by Sarah Olson
There was no response as I held him letting the blood from his wounds seep into my dress. James sat on his other side watching the door.
“Tristan,” I whispered, dread filling my mind. “We need to wake him!”
“Tristan!” James said. “You’ve made it this long, don’t give up.”
“We need you,” I cried. “I need you.”
He stayed still.
“This is all my fault,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry, Tristan. Please.”
I bent over him and kissed his rough cheek unsure of what else to do. I felt him stir and I pulled back quickly. His hazel eyes opened and seemed to be trying to focus.
“Layla,” he whispered hoarsely. “Is that you?”
“Yes, Tristan,” I said. “It’s me. You’re going to be all right.”
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “It’s—it’s not safe.”
“I couldn’t leave you,” I whispered, tears falling down my cheeks.
“We need to get out of here,” James said. “Can you stand, Tristan?”
“I think so,” he whispered, wincing as he tried to sit up.
“Let’s get him on his feet,” James said to me.Together we lifted him.
Tristan swayed slightly but with both of us at his side, he was able to walk.
I tried to ignore the prisoners in other cells that begged for us to free them. James set his jaw and kept moving forward. We passed through the empty cells without a problem but when we reached the door that led back to the secret passageway, three guards were just arriving and had spotted the unconscious guard and the dead one.
“What the—”a guard began.
“Look!” another yelled as we rounded the corner. “Freeze!”
In one swift movement, James leaned Tristan against the wall and the two of us stood our ground as we were charged. Saving Tristan was the only thing on my mind now. One came at me with his sword held high and slammed it down hitting my two daggers as I threw them up to block. He struck again aiming low but I jumped out of the way and his blade met mine. I threw a kick into his gut and as his hand loosened on his sword, I hit it hard with my dagger and sent it flying. When the guard regained his balance, he threw himself at me knocking me to the floor and then turned over pulling out a knife. As he grabbed it, I rolled to my right to avoid its sharp blade and heard it thud as it hit the dirt floor. He jumped up and began to bring it down on me when a red blade appeared through his middle and he crumpled to the floor. Tristan leaned back heavily against the wall with the guard’s bloody sword in hand. The other two soldiers lay dead at James’s feet—his doublet splattered with their blood.
“It’s a good thing you wore red,” Tristan said, smiling weakly.
I rolled my eyes. “Come on,” I said, letting him put his arm around me.
“I’ve got him,” James said going to his other side. “You lead Layla.”
I nodded and let Tristan go. Taking a torch from the wall, I went ahead slowly checking the passageway. It was silent but when we reached the door that led to our safety, I saw torchlight and heard men’s voices as they entered the tunnel. They were searching for Prince Richard.
James leaned Tristan against the wall when we entered the door and then pushed it closed. “It might slow them down.” He helped Tristan up again and led him up the stairs after me.
I burst through the trapdoor and climbed out not bothering to say the code.
“Tristan!” Charlotte exclaimed at the sight of her brother. “What have they done to you?” She wrapped her arms around him.
“Charlotte,” Tristan whispered.
“We need to move,” Sir Alexander said. “Can you ride, son?”
Tristan nodded.
“Good. The wagon will slow us down and by the sound of it the whole palace guard is already searching for Richard. We need to leave now.”
I mounted Dusk as James and Mitchell helped Tristan mount an extra horse we had. Richard was bound to another and a lead rope was tied from his horse to Sir Alexander’s. After we were all up, we thundered away from the palace into the night. The wind was cool as it cut through my dress. The sky was filled with stars and the moon shone brightly illuminating our path. Through the trees, I saw Duke’s shadow running alongside the horses.
“Slow it down!” James commanded. “We can’t run the horses to death.”
I brought Dusk to a trot.
Behind me, I heard Charlotte speaking softly to Tristan. It was good to hear his voice and know he was safe now even if it pained me to look at him with all his injuries. I felt responsible for them.
After about half an hour of riding, a rebel that had been lagging behind to make sure we were not being followed came galloping up to the front.
“General,” he said. “Soldiers have been dispatched from the fort in all directions. King Luther isn’t taking any chances.”
“We need to get to the mountains quickly before they catch up.”
“Yes. sir,” he said, turning his horse around to relay the orders to the other rebels.
After about another hour and a half we arrived at the base of the mountains.
I dismounted and James did as well.
“Sir Alexander,” James said. “You’re in charge now. You need to get Richard across the river.”
“Yes, sir,” he replied.
“James,” I said, taking his arm. “You need to stay with them. You’re their general and their best chance if the soldiers catch up.”
“I’m not letting you climb those mountains alone again,” he said with the same look in his eyes he had when he apologized to me in the tunnel.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “They won’t climb the mountains after me. I’ll take Duke.”
James looked torn.
“I’ll go with her,” Mitchell volunteered.
I was so tired of people risking so much for me. “Don’t you want to stay with Charlotte?” I asked.
“I’ll be fine,” Charlotte said. “I need to look after Tristan.”
