Chapter 6
Sabine and Markis awoke early. They set out, only having a mile or so to go until they reached the border. Now that they were back on the main road, she could easily see the large, imposing wall directly ahead. It had to have taken an enormous amount of effort and resources to build something of that magnitude.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” Markis said.
Sabine nodded.
“With an army as large as theirs, I’m surprised they bothered with the wall.” Markis shrugged. “At the very least, it keeps unwanted intruders out.”
She’d learned that the previous Lynk kings had prided themselves on having a large army. However, a thought occurred to her. “Are we sure their army is as strong as they claim it to be?” Perhaps the wall was meant to mask an illusion.
“Unfortunately, yes. Every so often they’ll do something to show their power and to remind the other kingdoms that they aren’t to be messed with.”
“Like what?” she asked, wondering if they were simply putting on a show to scare others away.
Markis sighed. “Do you really want to know? It’s pretty brutal, and you are marrying the leader of the Lynk army.”
Until now, Sabine hadn’t thought much about her future husband. It was easier to go through with this stupid plan of hers if she didn’t consider the man she was going to marry. Pure terror filled her. As the leader of such a powerful military, King Rainer had to be rough and commanding—not at all like her father or brothers.
She suddenly felt like a pig being led to her slaughter. “I want to go home.” She pulled on her horse’s reins to turn around. Maybe her sister had killed herself rather than be married to the king of Lynk.
Markis reached out and grabbed hold of the reins, stopping her. “Look at me,” he demanded, his voice strong and steady.
Instead of doing as he said, she looked south, at the road she wanted to be traveling on back to the people she loved. She was the princess of Bakley and Markis her guard. She could order him to escort her home. Unwanted tears filled her eyes, making her feel weak and out of control. She was better than this. Whenever a challenge had presented itself, she’d always run headfirst toward it. She prided herself on being fearless and pushing the boundaries. But this, this she couldn’t do.
“I know the task before you is daunting,” Markis said, his voice calm and reassuring. “But you can do this. I wouldn’t have agreed to accompany you otherwise. Please know that I’m here with you, and I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
“This is the worst idea I’ve ever had.” She shouldn’t have asked to take her sister’s place without fully understanding what she was getting herself into. She’d been so blinded by seeking revenge that she hadn’t stopped to consider what this might do to her.
“I don’t think wanting to protect your kingdom is a bad idea,” he replied. “When you marry King Rainer and fulfill Bakley’s end of the contract, he’ll send soldiers to secure our border which will in turn protect our children. You’re saving countless lives.”
She knew they needed this alliance. “You said the Lynk army is vicious. What if King Rainer is a monster?” Her voice came out like a soft whisper.
Markis released her reins and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know. If he’s that bad, I’ll get you out of there.”
Knowing Markis was going to be with her offered some comfort. She’d seen him in action and trusted his skills to keep her safe. A thought suddenly occurred to her. “What if King Rainer killed my sister?” Her stomach twisted with nausea.
“The king penned letters to Princess Alina before they drew up the marriage contract.”
He’d mentioned that once before. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“I don’t think an evil man would have bothered writing letters to Alina to try to get to know her.”
When he put it that way, she didn’t think so either.
“And his kingdom needs Bakley’s food. If something happens to you, your father isn’t going to send the shipments.”
Now that Markis was stating the facts and forcing her to think clearly, she was beginning to calm down and see reason.
“And don’t forget, he must have a titled wife who can give him an heir. He’s not going to hurt you when he needs you to keep his throne.”
That point she could have done without. She didn’t particularly want to think about breeding to fulfill her end of the bargain.
“Granted, none of this means he’s going to be the man you’d choose to marry if you didn’t have responsibilities.” He looked pointedly at her.
She knew he’d picked his words carefully, adding that part about her having a responsibility to her kingdom. She sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
“Rainer is a king who controls a mighty army. We need this alliance. Most likely, he’ll leave you alone to do as you please. You’re a foreigner, so I can’t imagine him relying on you for much else besides producing an heir. You have nothing to worry about.”
“You’re right,” she said, rolling her shoulders back. This was simply another challenge she needed to tackle. “The sight of the wall just frightened me.” When she had first seen it, it had felt as if she were about to enter a prison from which there would be no escaping. Now she understood she was choosing this. And she would survive.
“Let’s get going before the Lynk soldiers guarding the wall start to wonder why we’re stopped in the middle of the road.” Markis nudged his horse and began heading north once again.
Taking a deep breath, Sabine steered her horse after Markis. As they neared the wall, she noticed there were not only guards standing in front of a large gate, but also sentries patrolling the top of the wall. If Bakley had enough soldiers to monitor their border, their children wouldn’t have been kidnapped. Envy filled her—these soldiers were protecting the Lynk people. If her father had been more careful with his army, she wouldn’t be in this predicament. Regardless, she would fix the matter and secure the Bakley border for her father and his subjects.
When they were about fifteen feet from the gate, one of the soldiers called out for them to halt. Sabine did as instructed, scanning the men. Each one had a sword strapped to his waist. Several held long poles with spikes at the tip. She reached forward, stroking her horse’s neck to keep the animal calm.
“State your business,” one of the soldiers commanded.
“My name is Lieutenant Markis Belle, and I am from the kingdom of Bakley. I am tasked with escorting Princess Sabine Ludwig to His Majesty King Rainer. I have a sealed letter from my king, along with a letter from King Rainer’s personal steward, Gunther.” He reached under his tunic, producing two letters.
“Where’s the princess?” the soldier asked.
