by Arizona Tape
“What are you guys talking about?” I called, halting next to them. A soft breeze ran through the trees and the scent of wet leaves found me. It was a grimmy day, but we travelled through worse. A lot worse.
Regan nodded in acknowledgment and leant back a little, inviting me into the conversation. He was a good man, he’d shown me what he was made off as he helped Danny defeat his own mother. Heck, I felt a shimmer of his emotions as I lend my magic to his wolf. There was no denying that he loved Danny with all he had and I was proud to have him as a companion.
But with a guy like Regan and a friend like JP, what more could Danny want? What did she even see in me? Was it just a physical connection? Why did she make room in her heart for me when she already had everything she could ever need?
“D-Darren?” JP snapped me out of my thoughts and I found the three of them staring at me.
“Yes?”
“We were just wondering how long until we reach the Keep?”
I counted out the days in my head and our place in the forest. It’d been a while since we left the comfort of Regan’s castle and even after such a short while, we’d already grown accustomed to the luxury. “If I’m not mistaken, two more nights should do.”
“Ah good, I could use a bath… I stink like horse,” Danny muttered, sniffing the fabric of her shirt. The horse under her neighed and she patted her neck gently. “No offense, Blue Moon.”
I smiled and whistled to grab Kuz's attention. He pulled a face, clearly not happy with following my instructions, but he did anyway.
"Yes, my prince?"
I liked Lance, he was a good and joyful guy. I didn't mind him calling me Darren. But Kuz, he'd been around my whole life. And he'd been looking down on me for as long as I could remember. I wouldn't correct him when he used my proper title.
"Send out one of your riders to the Keep. Let the king know we'll be arriving soon so he can arrange the chambers," I ordered, dismissing him with a little wave. Kuz threw me a dirty look, but I ignored him. He'd been doing that for as long as I could remember. "Off you go."
"As you wish. My prince," he gnarled, his teeth grinding down so hard I could practically hear it. He was displeased but wasn't my problem. If Father wanted to send out the Twelve to accompany me, they were now under my command, whether I liked it or not. Running away from home and shedding my name didn't really deter the fact that I still was who I was. The rightful prince to the crown.
Danny chuckled and flashed me a toothy grin. "That was really sexy, my prince."
A tingle ran down my spine and I puffed up my chest once again. I didn't care much for titles, but when it came from Danny's mouth... Now that was a whole different game. I suddenly understood why Regan didn't protest as much when she used his title to address him.
"You think?" I asked, running a hand through my shaggy hair. My trusted blade had done an okay job in keeping it trimmed, but I probably looked like a real slob. I should clean that up so I looked proper for Danny.
A loud thud halted the procession and startled my horse. I clamped my thighs around the saddle, ensuring I stayed upright on Julian. Even if I wasn't wanting to be a bigshot prince, I didn't particularly want to lose face by splatting into the mud. That would probably not impress my redhead.
"My prince?" Kuz called from the front, beckoning me to join him. I shot Danny an apologetic glance, disappointed that I couldn't stay longer with her. I growled under my breath and spurred Julian on, spraying the people behind me with dirt. If there was another bloody tree on the road, I'd whack Kuz over the head with it.
A loud wail grabbed my attention as I approached the front. It sounded like... Yes, like someone in pain. There was a woman in pain.
Chapter 2
A trembling figure shivered on the ground, her clothes torn to rags. She sobbed loudly and clutched her chest.
“Help me, someone, help me.” Frantically, she stared at the Riders around her. I sighed as none of them moved. Why were they so useless? Couldn’t they think for themselves?
“Kuz, help her up.”
He nodded and beckoned at one of the knights. “Help her up, Diego.”
One of the Twelve nodded and whistled at a paige to hold his horse. The mud splattered as he jumped out of the saddle and splashed up against his calves.
“D-Darren?”
I turned around and found JP on his horse behind me. “Yes?”
“W-What’s going on?”
I pointed at the helpless woman in front of us. “Someone needs our help.”
“S-Shit, t-that’s Chesca. W-Where’s Danny? Is s-she safe?”
