To Save a Prince
Iwatched as fifty men followed Richard into the woods, leaving most behind to protect their Lost King. With only two of us and a dragon, it didn’t seem like great odds, but Tahir could breathe fire, which evened things out considerably.
Jade was going to cause a distraction while I snuck in to see if Gavin was being held in either of the two smaller tents. It was risky, seeing as I didn’t have two sound legs, but we had to make the best with what we had.
Tahir’s roar sounded in the woods, and the sky lit up orange as he let out a burst of fire over the camp.
The men leaped to their feet and scattered, trying to avoid becoming a human torch.
Tahir made two more passes before he swooped down, grabbed two men in his clawed feet, and flew back up to the sky.
Jade wasn’t riding along on this attack—he must be hiding somewhere in the woods.
I had to trust he would manage on his own while I did my part.
During the confusion, I slipped around the camp, getting as close as possible to the first of the smaller tents. They’d been pitched toward the middle of the camp so it would be easy to spot someone trying to sneak in or out of them.
Dashing forward, I kept low and was thankful the morning light was still low in the sky, the trees casting shadows.
Reaching the tent, I didn’t have time to check it before I dove into the open doorway and out of sight.
It was filled with crates and barrels I could only guess would be filled with supplies.
I couldn’t see any sign of anyone having been kept in here, so I needed to move on to the next.
Just as I was going to slip out, I gazed at the bounty before me. This would be enough to keep these men fed and fit for weeks. Taking out their supplies along the way would definitely slow them down.
I thought about trying to get Tahir to set it ablaze, but I didn’t want it to seem like this was a strategic attack. They had no idea who we were or if the dragon was running amuck on his own.
Peeking out of the tent, I saw a fire right in front with a cooking cauldron over the top of it.
Zipping out, I grabbed a few logs that seemed to have just been put on the fire and hadn’t caught all the way.
Tossing them into the middle of the tent, the fire quickly took to the dry kindling of the crates.
What I’d forgotten to take into account, though, was that there were barrels of spirits in the tent as well.
The explosion sent me flying across the camp, landing me right in front of the so-called King’s tent.
It took a few moments before I could gain control of all my senses after the impact.
My hearing was muffled and my eyes blurry while my body seemed to move in slow motion.
I rolled onto my hands and knees and headed in the direction I thought the other small tent was in.
“What do we have here?”
Before I could react, a heavy object slammed into the middle of my back, immobilizing me against the ground. Looking over my shoulder, I found someone’s heavy, booted foot keeping me in place.
“Well, if it isn’t the Queen of the Mercenaries,” Lord Everett sneered, his lip curling strangely from the scar he got from Vasin during our last encounter. “I must admit, your kind does have a knack for being hard to kill, but like any bug, a firm heel can crush it.”
This time, though, I wasn’t the same helpless girl he knew.
Twisting, I punched the back of his knee, causing his leg to give out and send him pitching forward, giving me enough of a chance to wiggle out from under his foot.
Rolling away from him, I scrambled to my feet, drawing my knife from my boot, and crouched, ready for his next move.
“It seems the time you’ve spent lost in the mountains has taught you a thing or two. Now I won’t feel so bad killing you.”
“Like that stopped you from killing those innocent people in the city. I’ll bet most of those people weren’t even part of the clans,” I spat.
Lord Everett tossed back his head and laughed, sending a chill down my spine.
“You got me there. I slept even better that night, knowing no one felt safe from me. It was quite the rush.” As if a switch had been flipped, the jovial mood he had been in changed to a hard, cold expression.
“Now you’ll learn firsthand how they felt. ”
Lord Everett drew his sword and advanced on me. He was big and powerful, but he didn’t have the skill Abbott had. Lord Everett was all about brute force and the power behind his movements, which made it easier to identify his tells.
I ducked under his slash and dove forward into his space—it’d be harder for him to hit me with his sword with me so close.
I whipped my knife across his chest, angling down toward the tender flesh of his stomach.
He hissed in pain as he brought the butt of his sword up and slammed it down on my shoulder.
The force of his blow knocked me to the side, but I managed to fall in a defensive crouch, barely blocking his next attack.
