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“Alrick!” she yelled once more, desperation in her shaking voice. For the first time, I realized that tears were running down Henrike’s cheeks.
Impossible! “Alrick?” I muttered out a painful breath. Did she just say Alrick?
Henrike let out an angry whimper, then quickly pulled me toward the barn. But just when we were halfway there, I felt an arm grabbing me around my waist, nearly lifting me off my feet. I was about to kick and bite when I realized it was Alrick who was lifting me over the muddy ground and into the barn where the horses were located.
“Alrick!” Henrike cried in relief.
He ignored her and lifted me onto Fiona. I could feel her warm body beneath me. “There will be more. We must ride into the woods.”
Quickly, he untied Fiona and handed me the reins. Henrike and Alrick both climbed onto the cart horses, then without another second to waste, rode off into the rain. I didn’t have to give Fiona my heels. She jumped into an instant gallop, thundering after the other two horses.
The rain hit my face like little needles. My whole body ached each time Fiona’s hooves struck the ground. I let go of the reins and held on to her white mane.
“Run, my angel, run,” I mumbled as she raced faster than I’d ever pushed her before. She passed the other two horses with ease and was now leading the way over muddy fields into the woods.
We entered the forest, the endless rows of trees a blur beside us.
We must have only been riding for a few minutes when I heard Alrick shout something from behind. I couldn’t make it out, so I grabbed the reins and brought Fiona to a gentle halt. Slowly, the woods came into focus—dark bushes, black shadows, and the tall, menacing body of the surrounding trees. I was alone. No sign of Henrike or Alrick.
“Sarolf!” I called out, realizing that that wasn’t even his name. Seconds later, I was about to call out again, this time Alrick, when the thought crossed my mind that shouting wasn’t the best thing to do while being chased. I pressed my lips shut, hopeful I’d not already given my position away. But what was I supposed to do? Staying put was just as much a death sentence as searching for the others. At least the sword would be quick. Getting lost in the woods, freezing and starving, would be a horrific way to die.
“Alrick,” I whispered. The surrounding darkness seemed to creep in on me. My mind ran wild. How would I make a fire? Find food? I knew nothing about these things, had lived a life of comforts and luxury. I could sing, dance, and play the pianoforte. But finding myself out here all alone, in some dark woods far from home, I realized how useless I actually was. None of my talents would help me. Even my beauty was worth nothing.
The burning sensation of tears mixed with the dull throbbing pain of the fall. I was terrified and ached everywhere. I missed my father, my mother, Frida, and my warm bed. Would any of them shed a tear for me if I died out here? Could I blame them if they didn’t?
“Mina.” Alrick’s low voice startled me. Quickly, I rubbed my tears away.
“Alrick!” A warm feeling formed in my stomach as his dark silhouette stepped out of a row of bushes. He was without a horse. Did he fall?
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Relief, hope, and something else. I smiled—wanted to throw myself into his arms and start crying all over again when it hit me like a slap in the face.
Alrick.The liar!
I lifted my chin, swallowing all the pain, fear, and sadness.
“Thank the gods,” he said, halting beside Fiona, his wet chest touching my lower leg. “I thought I’d lost you. I couldn’t keep up. By the gods, Fiona is the fastest mare I’ve ever seen. And smart too.” He rubbed her neck. “She must have heard me and turned toward my voice.”
For a moment, I watched how he gently stroked Fiona and whispered something into her ear. That warm tingle in my belly returned. Was he as gentle with women too?
I shook my head, angry at myself. Why would I have such outrageous thoughts, out here, now, and worst of all, about a liar like Alrick?
“You see,” I said in a cold tone, “she was gifted to me by Alrick, son of Heinrich von Wilbrandt. Lord of the mighty mountains of Kulgrat. A place famous for the best horses in the world.”
His arm froze in the middle of another stroke. “I...I will explain. But first, we have to find Henrike.”
I hated to end the interrogation so quickly, but he was right. “She’s not with you?”
“No. I rode my horse as fast as possible to keep up with you. When I turned to look for her, she was gone.”
You chose me over her?almost slipped from my lips, but then I remembered all the money Henrike had mentioned earlier at the inn when Alrick confronted her about the signal. That’s all I was to him. Gold, silver, and, most likely, land.
“Let’s find her,” I said in a flat tone as I rode Fiona forward, using her strong shoulder to push him out of the way. But instead of stumbling backward, he threw an arm around her back and launched himself up behind me. His steel-hard body was flush against my back.
“How dare you! Get down!”
“Please, Mina. There is no time for that.” He took the reins out of my hand. His arms were now surrounding me.
