“Did you know?”
“No.”
“I can’t—”
“You must,” Branka said simply. “It’s a desirable match, Mila, significantly better than the one with Lord Otto. The duke is a young, handsome man with powerful connections. You’ve known Radek your whole life and he loves you.”
“But I don’t love him like that.”
“You must remove all thoughts of the blacksmith’s son—”
“How do you know about Marc?”
“I saw you with him at the ball. It’s my duty to watch you, remember? One glance at you two was enough for me to understand what was going on.”
I replayed the pained look on Marc’s face before he’d disappeared into the crowd. Fleeing the scene.
Fleeing me.
Branka patted my hand. “It would’ve never worked out with the blacksmith’s son. Whatever was growing between you two is over now. For his safety, Ludmila, you must make it so.”
Tears blurred my vision. “They made my mother marry, too.”
She looked away. “It’s not the same.”
“Branka, please.”
“Your feelings for Marc will pass. Trust me. In a few months, this will be a forgotten memory. You’re lucky to be engaged to the duke. He’s a fine man.” Branka kissed my forehead. “Now, rest. I’ll fetch some tea from the kitchen.” She shut the door quietly behind her.
It will pass. No, it would never pass.
I needed to see Marc.
I swung my feet to the floor and hoped the bouts of dizziness had passed. The heavy diamond necklace thumped against my collarbone. I snatched it off and shoved it into my dress pocket.
I stood on wobbly feet and checked the corridor. It was empty. I had to get out of the castle. I had to see Marc. I had to try to explain . . . what? That I had to marry Radek? Could I run away again? How? Now that it had been officially announced to most of the kingdom, how could I run away?
I shook my head. I didn’t know what I’d say to Marc; I just knew I needed to see him. I scurried down the hallway. Voices echoed behind me.
Fearing my father or Radek, I descended the side staircase and stumbled into an unknown corridor. Three men raced down the hallway carrying a chest. They skidded to a stop in front of me with wide-eyed excitement. The box’s lid wasn’t completely closed and the weak light from the hallway’s torches gleamed off a gem.
The crown jewels.
The man in front grinned at me. He wore the guard’s royal uniform, but I knew he wasn’t a member of the king’s army. Jet-black hair slicked back from his forehead. “We’ve been caught,” he said.
He was the leader. It was obvious by the way he held himself.
A man with bright ginger hair laughed. I didn’t recognize either man and then the third slid out from behind the others.
“Jiri?” I whispered. What was Marc’s brother doing with these thieves?
The leader glanced at the youngest Sýkora brother. “You know her?”
“A little, Urek,” Jiri said.
“A little?”
“She’s Václav Novák’s daughter.”
The man with bright ginger hair chimed in. “We should feel honored. The soon-to-be Duchess of Prucha has graced us with her presence.”
The leader—Urek—whistled. The sound cut through the empty hallway. “What an interesting development we have here. Grab her.”
A flicker of conflict flashed across Jiri’s face, but only for a moment. I didn’t stay to watch Marc’s brother’s inner struggle. I spun around and ran, but there were three of them and only one of me and I still wore the ridiculously heavy green gown. You couldn’t really run for your life in bundles of silk.
Several arms snatched me by the waist and lifted me from the ground. They tied my hands with rope and gagged my mouth. I kicked and fought, but my struggle was pointless. I couldn’t break free. I couldn’t fight three men.
Urek tossed me over his shoulder like a rag doll and the men raced down the empty corridor, dragging the crown jewels and me out of the castle with them.
Chapter Seven
My hands were bound, but my feet weren’t, so I kicked and twisted, but Urek’s grip on me was too strong. Where were the king’s guards? The real guards? Why wasn’t the castle on high alert if the crown jewels had been stolen? It didn’t make any sense. How could these men have stolen such a prized treasure without anyone knowing?
“Watch your head.” Urek rounded a corner.
