Born To Rule

Chapter Thirteen

After a while, I lost the sun to the dense canopy and had no idea which direction the closest sign of civilization would be. The clamor of panic was setting in, and I focused on breathing slow, steady breaths. Focus on what I know.

What did I know? What had I learned from all those years surviving the streets? No, not the streets, the roads. I traveled through forests before. Maybe not as severe as this, but if I could live years like that, I could survive one day here.

A snap in the canopy had me whirling in my seat, squinting against the ever-changing shapes that danced to the breeze far above. But the next snap, louder than the first, sent me urging Eiresh into a run. He hardly needed the command. He burst into a gallop at the slightest squeeze of my legs.

The foliage was a tad thinner up ahead—sparser undergrowth with fewer places for predators to hide. A small mercy.

With no choice but to keep my head down as the forest whipped by, I focused on the sound of Eiresh’s powerful stride eating up the ground. The steady beat of his hooves against the earth, like thunder rolling through our synchronized bodies, gave me something to brace my breath and racing heart against.

Just as I dared to lift my head for a look around, Eiresh dropped. I tucked, prepared to collide with the forest floor, and slammed against a downed tree. Air rushed from my lungs like a billow to a flame as sharp pain lanced through my hip.

Eiresh.

I rolled over, gritting my teeth against the stiff ache in my back, and pushed to stand. I’d be riddled with bruises, but nothing felt broken. Guess the gods hadn’t forsaken me, after all.

A hot hand clamped around my mouth. My assailant pulled me down, and I whirled, blade poised to pierce between those crucial third and fourth ribs. I froze. Alarmingly green eyes below dark sweat-matted hair peered into mine, imploring me to be quiet.

“You,” I seethed. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I scurried back from Balis. Had he been following me this whole time? “Did you hurt Eiresh?”

I didn’t care how accusatory the question sounded. After scrambling to my feet, I spotted the pit he’d fallen into. With a careful eye on the druid, I stepped up to the edge. Eiresh reared, trying to gain purchase on the dirt walls. His frantic whinnying echoed through the forest.

“Get him out,” I demanded.

Balis yanked me by the wrist, pulling me down again. My viscous objection faded when he snapped a finger to his lips. Voices. He guided me into the thicket a few paces back, to higher ground, and I crouched beside him among the brambles. His hand settled against my side and I arched a brow, but his gaze was set ahead.

Out of immediate earshot, we had a clear view of my horse. He calmed, but his ears were pressed tight and he stood still as stone, as if listening too.

A grungy, middle-aged brute stomped through the undergrowth. “Well, look what these sons-a-bitches caught in their pitfall.”

Eiresh bucked his head in defiance.

“What a world of hurt you got yourself in.” The man braced his hands on his knees as he peered over the edge.

His partner joined his side. “Well, fuck me sideways. You know what that is, Harlem?” He scratched the peppered scruff on his neck. “That’s an Arestellian stallion, that is.” He clapped his partner on the shoulder.

“One of them mag-trained beasts?”

“Exactly. Worth a fortune back home.”

Balis cast me a smug smirk from the corner of his eye. My nose wrinkled. Cocky bastard. He tracked me all this way. Worse yet, I didn’t know if I should be angry or thankful.

The taller man straightened, scanning the forest. We crouched further into the brush.

“What you lookin’ for, Roe?”

“Look at the tracks there.” He pointed. “Fresh. This just happened.”

Harlem grunted, unconcerned. “Yeah, what of it?”

“Where’s the rider?” My stomach sank.

Roe’s strides crunched, slow, careful steps closer. The sound paused, and I dared a glance ahead. He knelt beside the place I collided with the tree, canvassing the ground as if inspecting fine artwork. Then his eyes lifted to our thicket and my mouth went dry.

A tracker—and a confident one at that.

Balis’ hand tensed on my side as Roe stepped over the log in our direction. His touch slid away, finding the ax on his hip. I did the same, reaching for my steel. One more step. My eyes glued to the place on his chest where my blade would sink.

Balis shook his head in the smallest motions, a silent ‘no’ on his lips. He settled his hand over mine, but Roe took his last step, crossing that imaginary boundary I made. My grip tightened around my weapon, and I shrugged off his touch, prepared to lace the air with my blade–

Eiresh heaved a deep, furious sound—one I’d never heard a horse make. I stilled, arm half-drawn back, as Roe spun toward the pit. The animal beat at the dirt walls with his hind legs, threatening to cave the ground in around him.

“Good boy,” Balis whispered.

I cut my eyes to him, noting a knowing look in his emerald eyes as if Eiresh had acted accordingly. I couldn’t address it now. The horse thrashed, and his screams of fury and fear dredged up horrible images of my mission with Eurok, churning my stomach. An acrid, bitter taste swelled in my throat. I drew in a deep breath and shook the memory away.

