by Genia Avers
He said nothing.
She reached for his arm, “I want to find Ronan as much as you do. And I’m not terrible with a sword.”
“Right. Forgive me if I don’t relinquish mine to you. I have a fondness for my pointed ears.” He managed a slight smile. “Let’s go then. If they’ve taken Ronan…” The words died out as he reached for Pollo’s reins. “Stay thirty meters behind me. If there’s any sign of trouble, dart into the woods as quickly as you can. Promise me you’ll do that.”
“We’re wasting time. Let’s go.”
“Subena…”
“Very well, I promise, but I don’t know these woods. If there’s trouble, I’ll do better being on the open road.”
He hesitated. “At least promise you’ll keep your distance. If something happens, I want you to have a head start.”
“That I can do.”
They rode on, tension filling her body. Even the drone of the insects sounded menacing. Subena had no choice about maintaining the distance between them. She used all her equestrian skill, but her little mare couldn’t keep up with the speedy stallion. Several times she lost sight of her husband altogether. Each time he disappeared, she found him waiting around the next bend.
I’m slowing him down. She wanted to tell him to go ahead, she’d follow his tracks, but she couldn’t get close enough to speak. She didn’t dare yell.
The terrain proved difficult. Not only was her little mare slower, she didn’t have the stamina of Kamber’s big steed. After a while, Subena was forced to slow the animal to a walk. Without a rest, the mare wouldn’t be able to continue at all.
She came around a bend and found her husband had dismounted. She jumped off and rushed toward him. “Kamber, I should…”
He shook his head and motioned toward the ground. In spite of the chill in the air, he sweated profusely. “They split up. I don't know which tracks to follow. Do you sense anything?”
She shook her head.
“Me neither.”
He leaned down and picked up an item from the ground. He turned and held his open hand in front of Subena. A strip of green leather lay on his palm.
She recognized the narrow piece of rawhide. “Ronan tied his hair with that.”
“Yes. We go this way.”
She hesitated. “Wait. It’s possible Ronan would just happen to lose that leather strap here, but Kamber, don’t you think it’s rather convenient?”
“Not if there was a scuffle.”
“Maybe. But I don’t see any evidence of a skirmish.”
He studied the tracks again. “No, but Ronan knows I’d search for him. Maybe he dropped the leather so we could find it.”
“I don’t know.” She had an eerie feeling they were walking into a trap.
Kamber leaned his head back and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he stretched his neck. “You’re right. The strap’s probably a decoy, but I have to follow it.”
“It doesn’t make sense.” She voiced her thoughts aloud. “Why would they be after Ronan? He's not even next in line for the throne.”
Kamber exhaled loudly. “They weren’t after Ronan, Subena. You were supposed to be in the carriage.”
She felt her lungs constrict. Her husband blamed her for Ronan’s disappearance.
Stiffening her back she asked, “Okay. They wanted me. Still, why would they take Ronan?”
He winced. “I don’t think they were after you exactly. I think someone wants to get at me. Taking either you or Ronan would do that.”
Maybe he didn’t blame her, but the situation hadn’t changed. “Then the strap doesn’t make sense. If Ronan’s with Remington, he wouldn’t need to leave a trail. Unless…” Subena knew she grasped at very thin air. “Maybe Remington tried to divert his pursuers. He left this trail but he took Ronan down another one.”
Kamber nodded. “Remmy would do that to protect Ronan. Ditching the coach and taking the carriage equestors sounds like him.” He looked around. “If your theory’s right, Remmy and Ronan went this way and they’re probably safe. I have to follow this trail.” He motioned toward the other path where they’d found the strap. “I’m taking you back to the palace first.”
“There's no time.”
“Subena. We have to go back. Maybe there's a ransom note there.”
She scowled at him. “They tried to kill me… They left you for dead… These people don't want any ransom.”
It was hard to dispute her logic. “All right,” he reluctantly agreed, “but if we don’t see anything within the next hour, you're going back. Even if I have to tie you to your saddle and drag you.”
