Within moments, it flew open, revealing our captain wearing only pants and an untucked tunic. His hair was matted to one side of his head and his dark skin was even darker beneath his eyes. When he saw it was me, his eyes opened wide and he grabbed me to him in a gruff hug. “Alex! We’d thought you’d died,” he said as he released me and glanced past me to Rylan. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you’re both okay.”
“Me, too,” I said. “But I need to talk to you immediately.”
“Of course, what is it?”
“In private.”
Deron’s eyebrows lifted but he stepped back and gestured for me to enter his room. Once the door was shut, I told him what had happened at the tryouts with Eljin and my suspicions. His expression grew progressively grimmer as I spoke.
“You haven’t heard, have you?” he asked when I finished.
“Heard? Heard what?”
“The girl that was supposed to hang yesterday didn’t die.”
My heart skipped a beat. “What happened?”
“Just before the hangman sent her swinging, she was rescued. By a sorcerer.”
I STOOD OUTSIDE Prince Damian’s door with my hand on the heel of my sword, trying to stay alert. Deron had apparently forced himself to stay awake the entire night in fear that the sorcerer would come back for Prince Damian, but nothing had happened. Now it fell to my shoulders. But the strain of the last few days was wearing on me. Even though I’d been healed — completely, miraculously — I was still exhausted and my scars ached. Perhaps my body wasn’t quite sure how to handle having been mortally wounded and healed all within the space of a few hours.
I couldn’t believe Tanoori was still alive, that a sorcerer had saved her. Had it been Eljin? I wondered if I should tell Prince Damian about Eljin as well. But when I tried to deliver the bloodroot to him, he was already in bed, asleep peacefully. I placed the bloodroot on the table next to him and left without waking him.
Part of me expected him to come out like he had before, to ask what had happened, to prove to me again that he was more than he seemed, even though he hadn’t acted so today. But his door remained firmly shut. Silent. He was sleeping soundly while I stood guard.
A streak of lightning suddenly illuminated the dark room from the skylight above me, moments before a crash of thunder boomed overhead. Within a minute, rain began to pound on the roof, growing louder and louder as the full fury of an incoming storm rolled toward the palace. Another flash of lightning momentarily blinded me. In the heartbeat of tension-filled silence before the thunder exploded through the air, the door to the prince’s outer chamber flew open, blown completely off its hinges. Through the lingering spots in my vision from the lightning, I saw Kai lying on the ground, unconscious or dead.
I pulled out my sword and crouched down, ready to fight, my heartbeat erratic beneath the cage of my ribs. Dread coiled in my stomach when the man I’d fought in the ring — the one who could have beat me but didn’t — stepped over Kai’s body and entered the room.
Eljin. The sorcerer.
He still wore his mask, hiding his face. I waited for him to move first, terror and adrenaline pumping through my body. In a normal fight, I was confident, unshakeable. But I had little chance of stopping Eljin. If he used the same fire against me that killed my parents, I had no hope of surviving. All I could do was try and hold him off long enough for the prince to escape. Maybe there were more secret passages I wasn’t aware of nearby — that was the only way Damian would get out of this alive.
I didn’t have time to think about anything other than fighting, though, as Eljin finally jumped toward me, his sword arcing down in a vicious jab. Our blades hit with a resounding crash, and we began to fight in earnest. This time, he didn’t hold back, and I had to use every bit of training and skill I had to hold him off. He hadn’t struck me — but I hadn’t managed to hit him, either. And he hadn’t even used magic yet.
I was doomed.
Then two more men rushed into the room, wielding wicked-looking scythes.
“Attack!” I yelled desperately, hoping someone nearby was still alive to help me. I hadn’t had time to blow on my whistle to alert the other guards.
Despite the horrible odds, I refused to give up. I kept waiting for Eljin to send me to a fiery grave, but he never did.