I couldn’t fight the adraknid, but these were men.

And I was done hiding.

I propelled forward, tucking and rolling through the brush. My fingers poised on the hilt as they had a thousand times before. I relished the light metallic ting in my ear as I let the blade go. It flew with the precision of a serpent’s bite. Roe dropped in a heap before he registered I was there.

Startled by the commotion, Harlem jerked my way. I reached across my body, retrieving another throwing knife, when the tubby brute’s attention shifted from me—to the brush behind me. A massive blur of velvet fur and dagger-sharp claws flew from the thicket, landing square on the cowering bastard’s chest.

My night-black feline stalker had caught up to me.

Horror and awe warred within me as I gawked at the cat’s powerful, flawless movements. The beast’s teeth sank into Harlem’s neck with a crunch, breaking his screams in a stifled squelch. Then it raised its massive head, crimson dripping from its maw, and turned its gaze on me.

My panic caught in my throat. Something like pride showed on its features—pride in its kill. The cat stepped off the poor bastard’s chest, and squared itself on me, posture low to the ground, crouching.

I fought my way out of countless bad situations, using wit, flesh, or steel to save myself. None of those would save me here. I was entirely at this creature’s mercy. If Balis hadn’t already emerged, he must be dead.

My fingers wrapped tight around my dagger’s hilt, determined not to go down without a fight. I reached for the second blade at my thigh, but the cat stopped. A quizzical expression narrowed in on my hand, then flicked up to my face as if it understood my intent. With slow, measured steps backward, one after another, I retreated until my body pressed against a tree.

The cat stalked closer with idle calm, the same strange demeanor as when I fled from it earlier. My eyes clenched shut, bracing for the pounce, accepting my end.

Desperate to distract myself from the despair, I scrambled for a fond remembrance, my last thought before death.

Wildflowers sway and rustle in the breeze. Me, my mother, and—no, that memory was just as painful as this beast’s teeth would be on my throat.

The cat’s low grumble had me tucking my chin, lips pulled in a wince. But where I expected claws and shredding flesh, a rush of air snapped at my skin. Tangled up in the gust, my hair whipped at my face. I squinted, peering through the debris and leaves. Silky black fur transformed into familiar, smooth, tawny skin.

My breath snared, and I pressed myself into the tree. Rough bark dug into my spine as the waning funnel drew closer. I snapped my eyes shut again, shielding myself from the whipping torrent.

Then it stopped.

When I peeked, I was met with Balis’ crooked, sly grin.

Wicked amusement enriched his features. “Are you going to stab me with that, princess?” Eyes dropping to the blade I had poised in his direction.

“It’s been you this whole time?”

“Hey, I–”

More voices cut his retort. He hauled me behind another batch of shrubbery. Eight or so men broke through the treeline, all disheveled and panting as if they’d been running. Most likely drawn in by Harlem’s screaming. They sported various states of filth, though each of them had a brand new sword at their side.

We listened as the strangers found the bodies. They took no time concluding the two must have stumbled upon the horse and impeded a predator’s meal.

Eiresh, still agitated but draining fast, bucked his head and snorted at the group encircling him. They were engaged in a heated discussion, debating the best approach to extract him from the pit.

Hunched behind the brush, I couldn’t choke back my questions any longer. “Why didn’t you just tell me it was you?”

“You wouldn’t have let me follow if you knew.” His answer sounded so logical for being so outrageously misguided.

“No shit. What was your first clue?” I did my best to stifle my volume. “When I said I didn’t want you anywhere near me? Or when I pointed my dagger at your heart?”

“Spit venom all you want, princess. I told you I wasn’t that easy to get rid of,” he purred.

A fiery retort danced on my tongue, but I decided better of it when the men rigged a pulley system to haul Eiresh out.

I set my jaw and turned my sharp eyes on him. Moments ago, I felt stupid for turning away his escort. “You can help, but I’m still not going back with you.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

Forcing my gaze from the infuriating druid’s stupid, handsome face, I watched as the men worked. Some pulled at the reins while the others hoisted my horse up. He had the proper sense not to thrash until he had solid ground beneath him.

“What did you mean when you said, good boy?” My persistent irritation laced my question even as I kept my voice low.

“You have no idea how special Arestellian stallions are, do you?”

“He was a gift.”

“From who?”

“Sidelle.”

Balis seemed to consider this for a moment. “They’re raised by the druids of the rider clan.”

My eyes rolled. “So I’ve been told.”

Apparently, it was clear by my expression that I missed the significance of this because he continued, “The rider clan’s primary form of mana is spiritual attunement. They connect with these horses, train them to bond their lives to their rider. An Arestellian will do anything to protect its rider, even sacrifice itself.” He nodded in Eiresh’s direction. “His instinct will always be to protect you.”

