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Not in the mood to play games, I yanked my dagger from its holder and grabbed him by the bangs of his hair before shoving him back-first against the wall of the keep and pinning him there.
Placing my blade against his throat, I moved my face right up alongside his and said, “Where’s the baby?”
The idiot only spit on me again, right in my face this time, so I shook my head and sliced his throat open.
“Wrong answer.”
As he slid to the ground, dead, I turned to the next man and meaningfully wiped his friend’s blood off my dagger onto the leg of my trousers, then shrugged his spit off my cheek with my shoulder.
When he met my gaze, his eyes widened. He tried to back away, shaking his head, but the soldier holding him wouldn’t let him budge.
I reached for him.
“It’s in the forest, in the forest!” he babbled, trembling uncontrollably. “Still alive. We didn’t kill the kid. It’s okay, I swear. We just wanted to use it as leverage to get your attention.”
“Well, now you have my attention,” I said, pressing the blade to his throat. “Where in the forest?”
“Th-that way.” The Far Shore coward pointed, his finger unable to remain steady. “I’ll take you. I’ll take you right to it.”
“Yes, you will,” I murmured softly. “And if there’s a trap, if anyone attacks us, or if a single scratch is found on that child… I will personally make you hurt—a lot—before you die.”
The fool’s head bobbed up and down. “Okay. Okay.”
Letting go of him, I stepped back and stowed my dagger before turning to face the rest of the group. “This fellow’s agreed to show us where Anniston is.”
They merely stared at me.
Finally, Allera gave a low whistle and shook her head. “Damn, Urban.”
My jaw hardened as rage overwhelmed me. “They made Vienne cry.”
“Reason enough,” Brentley said slowly. Then he clapped his hands together. “Alright, then. Let’s go get our little girl back.”
We followed the lead of the bound man, taking another dozen soldiers with us, in case it was a trap. It took nearly twenty minutes of walking time to reach the spot where they were keeping her, each minute making my gut burn hotter because I could feel Vienne’s agony through my mark, increasing with each step. Add that on to the fact that I couldn’t bear to see that sweet little baby I’d held once in any distress, and I wanted to murder pretty much any enemy who crossed my path.
I heard her cries before she even came into view. Throwing caution to the wind, I sprinted forward, headlong, ignoring Brentley and Allera who yelled after me, warning me to be careful.
All I could focus on was Anniston’s angry wail. It bothered me to hear such a sound; it’d rip Vienne apart if she’d heard it. I had to make it stop, had to make the babe happy again.
Two more men were with her, sitting around a campfire they were attempting to light. Neither held her, just let her cry on the ground on top of a pile of blankets. They hadn’t even swaddled her. Her bare legs looked almost purple from the chill as she kicked violently.
“God…damn you,” I muttered, charging them.
They wouldn’t have heard me coming over the wails of the baby, but the prisoner who’d led us here called out a warning, causing his friends to lurch to their feet and whirl toward me. I beheaded one and diced open the other’s chest before either of them could react. Then I was dropping my sword and falling to my knees beside the wailing infant so I could tug her into my arms.
“It’s okay,” I murmured softly. “It’s okay now. We’ll get you back to your momma right away, mistress. Warm and safe. She misses you just as much as you miss her.”
Holding her out, I checked her over for bruises and scrapes before tugging her back against the warmth of my body and bouncing her soothingly. Her nappy was soiled through, but I didn’t even mind, I was so relieved to find her alive and well.
Lifting her higher, I kissed her temple and closed my eyes. She settled some as she burrowed into me, but the babe was still clearly agitated and wanted to go home.
“Is she okay?” Soren asked from behind me, his voice almost hesitant.
I turned to him. He was her father; I knew I should probably hand her over to his care, but I couldn’t seem to relinquish her just yet. “Yes,” I rasped, pressing my cheek to her brow. “She’ll be okay. She just needs Vienne, I’m sure.”
He nodded, his face ashen and marred with what I could only guess was concern.
Allera stepped forward, opening her arms. “Why don’t you give her to me, Brother? Brentley and I can return her to the castle, while you deal with…things.” She glanced back at the Far Shore soldier on the ground who was still alive with blood seeping from the chest wound I’d given him.
