“That's not all they're doing,” Tristan said, pointing ahead.
Kaina followed his gesture with her gaze and nearly didn't stop her horse in time. A roadblock that included wooden spikes pointed directly at them at an angle blocked the entire valley ahead. Several men crouched behind the barricade with bows drawn and pointed straight at them as they skidded to a stop.
The men who rode behind Kaina and Tristan now caught up and surrounded them. Tristan drew his sword and Kaina drew her dagger, though she silently hoped she wouldn't have to use it. The scarred man from before, a tall warrior with black hair and a beard who looked to be in his late forties, held up his hand and shouted, “Hold fire.”
The bowmen lowered their weapons, but neither Kaina nor Tristan conceded.
“We don't want any trouble,” Tristan said. “We don't have money.”
The man smiled and said, “We expect money, but not from either of you.”
“What do you want from us, then?” Kaina asked. “And who are you?”
The man met her gaze and said, “My name is Drake Blackthorn, and this here is the Blackthron Gang.”
A chill ran from Kaina's head to her feet as the man who called himself Drake added, “You're Kaina Haventhorn, correct?”
Kaina's stomach lurched, and she said meekly, “Who wants to know?”
“Don't deny it,” Drake said, “you've got posters with your face on every post in Crescent Valley.”
Kaina stared in disbelief. Did her family, or even Casimir himself place a bounty on her? She didn't want to outright ask, out of fear that this would confirm her identity, so instead, she said, “I don't know what you're talking about.”
Instead of arguing, Drake turned to Tristan and said, “And you must be her supposed 'abductor.' You can't fool me. You ran off with your lover to avoid marrying Prince Casimir.”
“I barely even know this man!” Kaina bellowed, and at that moment, she realized she had made a mistake.
“Smooth,” she heard Tristan mutter, and she quickly retaliated with a seething glare.
Drake let out a hearty laugh. “Well Miss Haventhorn, it would seem that even though you were said to have been abducted, that doesn't appear to be the case. All I know is that your safe return to Eboncrest is the only thing that we need to ensure to get our reward.”
“I'd die before I return to Eboncrest,” Kaina stated.
“Unfortunately for you, we cannot collect our coin if you are dead,” the man argued.
“I don't recall mentioning that I cared,” Kaina remarked.
“Fiesty, eh?” Drake said, earning a collective laugh from the Blackthorn gang. “Lucky for you, we aren't interested in causing you any harm, and in fact it's far more profitable for us to return you to your family in better condition than we found you. Your friend on the other hand...”
That was when the gang launched ropes onto Tristan, causing him to drop his weapon. His horse panicked and would have thrown him off if the ropes hadn't been holding him in place.
Tristan struggled to break free, but at least four men shot up from the barricade and secured the ropes around him in order to keep him from getting loose.
“NO!” Kaina yelled, but before she could rush to his aid, a pair of hands pulled her off of her own horse and locked her arms behind her back. The dagger dropped from her hand and try as she might, she could not match the strength of the man holding her captive.
“Now then,” Drake said, “your friend will earn us another reward for capturing your abductor. He has to be brought back alive, of course, but they didn't say how alive.”
“He didn't abduct me,” Kaina shouted. “I left on my own.”
Drake looked her straight in the eyes and said, “I don't recall mentioning that I cared.”
The gang roared with laughter, and Kaina continued to struggle even as she and Tristan were carried off to some unknown location to face whatever fate Drake Blackthorn had in store for them.
Chapter 10
The Blackthorn Gang hideout was located just a short walk away from the ambush site. Kaina looked up to see the side of the cliff, where a series of buildings had been fashioned out of the rock, but had been hidden well enough that any unwary travelers would be unaware of who lurked within.
The gang led them up a narrow walkway, which was only wide enough so that three men could stand shoulder to shoulder and still have enough room to not fall off the edge. They continued for what Kaina estimated to be three floors worth of climbing, and once at the top of the cliff, the men all left their horses as well as Kaina's and Tristan's at the stables and they escorted the prisoners inside.
A tunnel carved into the rock served as the hideout entrance, and just inside, Kaina could see several more tunnels branching from the first one. The walkways and various rooms were lit by lanterns, all except for the ones that faced outward, which all had windows carved into them.
The first tunnel opened up into a walkway, and Drake turned down this way, along with the men who held Kaina captive. To her dismay, Tristan was instead brought down the right path. She glanced at him one last time, and she could have sworn she saw him wink at her before being dragged out of sight.
From the other end of the corridor, Kaina got a better view of her surroundings. The rooms that faced outside in the valley were mainly used as watchtowers, and that was where several bowmen stood watch. On the rooms that faced opposite, Kaina could see a storeroom stocked with several weapons and crates. She saw a few of the men splinter off to enter the storeroom, and it was then that she saw them bring in Tristan's sword and her dagger.
Kaina was soon led up a set of stairs and into a new corridor just above the previous one. The stairs were nothing more than rotting planks that were nailed together with the skill of a blind carpenter. They wobbled under each step, and Kaina was about to voice her concerns about all that weight being placed on them at once, but before she could get her words out, they made it to the next floor.