Her lips curved into a half-smile. “I love it when you sweet talk me.”
He planted an unexpected kiss on her forehead before hopping astride Pollo. She remounted and they galloped at breakneck speed. The little mare ran hard, but her sides were caving in and out from her efforts.
They reached another fork in the road. Kamber jumped from Pollo’s back. She watched him scan the horizon.
A voice emanated from the trees, oozing venom. “Don’t move or you’re both dead.” Blackness engulfed her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Kamber froze. He heard the ticking of an assault weapon. They weren’t dealing with amateurs. Worse, he had no clue how many guns awaited them.
A sickening voice behind him sneered. “Why couldn’t you just die like you were supposed to?”
Kamber spun around like a coiled snake. A weapon placed against his forehead halted his attempted counterattack. He couldn’t do anything but watch as Subena crumbled to the ground. The assaulter pointed at him was an advanced model, designed to zero in on a target. The bullet would find him, even if he used his speed. Worse, Subena might suffer.
“What did you do to her?” he snarled.
“Just a little skill I acquired in the north. She’ll come around soon enough. She’ll have a doozy of a headache, but maybe that’ll keep her quiet for a change. By then, you’ll be dead. I’ll swear you hit her. You’ve probably noticed she believes anything I say. Your demise, therefore, was necessary to insure our survival.”
Reklaw pushed the assaulter into Kamber’s chest. “You’re both too smart for your own good. All that effort to make us think we had to chase the carriage, and your brother gets out and hands himself to us on a silver platter.”
“Where’s Ronan?” He wondered if he dared risk taking the weapon. He decided against it. If he moved too fast, the assaulter might discharge.
“Don’t try anything funny or your brother dies.”
“If you hurt Ronan, I’ll kill you.”
The duke laughed. “Sure you will. Of course it would help if you were the one holding the assaulter. Or Ronan.” He gave Kamber a shove. “Your brother’s fine. For now. If I don’t show up with you, he dies.”
“What do you want?” Kamber suppressed his urge to lunge at the smirking buffoon. Any rash action on his part would lessen their chances of survival. He didn’t think the duke would risk being labeled a murderer, but he could also see Reklaw’s arrogance possessed an edge of desperation. That made the man unstable.
“Enough questions.” Reklaw waved one arm toward the equestors. “Yah, get!” he yelled, shooing the animals.
Kamber edged backward, hoping the fleeing equestors would distract the duke. All he needed was a second.
The barrel of the silver assaulter followed. “Apparently you don't understand the words, don’t move.” The duke glared at him and patted the barrel. “This baby fires silver bullets. Another step and you're dead. Now throw down your weapons.”
Kamber debated making a dive to escape, but Reklaw’s assaulter with its heat-seeking ammo would find him. He ditched his own assaulter and dropped his encased sword. “Don't tell me the Duke of Reklaw is going to ruin his sterling reputation by committing murder?” Maybe the popinjay wouldn’t notice the dagger in his boot.
“Attacking your carriage didn’t ruin my reputation. This won’t either. It’ll be s
elf-defense.”
“You scumbag. No wonder you disappeared after the caravan attack on the way back from Mydrias. You were one of the attackers.”
“I may be a scumbag, but you’re a dead man.”
Before Taslin finished speaking, Kamber spun and walked, hoping he’d correctly assessed the duke. No man of character would shoot another in the back.
He called over his shoulder, “Go ahead, Dukey. Take your best shot.” He kept moving, hoping he looked more confident than he felt. He didn’t fear losing his neck, he worried about his wife, still unconscious on the ground. He’d be back for her if he lived. If he stayed, he was dead and wouldn’t be able to help her, or Ronan.
“Forget something?” Reklaw yelled. “Subena’s a means-to-an-end. Nothing more. Either you stay and cooperate or she’s dead.”
Kamber felt like someone had ripped his heart from his chest. Subena had somehow become more important than life. If he turned to face the duke, the man would shoot. Subena would be safer if he kept walking. He prayed to the God of the Mountain that he was correct—that Reklaw wouldn’t harm her.