I ducked and barely missed banging my temple against the wall. My hands were tied and my mouth was gagged, but it didn’t stop me from glaring at Jiri and the other man.
Jiri avoided looking at me, choosing instead to focus on the ground. I memorized the details of the third man’s face; he, like Urek, wore the guard’s uniform. He had bright ginger-colored hair and freckles across his nose and cheeks. He would be easy to identify. I knew what Jiri looked like and I couldn’t forget Urek’s scarred face with his greasy black hair, but I wanted to be able to identify all of them when they were caught, because I was confident they would be caught.
Urek carried me outside. Not far away, lanterns lined a pathway leading from the front gate all the way to the palace entrance, where the orchestra’s music could still be heard from the ball. Guests wandered down the path, oblivious to the theft and my kidnapping. How could they not know what had happened?
Then it dawned on me.
Urek and Ginger wore the uniform of the king’s royal guard—the same uniform the guards who escorted the jewels into the ballroom had worn. I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it, but it was staring me right in the face.
The theft wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a calculated and extremely well-executed heist. Jiri was obviously an integral part of this plan, and the invitation I’d given to Marc was used to gain entry into the castle. Was Marc involved in this theft, too? Did he know what was going on? My stomach tightened to the point where I almost became sick. Had Marc used me to get to the king’s jewels? Why?
“We can’t ride out like we planned,” Ginger said to Urek. “Not with her.”
“We have no choice. There’s no other way out unless we climb the walls,” Urek said. “That’s not an option, because our horses are in here.”
“We can make a run for it,” Jiri said.
“No, I want to do this quietly. If we calmly walk out of the gate, no one will notice us,” Urek said. “I’ll untie the girl and we’ll walk out of here like we’re guests leaving the party.”
Urek placed me on the ground and untied my hands. “Listen to me, girl. If you so much as make a peep, I’ll slit your throat. Your life means nothing to me. Do you understand?”
I nodded.
“Kristoff, give her your cloak,” Urek said. “I don’t want anyone recognizing her.”
The gingered-haired man—Kristoff—placed his itchy cloak around my shoulders and over my head. The tough fabric smelled like hay and feces. I breathed through my mouth and calculated my next move. If they succeeded in sneaking me outside the castle walls, I was dead. These three men, Jiri Sýkora included, were dangerous.
Kristoff pulled the gag from my mouth.
I couldn’t help myself—I was too angry. I turned on Jiri. “This was the plan? Use my kindness to get inside the castle?”
Jiri dropped his eyes.
“What’s she yapping about?” Urek asked Jiri.
“I don’t know. She’s crazy.”
“Shut it, Blue Eyes,” Urek said. “Kristoff, take her on your horse. I have to hide the chest on mine. Jiri, get the horses ready.”
Jiri disappeared into the darkness.
Kristoff’s fingernails dug into my arm. “Let’s go, lady. Don’t make a scene.”
We walked down the grassy slope toward the stables. Jiri waited near the last stall. “We’re going to make it.”
“Of course we are.” Urek mounted his horse. “Did you ever doubt it?”
“No, sir.”
/> Kristoff shoved me on top of a gray stallion and slid on behind me. His hands went to my hips. “You smell nice.”
I slapped his hand. “Don’t touch me!”
He ignored me.
We trotted up the gravel path to where it connected with the main road. About thirty people milled in and out of the main castle. Ten guards were posted on watch—five at the ballroom entrance and another five at the black wrought-iron front gate. In between the ballroom and the gate was a long cobblestone path lined with lanterns.
Urek led his horse toward the gate. Kristoff and I were behind him. The cloak hung down over my face. Would anybody recognize me? Would one of the guards identify me?
“Keep your head down,” Kristoff said softly. “I know what you’re thinking and it won’t work.”
“You should let me go before it’s too late,” I whispered. “You’re going to regret this. They’ll catch you. I guarantee it. You can still walk away.”
“Keep your mouth closed and your pretty little head down,” he said. “Trust me, you don’t want to cross Urek.”