They secured him with enough ties to subdue his bucking. A strange, unfamiliar ache tugged in my chest as they led him away.

Calrund no longer mattered.

“Let’s go,” I said, moving to follow.

I expected Balis to advise against it, but he didn’t. Instead, he flashed one of those mischievously wicked smiles fit for the beast form he just shifted from.

“That’s my girl. Lead the way.”

We tracked them as they pulled Eiresh along, their progress stifled by his steadfast resistance. As they struggled to get him under control, we laid low on an overseeing hill.

“Why didn’t you just stalk me as a cat from the very beginning?” The question had picked at me since witnessing his shift from an immense beast into a stunning druid. He’d been so close—his scent, that spiced cinnamon and smooth cedar, lingered in my every breath.

The strangers moved on and we stood to follow.

“Well, to be fair, I didn’t expect you to be this—prickly. Eurok wasn’t exactly forthcoming with his description of you.” His eyes dripped over my body like a spring shower. “In more ways than one.”

I ignored the way my stomach fluttered as he paced ahead. I let him take the lead, navigating a drop in the forest floor where tree roots were torn from the ground. The solid muscle of his tanned arms flexed as he lowered himself from the small ledge, then offered his hand to help me. I took it. The warmth of his skin against mine was staggering.

Ahead, a small creek cut through a ravine, and the group stopped, arguing among themselves about how to best maneuver Eiresh across. We took refuge behind two large trees at the top of the ridge.

“Besides, Eurok didn’t order me here simply to track you down. He brought me here to be your trainer.”

“My what?” My face fell slack, and I didn’t bother to hide the aversion on my face. “Eurok was supposed to train me himself.”

Was I not worth Eurok’s time, so he sent his most charming lackey to train the stupid human? One day with me, and he was ready to hand my training over. The sting of rejection gnawed at me in the pit of my stomach, but I shoved it off. It didn’t matter. I left.

“He planned to work with you whenever he could, but he’s the captain of the druid army,” he said, tone harsh. “He needed someone to cover when he couldn’t be there.”

“So why give you the shit job?”

“Believe me, if Eurok ordered me to train you, he sees something in you.”

Guilt wrenched in my gut, and I snapped my mouth shut as we continued on. The group stopped again when Eiresh seized an opportunity to wrap a few men up in some juvenile trees. The others that made it through unscathed razzed the others, telling them to get their shit together.

I hadn’t missed Balis’ emphasis in his statement. “You make it seem as if you’re entitled to the task.” I pinned the warrior with a stare, intently curious who Eurok sent after me. “Who are you exactly?”

Eiresh’s energy waned again, but it was clear he drained the group of all their stamina, too. They untangled themselves from the bramble and brush, looking like battle-worn men, then moved on as we crept behind.

Beside me, Balis rolled his lips, then dipped in closer to speak low, his voice like supple leather in my ear. “Eurok has devoted a lot of time to my advancement. I guess, like you, he saw something in me. His wish is for me to assume the role of a commander and trainer, similar to his previous position. This was supposed to be a big year—my chance to make that a reality. But I think because of this, it will have to wait.”

Illogical disappointment writhed in the back of my mind—I might’ve enjoyed spending more time with him. I ignored it, forcing my emotions into compliance.

“It looks like I’m doing you a favor by leaving then,” I said.

“Yeah, guess so.”

“So then, why try so hard to stop me? Why are you here?”

“The druid army fights for no king,” he answered without hesitation. “We fight for honor, and much of that comes from who we choose to serve. My loyalty rests with Eurok Dramagan. I trust him, as he does me.”

“Choose?” I cocked my head. “Druids have a choice under whose command they fall?”

Balis nodded. “Most often, we accept whatever assignment given to us, but if we prefer, we can decide for ourselves.”

His devotion to Eurok’s leadership was clear, and I respected that. Though, truthfully, I couldn’t imagine living my life devoted to a cause that wasn’t my own. To what end, I wondered, would he follow Eurok?

Questions crowded my thoughts. How much did the captain tell his most loyal warrior? Did he disclose they believed me to be a reincarnation of Princess Annorah? Did Balis know that just by training me, he’d be working behind the druid council’s back?

“So what about this druid council I keep hearing about? Do they know where you are?”

He huffed a short laugh. “No. Eurok made it very clear that can’t happen.”

“But you said druids seek their honor in who they choose to serve. Where’s the honor in keeping secrets?” I challenged.

“You make the mistake of believing Eurok seeks his honor in serving the council.”

“What else is there? If druids pursue peace for their people, and the council is meant to hold that same standard…” I let the question drift off.

“Can you think of nothing, no one, else he might serve so selflessly?”

All expression fell from my face.

Sidelle.