“What? Chesca?”
“S-She’s going to a-atack your k-knight, tell h-him to move back!”
Confused, I watched the crying woman and wondered if this could really be the awful person that Danny described.
“She looks harmless?”
“S-She’s not, tell h-him to move b-back!”
“Kuz, call your knight back,” I ordered, earning a dumb look from him. “Now.”
Too late. The blood sprayed the fallen leaves before I was even close enough to stop him. A panicked scream startled the forest and the horses neighed, trying to buck off the Twelve. Well, now there were just eleven. Damn it, Father would have my head for losing one of his knights. Then again, if he was taken off guard like this, he wasn’t that great to begin with.
Not the problem at hand. I needed to warn Danny that Chesca was here. But how? I didn’t want to send JP, he knew a lot about Chesca so I needed his expertise here.
Frantically, I looked around and found Lance trembling a little behind Julian. Poor guy, he was probably not used to anything. But I had no time to coddle him.
I tugged him up by his collar and shook the daze out of his eyes. “Run down the line and tell Danny she’s back.”
He stared at me, frozen to the spot. With shaking hands, he gazed at the lifeless body. I felt for Lance, but I needed to warn my girl. Angered, I snapped my fingers to grab his attention. “Lance! Go to the back, find Danny, tell her Chesca is here. Do it, do it now. Now!” I commanded, shoving him backwards. He stumbled over his feet, but gathered his composure more or less.
“Yes, my prince. Immediately, my prince. At once,” he stuttered, splatting through the mud. I could only hope he properly delayed the message, but I had no time to worry. She’d be fine, she had Regan with her. I’d deal with Chesca myself.
“At arms!” I called, my training kicking back in. I used to do a lot of sparring with the knights before I ran away and now, that would pay off. “Kuz, formation zero.”
Whatever issues Kuz and I had, they vanished at the impending threat in front of us. He nodded and whistled on his fingers, alarming the pages. “Formation zero!”
Elvens pages came running to grab the reins of the horses and help the Riders down. Heavy with armour, the knights sank into the mud. The metal clink of visors clapped down broke the silence of the forest.
“Shields up,” I commanded. Kuz nodded and banged his sword against his armour.
“Riders, shields up!”
The Riders unsheathed their weapons and a barrier of steel shields surrounded the mad woman in the centre. She tilted her head and inspected the knights. Without looking particularly worried, she threw her hair over her shoulder.
“Danny dear? Where are you? Come out, come out, wherever you are,” she sang, blatantly ignoring the threat. She twirled around in the circle, not really caring. Her eyes lit up as she saw JP. “Woohooo, boytoy? Where’s your lady friend?”
A shiver ran down JP’s body as he pulled up his nose. “She k-keeps calling me t-that.”
“Distasteful.”
“What do we do?”
My new friend pulled two daggers from nowhere and twirled them between his fingers. A determined look made way for his usually sad expression and he cracked his neck. “W-We fight her.”
I placed a hand on his shoulder. “This is why we have knights. Let me.”
“Kuz, detain her.”
The Riders swung up their swords and marched in sync, gaining in on Chesca. She laughed loudly and skipped to one the knights. Shamelessly, she pressed herself against the shield and winked at him. “Where is my little frie-ieeend?”
The rusty scent of blood gusted up in my nose and a gag brought the acid up in my mouth. An ominous wind rustled through the trees and showered us in a rain of leaves. The loud cackle of a deranged woman shattered through the air and sent shivers down my spine. Even though she looked innocent, she had a vibe about her that screamed danger. The same vibe I used to get from someone I rather not remembered.
“Daaaaannnyyyyyy, where aaaaaare you?” she sang. “Come here, little friend!”
What’s going on?”
I tugged on the reins and found Regan next to me.
“C-Chesca is b-back.”
A worried look fell over his face. “Where’s Danny?”
“Wait, isn’t she with you?” Panicked, I searched around for the familiar redhead. She was safe, right? Why was neither JP or Regan with her? Where did the twins go? Was Chesca still inside the circle? “JP? Where’s Danny?”