“This is Her Highness Princess Sabine.” Markis gestured toward her. “We were attacked on our way to Lynk. We left the carriage behind to travel anonymously.”
Reaching up, Sabine removed her cap, allowing her hair to cascade down so they could see she was a woman.
One of the soldiers neared, his hand on his sword. “I’ll take a look at those letters.”
Markis handed them over.
The soldier took the letters and returned to the gate, speaking with one of the other soldiers. A moment later, he approached them again. “You are granted entrance. I have two men who will escort you to the palace.”
Sabine nudged her horse forward. Embedded in the wall, an iron gate swung open, granting them entrance. As she passed through the wall, she marveled at how thick it was—at least ten feet. She had no idea how such a thing had been built.
As soon as she cleared the wall, the gate swung shut, closing with a bang.
Two mounted Lynk soldiers approached. “Follow me,” the one on the right said. He steered his horse north, and Markis went after him.
“I’ll bring up the rear,” the other soldier said with a wink, gesturing for Sabine to go before him.
They traveled single file along a narrow valley between two steep mountain ranges covered with black rocks and bright green plants. Sabine had never seen anything so strange in all her life. It felt as if she were on a different continent altogether and not simply a different kingdom. Examining the two soldiers in greater detail, she observed that their skin was slightly darker than hers, somehow creamier and more beautiful. Both men had black hair and dark eyes.
“Are you doing okay?” Markis mumbled.
“Yes,” she replied. “Is all of Lynk like this?” She pointed to the mountain on her right.
“What do you mean?” the soldier behind her asked.
“Do steep mountain ranges cover most of your kingdom?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“They’re beautiful,” she answered. Now she understood why Lynk needed food so desperately. It wasn’t that the king focused all his resources on his military; it was that they had no land to farm.
The first soldier led them closer to the mountain range on the left. After a bit, they reached its base, and he took them to the entrance of a cave. He dismounted and ordered everyone else to do the same.
A soldier exited the cave, taking the reins of each horse. “If you need any of your personal belongings, be sure to take them,” he instructed.
All of Sabine’s things had been left with the carriage.
“Let’s go,” the man leading them stated as he entered the cave.
“What are we doing?” she asked, nearing the entrance.
“We’re taking this tunnel to the palace.”
“Tunnel?” she asked, her voice echoing as darkness closed in around her and panic set in.
Sabine blinked as her eyes adjusted to her darkened surroundings. The soldier ahead of them held a torch, lighting the way through the narrow tunnel, revealing slick black rock with water dripping from a few places.
“Is this a lava tube from a volcano?” Markis asked.
Sabine had never heard anything about there being a volcano on the continent.
“Yes,” the soldier behind them answered. “Hundreds of years ago.”
“What about our horses?” Sabine asked. The soldier who held the animals hadn’t followed them into the tunnel.
“They’ll be taken care of,” the leader said.
The tunnel curved to the right, and it sounded like there was rushing water up ahead.
“Why are we taking the tunnel?” Sabine asked.
“It’s faster than going around the mountain,” the soldier answered.
They were going through the mountain. Through. The thought of being inside a mountain made Sabine’s shoulders ache, as if a weight pressed down upon them. Having no idea how long this journey would take didn’t help either. Even if going around the mountain added a week to their traveling time, she wouldn’t have minded. At least then she could see the land. Here she saw nothing. Fear set in at the thought of a chunk of the mountain caving in and burying them alive.
The tunnel abruptly ended. The soldier leading the way held out his torch, revealing a waterfall to the left feeding into a river which went to the right. The soldier behind her moved to the side, pulling a small boat out from a cave.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Sabine said. “Do you expect me to get in there?”
“Not until it’s in the water,” he said, shoving it closer to the river.
“This will be much easier than walking,” Markis assured her.
She glared at him.
He shrugged.
The two soldiers put some supplies in the boat before lowering it into the water and holding it in place.
“The princess goes in first,” the one said.
Not wanting to overthink it and scare herself more, Sabine went over and stepped into the boat, sitting in the middle of it.
Markis joined her, sitting at her side. Then the soldiers got in, one in front, and one in the back.
“No oars?” Markis asked.
“Don’t need them,” the man in the back answered. “It’s not that deep and the water will take us where we need to be.”
Both men let go, and the boat floated away. The water rushed forward, taking them into another tunnel. Thankfully, they still had the torch so Sabine could see.
The farther they traveled, the deeper into the mountain they went. The air turned thick and heavy. The sounds of them breathing seemed loud above the water which was fairly quiet against the smooth sides of the tunnel.
They rode all day. Every few hours, the soldier at the front would grab a new torch, lighting it with the old one. Once the old torch burned out completely, he tossed it over the side and into the water. Sabine and Markis were offered something small to eat—a loaf of bread, some dried meat, or a piece of fruit.
Sabine didn’t remember falling asleep, but she awoke and found herself on the floor of the boat, leaning against Markis’s legs.
She stretched, realizing she needed to relieve herself. “Um,” she mumbled, glancing about the small boat.
“If you need to go, there’s a chamber pot in the back here. I’ll switch places with you. No one will look. Then toss it over the side.”
Horrified, Sabine realized what she was going to have to do.
“Being a man comes in handy sometimes,” the soldier said as he switched spots with her.
Once she finished, she returned to the middle. “How long will we be traveling like this?”
“It’s seventy-five miles long. About three days,” the soldier answered.
Which meant she would not see or feel the sun on her face for three days. “We have enough food for that long?”
“We have what we need,” he answered.
It was going to be a long three days since she had nothing to do to occupy her time but worry about what the future held.