Hidden Knights

by Jennifer Anne Davis

  Boots crunched on dirt as Gordon emerged from the trees. “I didn’t see anyone nearby,” he said, sitting beside Reid. “You two okay?”

  Reid nodded, lost in thought. There had to be a way to oust the Melenia army, dethrone Eldon, and crown Dexter king, all while ensuring minimal loss of life. And Reid needed to make sure Anna didn’t double cross them. As much as Reid didn’t want to admit it, she saw the way Anna had looked at Dexter and Colbert—as if they were filth beneath her feet. Reid didn’t trust her mother for one second. She had a feeling once she was crowned queen, Anna would find a way to kill both Dexter and Colbert.

  While Reid continued to ponder how to rid the kingdom of the Melenia soldiers and Eldon, Gordon spoke with Duke Ellington about the number of soldiers in Ellington, where they were stationed, and how to call them to arms quickly.

  About an hour later, Dexter and Ackley returned.

  “We didn’t see any evidence of Melenia soldiers,” Dexter announced.

  “Although, there are a few Axian soldiers,” Ackley said as he plopped on the ground.

  “You don’t think they’d report your whereabouts to the king, do you?” Reid asked.

  “No, I don’t.” Dexter sat next to her. “They are loyal to me. It’s safe for us to travel through the town, but I want to make sure we don’t attract any attention. If the king sends someone here, I don’t want any of the citizens to mention they saw us traveling north.”

  Reid nodded in understanding. She knew she’d have to pretend to be a man when they reached Ellington. It made no difference to her if she had to don the persona a little earlier than expected. If someone was on the lookout for three men and one woman, they wouldn’t think twice when seeing their traveling party—especially since there were five of them.

  “What about rallying your men?” Gordon asked Dexter. “How many do you have spread throughout the county?”

  “In each of the major towns, I have fifty men stationed.”

  “Are the majority in the City of Radella?” Gordon rubbed his jaw.

  “They are,” Dexter replied. “And to answer your previous question, when Captain Gytha put the military compound on lockdown, a few things happened. Not only did we evacuate the city, but half my soldiers also left as well. They are supposed to meet at Camp Lival about five miles outside the city. The rest of my men are awaiting orders in the compound.”

  Hopefully, since the military compound resembled every other building in the city, Eldon would have no idea the soldiers were there.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask,” Duke Ellington said. “Your father mentioned a man named Seb. Was he referring to Sebastian Rutter?”

  Dexter nodded. “The one and only.”

  “Do you know him?” Reid recalled Seb had only agreed to make the weapons for Dexter after he’d learned the prince was marrying her. Seb had also been the commander under King Broc.

  “Funny you should ask,” the duke said. “Seb’s nephew is Becket.”

  Shock rolled through Reid. “Ainsley’s husband?”

  “Yes. Seb’s sister, Sara, married a wealthy landholder who resided in Ellington before trade and travel ceased with Axian.”

  Reid couldn’t believe her eldest sister was married to Seb’s nephew. She whacked Dexter’s arm. “Did you know?”

  “I knew Seb’s sister had moved to Ellington and married well. During negotiations, I used your father’s name to persuade Seb to work with me. But I had no idea how intimately he was connected to your family.”

  “As entertaining as this is,” Ackley said, “I’d like to get through the town before dark, so we have time to set up camp.” He jumped to his feet.

  Reid clambered to hers, too. “I’m worried Anna is planning more than she told us.” Reid went over to her horse, untying it from the tree.

  “Oh, I’m certain she is,” Ackley said as he tightened the girth straps on his horse. “That’s why it’s imperative I reach the City of Buckley to speak to the Knights in the army.”

  “Do you think they’ll side with you over her? After all, Anna is their leader.”

  “I’ve been working with them for years. They’ll listen to me.”

  Reid hoped he was right. She mounted her horse. “How’d you become a Knight?” Since Anna seemed to hate the Winston family, why had she recruited Ackley?

  “That’s a long story.”

