Page 8 of The Warrior's Innocent Captive

Her sister shielding her wasn’t unusual. Katherine had practically raised her and had seen it as her duty to protect Linota from hurtful gossip and their increasingly violent mother. Linota was grateful, from the bottom of her heart, for the stability Katherine had created, but they were out of their mother’s reach now. They were free and Linota didn’t need that looking after any more. She needed to be her sister’s equal.

She squinted into the horizon where the sun hung low in the sky. She caught sight of Erik and her heart skipped a beat. Even as she chided her body for such a reaction she still couldn’t tear her eyes from him. He’d not spoken to her today and she’d missed the way he made her laugh over the simplest thing. She realised that she’d been craving his company and the thought scared her. He should be no different to her than any of the other men travelling with them, but she already knew that he meant more to her than anyone else outside her small family.

Erik began talking intently to Borwyn, both of them frowning, their bodies half turned away from one another. She didn’t need to hear the conversation to know that whatever was going on was causing discord between the two men.

She turned away from them. They wouldn’t tell her what was going on either: she was alone.

She wandered further downstream. The water was pooling here, swirling in a circle before tumbling down over rocks and rushing off into the distance. She nudged a stone with the edge of her boot. It plopped into the water and plummeted to the bottom. She fought the sudden urge to kick all the rocks around her into the murky depths while screaming at the top of her voice—anything to gain someone’s attention. She clenched her fists. She was being silly and acting like the child everyone obviously thought she was. Instead of staring moodily at the water she should walk up to her sister and demand answers. She was no longer a vulnerable child, but a fully grown adult, who could and should share the burdens of those around her.

She spun on her heel and stopped abruptly.

Men on horseback were emerging from the surrounding woodland. Men she had never seen before and who weren’t stopping to engage in conversation, but who were thundering through the rough gathering, trampling over discarded travel bags and narrowly avoiding stampeding over Borwyn’s men.

Linota inhaled sharply as one of them sped past Katherine, brushing so close to her that she was pushed into the stream, her mouth wide with shock.

Linota started forward to get to her sister.

As she moved a man, a thick, black beard obscuring his face, caught sight of her from atop his horse. In that split second he seemed to reach a decision.

He turned his horse in her direction. His black gaze locked with hers and there could be no mistaking his intent.

Far away from her, Katherine began to scream.

Linota twisted and began to run, but her dress caught around her ankles and she tripped, hitting the ground with a hard thud.

She scrambled to her knees, but the mud was slippery and she couldn’t seem to get purchase.

The horse rider was getting closer, the ground shaking from the pounding of the horse’s hoofbeats.

In the distance she heard Erik yell, ‘Get up, Linota. Run to me.’

She looked towards his voice. He was running towards her, his arms pumping wildly as he sprinted. He cleared a fallen log. He was so close, she stretched out an arm.

‘Get up,’ he yelled again.

This time she managed to scramble to her feet, only for a large hand to grab the back of her cloak.

She screamed Erik’s name, the sound tearing out of her as her whole world shifted.

She was lifted bodily and thrown across the front of a horse. Her head smacked against the horse’s neck and her legs flailed wildly over the other side. And then she was moving, Katherine’s screams following her as the ground sped beneath her eyes.

Bile rose in her stomach as the strong stench of an unwashed body hit her.

The horse veered sharply to the left. The world spun and black spots appeared before her eyes. Her heart raced painfully fast as if it would burst from her ribs.

They entered woodland, but the rider didn’t slow, even as twisted roots lined their path. Behind them she could hear the thundering hooves of other riders following closely.

She started to slip and she hoped she would fall. A broken neck would be better than whatever these men had planned.

A rough hand gathered up the fabric of her cloak and pulled her back into position.

She was both desperate to stop moving and willing the ride to never end. She didn’t know what fate awaited her when the riders reached their destination, but nausea was building up inside her. She needed to rest her head to stop the world from spinning violently.

After what felt like a lifetime of racing through the densely packed trees, the riders eventually began to slow before finally grinding to a halt.

Linota was hauled down from the horse’s side and dumped on to her feet. She staggered and fell to her knees, retching, her stomach spasming violently.

‘I told you not to injure her,’ said an irritated male voice.

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