage. She was sure of that. She knew Kamber didn’t want to talk about what might’ve happened to his brother so she remained silent, studying the horizon. “Maybe someone pushed the coach down the hill.”
He followed her line of sight. Behind the carriage, the road lay flat. About two hundred meters away, the terrain rose sharply. The carriage tracks continued in that direction.
He nodded. “Let’s take a look.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
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After they retrieved the equestors, Kamber tossed the reins of the mare’s bridle to her. He bolted toward the hill without waiting for her to mount.
“Hold up,” Subena yelled. “You don't know what's up there.”
He reined in the big stallion and waited. “You're right. We’ll skirt the edge of the woods.”
He maneuvered Pollo back into the trees. She dug her heels into the mare. They retraced the path they’d traveled earlier. When the equestors were parallel with the top of the hill, Kamber dismounted. He kept his back to her but she could feel his tension.
“Stay here, Bena. I don't think anyone’s laying in ambush, but let me make sure. Too many people I love are missing.”
Her heart made a tiny leap at his declaration. Did he just say he loved her?
She squelched her giddy feelings. Ronan was missing. Concentrate on that.
Kamber walked toward the hill, projecting masculine strength and determination. Only the clench of his jaw, barely visible, gave any indication of his agitation. When he reached the top of the hill, he gave the all clear. The little mare trotted to the clearing.
“It looks like the guards scattered,” he said. “I'm guessing they headed toward Gatsle.” Kamber pointed toward the fork in the road. “Someone must have cut the harness off the carriage.”
She studied the scene. She couldn’t get any kind of read from the area.
“I think you’re right about someone pushing the carriage,” he continued. “Look, those prints lead to the edge of the hill, but only the carriage tracks continue down. See? The footprints reverse direction.”
“You don't think…” She couldn’t complete her question. She didn’t even want to believe someone had captured Ronan. But someone had. She knew it.
“I don't know,” Kamber said. “I have to follow the tracks but I don't want you with me. It's too dangerous.”
“And what would you have me do? Wait in the woods?” She held his gaze until he looked up at the sky.
“Bena, please.” He kicked at a rock. “Don’t fight me on this.”
She softened. “I'm sorry, but I have to go with you. It’ll take too long for you to take me back. Since we didn’t come here on the road, I’m not sure I can find the way alone. We also don’t know what’s waiting at the palace if I go back.”