I lunged at Eljin, striking faster, harder than I ever had before. My sword was a blur of silver, flashing in the lightning that still streaked through the dark night overhead. Eljin couldn’t keep up with the attack, and I actually managed to nick his arm before that same invisible shield I’d hit in the practice ring blocked me from being able to push my sword farther, past his arm and into his body.
For some reason, the other two intruders just stood back and watched, making no move to help.
I clutched my sword with both hands, trying to force it through the magical barrier, but there was nothing I could do. Eljin made a movement with his hand and something hit me in the chest so hard I was knocked to the ground, hardly able to breathe from the pain. My sword lay three feet away from me. I stared up at him in horror.
And then Prince Damian’s door opened, and he stood there, fully dressed and holding his own sword.
“No! Get back — hurry!” I called out to him, rolling over and trying to grab my sword.
“Not so fast,” Eljin said, and with another movement of his hand, I was flung across the room and slammed into the wall. My head cracked against the wood panels and then I hit the ground.
“Don’t kill him,” I managed to croak out as I dragged myself up to my hands and knees.
“That was never my intention. Oh no, he’s worth far more to us and the man I serve alive than dead.”
Just then Rylan burst into the room, his sword swooping through the air and slicing into one of the men standing by the door. I wanted to cry out to him to run away, to save himself, but it was too late. The one he’d managed to hit clutched his bleeding shoulder, shouting in a language I didn’t understand, while the other one charged at Rylan with his scythe raised. The sound of their blades hitting echoed through the room.
I turned in desperation to see Eljin and Damian standing across from each other, swords raised, but not fighting — yet.
“If you come willingly, this will go much better for you. I promised to bring you alive — but I never specified how alive you’d be.”
I slowly inched my way to standing, trying not to draw attention to myself. The back of my head felt warm, which I was pretty sure meant I was bleeding. I didn’t dare lift my hand to check.
So far, Rylan was holding his own against the man he was fighting. I prayed that he would somehow survive this. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him, of Jude being left behind to mourn yet another death.
I was only a couple of feet away from my cot, and the new bow and quiver of arrows I’d taken from the armory tonight. If I could somehow get close enough to grab them without drawing anyone’s notice, I might be able to get off a shot before Eljin could react.
That’s all I needed.
“If I come willingly, will you let my men live?”
I edged closer to my cot, holding my breath. Just another foot and the bow would be within reach. I tried to calculate whether I had time to grab it and shoot an arrow. I was fast — faster than just about any normal man I’d ever fought — but I didn’t know if I was faster than a sorcerer.
“And leave witnesses to tell your king who took you? I think not. We’d rather he didn’t know that until we decide it’s time for him to find out.”
Just a couple more inches. I slowly reached out. Time felt like it had slowed to a crawl. My heart beat so hard, it actually hurt. Finally, my fingers brushed the smooth wood of the bow. I breathed in once through my nose, inhaling a lungful of air, and then I grabbed the bow and an arrow, lifting it up in one swift movement, and let the arrow fly almost simultaneously to notching it.
I’d aimed true — it would have hit Eljin directly throug
h the neck — but instead, the arrow disintegrated into a pile of ash on the ground. He turned to me, his eyes narrowed in fury.
“No! Don’t hurt him —”
I heard Damian’s cry a moment before I was hit once more and thrown by some invisible force against the wall. Lights popped in front of me as I slumped to the floor in a heap. I tried to climb back onto my hands and knees, but I collapsed again.
“No! Alex!” I dimly heard Rylan’s voice.
There was the sound of blade hitting blade, and a cry of pain. Please, not Rylan, I thought as darkness spiraled in to claim me.
I’d failed my prince. I’d failed Rylan.
I fought to stay conscious, but I couldn’t quite manage. As I slipped in and out of awareness, I heard the sounds of more fighting and then nothing. Only pain and darkness. Then a voice, close by.
“I’m not bringing him. That’s not part of the plan.”
“It is now.” Another voice. They were both vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t make my eyes open. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything.