“Do what you want with her,” he mocked, still placing one foot in front of the other while praying his sham words were the right ones. “The lady has a bitter tongue. I’m glad to be rid of her.”
He needed a moment of indecision on the Duke’s part. He took two steps and then dove into a ditch. He low-crawled, his ancient speed accelerated by pure adrenaline, until he rolled into the forest, beyond the assaulter’s range.
Hidden by trees, he remained motionless for several minutes, breathing only when necessary. Once convinced the duke didn’t hover nearby, he climbed a hill and positioned himself behind a group of bushes and surveyed the area.
“Where’s Subena?” he whispered to the wind. Why hadn’t the Duke followed? He circled back, stealthy as a forest sprite, until he could view the area where Reklaw held Subena, his love. From his vantage point, he couldn’t see her. Nor Taslin. Where had they gone?
* * * *
Subena saw shooting stars in a rainbow of colors. She attended a summer celebration, although no such festivities had occurred since her father’s death. The shooting stars turned into rocks and pounded her head. Bockle.
She remembered. Kamber. Assaulter. Shit.
Being as still as a corpse, she tried to gain control of her screaming brain. Someone wanted to kill Kamber. She had to stop him. Was she too late?
She forced her eyelids open, hoping the hair that splayed around her face would shield her eyes from her captor. She saw the back of a pair of boots. The golden spurs were engraved with the Reklaw crest.
And the cloak. Mother of Bockle. He wore the dark blue cloak she’d seen on the beach in Mydrias. Taslin was the traitor.
She attempted to sit. Her head revolted and the gyrating pains returned. She heard a man. Kamber.
“I’m glad to be rid of her.”
He was glad to be rid of her? She tightened her eyelids. How stupid she’d been to think he’d actually started to care about her.
And the cad was leaving her with Taslin. Just waltzing away and leaving her with a man who’d whacked her on the head. Double cad.
Taslin raised his weapon. She reacted. She pounced, for once pleased to have the strength of the ancients. Her hand grasped the duke's leg.
The strength of her contact reinforced with the element of surprise sent Taslin tumbling face first into the gray dirt. She scrambled upright. Her aching head demanded she halt all motion, but she gritted her teeth and lunged for his weapon.
Taslin hung onto the assaulter as he fell. He rolled onto his back and jumped up, pointing the weapon directly at her. Behind him, she saw no sign of Kamber. It hadn’t been a trick. The cur really had left her. She cursed herself for being glad he’d escaped.
She returned her focus to the man she’d once loved. Rather the man she thought she’d loved. The magnitude of his betrayal stunned her. “Go ahead,” she hissed. “Shoot me.”
The Duke jumped up. Subena backed away. “Well, are you going to shoot or not?”
She assumed a defensive stance. She’d excelled in martial arts, but Taslin had been one of her instructors. Even if she could summon her strength after the blow to her head, he would counter every move she made.
Frig that. She wouldn’t surrender. He’d expect her to use her arms so she kicked his knee.
The move caught him by surprise. He howled with pain.
Subena tried to run, but Taslin kicked his foot out. The toe of his boot caught her in the stomach, the impact so forceful, she fell backward into a ravine.
Once she started her freefall, she couldn’t stop. She rolled and tumbled down the mushy hillside. She tried to keep her body relaxed to minimize injury.
With a thud, she landed at the bottom. Wet moss and rotting leaves broke her fall. She took a deep breath. Nothing seemed broken.
“Subena!” Taslin yelled from above. She lifted her head in time to see a shadow on the ledge above.
She hopped, wincing at the pain in her butt. The duke was inching his way down the slope. He held onto a small bush.
The bush uprooted. Taslin fell. He flopped against the hillside and disappeared from view.
Chapter Thirty
From the upper branches of a large tree, Kamber scanned the surrounding area. With his keen eyesight, he could see for a long distance but saw no sign of Subena. Or Taslin. Neither possessed his speed, so they couldn’t be out of range yet.
So where were they?
He looked toward the ravine. Surely not.