We were almost to the gate. My opportunity to escape slipped away with each clop of the horses’ hooves. I willed the passing guests to look at me, but they were too intoxicated to notice anything.
Crowds of peasants gathered outside the castle’s gates, probably trying to get inside to share in the abundance of food. Five guards lined the entrance and created a protective bubble to keep the peasants out.
Urek reached the gate.
It was now or never.
I rocked forward, gaining momentum, and slammed the back of my head into Kristoff’s nose. He shouted in pain. His hands shot to his face, releasing their hold on me. I slid from the horse, gathered my skirts in my arms, and raced toward the castle.
“Help me!” I screamed. “They have the king’s jewels!”
I sprinted toward the castle. Jiri froze on his horse. I dashed past him and shouted again, waving my hands in the air.
The guards at the gate moved toward me.
“Get her!” Urek’s voice boomed in my ears.
“Help! It’s Ludmila! Please help me! Get the duke!”
It was enough.
The guards scrambled into action. Shouts rose from inside the castle. The guests moved aside, aghast at their front-row seat to my kidnapping. The court was going to love this story.
“Help!” I raced to the guards running at me—
A powerful weight slammed into my spine and shoved me violently to the cobblestones. As soon as I hit the stones, I was flipped to my back. Urek stood over me with one foot on each side of my hips. He crouched and, without a word of warning, struck me in the face with his closed fist.
White-hot pain seared across the left side of my face, over my cheek and eye socket. Urek yanked me from the ground, but my bones had liquefied with the blow. I slumped into a heap.
He cursed, then flung me over his shoulder and threw me onto his horse. My vision distorted as pain scorched through my skull and into my brain. A throbbing ache filled the space behind my eyes.
I lay on my stomach across the horse and over Urek’s lap. We galloped down the path and out through the front gate. A momentary struggle registered in my peripheral vision as Urek and his men fought through the line of surprised guards. My head whipped from side to side as the horse bolted down the steep road toward the bridge.
My vision went from distorted to fuzzy as shapes and objects blurred into one. Somehow, through my muddled vision and the rapidly changing scenery, I saw a skinny old peasant hobbling over the stone bridge. She was headed toward the castle with an empty wooden bowl clutched in her gnarled hands.
She’s starving.
Despite being in the midst of a kidnapping, I couldn’t help but remember the extravagant amount of food being served in the ballroom. The poor, starving woman would most certainly be turned away at the gate.
My last thought before I passed out was: These people are starving and we were eating cake . . .
“Did you kill her?”
“Nah, she’s still breathing,” Urek said gruffly. “I should’ve slit her throat and let her royal blood drain out in front of the castle. That would’ve been a statement to old Rudolf.”
The voices were clear, but I hadn’t opened my eyes. I was afraid to see where we were. The horses’ gallops had slowed to a trot so it was safe to assume the king’s guards were no longer pursuing us. I grew aware that we were somewhere in Kivoklát Forest, mostly likely very far from the castle.
How long had I been unconscious? I remained in the same position—on my stomach, awkwardly in front of Urek as he rode. The pungent horse smell was exacerbated by the scratchiness of the animal’s hair rubbing against my face.
What a night.
And I had assumed getting engaged to Radek was the worst thing that could possibly happen. Now I was in the middle of nowhere with three strange men who wouldn’t think twice about killing me.
I opened one eye. It was still dark out, which meant I hadn’t been out for too long—maybe an hour or two at the most. I had alerted the guards to my kidnapping, so word must be out about the jewel theft. Rudolf would send men to look for the treasure and me. Radek was probably already searching for me. It was reassuring to know he wouldn’t stop looking until he found me. I knew that with absolute certainty. Regardless of how much he actually loved me—and a part of me was convinced he genuinely did––Radek’s vanity wouldn’t allow someone to steal something from him and get away with it. Especially his soon-to-be bride.
