“Someone has to help the boy.” He was running out of time.
Kerdan kicked her side. Pain exploded in her torso, and she curled into herself, not expecting such a violent outburst from him. “Apologize to the king,” he demanded.
“Apologize? For what?” She rolled over, facing the boy. He had passed out, blood pooling around his still body. “Someone help him!” His skin turned white. He was only a child and had done nothing wrong.
No one moved.
Why wouldn’t anyone help him? A sob escaped her mouth. The prince crouched next to her, a small knife dangling from his gloved fingers. “If I have to repeat myself, you will wish you were that boy.”
She glanced up into Kerdan’s cold eyes and knew he meant what he said. She tilted her head toward the king. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” she wheezed, still trying to catch her breath from the kick. She hated the prince for allowing this to happen, she hated the king for harming the boy, and she hated Russek for existing.
“Son,” the king said. “Is that the princess?”
“It is,” Kerdan replied, standing.
King Drenton laughed, the sound savage in the vast room. “You’re forcing her to serve as a soldier?” He slapped his son’s shoulder in approval.
“I am forcing her to serve all my needs, Father.”
A new fear trickled through her. If word got out that she was holed up with the prince, her reputation would be ruined.
“Well done,” the king said. “Just don’t let your stepmother find out. She would be upset.”
“Queen Jana is not my mother,” Kerdan softly replied. He returned the message to his father.
Allyssa glanced at the boy. His chest no longer rose and fell. The blood turned dark around him. So much death and destruction in this vile kingdom. She staggered to her feet. Bloody hell, that hurts. She wanted to fight back but knew the effort would be futile in a room filled with armed men.
“I need to deal with this,” the king said, folding the paper in half. “Not having access to the river impedes our supply chain.”
River? Supply chain? Allyssa had been right about Russek using the river when they invaded. “What happened to your soldiers at the cave in the Romek Mountains?” she asked, hating to call the men soldiers—they were animals who had slaughtered her men. And one day, Russek would pay.
“How do you know about that?” Drenton demanded.
“Prince Soma took me there,” she said, altering the truth slightly.
“You were at the cave with Soma?”
“Yes. We left when word reached him that a squad of Emperion soldiers were nearby. He was worried they would find and rescue me.”
The king balled the paper and growled. “You.” He pointed at the closest sentry. The man’s face drained of all color. “Come here.” When the sentry neared, the king punched him. “Soma should have stayed and fought.” Drenton punched the sentry again. “His skills could have made the difference.” The sentry fell, and the king turned his attention to his son.
Allyssa fought a smile. Her men must have killed the Russek beasts. Good. They deserved it.
“Instead, Soma chose to bring Princess Allyssa and Prince Odar here.” Kerdan lowered his voice to a whisper and said, “I’ve been telling you, Father, Soma is under the queen’s command. Not yours. Now if you’ll excuse me, there is much to be done to make up for Soma’s errors.” Kerdan grabbed Allyssa’s arm, pulling her away from the king.
Chapter Fifteen
Allyssa stumbled to the middle of a courtyard, the imposing castle surrounding her on all four sides. The sky above boasted beautiful white clouds, a stark contrast to the twelve heavily armed soldiers sitting atop horses, waiting. Kerdan shoved her toward one of two saddled horses, a stable boy holding the reins.
“Get on,” he barked. Then lower, so only she could hear, “You better be able to ride like a man.”
“You’re a bastard,” she mumbled.
Ignoring her, he mounted the large brown gelding. Not having any other feasible options, she climbed onto the mare. Once on the saddle, five soldiers maneuvered their horses around her. Apparently, Kerdan wasn’t taking any chances.
The prince led the group through an archway and around the foreboding castle. When they came to the dreaded narrow bridge, the men began crossing single file. Allyssa leaned down, patting her horse’s neck and silently praying she made it over that blasted bridge without falling to her death. Thankfully, the horse remained steady as it made its way across. Safely on the other side, the soldiers resumed their positions, five surrounding her, Kerdan leading the way east.
The wind picked up, rushing past Allyssa’s face, making her eyes water and her nose run. “How far are we going?” she asked the man on her right. As far as she could see, snow covered the hills and trees. The brightness hurt her eyes, forcing her to squint.
He held up five fingers.
“Five miles?” she asked.
He nodded and then put his finger to his lips, indicating for her to be quiet. She sighed, not wanting to waste time thinking about why they couldn’t speak during their trek to the garrison. These soldiers looked similar to the ones she’d seen throughout the castle. Large, bulky men with black marks painted on their faces. There was a savageness to them that she didn’t understand. As if they thirsted for fighting and blood.
They descended a small hill, coming to the bottom of a ravine. A stream rushed by, the water low, chunks of ice floating in it. Kerdan led them to the other side and onto a narrow dirt road. Allyssa considered herself a decent rider. However, she was in no position to make a break for it given the weather conditions and her lack of appropriate clothing and food. Instead of brooding over her situation, she used the opportunity to study her surroundings and try to memorize as much of it as possible. If she managed to escape one day, she’d have to navigate her way out of this hellish kingdom.
After a while, everything started to look the same, and she lost her sense of direction. Perhaps Kerdan was taking them a roundabout way on purpose. She wouldn’t put it past him. Barmy. The road wound its way up a low hill and to a seemingly empty valley. As they trudged along, the garrison suddenly appeared before them. She hadn’t noticed it at first because the whitewashed building blended in with the snow. Kerdan pulled his horse to a halt, everyone following suit.
Two stable boys ran out and took the reins to Kerdan and Allyssa’s horses. She dismounted and surveyed the area. There were two buildings close together—one presumably the garrison and the other one the stables. Several soldiers, dressed in white fur capes, patrolled the area.
A hand slid around her arm, startling her. “Remain at my side,” Kerdan said, pulling her along.
“Don’t touch me.” She yanked her arm free, tired of being led around like a dog, sick of the brutal violence, and unable to forgive the prince for not helping the boy earlier.