“It’s settled then,” James said. “Mitchell, take the princess over Avalanche Pass and keep watch at night when you start descending. I get the feeling the forest is going to be crawling with soldiers after tonight.”
“Yes, sir,” Mitchell said, taking James’s bag.
I took mine from Dusk’s saddle.
James grabbed my arm and looked intently into my eyes. “Layla, be careful.”
I gave him a reassuring smile. “I will.”
He let go of me and mounted his horse. He glanced back at me once and then urged his mount forward.
“I’ll see you in the village,” Charlotte said to Mitchell. “I love you.” She gave him a long kiss.
“I love you, too,” Mitchell whispered back giving her a gentle kiss on the nose. “I’ll see you in a few days.”
Charlotte gave him a hug and then mounted her horse. Mitchell and I began our climb as the rebels rode off. I looked back to their fading shadows hoping and praying I’d see them all again. Duke whined softly as his master left him and before long, the three of us were alone.
Chapter 43
AS WE CLIMBED deeper into the forest that rose along the mountain, my dress kept getting caught on roots and branches.
“I need to change,” I told Mitchell.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll wait right here.”
I walked further into the forest for privacy, stopping at a small creek. I dunked my hands in the cool water and hastily scrubbed until I had gotten all the dry blood off. From my bag, I pulled out the long white-sleeved top and corset. I stripped off my ball gown, tossing it to the ground, and put on the top and corset. I knew I could not burn the dress now so I rolled it up and jammed it back into my bag hoping no hungry predator would smell the blood and made my way back to Mitchell.
We climbed throughout the entire night knowing it would be unsafe to stop until we reached the pass. By mid-morning, we reached the top of Avalanche Pass. The snow sparkled in the sunl
ight as we found a place to rest.
“We should probably get some sleep,” Mitchell said.
“Let’s burn this first,” I said, pulling out the once beautiful gown
Using Mitchell’s flint, we lit it on fire and set it on a rock. As I watched the red satin shrivel up in flames Duke curled up next to me. I leaned against the wall of the mountain peaks towering over us and dozed off.
At noon, Mitchell shook me awake and we ate a small meal before continuing on. We walked on in silence. I could tell both our minds were on the safety of our friends.
“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Mitchell said. “We had a pretty big head start.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, “and they were handpicked by James.”
“We are pretty special aren’t we?” Mitchell laughed.
“I guess,” I said. “Why did you offer to come with me and not stay with Charlotte?”
“I felt it was something I should do,” Mitchell replied.
“I don’t understand.”
Mitchell was silent as if debating whether to answer me. “I feel like part of what happened between you and Prince Richard was my fault,” he finally said.
“Why would it be your fault? I made my own decisions and you didn’t have any part in them.”
“I should’ve told James,” Mitchell said seriously. “And I should have told Mr. Fallon whether there were years to wait or not, that you should’ve come to the villages sooner. Maybe if I had done that, he wouldn’t be dead and you wouldn’t have had to endure so much hardship.”
I had no idea he was carrying so much guilt. “You can’t blame yourself for that,” I said. “You thought me being with Richard could have been beneficial, and it really could’ve had he not turned out to be such an ass. Does Charlotte know about this?”
“Yeah,” he said. “And while she says the same thing you are, before we were together, she was mad at me for not reporting it.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “But please stop blaming yourself. If there is one thing life has taught me, it’s that I can’t expect everything to go as planned.”
“Thanks, Layla,” Mitchell said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
I smiled and we continued our way trudging through the pass.
At nightfall, we found two enormous boulders leaning on one another, creating a bit of shelter beneath them. We ate another small meal and then lay down to rest.
Early the next morning, Mitchell and I gathered our things and set off again for another long day of traveling. If we kept a good pace, we would be close to the bottom of the mountains by nightfall. We continued trudging through snow keeping in mind that speed meant safety.
“It is a good thing James had all of us train so hard,” Mitchell said.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Otherwise, there’d be no way I’d still be moving.” I picked up some clean snow and melted it in my mouth to quench my thirst.
Mitchell laughed.
We continued on awhile longer in silence. The sun’s rays were warm and cut down the chill of the snow. Around noon, we stopped to eat.
“Does Tristan even know you’re married to his sister?” I asked as he pulled out some food from his pack.
“I’m sure he does,” he replied. “It was part of a letter Sir Nicholas sent him sometime afterward.”
“He didn’t answer?”
“He rarely ever did,” Mitchell said. “I told you that, remember?”
“Right,” I said. “Sorry.”
“You know, I would’ve thought that someone who risked her life to save him would have kept up with whether Tristan ever sent letters back. Charlotte told me the two of you were close.”
“I never did,” I replied.
“Was there ever anything between you two?”
His line of questioning surprised me.
“No,” I said. “He was always like a brother to me.”
“So why didn’t you keep up with his letters?”
“I don’t know,” I said, realizing I did not have a valid excuse.
“You know, Charlotte told me once that she had hoped you and Tristan would fall for each other one day.”