Drake made his way to the middle of the corridor and entered through a doorway with the gang following close behind with Kaina. Just inside, she spotted a platform raised to her eye level as well as another set of stairs that led up to it. Drake climbed the steps and without being asked, the men ascended just behind him.
On top of the platform, Kaina could see a desk with a map, a bed, and a chest. A human-sized cage stood in the corner, and Kaina had a sinking feeling it was where she would be staying.
Drake turned to the man holding Kaina and said, “Search her for more weapons.”
The men released her and one began to pat her down at her sides. She scurried away from him, but the man caught her again.
“Stop it! Don't touch me!” Kaina shouted.
“Well well, what have we here?”
The leader reached behind Kaina and grabbed something at her belt. A second after he removed his hand, Kaina had a horrifying feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“A book?” Drake said.
“Give that back!” Kaina hissed.
She managed to break away from the other man and dive for the book, but Drake pulled his hand out of the way just in time. He held it out of her reach and examined it while two other thugs came up behind her and restrained her once again.
Drake traced his fingers over the trim on the book until he reached the gem in the middle. “A stone like this, and this trim...real silver, I'd wager...this book has to be worth some pretty coin.”
He tried to unlatch the clasp, but couldn't. He looked down at Kaina and said, “Where is the key?”
Kaina said nothing, but glared at him.
“Want me to beat it out of her, Boss?” one of the men holding her said.
Drake shook his head. “Nah, this book is plenty valuable without the key to open it. I'm sure any jeweler can take it apart and salvage it for the materials. Put her in the cage.”
The men dragged Kaina to the cage and shoved her inside. Before she could turn back to the door, the thugs slamme
d it in her face and locked it with an old, rusted key, which the man then handed off to Drake.
Kaina placed her hands on the bars, stared at Drake, and said, “Listen to me, that book is worthless to you. I need that book.”
“I need it more,” Drake said. “Last I checked, you were plenty wealthy enough without it, Miss Haventhorn.”
“I don't need it for the money,” Kaina said. “It belongs to someone in Eldercliff. I need to go there and bring it to them.”
“That's awfully kind of you,” Drake said, “but I'm just as capable of returning it to its rightful owner as you are. Who knows, perhaps I might even be rewarded handsomely for my kindness.”
“You pig,” Kaina barked. “Is money all you care about?”
“You're one to talk, Haventhorn.”
“In case you haven't noticed, I left my family. I'm obviously not interested in wealth,” Kaina remarked.
“Well not everyone can be as noble as you,” Drake chuckled. He tucked the book under his arm and said to the others, “I'm going to send a message to the Haventhorn family in Eboncrest to tell them I've found the girl. One of you keep an eye on her until I return.”
The man who originally held Kaina nodded and the others followed as Drake walked down the stairs and out of the room. The one who stayed behind sat in a nearby chair and kept his eyes trained on Kaina, and if she had stared long enough at him, she was certain that he didn't so much as blink.
After half an hour of uncomfortable silence, not to mention the fact that the thug never took his eyes off of Kaina, Drake finally returned to his quarters to relieve him. The thug left, but Kaina wasn't certain she wanted to be alone with Drake either.
Drake made his way up the stairs with a smug look on his face and said, “You will be pleased to know, Miss Haventhorn, that a message has been sent via carrier pigeon to Eboncrest. With any luck, you should be home by morning.”
“Why would I be pleased to know that?” Kaina retorted. “I told you I left Eboncrest to get away from my family. I refuse to go back.”
“That's not my problem,” Drake remarked, much to Kaina's annoyance.
Kaina huffed. “Your mother must be so proud.”
“She is, actually,” Drake said, “She never made the coin I do picking pockets and conning travelers in Sunhaven.”
Kaina retracted in disgust.
“Oh don't give me that look,” Drake said, “Not everyone takes the high road.”
Kaina didn't feel like arguing anymore, so she leaned back against the cage and Drake sat at his desk and plopped the book on top of it. Kaina stared at it for what seemed like forever, trying to think of something she could say that would convince Drake to let her go. She knew that this would be a lost cause, but that wouldn't stop her from trying.
“You know, Drake,” Kaina began, “I didn't want to say anything around your friends, but I can get you more money that the Haventhorn family can if you let me go.”
Drake scoffed, and didn't even look up from his papers as he said, “Is that the best you can do?”
Kaina shrugged. “I simply thought that you would take up any opportunity you could to become as rich as possible, but I suppose you aren't as smart as I thought you were.” She watched as Drake scribbled in a log book, presumably to keep track of all their new spoils, and asked, “Just out of curiosity, what are they paying for my return?”
After a few seconds, Kaina almost gave up hope until she noticed that Drake was no longer scribbling in his log book, and had turned his head slightly so that his left ear was closer to her. “Three thousand for your return, double if we give them your 'abductor.'”
Kaina scoffed. “Is that really what they think my life is worth? Not to mention you would have to share it with the other men. I could get you enough so that you'd be set for life, and none of your men would be any the wiser...”
“Is that so?” Drake said, although Kaina had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't buying it. “And how would you manage to do that when you yourself have no coin to your name?”