A knife was not created to take hits from a sword, especially one wielded by such a strong hand.
Twisting my knife, I unlocked myself and spun to the left, ending up behind him, back to back.
After taking a moment to steady my footing, I kicked back at his knee again, making him stumble to the ground, then slammed the hilt of my dagger into the back of his head, knocking him out.
I looked down at the man crumpled at my feet and knew I should kill him.
If I let him live, then I was just giving him another chance to kill me later.
I flipped my hold on my knife and grabbed his hair, lifting his head to give me access to his neck.
Just when I was about to strike, I felt someone watching me.
I looked up to be caught in the gaze of the so-called Lost King.
His blue eyes were alight with excitement as if he thought watching me kill this man was some form of entertainment. I paused, trapped in his gaze and the energy pulsing from him.
“Do it,” he whispered. “He was weak enough to allow you the opportunity, so take it. Get your revenge because you won’t have another chance, Dragon Queen.”
His words brought forth a need to do as he asked, a desire to give him what he wanted.
I needed to do as he said. I was happy to kill this man for him.
It would make him so happy to get rid of this useless man who could be bested by a mere woman like myself.
My Lost King should never have to suffer a man like this in his army.
No, I would protect my king and stand by his side.
I could feel my hands moving, but I never let my gaze waver from the man in front of me. I would prove how loyal and valuable I was to him.
“CASS, don’t listen to him!”
“Vasin?”
Hearing his voice in my head made me blink, cutting off my connection with Henry.
Shaking my head, I looked down and saw that my knife was already slicing into Lord Everett’s neck.
Not very deep but enough to make him bleed.
I tossed him away from me and backed away, panting, panic coursing through my body at what I’d almost done at this strange man’s bidding.
I looked up and found Henry giving me a toothy grin. He knew how close I had come to succumbing to his will. He tried to catch me with his eyes again, but I did the first thing that came to mind—I threw my dagger at him, catching him in the shoulder.
He roared out in pain, his face contorting into something only a nightmare could conjure. “You little bitch, I gave you a chance to join me and spare your life. You won’t be given that chance again.”
Pulling the power of my Birthright forward, I gripped my bow and arrow, aiming it directly at his heart. “I won’t need a second chance if I kill you first.”
Effortlessly, I released my arrow, and it flew true from my bow, but another soldier jumped in front of it, taking it in the heart. More men converged around Henry like a human shield as he fled into the forest. Letting my bow dissolve, I turned back to the task at hand.
If we didn’t save Gavin now, he would be lost forever.
Running over to the third tent, I tossed back the fabric of the entrance and found two guards’ swords pointed at the crown prince, who was gagged and tied to the pole in the center of the tent.
Gavin looked up at me with surprise and hope in his deep blue eyes.
I could see the family resemblance between him and Henry, but Gavin didn’t have the cruelty in his eyes that Henry did.
The guards seemed stunned by my appearance, causing them to freeze and gape.
“Cass, I am almost there. Hold on a little longer.”
“There is a red dragon, Tahir, and his rider, Jade, with me. They are friends of the clan, so don't hurt them. I need to free the crown prince before we can leave.”
“I understand. What do you need me to do?”
“Mind having an extra rider? Once I get Gavin free, we’ll need to get out of here fast.”
“Of course. I will land as close as I can to you.”
“Who are you?” the guard on the right asked.
“The Lost King sent me for the prisoner. I am to take him to the second location in Errit to keep him out of the hands of our attackers,” I lied, making the plan up as I went.
The guard on the left frowned at me, changing his position to point his sword at me. “Bullshit. There ain’t no way that’s true.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Worth a try.”
Not giving them a chance to think about what I’d just said, I lunged at the guard on the right, whose sword was still on Gavin.
Sliding in close, I stood right up inside the circle of his arms and used my hand to hit the nerves in his wrist, causing him to drop his sword.
I snatched the sword as it fell and whirled around, slicing through his throat.
His warm blood sprayed everywhere, hitting me in the face and stinging as it got into my eyes. As quickly as I could, I wiped my face with my sleeve and switched the sword into my dominant hand.