  “I’d like to hear it.”

  “Tell you what—let’s make it through town without incident. When we set up camp for the night, I will bestow my story upon you.” He waved his hand in a grand flourish.

  Reid laughed. “Deal.”

  As they rode through the stream, Gordon continued to scan the land. “Five riders traveling together will gain unwanted attention.”

  “I agree,” Dexter replied. “That’s why we’re going to split up. I’ll go with you and the duke. Ackley will stay with Reid.”

  “We’ll head to the east end,” Ackley said. “Once we cross through, we’ll maintain a northerly course until we reunite.”

  “Excellent. We’ll go to the west. I don’t want anyone to know we’re here. Be as discreet as possible.”

  Ackley nodded in acknowledgment.

  The duke dropped back beside Reid. “Are you armed?”

  She patted the daggers strapped to her arms and thighs, hidden underneath her clothing.

  “Good. Stick close to Ackley and be careful.”

  “I will.” While she didn’t like the idea of separating, she understood the necessity of it.

  “Lady Reid,” Ackley drawled. “Follow me.” He steered his horse to the right, veering off the path.

  “Silly Ackley,” she said as she joined him. “You should know I’d much prefer you following me.”

  Chuckling, he moved his horse over so she could ride alongside him.

  Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as the others headed in the opposite direction.

  “They’ll be fine,” Ackley assured her.

  “I know.”

  At the top of the rise, the town came into view. It appeared roughly a mile or so away. Still riding side by side, Ackley started humming a tune Reid wasn’t familiar with.

  “Here you go.” Ackley handed Reid a black hat.

  She put it on, shoving her hair underneath it.

  At the first set of buildings, the dirt road turned to cobblestone. Reid thought the City of Radella had been the only place afforded such luxury, but apparently not. Were all the cities and towns in Axian equally equipped? The structures they passed were two or three stories, made from bricks and stones—not the wooden buildings she was accustomed to back home. Only a few people milled about. The deeper Reid and Ackley traveled into the town, the more crowded the streets became. Most citizens seemed to be walking, even those with horses.

  “Let’s dismount,” Ackley said, pulling his horse to a halt.

  Reid climbed off her horse. “Should I put my cape on?” It would help hide the fact she was a woman.

  “No. The hat will suffice.” He scanned the area. “It’s not like at home. People don’t need to believe you’re a man. We just don’t want one of the king’s men to realize it’s you if spotted.” He gestured to the side, so Reid headed that way.

  In order to not attract unwanted attention, they meandered along the street, peering into various store windows. Ackley even smiled at a few people, as if he knew who they were. Almost everyone they encountered seemed to be from the merchant class. Their well-made clothes lacked the holes and patches Reid was used to seeing in northern Marsden.

  The sweet smell of cakes baking wafted in the air. Reid breathed in deeply, then smiled. When she reached the bakery, she stopped to look in the window.

  “Do you want to get something?” Ackley asked.

  “No.” Since the sun had already set, the sky was starting to darken. Seeing inside the bakery was good enough for her. A handful of tables dominated the left side. People sat around them, eating and talking. A counter covered
with breads, cakes, and muffins stretched along the right side. Behind the counter, a woman took orders, exchanging the baked goods for money. Reid loved to see a woman working while people treated her with respect.

  As she turned to leave, an eerie sensation prickled her skin. Remaining rooted in place, she tried to find the source of her unease. Ackley remained beside her, also staring through the window. Reid focused on the reflection in the glass. On the other side of the street, a man passed by for the second time. There was something familiar about the way he carried himself.

  “Well, I lost that bet.” Ackley scoffed. “I could have sworn he was following Dexter, not you.” He sighed. “Dexter is never going to let me hear the end of this.”

  “Is that Victor?” Reid hissed.

  “It is. I assume Anna sent him to keep an eye on you. While I have nothing against the man, he’s not someone I’d willingly spend time with.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “Nothing.” He moved to the left, and Reid followed. “For now, at least.”