“Remember how I said that I was returning that book to someone? Well that person happens to be my friend's wealthy uncle. That book belonged to his family and as it happens, it fell into my possession. That man sent his nephew to escort me to Eldercliff, since I myself am not a trained fighter. He is willing to pay me top coin to get it back, but I'm willing to share my cut with you. Even half of what he was willing to pay me would be enough to get settled into a new city and a new home,” Kaina said.
That seemed to catch Drake's attention, as he turned his head and his body to face her and said, “How much?”
Kaina grinned. “He's was going to pay me five thousand for the job, but I can give you half if you let me go.”
“That's...certainly tempting,” Drake said. “But how do I know this isn't a trick. I can't just accept your word that you will send me the coin.”
“My word is my bond,” Kaina said. “However, I can give you a little insurance if you wish.”
“Oh, and what might that be?” Drake asked.
Kaina reached into her tunic and pulled out the pendant her father had given her the night before. She reached around the back of her neck, unfastened it, and held it out for him to see. “This necklace is worth quite a bit of coin, certainly more than you would get for your share of the reward money. Let me and my friend 'escape' and it's yours.”
Drake stood from his seat and stepped closer to examine the necklace. He made a sudden movement, but Kaina retracted her hand just as he tried to grab it.
Kaina shook her head. “Have you truly no shame?”
Drake scowled. “What if someone from the Haventhorn family arrives to find you gone? Surely they won't take too kindly to it.”
Kaina shrugged, “They certainly cannot blame you for my cunning abductor, who outwitted your men and made off with me once again.”
“They certainly can,” Drake said. “I have thirty men here, and you mean to tell me that your family would believe that they would be foolish enough to allow one man to get away with a captive?”
“It's certainly worth the risk,” Kaina said. “Or are you the type of man who cannot bear to take a risk? I thought you were better than that, Drake Blackthorn. You don't look like the kind of man who would take the easy road.”
Drake's face grew red, and at that point Kaina knew she had him. He withdrew the key from his pocket and unlocked the cage. He threw the door open and pulled Kaina out.
He slammed the cage shut and barked, “Go and get your book and get out of here. If you double cross me, I will hunt you down and kill you myself. Then I'll send your head back to the Haventhorns.”
“You'd probably be doing them a favor,” Kaina remarked as she turned to reach for the book, but she soon realized she made a mistake.
Drake reached behind her and before she had time to react, he snatched the necklace from her hand. Kaina had just enough time to grab the book and spin around to see his blade staring her in the face.
Drake howled with laughter. “Did you really think I would be stupid enough to fall for your lies? This is a nice necklace, though, I think I'll take it anyway to give myself a little treat. As for you...”
Drake grabbed her by the arm and pulled her closer, “You are going back in your cage like a good girl.”
With a seething glare, Kaina said, “Absolutely not.”
Kaina struggled to break free from Drake's grasp, and he made a move to snatch the book from her hand and out of instinct, she swung the book at his head. A blue light flashed upon impact, and a second later, he stopped moving.
Kaina broke free from Drake's grasp, and was surprised to see that he was completely frozen in place. She looked down at the book, and as she stared into the jewel on the clasp, she could see a faint blue glow fading away from existence.
Kaina looked back up at Drake and she couldn't help but laugh at the scowl on his face that was completely frozen in time. She snapped out of her wild imaginati
on of throwing him down a hill to see how far he would tumble, then tried to move his arms. Every inch of his body, however, remained hard as stone. She snatched the necklace out of Drake's stiff hand, and once she noticed that the keys were still in the lock of the cage, an idea struck.
Kaina couldn't lift Drake, so she looked around and found some rope nearby. She tied it around his waist and looped the other end of the rope through the bars around the side of the cage. She pulled it, but she only moved Drake's stiff body by a few inches, at best. She formed another idea, then went over to the edge while still holding the rope and climbed over the railing. She she dropped down to the lower level while holding onto the rope with both hands, using her weight as leverage.
Kaina landed on the lower platform with a thud, but she was otherwise unharmed. She darted up the steps and saw that Drake's entire body was now in the cage, so she dashed to the door and slammed it shut. She turned the keys in the lock and pulled them out when she heard the click, then she placed the keys in her own pocket and said, “Sorry, but not everyone takes the high road.”
As Kaina ran off, she could have sworn she saw Drake's angry expression twist into a snarl.
Kaina then darted out of the room and made it into the hall once she discovered it was empty. Then she went back to the stairs where she came in from to find the exit. She made it to the bottom and heard voices approaching, so she ducked behind the doorway of the nearest room, which was thankfully empty.
After the men had left the immediate area, Kaina glanced around the corner and could see the light coming in from the outside. She only had to turn the corner, grab Duchess, and ride off to freedom.
Only, she couldn't.
Kaina may not have liked Tristan or the way he inserted himself into her quest, but she would never forgive herself if she simply left him to die. She certainly didn't want to have to rely on anyone else to get her through this ordeal, but she knew that her chances would be better if he were there.
Kaina made up her mind. She waited until she didn't hear any more voices, then she made her way down the hall in the direction where she had seen the men take Tristan.
Kaina's Dawn (Kaina Saga Book 1) Page 11