“Time to go!” Soma called out.
The two soldiers guarding her and Odar shoved them forward. “If we enter Russek, we are entering hell,” Odar murmured. “It will change you, and you will never be the same.” His face hardened as if he had made up his mind about something. Cold fear slithered down her throat, choking her. She had the notion that her horrible situation was about to get worse.
Allyssa moved slowly to the tunnel leading out of the cave.
“Hurry up.” A soldier pushed her forward. She stumbled and caught herself. The tendons in Odar’s arms protruded, but he made no move to help her.
They exited the tunnel. Soma took half the soldiers a few feet away where he quietly spoke to them. When he finished, the men, all heavily armed, pounded on their chests and left.
Soma came over and checked her bindings, ensuring they remained secure, before tying the prince’s wrists together. “Let’s go.”
Two soldiers led the way, then Soma, followed by two additional soldiers, Odar and Allyssa walking side by side, and then the last two soldiers brought up the rear. They remained in this formation as they walked along the narrow dirt path they’d previously traveled on. At the waterfall, instead of descending, they turned and made their way to the other side of the mountain.
The path wound its way down the mountain at a manageable grade. No one spoke, which afforded Allyssa plenty of time to think. How close were her men to catching up? Every time she slowed, the soldier behind her shoved her forward, hurrying her along. Had her men run into the six Russek soldiers who’d parted ways outside the cave? If her men didn’t save her, how would she survive Russek?
At the base of the mountain, a crude fenced-in area with a dozen horses was nestled in the shade of some boulders and tall trees. Soma pointed to three of the horses, and the soldiers immediately saddled them, strapping the bags they’d been carrying to the animals.
“Get them on,” Soma ordered. One of the soldiers roughly grabbed her, sitting her atop a horse. He attached her bound wrists to the saddle.
The assassin approached and withdrew his knife. “This will only hurt a little bit.” He shoved her sleeve up and pricked her arm. A moment later, it went numb from her shoulder down. He did the same to her other arm.
“How do you suggest I stay on the horse without falling off?” she inquired, panic setting in. She couldn’t feel her arms. The situation kept getting worse.
He smiled and then reached down, pushing up the bottom of her pants. He pricked her calves. “Use your core to remain upright. If you lose your balance and fall off the horse, I’m not stopping to help.” He pinched her thigh, but she couldn’t feel it.
Satisfied, he went over to Odar, who was similarly situated atop a horse. Soma pricked Odar’s limbs and then pinched his arm. He didn’t flinch.
“Do you plan on paralyzing us for the remainder of the journey?” she asked. If he did, there would be no chance to escape unless her men caught up to them. Allyssa suddenly found it hard to breathe.
“Yes,” Soma answered, mounting his horse and dismissing his men. “I won’t risk losing the two of you again. And this time, you’ll be lucky if I feed you.” He took hold of the rope attached to her horse and the one attached to Odar’s. The three of them made their way across the valley, leaving the kingdom of Emperion behind and entering Fia.
Chapter Six
After a week of hard riding through the countryside of Fia, Allyssa had lost nearly all hope of escaping or being rescued. They hadn’t seen anyone in days. She was tired of being on the blasted horse. Every night, Soma dumped Odar and her on the ground, not even bothering to untie them while he slept peacefully with the luxury of a bedroll. He faithfully reapplied the paralyzing substance every ten hours. She feared that once it wore off, her muscles wouldn’t work properly. What she wouldn’t give to feel her arms and legs, to be off this horse, and to be back in Emperion.
A thick layer of dark clouds hid the sun, making it impossible to tell the time of day. Her clothes were soaking wet from a light rain that had been falling on and off. She’d never been so miserable.
“Russek is just over this rise,” Soma said, speaking for the first time in days. He carefully removed his arm from the sling and nudged his horse faster to gain momentum for the incline.
The three of them crested the top of the hill, and Allyssa’s breath caught. As far as she could see in both directions, Russek soldiers lined the Fia border, evenly spaced thirty feet apart. In between each soldier, a spike had been impaled into the ground, a decaying head skewered on top of each one. She wanted to dismount, run the other way, and never look back. However, neither her arms nor legs would obey her frantic, screaming mind. She glanced at Odar. His ever-present mask of indifference cracked; his eyes were wide with horror. The words he’d spoken not long ago rang in her ears. If we enter Russek, we are entering hell. It will change you, and you will never be the same.
As they descended the hill, her panic intensified. Once they passed the line of soldiers, she would be doomed. Soma tossed his long, black cape over his shoulders, revealing his tunic embroidered with the Russek royal family’s crest. Not a single soldier broke formation as they approached. She expected to be surrounded by these vicious men and dragged before the king. However, maybe they didn’t know her identity, especially if this was a secret mission sanctioned by Jana and Shelene, not the king.
They reached the line of soldiers. Her mind shrieked at her to run; yet her limbs wouldn’t obey. The man standing only a few feet away on her right didn’t even turn his head as they passed.
And they were officially on Russek soil. A shiver ran through her body. About a mile ahead of them, the lush, green valley butted up against large mountains capped with snow. Hundreds of black tents had been pitched at the bottom of one of the mountains.
“Is this a military base?” Allyssa asked, not remembering this location on her father’s war map.
“One of many,” Soma answered.
When they neared the tents, a squad of heavily armed soldiers dressed in battle gear marched out to greet them.
“Keep your head down,” Odar frantically ordered. “Don’t look defiant, yet do not appear meek. Remain calm and steady, and no matter what, do not lose your temper.”
She nodded, unable to speak as she scanned the tents, searching for the Russek flag flown when a member of the royal family was present. Relief filled her—she didn’t see it anywhere, which meant the king wasn’t there.