“It won’t be your kingdom much longer,” he said snidely. “Bring them inside.”
Someone roughly yanked her arms back and confiscated the knife in her sleeve. A solider punched Odar in the stomach. He hunched forward, gasping in pain. The soldiers shoved them into the cavern, many making rude remarks about having a prince and princess on their hands. She ignored their brusque comments and observed the area, looking for weapons and possible escape routes. One section had hundreds of swords, bows, arrows, and spears. Cartons of food were piled high in another area. Along the right side were at least twenty wooden boats. There were no signs of her soldiers anywhere.
In the middle of the cavern, the Russek men formed a loose circle around her and Odar. Most of the men were twice as wide and at least two heads taller than her. “A squad of my best men are on their way,” she said, trying to sound commanding instead of like a frightened child. “Unhand me. If you let us go, my men won’t kill you.”
The man who appeared to be in charge crooned, “By a squad of your best men, do you mean the six soldiers who showed up here a couple of days ago?”
Dread coursed through her. Russek soldiers were brutal, vicious men. She recalled three of Neco’s best spies returning to court bloodied and bruised. They told how their squad had been ambushed, twenty-one of the twenty-four captured, mutilated, and eventually killed. Bile rose in the back of her throat. “Where are my men?”
Odar’s eyes darkened with barely suppressed fury. He wanted to fight back. However, he knew as well as she did that their best chance of surviving was to rely on their names and positions. They were worth more to Russek alive.
“Put them in the back with her men,” the leader instructed.
Allyssa almost sagged to the ground with relief. Her men were here! With the eight of them working together, they could take on these Russek soldiers. They just needed a solid plan—and those she had in abundance.
One man took hold of her and another grabbed Odar, dragging them to the back where a dark tunnel jutted off the cavern.
“This one’s mighty pretty,” the soldier holding her said. “Maybe we can play with her a bit. I’ve never tasted a princess before.”
Odar growled and threw his head back, smashing the face of the man who held him. Allyssa didn’t hesitate. She stomped on her guard’s foot. His grip loosened, and she kneed him in the groin. When she turned to run, he wrapped a strong arm around her waist. Kicking and punching, she tried to break his hold; however, his arm was solid muscle and he squeezed her so tightly she could barely breathe.
“Feisty little thing, aren’t ya?” He took her farther into the tunnel, away from Odar. She screamed as a new terror sank in.
“What’s going on?” a Russek soldier asked, coming into the tunnel with two additional men behind him. When he saw Odar grappling with one of his men, he ordered the two soldiers to assist in the fight. He approached Allyssa and her guard. “Is she too much for you to handle?” he asked in amusement.
“No, I’ve got her.” He grunted.
“Hurry up and put her in the back cave, untouched, and rejoin me. There’s been a new development.” The guard holding her hauled her away. They came to a small cave lit only by a few torches. He roughly shoved her inside and left.
The eerie lighting illuminated a horrific scene. Dark red blood was splattered through the cave. It coated the floor, walls, and ceiling. In the center of the room, bodies lay piled on top of one another. Allyssa took a step forward and kicked a severed arm. Tattooed on the wrist was the mark many of the older Emperion soldiers bore—the mark of Emperion. These dead men were her soldiers.
She fell to her knees and gagged, her body shaking with horror. If she hadn’t sent her men here, they wouldn’t have met this gruesome fate. One’s eyes had been gouged out, another’s hands chopped off, and one had been beheaded. How could anyone do this? It was inhumane—even during a time of war.
Three men shoved Odar into the room, blood on his lips and a welt forming on his left cheek. “If you step one foot out of this cave, the princess pays the price for your mistake.”
Odar cursed at the men as they left. He dropped to his knees beside her. “Are you hurt?”
She knew he meant physically, not emotionally. “I’m fine.”
He scanned the room, his face turning white. “I’m so sorry. These are your men?” She nodded, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her securely against his chest.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to block out the rancid smell of the room, the oppressive heat, and the incessant buzzing in her ears. Russek would pay for this. Her fingers clasped Odar’s tunic, holding on for strength, support, and to prevent herself from tearing out of this cave and confronting the Russek monsters. If her most-skilled men were no match for these barbaric beasts, then Odar and Allyssa didn’t stand a chance.
“We’ll figure something out,” he whispered in her ear. “I promise.”
Chapter Five
Huddled near the exit to the cave, Allyssa breathed in the fresh air from the tunnel. She tried not to glance at her butchered soldiers. Every time she did, she retched, feeling like she was coated with their blood.
Her focus had to be on escaping. Surely she could outsmart these Russek low-life thugs. Odar paced behind her. He kept running his hands through his hair. It now stood up in every direction, making him look mad. He paused, peered down at her, and then resumed his pacing. They hadn’t spoken to one another. Instead, they remained lost in their own thoughts.
“Someone’s coming,” she murmured, clamoring to her feet. Soldiers’ voices echoed in the tunnel as they neared.
“Don’t show any fear,” he whispered. “They will feed off it.” She didn’t know if it was possible to be afraid when she was so furious.
Three Russek men entered. “Come with us,” one of them said. They all withdrew their swords.
Allyssa glided into the tunnel, Odar and the soldiers close behind. In the main cavern, the rest of the men were clustered together in the center as they listened to someone speak.
“Here they are,” her guard said. The speaker turned around to face them.
Allyssa stared into the eyes of the assassin. Fear like she had never known coursed through her. What was he doing here? He should be tied to a tree, paralyzed. Even if ten hours had passed, which she was certain hadn’t, he could not have hiked here so quickly.
The assassin chuckled. “Surprised to see me?”
“How are you moving about?” she demanded.
The assassin stood tall and poised, a smile on his lips. His arm had been wrapped with a makeshift sling—the only indication he suffered any duress. He must have managed to put his elbow back into alignment.
“Do you actually think I’d be stupid enough to use something I’m not immune to?”
She hadn’t even considered the possibility. He must have spent years building up a tolerance to the paralyzing substance.
“Sire, are these the ones you’re looking for?” the Russek soldier next to her asked.