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Soft knickers greeted me as I cracked open the barn door and slipped in. I breathed in the clean smell of hay and barley. A couple horse heads poked over their stall doors to see who entered. I debated finding a friendly horse who wouldn’t mind sharing body heat before deciding against it. Best to not risk a hoof through the skull during the night.
As I was getting settled for the night in a pile of straw I found in an empty stall, I heard the barn door creak open, and a couple footsteps enter. I stiffened and strained my ears, hoping they weren’t coming for me. After a moment more, I heard the clink of coins, and the low murmur of men’s voices.
“Did you see where that red cloaked woman ran off to after she left the alleyway?” A gravelly voice asked.
“No sir, it looked like she went towards the north side o’ the forest.” A young voice answered, probably a stable hand.
“Good. I hope she stays there long enough for him to find her.”
I stilled, the hair on the nap of my neck standing on end, suddenly very glad I impulsively left the village before doubling back, just in case. Obviously, someone was watching me, which would explain my lack of success this evening. I gritted my teeth in frustration before the second half of what the gravelly voice said sunk in. Who is “him”?” I began to go over everything I’d seen in this tiny, but oddly prosperous village, and a growing suspicion began to take root. It seemed King Graeme. had far fewer loyal subjects than he realized.
“Hurry up, boy! I haven’t got all night!” The gravelly voice chastised. “I got several hours to ride.”
The sounds of a horse being saddled softly floated through the barn. I stayed as still as a startled deer, barely daring to breathe. I hoped to overhear more, but neither man spoke again until the horse was saddled.
“Good lad, now go and tell your mother you’ve been a hero this night.” The gravelly voice spoke once more followed swiftly by the sound of hooves clopping out into the night.
I debated leaving, but my body was exhausted, and I wouldn’t be much good to Will if I didn’t rest. I’d sleep for a few hours then continue on. I had a fairly good idea where I might find the Bruralians, and I only hoped it wouldn’t take me too long to get there. This town had been a pleasant surprise to stumble upon but travelers were noticed, and I couldn’t afford to be spotted by anyone.
The next morning, I found myself back in the trees before the sun came up. I was excited to find some edible berries along my way and gobbled them down.
As the sun began to grace the sky with brilliant hues of color, I began to see signs of soldiers nearby. Growing increasingly cautious, I drew closer. Hearing sounds of a camp and the soft knicker of horses I scouted around, searching for any sign of prisoners from my vantage point in the trees.
Checking the direction of the wind, I carefully approached as the wind carried my scent away from the tents. I switched out my cloaks, pulling the soft fur around me and grimacing at its softness. I still wasn’t comfortable wearing it, but right now it was necessary.
I hopped to a thick branch thankful for my soft soled boots that help mask the sound of my scurrying in the trees. Hopefully no one would look up or smell me. I was a squirrel, nothing more.
My observations showed me that it was definitely the Bruralians. I mentally gave myself a pat on the back for finding them. I could see the low-ranking soldiers were positioned on the outskirts surrounding the larger tents. It would make it harder to sneak by unnoticed. That is, unless they were overly ambitious. I pushed the negative thought out of my head, knowing it wouldn’t help, and continued studying the layout.
It looked like the supplies and cooks were in the very middle, as I could see several men stirring the contents of their large pots over the fire as men began lining up. I continued searching, hoping to catch a glimpse of what I sought, and settled in on a branch, attempting to get as comfortable as I could while I watched. I needed as much information as possible before I made my move.
A few hours and a stiff bum later, I had a plan. I'd narrowed down the places I thought Will might be to one of three tents. I hoped to sneak in after lunch. The Bruralians didn’t seem to be leaving any time soon, which meant that hopefully some would be relaxed enough to lower their guards. At least I hoped. I would have to search all three tents, and pray Will was in at least one of them. I didn’t even want to consider the possibility of him injured.
Just as I was preparing to lower myself from my perch, movement caught my eye from the direction of the furthest of the three tents, and my breath caught in my throat. A lanky body that could very well be Will’s emerged with a canvas bag over his head. My pulse began to pound, and I fought to stay still. I watched with hungry eyes as the boy jerked his arm away from the soldier leading him, and I could feel my eyes narrowing. I felt the need to rush to his side but I took a deep breath and watched as he was led to some bushes on the outskirts on the northeast side of me. I realized he was being taken out for privy. Even knowing I wouldn’t make it to him in time, I was tempted to dash to him. But I stuck to my newly hatched plan.
A couple minutes later he was led back to the tent, and I memorized the path to his tent, and scouted for a couple alternate routes, just in case. Satisfied that I was as ready as I could be, I crawled down the tree and began to head to where the guards were most lax. I pushed through the last bush and took a deep breath. One more step, and it would be too late to turn back.
I lifted my foot just as a rough hand wrapped around my mouth. I swung out my arm to punch whoever was behind me when another arm wrapped around my waist, trapping my arms by my side. Furious at being caught, I debated screaming. Before I could, the rough stubble of a beard scraped my cheek as I heard a harsh whisper by my ear, “Quiet! Or the guards will hear you.”
The scent of cedar and earth mixed with a unique scent that could only belong to one man entered my nose. Eyes widening with recognition I snarled ready to bite my way free. He quickly pulled me against his firm chest and walked us backwards. I half wanted the guards to catch us, but I knew they would most likely hand me over to Captain Rekker and I wouldn’t have a chance of rescuing Will.
Dammit, Einri! I was so close!
Ilet my body be dragged backward away from the quarry I’d hunted for the past day with little food or water. Frustrated tears gathered in my eyes, but I blinked them away replacing the emotion with another one.
Fury.
“Just wait until we get somewhere where we can talk.” Einri’s husky voice whispered in my ear.
I fought against the shiver that made its way down my spine reminding myself that I hated him. He was a deserter, a betrayer, a thief; a would be King without a kingdom or a country. He was undermining everything my kingdom had fought for in this war working with his countrymen to bring down mine from within. It made me sick.
I didn’t fight as Einri dragged me deeper into the trees. He didn’t slow until the trees grew closer together and the thick underbrush obscured our footsteps.
When we finally stopped, I’d worked out a plan. I couldn’t save Will with him on my tail. He could blow my entire mission. Fortunately, he hadn’t thus far but that could change in an instant. I couldn’t allow him to follow me which left only one option. I had to kill him.
“Arrow, thank the Maiden you're safe.” Tuck spoke from the shadow of a tree before stepping out into the waning afternoon light.
I could only nod since Einri’s hand was still over my mouth stopping any speech. Tuck shot him a look and after a lengthy pause Einri growled, then released me.