No, Radek would find me. I only had to stay alive long enough to be found.
“Let the horses drink for a minute,” Urek said. “Then we’ll ride until the sun comes up. It’ll take the castle time to mobilize.” He yanked me by the hair and a sharp pain exploded over the back of my head. “Wake up, Blue Eyes.”
My scalp burned as he pulled me up by my hair. He shoved me off the horse. I tumbled to the grass and landed on my shoulder.
“Tie her up and gag her. I don’t want to hear her whining.”
Kristoff collected me from the ground and wrapped the rope around my wrists. A bright red mark claimed the area between his eyes. The bruise gave me a smug sense of satisfaction—at least I did a little bit of damage, however bad my escape attempt had been. Kristoff shoved a dirty rag in my mouth and gagged me.
“Stop fighting.” Kristoff snatched my arm and led me to his horse. “It’s only going to get you killed.”
Urek pointed his knife at Kristoff. “Don’t lose her again or it’s your ass.”
Kristoff shoved me onto his horse and we took off through the forest. The men stayed off the main road and opted for riding between the crowded trees. The sky gradually lightened. I didn’t recognize any landmarks, but why would I? I’d passed out before we left Prague and I didn’t know in which direction we were headed. North? South?
“I think you broke my nose.” Kristoff stroked his injured face.
I mumbled a response behind the dirty rag.
He sighed and pulled the gag down. “What was that?”
“I said, what do you expect? You kidnapped me from my home.”
“Taking you wasn’t part of the plan. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s not my fault.”
“Lucky me.”
“You are lucky. If you weren’t who you are, Urek would’ve killed you without batting an eye.”
I didn’t doubt it. I’d have to use my status in the royal hierarchy to my advantage. I had no choice. Kristoff pulled on the horse’s reins as we entered a crowded line of trees. I noticed a single piece of black thread tied around his wrist—just like the one Marc wore.
“What’s that?” I pointed to the bracelet.
“What? Oh, that? It’s a way for us rebels to identify each other without the Crown knowing.”
I blanched. “It’s a symbol for the rebellion?”
“Yep.”
Marc had lied. He’d lied to my face
. He was a Protestant rebel.
The sun was high overhead before Urek decided to stop. The crowded trees opened into a large meadow. The grass, littered with white and yellow wildflowers, grew taller than my knees. Kristoff tied me to his horse and I stood bound to the stallion while the men drank down at the creek. My throat constricted when I thought about water, but I didn’t ask for anything. My plan was to stay as invisible as possible.
Urek was the main threat. I’d been with the men for only a short time, but it was obvious he was the leader. I possibly had two quasi allies in Jiri and Kristoff. I wasn’t foolish enough to think they wouldn’t kill me on Urek’s orders, but both men had shown me small amounts of compassion, Kristoff more than Jiri. Marc’s younger brother treated me like I was invisible. Was that guilt? Or indifference?
We were in the open meadow without the thick canopy of leaves to provide protection from the sweltering sunrays battering my pale skin. I was trying to determine if it would be wise to sit on the ground so close to the horse’s legs when I heard someone approach. I twisted around, expecting to see the king’s army, but a lone man rode to the edge of the forest.
Urek, Kristoff, and Jiri darted from the creek with their weapons drawn.
The rider paused at the edge of the meadow. His face was hidden in the trees’ shadows. Was it a scout for the army? Would he run back and report our location? Would I be rescued soon?
The chestnut stallion edged into the sunlight.
Jiri stopped an advancing Urek with a wave of his hands. “Wait! I know him! It’s my brother!”
Nausea sloshed through my stomach.
“What in the hell is your brother doing here, Jiri?” Urek jabbed a knife in the air toward Marc. “How’d he know where to find us? Did you know he was following us?”
“I left him a note,” Jiri said. “Don’t worry. He’s good. Trust me.”
“You left him a note?” Urek ran his hand over his slicked-back hair, pushing the loose strands from his forehead.