  Reid adjusted her grip on her horse’s reins, trying to act casual as she strolled through the town with a Knight. “Should we say something to him?” Pretending she didn’t know Victor was there was hard. Maybe it would be better to just acknowledge him.

  “No. We’ll allow him to follow us. Let him see us heading north, just like we told Anna we would.” He smiled.

  They finally exited the town. “What do you think he’s going to do now?” Reid asked as she mounted her horse, stealthily peeking behind her as she did so. She didn’t see Victor.

  “Well,” Ackley said, climbing on his horse. “I imagine he will follow from a distance. With the horses, it’s not hard to track us.”

  When the cobblestones ended, the road returned to dirt. Reid kept glancing to the left, hoping to see Dexter, her father, and Gordon riding toward them. After about thirty minutes, three figures emerged. When they cut across the field directly toward them, relief filled her.

  “You were right,” Ackley said to Dexter when he neared. “It’s Reid.”

  “Thought so,” Dexter replied, steering his horse alongside her.

  “I thought maybe Anna had sent Victor to murder you in your sleep.” Ackley shrugged, acting as if discussing Dexter’s death was no big deal.

  Dexter glanced sidelong at Ackley. “As much as you’d enjoy that, Anna won’t try to have me killed until her daughter is securely on the throne.”

  “Can we please stop talking about Dexter being assassinated?” Reid asked, exasperated.

  “The issue will need to be dealt with,” Duke Ellington chided her. “At some point, we will need to discuss it so we can come up with a plan to stop her.”

  The number of insurmountable tasks kept piling up. Trying not to let her thoughts overwhelm her, she focused on the scenery. On this side of the town, the land was flat. Field after field full of agriculture dotted the landscape. “Where are we making camp?” She didn’t like the idea of being out in the open—especially with Victor following them.

  “There’s a cave up ahead,” Dexter replied. “We’ll stay in there. That way, we can have a fire tonight.”

  “In that case…” Ackley pulled his horse to the side. “I’m going hunting. I’ll catch up with you in an hour or so.” A wicked smile spread across his face.

  “When you say hunting, you do mean animals, right?” Reid asked jokingly.

  “I can’t promise anything.” With that, he nudged his horse and veered to the right.

  Shaking his head with amusement, Dexter led the way between two plots of land.

  “I’m not sure where Ackley plans to find animals to hunt,” Gordon muttered. He was probably upset he didn’t get to go with his brother.

  “I want everyone to ride single file behind me,” Dexter ordered. “There’s a crevice up ahead. Since the sun has set, it’s getting harder to see.”

  Everyone did as instructed. He led the way off the road, traveling slightly northwest.

  “How are we going to cross this crevice?” Reid asked. The last time she’d traversed a great divide had been the Gast River. The bridge she and Harlan strode over had been so high up that she’d had to crawl on her hands and knees. She couldn’t imagine doing something like that on a horse.

  “We can take the road that zigzags down the side of it, make our way along the rocky bottom, and then go up a steep incline. The journey will take all day because we’ll have to walk.”

  She didn’t remember encountering this obstacle when she was here with Harlan last time. “Is there another way?”

  Dexter peered over his shoulder, twisting his lips. “There is.”

  She wanted to smack him for making her panic like that.

  Chuckling, he said, “The crevice only extends another mile east. Skirting around it will be faster, safer, and easier. However, we’re going a little way down into the crevice tonight—to where the cave is located. That’s why I’m in such a hurry to get there before it’s too dark.”

  After another mile, the ground abruptly turned rocky. Dexter halted everyone. Looking past him, Reid saw a narrow crevice, only a quarter of a mile wide, cut into the ground. On the other side, the agricultural plots resumed. The fissure blended in so well with the ground she never would have spotted it had Dexter not pointed it out.

  “There’s a narrow path along here somewhere,” Dexter mumbled as he dismounted. Walking parallel to the crevice, he peered over the side, searching for the path. After a hundred feet, he found it. “I’ll go first. Lead your horse down slowly.”