“I-I don’t know. Further back, I l-left her w-with Regan.”
“She left to find you,” Regan replied, his eyes turning a shade darker. He gripped the reins tighter and his arms bulged in raw power.
If only I had this kind of strength to protect my woman. But I needed to find her first.
“W-We need to f-find her.”
“We do.”
“I’ll go.” Regan spurred on his horse and disappeared back into the line, leaving me with JP and the Riders.
“Let’s make sure Chesca doesn’t get out of our sight, yes?”
“Y-Yes.”
I snapped my fingers to grab Kuz’ attention and pointed at Chesca. “Don’t take your eyes off of her.”
“Yes, sir.”
“JP, what do we do?”
“Woohooo, boytoy? Where’s your lady friend?” Chesca called, skipping to one of the men. Shamelessly, she pressed herself against the shield and winked at him.
JP sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "S-She keeps c-calling me that."
"Boytoy?"
He nodded and I could tell from the sour look on his face that he didn't like it. Chesca really struck a nerve with the group, and even if I didn't really know what was going on, I needed to protect Danny. The desire to do so was a little overwhelming and I wasn't sure exactly where it came from.
Actually, that was a lie. I knew exactly where it came from. My wolf wouldn't let me forget. Danny was my mate. My second chance for happiness, because gods forbid, the first one was a disaster.
Just the thought of Meredith and her cold grey eyes had me shuddering. I wanted nothing to do with that woman and I could only hope that we wouldn't run into her at the Keep.
"W-Watch out for h-her. She has a-all sorts o-of tricks."
"Got it. Kuz, seize her."
"Yes, my prince. Riders, charge at once."
The deafening sound of marching knights and weapons being drawn must've alarmed anyone in the proximity. Danny must've realised something was up and geared up to protect herself. Not that she needed to worry. My Riders would capture her and we'd lock her up in a cellar. Danny wouldn't need to break her head over this any longer. If we managed to stop Chesca right here, we might not even need to see Father. Without her egging on the clans, the war would just come to a natural end.
"As if," I muttered to myself, shaking away my naivety. The clans didn't need any reason to plunder, murder, and steal. Chesca just gave them an excuse.
Quite satisfied with the efficiency of the knights, I watched as Kuz bound Chesca's arms tightly behind her back. Waiting for them to escort us had been a good choice after all.
"You're big and strong," Chesca purred, meowing as he chained her to his horse. "Are you another of Danny's new playthings? We should get to know each other then, after all, I am her best friend."
"Shut up, wench," Kuz barked, curling another length of rope around her arms. Even if it was Chesca, this was exactly why Kuz was the bachelor of the group. Talking to women had never been his strong suit. At least he was treating Danny with respect, but only after I threatened to dismember him in front of my father if he didn't.
He didn't seem too impressed, but he stopped calling her 'red tramp' to her face, so that was something.
"Hey, is that Chesca?" Ashleigh appeared next to me and patted Julian's flank. The crusty mud on her face was crackling and falling off, but it didn't look any less ridiculous.
"Chesca? I'll kill her," Aspen growled, turning up next to his sister a moment later. He cracked his fingers and a wave of power emitted from him. I was glad Aspen wasn't my enemy. He was scary when he wanted to be, but he was at his most terrifying when he wasn't trying to be. His out of control bouts where easily one of the most intimidating things I'd experienced. Almost as bad as...
No, no thinking about that. I banned her from my thoughts a long time ago, so why was she creeping back in?
Was it because I was returning home? Or because I met Danny?
"Darren? What's going on?" My favourite voice found my ears and I quickly turned to find her approaching on her horse.
"Danny, you're okay!"
"Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
Ashleigh tapped her leg and nudged to the side just as Kuz mounted his horse. "Our dearest Chesca showed up."
"Shit," Danny cursed, swinging out of her saddle and jumping into the swampy ground. "Gear up."
Quickly, I followed her down and placed a hand on her shoulder. Just the sight of Chesca stressed her out, I could tell from the lines on her face. But I didn't want her to panic. "Kuz got her, it's all going to be okay."