I WOKE UP FOR the third time in two days with an unfamiliar ceiling overhead. This time, it was made of fabric — a tent. My head ached, my body ached, my heart ached. But I was alive, which was something, I supposed. Whoever had said he wanted to bring me rather than have me killed obviously won that argument. I blinked and turned my head to see Rylan lying beside me, unconscious. An unfamiliar woman hovered over him, running her hands up and down in the air just above his torso, her eyes closed. She had dark hair, with streaks of gray running through it, pulled back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Her skin was olive toned, like mine.
“So, you’re awake,” she spoke quietly without opening her eyes, making me jump.
“Where am I? Who are you? Is he okay?” My questions tumbled out unbidden and I snapped my mouth shut in embarrassment.
She paused in her work and opened her eyes to skewer me with a baleful gaze. Without answering, she gently pressed two fingers into Rylan’s sternum, cocking her head to the side. After a long moment, she nodded as if satisfied, then pushed herself off the ground and looked down at me. “He’ll wake up in a moment.”
And with that, she turned and left me alone in the tent with Rylan.
I sat up, my body stiff as though I hadn’t moved in a long time. I stared at Rylan, who looked so peaceful in sleep. I couldn’t see any wounds, and hope surged that he’d somehow remained unharmed. My heart beat unevenly in my chest as I watched him breathe, as I looked at the smooth lines of his tanned jaw, the way his brown hair curled just a bit behind his ears where it was longest. His lips were parted slightly, and I couldn’t help but stare at the curve of his mouth. I still couldn’t believe he knew I was a girl — that he’d always known. That he’d admitted to caring about me.
He stirred and I blushed and looked away, glancing around at the otherwise empty tent. Where were we? Was Prince Damian somewhere nearby? My stomach turned to lead as memories of the night before washed over me. I reached up to touch the back of my head, expecting crusted blood, or at least a bump, but there was nothing. I distinctly remembered my head hitting the wall; the crack of my skull against the wood; the hot, sticky warmth of my own blood spilling down my neck.
“Alex?” Rylan’s voice was groggy and I turned back to see him trying to sit up. He looked unsteady, so I reached out and grasped his arm, helping pull him up. “You’re okay.” He exhaled, covering my hand on his arm with one of his. “I thought they were going to kill you. I thought I’d lost you again.”
“No, you’re still stuck with me.” I attempted to joke, even though my heart raced at the gentle pressure of his hand on mine.
“I didn’t only promise Marcel to keep your secret, you know,” he said.
I couldn’t tear my eyes from his. I felt myself getting lost in the heat of his gaze.
“I promised to help him protect you, to keep you from getting hurt.”
“I don’t need protecting,” I said softly.
“Not until the last two days.”
He had me there. If he hadn’t come to my aid that night in the jungle, I would have been dead, dragged off to be that jaguar’s meal. But last night, though he’d tried valiantly, I didn’t think he was the one who’d saved me. Someone else had decided to keep us both alive.
I pulled my hand out from his and leaned back a bit, trying to calm my heart. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “The last thing I remember is being hit from behind. I was sure they were going to kill us both.”
“Like Kai,” I said, my heart constricting as I thought of him lying on the ground in the doorway.
Rylan looked down, his expression grim. “Maybe he survived somehow — like us.”
“You’re right. Let’s assume you’re right.” I also thought of Jude. I hadn’t seen him, but did that mean he’d been safe in bed, or something worse? From the bleak look in Rylan’s eyes, I wondered if he was thinking about his brother, too. “I’m glad you’re alive,” I said, trying to force the unbearable questions away. “I thought I heard you get hurt before I lost consciousness.”
“I did — one of those scythes got a piece of me. But it doesn’t even hurt.” He lifted his tunic and, sure enough, there was a taut, pink scar across his ribs, diving into his well-muscled abdomen.
“It looks the same as the scars I got from the healer after the jaguar attack.”
Rylan nodded and pulled his tunic back down. “But why?”
I shook my head. It didn’t make any sense. “Why attack and threaten to kill us, only to abduct us and have us healed instead?”