  Reid had flashbacks of descending the mountain from the Knights’ headquarters. It had been so steep her horse had slipped.

  “Reid?” Duke Ellington said. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she lied.

  “Then why do you look so scared?” her father asked.

  She narrowed her eyes, not wanting Dexter to think her weak. “I’m wondering if the cave is safe for us to stay in.”

  Dexter placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. “The cave is perfectly safe. I promise.” His eyes flashed with mischief and his lips twitched, as if he were on the verge of laughter. There was something he wasn’t telling her.

  “What?” she asked curiously, half afraid to know.

  “You’ll see. Let’s go.”

  Carefully leading his horse, Dexter went first, followed by Duke Ellington.

  “Your turn,” Gordon said. “I’m waiting here for Ackley.”

  Rolling her shoulders, she approached the edge. The path, as Dexter had the nerve to call it, was simply an etched-out portion of the cliff. While the agricultural plots had been variations of green, the sides of the crevice were a deep red. Trees littered the bottom.

  Taking a deep breath, she began the descent, guiding her horse behind her. Thankfully, the dirt path was sticky, making it easy to hike down. She kept a firm hold on the reins, wanting to make sure her horse didn’t spook. After twenty feet, she came to what she assumed was the cave. It appeared as if someone had taken a spoon and carved a chunk out of the earth.

  The ground was the same dark red dirt as the path, the sides a harder variation.

  Dexter and Duke Ellington stood next to a wooden fence, which extended from one end to the other.

  “There’s hay for the horses in here,” Dexter said, opening a gate in the fence.

  Reid led her horse inside, where she quickly removed his saddle. “How’d the fence get here?” she asked when she rejoined Dexter.

  “I’ve used this place enough times that I had the fence built,” Dexter explained.

  “Where are we going to sleep?” There didn’t appear to be enough room for five people to lie down. And she didn’t like being so close to the edge.

  “Funny you should ask,” Dexter muttered.

  “No, there is nothing funny about that question,” Reid said, folding her arms. “In fact, nothing good ever starts with funny you should ask.”

  Duk
e Ellington chuckled. “I can tell you two are going to have a wonderful marriage.”

  Reid eyed her father, trying to determine what he meant. Was that a good or a bad thing?

  “You know how you asked about being safe?” Dexter said, his voice suddenly placating.

  Reid tapped her foot. She knew she wasn’t going to like whatever it was he had to say.

  “We’re safe because there’s another cave. It’s…hidden.” He waved the duke and Reid over to the side.

  When Reid got closer, she could see a dark tunnel.

  “It’s through here.” Dexter ducked inside.

  “Go on,” Duke Ellington said.

  Reid stepped into the tunnel. The ground felt…squishy. Was the red clay damper here? After ten feet, the ground turned solid again. She found herself in a similarly situated cave, though this one didn’t have a fence. In the middle, several rocks formed a circle filled with wood. Dexter knelt, fumbling with a couple of rocks and dry leaves. He seemed to be trying to get a fire started.

  Reid and Duke Ellington sat near the mouth of the cave, staring at the crevice before them. The stars dotted the sky as night descended.

  Once the fire finally took, Dexter sat beside Reid. After another twenty minutes, Ackley and Gordon joined them.

  Dexter jumped to his feet. He went over to the tunnel, then pulled something toward him. It looked like several tree branches had been tied together, making a ten-foot-long plank. “It’s a bridge,” he explained. “You asked how this place is safe, and this is how. If anyone tries to get from the first cave into this one, he’ll fall to his death.”

  Horrified, Reid stood. “You mean to tell me that I walked across those flimsy branches?”

  Dexter placed the bridge against the side of the cave. “It’s perfectly sturdy.”

  “Sturdy?” It had been squishy. She could have fallen to her death.

  Ackley chuckled. “As entertaining as this is, I have three skinned rabbits I’d like to cook.” He knelt by the fire, arranging the carcasses on a stick above the flames. “And, as promised, I have a story to tell.”