Chapter 12
IbrOS
While following Sonah and Lerek hadn’t been difficult, Daris was frustrated by how often he’d seemed on the verge of catching up to them only to have just missed them.
A fortnight after they’d left Arestia Castle, Daris found their camp in the woods south of Thuria.
Sticking to the uncommon trails and woods, Daris and his men managed to evade Heylisian soldiers, though not before spying a large encampment a day’s ride from the border to Lakonia.
Athanasi’s host had proved a convenient distraction from their watchful eyes.
“Looks like we missed them by mere hours. Again,” Jason fumed, kicking at the remnants of their campfire.
“They weren’t alone this time,” Daris said, scowling at the clearing.
“Commander,” Alexi called out as Michael crouched down, pushing aside some debris on the ground.
Daris stalked over, crouching beside Michael to see what he’d discovered.
Drops of blood.
Daris rose and surveyed the area. There were signs of a struggle. A few feet away, more blood. He moved forward and saw multiple hoof prints further away and swore.
“They weren’t alone,” Michael confirmed, and Daris spared him a look.
“No,” Daris murmured, his eye scanning the clearing. “At least ten men here. He looked up at Jason. “Take Alexi and Perikles and search the woods thoroughly.”
Jason strode over. “We have to go after them. Now!”
Daris pursed his lips. “Aye. But we do not need to rush into a battle without knowing who it is we’ll fight. It could be brigands as easily as Heylisians.”
A hawk’s keening caught his attention, and Daris lifted his head to the sky, watching as the bird soared in circles before dropping to settle on Theodoros’s arm.
He frowned down at the bird’s ankle and the attached missive. Carefully pulling the paper from the hawk, he unfurled it and read.
“What is it?” Jason asked as he went to stand before Daris.
“Duke Ovenno left Sparta. He found out Sonah wasn’t ill after all.”
“Bound to happen eventually,” Theodoros muttered as he stroked a finger along the hawk’s back. “Took him long enough to figure it out.”
“Commander Antonius!” Michael jogged over, one hand on the hilt of his sword. He clutched something in his left hand, holding it out to Daris with a scowl.
Daris reached for it in silence, staring at the dirty cloth a few seconds before cursing soundly.
Motioning to Theodoros, Daris turned the king’s message over in his hand and quickly scrawled a reply, rolling up the parchment and securing the leather tie to the hawk perched on the Liodari’s arm. When he finished, Theodoros launched the hawk, carrying his message to King Altos.
“These are Heylisia’s colors,” Daris said, holding up the blood stained fabric Michael had found. He shoved it behind his breastplate and turned to eye his men. “Whether Sonah and the prince went willingly with Heylisian soldiers is unclear, but we know this camp was attacked.”
“We should be able to catch them if we ride hard,” Jason said, his voice clipped.
Daris noted the Liodari’s stiff posture and hardened features and gave a quick nod. “Aye, but there are two sets of tracks,” he said.
Walking away, he gestured to the frost covered grass and leaves, disturbed by whatever had happened there.
“The one on foot is alone and looks to lead west. I don’t believe whoever it is is going to Sparta, so we have to assume it’ll be Messene, but we won’t know until we get closer.
As for the other set,” he motioned, stepping carefully so as not to disturb the trail, “multiple hoof prints heading north.”
“If they were camped here with Heylisian soldiers, who attacked them?”
Daris looked to Michael, whose uncanny investigative abilities had helped them track Sonah and Lerek’s progress thus far.
The man gripped the collar of his breastplate as he walked to the edge of the clearing.
He slowed, stopping near a tree, and stared at the ground.
Dropping to his haunches, he felt around the ground, then turned, his gaze catching Daris as he lifted something in his hands.
Daris stalked to his side, grabbing the item he held up.
Frayed rope.
“It isn’t cut,” Michael said, standing beside Daris. “So either whoever was bound had removed it themselves or someone came along and undid them.”
“My money’s on the former,” Daris muttered, his thumb moving slowly over the hemp. “If it was a rescue, they wouldn’t take the time to untie them. They’d cut the binds.”
“Who was tied up, then?”
Daris frowned, his eye rising from the rope to the tree. He moved forward, crouching down and placing his free hand on the damp ground where the surrounding frost left an outline of the person who’d sat there.
“Sonah,” he said at last.
“Aye,” Michael replied.
“What? How do you know?” Jason demanded as he strode to their sides.
Michael pointed at the ground. “The indentation is small, so either a child sat here, or a woman. And since they’re Heylisian soldiers, we know they wouldn’t bind their prince.”
