Chapter 18
1139 Words
18
Rasha pushed Chiza ahead of her through the woods. She ran with her hands in front of her to protect her face from the small branches whipping at her head and face. Under the cover of the trees they were less visible and Rasha dared a glance back. She didn’t see Jak, but he could take care of himself. If Lu made it to the stables, he’d have two beasts with him and would wait up ahead.
“How much further?”
Rasha looked back at the men running toward them. The sky decided at that moment to open, and torrential rain drenched them. The pounding water drowned out Chiza’s startled shriek.
“There, up the tree.”
“What?” Chiza looked from Rasha to the tree and then back again. “You want me to climb up there?”
Rasha wanted to scream herself. Why hadn’t she shown her some basic fighting skills or something? This girl would be useless in a fight and this was worse than a fight. For her own sake, Chiza’s people should have taught her more defense and less dancing.
An arrow whizzed past her head as she covered Chiza.
“Up the tree now. Use those knots.” She boosted the princess up the tree. “Up you go.”
When Chiza was out of reach and out of sight, she called up to her, “I’ll be right back,” the sound of the rain and thunder almost drowning out her voice.
“What?” Chiza called back down to her.
Rasha raised a finger to her lips instead of answering her. She ran from the base of the tree where the princess was hiding and then crouched down behind some brush to wait for her pursuers.
She’d teach them not to come after her in the night with only twenty men. Rasha pulled out Blade and Cutter, testing the grips in each hand. They didn’t slip and slide in the water. Her gloved hands were tight on the hilts. A man on her right didn’t see her until he was on top of her and she forced him down with a sweep of one leg. He fell backwards, and she got on top of his chest and held her sword to his throat.
“Why are you after us?”
He ground his teeth together, refusing to answer. She didn’t see the other man until the first one smiled at her and his eyes flicked above her head and on the right. Balancing on the man under her she kicked out with her right foot and slashed his stomach open. The man under her grunted, and she returned Blade to his throat.
“You were saying?” The man looked less confident now, with water cascading down his face. He sputtered, but she didn’t let up.
“We’ve been paid in full to kidnap the princess.”
“By who, and don’t make me ask you twice.”
“The king of Sidoa.”
Rasha’s blade froze against him. That was the same thing Jak had said.
“Why would the king pay for us to deliver the princess, and for you to kidnap her back from us?”
“A fickle bunch, royals,” the man replied.
She didn’t trust this man any further than she’d trust a slithering stolken, so she hit him with Blade’s hilt and he went to sleep.
Rasha ran back for the princess with a weight in her chest. How many people had the king hired for this job? What had she gotten herself into? The tree was where she’d left it but the princess wasn’t anywhere. She looked down at the ground and found a green leaf lying at a peculiar angle, out of place. Something only a greenie would do. Lu had come for the princess and put her some place safer.
It was a good thing she remembered the map. She ran to catch up with Lu. When she heard the sound of men fighting nearby she ducked behind a tree. She saw Jak, holding off two men. His sword danced through the air slicing and jabbing. She debated about going to help him but she needed to get to Chiza. Jak would be fine. At least, she hoped so.
She raced for their alternate route. Rasha managed to avoid a group heading in the opposite direction when she saw Lu. He and Chiza were each on a beast, waiting for her. Chiza made room for her to get in front and take the reins. As soon as she mounted the animal she urged the animals into a run.
“Now, Lu,” she yelled back at him.
“What about Jak?”
“Now!”
Lu triggered their trap, and a pulse went off behind them, knocking every man off of his feet. Some flew up in the air and landed on their backs. Others were pushed forward and landed on their noses. There was no one left standing, or cable to follow them.
They rode hard for quite some time before they pulled up. Lu stopped next to her and they panted as if they’d been running the miles themselves.
“Have we lost them?”
“No one’s following us.” Lu smiled as he checked the biometric locator. “We’re good.”
“We need to keep going. You lead since you know the way. Thanks to the rain our tracks will be impossible to follow.”
“Chiza?” Lu asked.
She was clinging to Rasha’s back.
“Won’t they ever stop?” Chiza asked, tears streaming down her face.
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep you safe,” Lu reassured her.
“What good is that, if you all die in the process? I don’t think I could live with myself.”
“About that, we have a problem,” Rasha interrupted.
“What?”
“I pulled an attacker aside. He wasn’t an assassin. He said he’d been hired by your father to track you and then deliver you back to him.”
“What? How can that be?”
“It seems your father is not inclined for you to marry the prince and take your newfound gems with you.”
“That can’t be. My father would never dishonor his family in such a way.”
“I want to believe you, but Jak told me the same thing only a few hours before. He’d been hired by the king of Adalu to see you safe if something should happen on the way. Either way, it changes nothing. We’re going to make it to the first kingdom.”
“Agreed,” Lu said as he looked at the princess. “Stop worrying about us. We can handle this.” Lu moved on ahead and Rasha followed without another word.
They continued east on the alternate road and by noon the rain was drying up. They reached the edge of Winaka and Wilds lands by late afternoon. With no food yet and damp from the rain, they all needed to get dry and eat something. Rasha noted that Chiza was quieter than usual. Lu tried several times to engage her in conversation, but she didn’t respond. The shock of everything was getting to her and they’d need to consider making camp soon.
Rasha scanned the base of the southern ridges and didn’t see any caves or places where they could hide for the night. Their best move was to double back. She’d seen a cave several miles behind them that might do, but she’d hoped to find something closer. Before she could decide, she heard the rumbling of more thunder. They would get even more rain tonight. Rasha tried to remember what it felt like to be dry.
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