“An excellent question,” a voice responded from outside the tent, right before the woman who’d been in the tent with us earlier opened the flap and walked in. Next came Prince Damian, his hands bound behind his back, and Eljin after him, with a sword pressed into the prince’s spine. I jumped up, ready to fight, but one look from Eljin froze me in place.
“Don’t even think about doing anything, or I’ll knock you out again. Now sit.” He commanded, pushing Damian forward.
I forced myself to sit back down, even though my whole body thrummed with tension, with the need to do something. I’d been trained to fight, to defend and protect. Not sit idly by while the prince was manhandled. He met my alarmed gaze and shook his head infinitesimally as he sat down next to me. He wore only a white, open-throated tunic; pants; and boots that came to his knees. His hair was windswept, unlike its usual pomaded style. He looked different — but not injured, thankfully. If anything, he was more handsome than ever.
“You may release his bonds,” Eljin said to the woman, and she did as he said, bending over and untying Prince Damian’s hands.
“We make camp here tonight, but we’re leaving at first light. So you’d better rest while you can. My men are sick of carrying you. From now on, you’ll all walk.” Eljin glared at us, then swept out of the tent.
“Are you hurt? Have they given you any idea of where we are, or where we’re going?” I burst out the moment Eljin was gone.
“Don’t pester him with your questions,” the woman chided me.
I glared at her. “You’ll take part in abducting him, but you don’t want me to bother him with questions about his well-being?”
“You would be wise not to attempt to judge me, child.”
I lifted my eyebrows at her, irritation surging through me. “You honestly expect me to —”
“Alex, that’s enough. She healed you. You owe her your gratitude,” Prince Damian cut me off, his tone sharp.
I recoiled as if he’d struck me. “Excuse me, Your Highness. I didn’t realize you had such high esteem for your captors.” I couldn’t keep the disbelief and anger from my voice.
“Ah, so we’re back to that again, are we, Alex? And here I’d hoped that we were friends.” He sighed, and began to rub his temples.
I wanted to snap back at him, but instead I clamped my mouth shut. Rylan watched the
entire exchange silently, his expression guarded.
“Could someone please tell me what is going on here?” I asked when I’d reined in my temper enough to control the tone of my voice.
“Eljin and Lisbet here have been keeping you and Rylan in a controlled state of unconsciousness while she healed you both,” Prince Damian responded before the woman had a chance.
“For how long?” Rylan finally spoke up.
“Four days.”
My jaw fell open. Before I could recover from the shock of realizing I’d lost four days with no recollection of their passing — not to mention how far we could have traveled in that amount of time — Prince Damian continued speaking.
“Eljin says he’s taking us to a very powerful man who wishes to use me as leverage to try and put a stop to this war.”
“And you’re just going to let him do it?” I glanced at Lisbet, then back at Prince Damian.
“I have no choice. None of us has the ability to stop a sorcerer, it would seem.”
I looked away from his penetrating gaze in shame. Guilt pounded through me, pulsing with my blood. It was a dig at me, and it hit true. I’d failed him. At least this sorcerer hadn’t wanted him dead, unlike the last one who had attacked a prince of Antion.
Lisbet took a seat on the ground next to Rylan. “What Damian says is true. And if you wish to make it there in one piece, I recommend that you don’t anger Eljin again. Although you did choose wisely,” she continued, turning to look at Damian. “She may not have stopped Eljin, but she did put up an excellent fight. With the right training —”
“That’s enough.” Prince Damian held up a hand, having gone pale.
I stared at Lisbet in horror, my blood suddenly cold in my veins.
“What’s wrong? I assumed you were aware that the best fighter on your guard is a girl.” She had a peculiar look on her face, and despite her attempt to act surprised, I was pretty sure she had purposely revealed my secret. “You did know, didn’t you?”
My heart pounded as I forced myself to look at Damian. He stared back, his blue eyes piercing through me. I felt strangely light-headed and my pulse raced, sending my blood surging through my body.