"No, you don't understand. She's the devil, Darren. Those little chains won't keep her."
"But—"
"Danny dear!" Chesca trumpeted, turning as she heard her voice. "You've come to play with me!"
Within an instant, Danny's muscles flexed and I could feel the stress coursing through her veins.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed, swinging up two blades from the hidden sheaths on her body.
"I came to see you. Is this big man your newest friend?" she mocked. Kuz shifted in his saddle and it was clear he was uncomfortable with her comment. Panicked, he looked at me. Almost as if he worried I thought Chesca was right.
"Wait... No, it's not this big log. It's him!" Chesca called, pointing straight at me. Now I understood Kuz' discomfort. There was definitely something scary about being under this woman’s loop. Awkwardly, I glanced at my redhead and wondering what she thought about this. We hadn’t exactly discussed my relationship with her or my place in the group. I’d only been here for a short while and even though I knew she was my mate, she probably didn’t realise it. Maybe she never would. Maybe she didn’t even want me to stay.
“Kuz, muffle her,” I ordered, snapping my fingers at him. I wanted my woman to be at ease and worrying about her arch enemy wasn’t exactly a relaxing experience.
The commander of the Riders nodded and fished a dirty rag from his saddle bag. Like the brute he always was, he shoved the rag in Chesca’s mouth and I felt a little empathy for her. Just a little. If she really was as bad as my new friends made her out to be, she probably deserved this.
Danny shot them a worried look and chewed her lip as she studied the situation. “I don’t think that will keep her.”
Kuz saluted her and gave her a weird nod. “I will keep her secure, red tr—”
I shot him an angered look and he quickly changed his choice of words. Smart man. So he had some brains after all.
“We have great cells in the Keep, they’ll keep Chesca away from us,” I tried to reassure Danny. She hummed and clacked her tongue doubtfully. I waved at Kuz and sighed. “Let’s just keep moving.”
A breath blew on my ear and I jumped up. Startled, I stared in the yellow eyes of… Chesca? Wha
t? Wasn’t she just chained to the horse? What was she doing here?
“Watch out!” Danny screamed, launching at me to push me aside. The cold mud splattered onto my face and seeped into my clothes immediately. Hastily, I tried to shrug the two bodies from me and jumped up. The heaviness of my dirty clothes reminded me of worser times, but I had not a moment to waste. I needed to protect Danny from Chesca.
Where was she? Where did she go? Was she hiding?
Frantically, I turned and searched the rows of people for the small frame of the devil. If she was around, I would get her. No more chains, no more bounds. I would kill her and have it over and done with.
A hand touched my shoulder and I jumped, my dagger drawn half-way out of her sheath before I realised it was just my redhead.
With adrenaline flooding my system and my heart pounding in my ears, I hid my weapon and stared at her questioningly.
“She’s gone, Darren.”
Gone how? She was just here a moment ago. People couldn’t just vanish in thin air?
“Another of her tricks. Her invisibility makes it really hard to catch her…”
“Of course,” I muttered sarcastically, brushing the gritty mud from my face and shaking it out of my clothes as best as I could.
“She’ll be back so we need to get a move on.”
I nodded and pushed the terrifying image of Chesca out of my head. A devil that could disappear at will and was chasing my woman. That was enough reason to sleep with my dagger under my head.
“Get ready to move,” I called to Kuz, dismissing him with a short wave. He nodded and rounded up his Riders. Or what was left of them. Saddened, I stared at the body on the road and the puddle of blood that spread underneath him. His helmet had rolled off into a ditch and I could see his face. It was a young guy, barely wet behind his ears. And now his life laid wasted in the dirty mud. He definitely didn’t look like an experienced knight and there was no doubt that the quality of my father’s oh so important Riders had slipped. There was no chance this was one of this best trained knights and I couldn’t imagine this kid had known what he signed up for. And now he was dead. And it was my fault because I couldn’t be bothered to help the woman up. I walked into her trap and it cost this kid his life.