Page 52 of A Kingdom of Lies

“That is because my name is far more important than yours,brother.”

“Now that depends on who you ask, General,” Kayne said with a wink, enjoying the drama around him.

Gyah tumbled into the cage beside me, a mess of reaching hands and screams. Those who had a hold of her were more than ready to release her, likely afraid of what her nails and teeth could do, even in this form. One of them had already figured that out as they stepped back from the cage with a hand pressed over a cheek; beneath their fingers I could see four fresh scratch marks.

By the time I looked back, Kayne was already racing off, pointing towards the armed Hunters who stationed themselves upon the fortress’s outer walls.

Duncan offered a hand for Althea who now walked towards the cage unaided. She was calm but her expression was thunderous. “After you,Princess.”

“You can try, but you will never outrun my people,” Althea warned, ignoring the hand Duncan offered. He refused to lower it as he regarded her. “They will follow, and your soldiers will fail. Robin was right, it would be best to leave us here. Give us up now and they will stop following you.”

Duncan responded, but not in the manner I expected. “It is rather a stretch to call this rabble soldiers.”

Althea gripped Duncan’s hand now, squeezing tight. “Heed my warning, Hunter. If they have found us, you will not stand a chance.”

“I like a challenge,” Duncan replied, putting strength behind his arm and urging Althea to step into the cage. “Shall I tell you why they will not be following? Because they don’t have the numbers for what waits at Lockinge. Our trackers have confirmed as much. Finstock, maybe.”

With that he closed the cage door right in Althea’s face. She stood, hardly flinching as metal slammed into metal and the click of a lock finalised our imprisonment.

“Do not do this, Hunter.”

His smile returned now as he gazed at Althea, subdued by the cuff, without any trace of fear. I hardly imagined he would hold such confidence if iron didn’t stand between them. “How about we discuss this further a bit later?” he mocked. “There will be plenty of time for conversation between you and I.”

Duncan left swiftly, moving into the fringes of his Hunters as they clambered onto the prison cart’s horses.

Althea slumped to her knees, gripping onto the bars as she stared out at the Hunters.

Gyah was beside her in moments, hand on her shoulder. “Another chance will come. It has to.”

“I would not rule this one out yet.” Althea turned towards us, determination ablaze within her. “Many times I have led a party towards Hunters’ camps and strongholds. I know the plans. They would not come in at one side, but many. It is time we put some faith in them. If not, we rely on our other plan, Gyah.”

They both shot me a look. “Wait for Erix to find me?”

Althea nodded. “It would seem so.”

The cart moved, jolting forward as we lost our footing. It was guided out of Finstock from a narrow path at the back of the towering building. Duncan waved a hand towards Kayne who returned his gesture with a nod. There was no sign of a Cedarfall army arriving, at least nothing we could see. Now with the fortress between us, blocking the view of what we left behind, I could only imagine what had caused our sudden departure. For Althea and Gyah’s sake, I hoped her comments of the soldiers’ plans were right and we would be intercepted. But regardless, if the opportunity presented itself, I could not go with them.

I had a new purpose, a new motivation. And it was hidden beneath Lockinge castle. If I turned my back on the imprisoned fey, there would be no knowing how long it would take for us to ever return and free them.

Our party moved with haste, the cage violently rocking as the horses cantered forward. We had to grip onto the bars to stop ourselves being thrown like children’s unwanted toys.

This part of Durmain was endless, fields and valleys stretching as far as the eye could see. We only slowed when the terrain changed and the horses struggled to tug us uphill. The dirt path had been worn in from years of travel, feet, hooves and wheels etching veins into the earth.

It did not take long for Finstock to become no more than a smudge of dark stone behind us.

Unlike the party of Hunters who’d taken us from Grove, this one was small. Around ten Hunters on horseback followed in a halo around us, Duncan at the lead alongside the two who pulled the cart forward.

By midday the weather changed. Cold sheets of rain fell upon us, drenching our clothes and soaking into our bones. It made the landscape almost impossible to see.

It was almost a shock when the cage began to slow. Duncan shouted a sharp, barked command and the Hunters each withdrew weapons in a song of steel against leather.

“Something is happening,” I said, pushing myself to the front of the cage to try and get a better look.

“My people,” Althea gasped, pure glee radiating in her voice. “I told you they would come. Gyah, get ready.”

“No,” I breathed, squinting through the sheets of rain and the frantic moving bodies of Duncan and his Hunters as they positioned themselves ahead of us.

I caught a glance of the figure’s darkened outline standing before our party, motionless in the middle of the dirt path, cloaked and head bowed, twin swords in their hands that dug into the ground.

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