The gorge was the only place where he couldn’t see clearly. He hoped Subena hadn’t been crazy enough to jump.
He felt tightness in his chest. His wife wasn’t native to Gatsle and wouldn’t know about the danger. He jumped from the tree, dropping ten meters to the ground. Landing in a crouch, he sprang up and ran. The fastest he’d ever run.
He halted at the edge of the ravine, wondering what he should do. He knelt as close to the edge as he dared. Entering the ravine equated to sure death.
“Please,” he prayed to the ancient god, although the deity was no longer fashionable. “Don’t let her be down there.”
He walked along the edge, searching for any kind of movement. If she’d fallen, she couldn’t be alive.
His entire world felt void. Meaningless. He held onto a faint hope that Subena hadn’t fallen. But she and Taslin wouldn’t simply vanish. Where else could they be? He squatted down near the edge to think.
“Bockle!”
Kamber's head shot up at the sound. Subena’s voice penetrated his fear-induced trance. He breathed silently, listening.
He heard nothing else. Had he only imagined the voice he wanted to hear?
He raced to the place where the sound had originated. He blinked his eyes twice, not believing what he saw. Subena gripped a couple of small branches, trying to propel herself out of the ravine. She’d either not fallen to the bottom, or she’d climbed at least thirty meters.
“Subena.” He felt light as air.
She looked up. “Thank Bockle. Help me get out of this darn swamp.”
Kamber’s gaze darted back and forth. He needed something to extend to her. He spotted a young sapling. He removed the cloak that kept getting in his way and pulled the small tree from the ground, roots and all. He hurried to the edge of the ravine and dropped one end of the tree over the edge. “Grab hold.”
“What’s wrong with you? That little sprig won’t hold me.”
“This is a strong tree. Grab hold.”
She clutched at the small trunk and he labored to pull her upward. Her foothold gave way and she slipped, dropping a couple meters. Kamber hung onto the branch. He managed to anchor his foot around another trunk, halting his fall into the ravine. He hovered, a centimeter from death, but Subena miraculously held on.
He huffed out a breath. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. No thanks to you. Give me your hand.”
; Kamber grunted, the sound echoing down the deep ravine. He gave a sturdy tug on the tree and Subena’s small body flew upward. She grabbed the edge of the cliff.
“You’re almost there, just heft yourself over.”
“I’m exhausted, Kamber. Give me your hand.”
“Here, grab the branch again.” Awed that she was still alive, he wanted to pull her up and into his arms. But he dared not touch her.
How could she still be alive? He saw the moss dust on her. Whatever magic had saved her, he possessed none of it. The dust would kill him.
Subena’s voice screeched, “Kamber, I’m still angry you left me with Taslin. And I don’t give two shits if you’re glad to be rid of me. Give me your blasted hand.”
What the devil was wrong with him? Okay, she got that he didn’t want her, but he was renowned for looking out for the welfare of his men, for ensuring no soldier was left behind, and she considered herself a soldier for Ronan.
Did her husband hate her so much he was willing to leave her in the ravine? His betrayal hurt so much she scarcely had the will to hang on.
“Kamber, please. I can’t hold on much longer.”
He looked at her but didn’t move closer. He waved the small tree in her direction. “Take this. I can’t touch you. You have kellany on you.”
What an absolute crock. She grabbed the small sapling again. He puffed once and then pulled her the rest of the way out of the ravine. She moved toward him. He backed away.
“What’s going on?”
“Subena, please. Don’t touch me. I tried to tell you, you’re covered with kellany moss.”
He couldn’t be serious. Her eyes blurred with unshed tears. She hadn’t cried since her father died. She certainly couldn’t let Kamber see her emotion. “First you desert me. Then you won’t help me out of the ravine. Now I can’t touch you because I’m dirty? Frig that.” She glared at him, her body stiff and ready for battle. She turned and marched toward the road.
“Bena, please. Ravines in Gatsle are rampant with kellany moss. The stuff is deadly. You know I’d do anything for you, but just the dust from the plant will kill me.”