I laughed. “I suppose the thought had crossed my mind when I was younger. After all he was the only boy I really knew. But then things changed.”
“He left and you met Richard.”
I swallowed hard.
“Are you afraid to love again?”
“Why are you asking me this?” I snapped. “It’s none of your business.”
“You’re right. I guess it is Charlotte’s concern speaking through me. She is afraid you are shutting everyone out.”
“And to whom who would you be referring?” I snapped.
Mitchell stayed silent but I knew exactly whom he was referring to.
“Just be careful, Layla,” he said quietly when I did not respond. “We all want to see you happy but that means you’re going to have to open your heart.”
“It’s not closed.”
Mitchell gave me a knowing look and left the conversation at that.
As we continued, I tried to sort through my thoughts and feelings. None of them seemed to make sense. Did I have feelings for James? Was I closing my heart to him? Did I even want to give it to him?
As we settled down for the night, Mitchell offered to take the first watch. We had just descended from the mountains and found a cluster of trees and brush to spend the night. Thankfully, I fell asleep as soon as I lay down grateful to rid myself from the onslaught of thoughts of James.
“Layla,” Mitchell said shaking me.
I opened my eyes slowly and found Mitchell’s face over me.
“It’s your watch until morning,” he said.
I sat up groggily and nodded. “Okay, thanks.”
I leaned against a tree trying to keep my eyes and ears open to any sound as Mitchell slept. Duke came over and lay down next to me. I should have felt more rested but I did not. I looked up to the stars and tried to keep my eyes open.
Chapter 44
“YOU WOULD BE the worst guard ever,” Mitchell said as I opened my eyes, finding him kneeling in front of me.
“I fell asleep!” I said. “I’m so sorry!”
Mitchell laughed. “Lucky for you, we’re still alive.”
I smiled weakly.
“Well,” he said, “eat something, I need to relieve myself.”
“Okay,” I said. “And I’m sorry, again.”
“No need, Princess,” he said with a smile. Mitchell got up and walked off into the forest.
“Looks good,” I said to Duke, as I watched him eat a rabbit he had hunted while we slept.
I took out a hard piece of bread and began to eat it. The sun was rising, its rays slicing through the trees around us.
Duke suddenly dropped his rabbit and growled. It was a low guttural sound and his lips curled back displaying his razor sharp teeth.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered as fear crept up my spine, raising the hairs on the back of my neck.
A scream of pain cut through the forest and buried itself in my heart. A scream I would never forget. It was Mitchell’s.
I jumped up as adrenaline kicked in and ran from the brush trying to see through the trees. Duke was growling even more now.
“Mitchell!” I whispered harshly, trying not to scream all while trying to keep from panicking
The underbrush was tall and thick. I could barely see through it in the dim light. The bushes moved on my left and Mitchell staggered out gasping. He fell onto his side and my heart sunk as I saw an arrow protruding from his torso.
I ran over to him. “Mitchell.”
“Leave it,” he said in a hoarse whisper as I tore his shirt over the wound. “It’s—it’s too late.”
“No,” I said. “You’re going to be fine.”
“Layla,” he whispered. “You need—have to run—now.”
“I’m not going to leave you!”
“Here,” he whispered. “Give it to
Charlotte.”
He had slipped off his wedding band. The light in his eyes was fading.
“It will be all right,” I whispered, my throat dry. “Charlotte is waiting for you. We can make it.” My words were empty.
There were shouts in the distance.
“Run,” he said shoving the ring into my hand with his last bit of strength. “Tell Charlotte I love her.”
“Mitchell!” I screamed, frantically trying to find some way to save him. “You can’t die!” Tears ran down my cheeks as panic and fear set in. I looked into his brown eyes that no longer sparkled the way they once had.
Mitchell was dying.
I took his face in my hands. “Mitchell, please.”
“Run . . .” he whispered and went still as his last breath left him. His empty eyes stared into the lightening sky.
Mitchell was gone. I felt my heart wrench as I thought of Charlotte. I fell backward feeling bile rise in my throat as I frantically tried to wipe his blood from my hands. He was gone and there was nothing I could do.
Duke whined, snapping me out of my trance. The shouts were nearing.
“He went this way!” one yelled.
Aria’s face suddenly appeared in my mind.
Mama stay!
Mommy will be back.
I was going to keep my word. In a flash I jammed the ring on my thumb and was up and running with Duke by my side. Branches whipped my arms and legs as I stumbled my way over thick roots. Thankfully, I had the advantage since it was easier for me to move quickly through the dense trees than the horses.
The sun rose higher in the sky as the hours flew by but I did not want to slow my pace. I needed to get away. The sound of the horses’ hooves faded away but I knew if they were following the path I had created through the forest, they would still be on my trail. After some time, I found a small creek and dunked my head in it, drinking what water I could in the short time I could stop. Within seconds, I was up and moving again. I stopped in a small clearing and looked up at the sun. I had been going for hours and my body ached with every move.
As I took another step forward, I realized I did not know where I was.
It does not matter which way you go, as long as you get away.