“And Prince Lerek allowed it to happen?” Jason shouted, arms spread as shock warred with rage across his face.
“I found strands of blonde hair near the fire,” Michael went on, his eyes on Jason. “Enough to make me think it didn’t fall out naturally.”
Daris sighed and dropped his head. A moment later, he strode briskly back to the rest of his men. Theodoros brought Daris’s stallion forward and Daris mounted.
“I’ll assume you want to ride with me toward Messene,” Daris said with a glance at Jason. He didn’t bother to see whether his lieutenant agreed with him. He looked at Michael. “I’m taking four men toward Messene. You and the others follow the Heylisians.”
Michael nodded as the rest of the Liodari mounted their horses and waited. Daris clicked his tongue and pulled the reins to the right.
“What do we do when we catch up to them?” Michael called out.
“Kill them all and detain the prince. I have words for him.”
MESSENE, LAKONIA
Sonah jerked awake.
Panting, she looked around the room she was in, the weak light from the lone window shading the room in grey. Pushing back some of the hair that had fallen onto her face, she turned, setting her feet to the cold, bare floor.
“What the fuck?” she whispered. Bending over, Sonah rested an elbow on her thigh and covered her eyes. As she shifted her fingers over her face, she winced at the large bump on her forehead. Her wrist, however, was healed.
Had it ever been broken? Was that whole thing a nightmare?
Minutes passed before she felt focused enough to rise and face whatever was happening. As she hunted for her clothes, she recalled the escape from the castle, being with Lerek and then seeing Pytho.
Pausing as she tightened her leather corset, Sonah frowned.
Follow the traveler with the green robes.
She spotted her cloak in a heap near the door and snatched it up. Turning back to look over the sparse room, she nodded and unlatched the door. Sonah peeked out into the empty hallway before closing the door behind her.
As she descended the stairs, Sonah realized she was in the same inn she’d stayed in the first time she’d been in Messene with Terena and Rydon. And just like when Terena had reappeared after visiting Pytho, Sonah had a feeling she had the clever oracle to thank for her arrival here, too.
Jerking to a stop before entering the common room, Sonah lifted her hood when she spotted two Spartan soldiers sitting at a table near the front door. Ducking her head, she bolted forward, intent on finding the innkeeper and asking how long she’d—
Sonah’s mouth fell open when she saw a portly man at the back, sitting at a table with three other men.
“There’s room for you by the window,” a voice said behind her and Sonah barely looked away from the man she’d been watching to acknowledge the innkeeper smiling at her.
Nodding, Sonah grumbled her thanks as he led her to a table far enough away from the soldiers she let herself relax. Her eyes remained on the big man, now laughing with his companions. He raised a hairy hand to dust crumbs off his green robes. His voice was too low for Sonah to hear.
Follow the traveler with the green robes.
“May I get you a coffee? Or some ale? We have eggs with vegetables and bread—”
“A coffee would be nice, thank you, sir,” Sonah said distractedly.
Sonah turned her attention back to the green-robed man. When the innkeeper returned with her coffee, she barely acknowledged him. She raised the steaming mug to her lips, her eyes still on her quarry, then yelped.
All eyes turned to her as she shot to her feet, cursing as her hand jerked and she hissed at the burn of coffee when it splashed on her hand. Her other hand flew to her stinging mouth, her eyes watering as she set the coffee down.
So much for remaining unseen.
The innkeeper rushed over. Before he could get to her, another man was beside her. Glancing up, Sonah swore again.
Soldier.
“Sonah?”
Sonah stiffened. Her eyes widened and she twisted, blood leeching from her face when she took a good look at the soldier.
Of all the ill luck. And on her very first solo quest.
“Fane?”
CHEVALA, LAKONIA
Days after discovering Sonah’s abandoned camp, Daris still had not found her. They’d stuck to the wooded areas and checked in the smaller villages as they made their way north, but no one had seen a blonde woman either alone or in the company of anyone traveling that way.
Frustrated, he called a halt an hour after dusk as they neared Chevela, a town south of the Pyranos Mountains. A few more days and they’d reach Messene, where he planned to stop and seek out the oracle’s guidance if he hadn’t found Sonah by then.
After stabling the horses, Jason led the way to the nearest tavern.
Daris hung at the back of the group as they walked.
He pulled off the leather eyepatch and rubbed at the scar over his eye.
Letting out a sigh as his muscles relaxed a bit, he fitted the patch back over his eye and followed his men into the tavern.