Page 47 of Cage of Destiny
“Why are you loyal to Janawhen she isn’t even the rightful queen?” Allyssa asked.
“Stop talking,” Odar said.“Honestly, I think you enjoy hearing yourself speak.”
She bristled, not sure if he wasserious or not.
“You two,” the leader said,pointing at two of his men toward the back of the group. “Doubleback to make sure we’re not being followed.”
She peered through thecover of the trees; the sun had already set and it would be darksoon. “Are we in Russek?” she demanded. “If we aren’t, you have noauthority and will be hanged for your crimes. And I can’t figureout why you’d even want to follow Jana when you have Kerdan, whois—”
A calloused hand slid overher mouth. “Shut the bloody hell up,” the man behind her said. “IfI have to listen to you yapp any longer, I’ll dart youmyself.”
Having no desire to be drugged again,Allyssa nodded. He removed his hand, and she refrained fromspeaking.
They came to a smallclearing, and the leader barked out orders to set up camp for thenight. Allyssa and Odar were tied to opposite sides of a tree whilethe rest of the men gathered around a fire, talking and laughingwith one another. At any given time, three of them were gone,presumably on some sort of watch.
“Do you have a death wish?”Odar demanded, his voice hard and furious.
“What are you talkingabout?” Allyssa asked. A piece of bark was poking into her back,and she wiggled, trying to scoot sideways to a more comfortableposition.
“We have no idea who thesemen are, and you keep shooting off your mouth, not worried aboutour situation at all.”
Leaning her head againstthe tree, she stared up at the leaves barely visible in the darksky. “These have to be Kerdan’s men,” she whispered. “I’m sureeverything is fine.”
“But you don’t know thatfor sure,” he pointed out.
“No,” she admitted. “That’swhy I pushed them—to see if they’d retaliate or hurt either of us.They didn’t, so we must be okay.”
He cursed. “You have got tobe kidding me.”
No, she wasn’t kidding. Whywould she joke about something so serious?
“I can’t believe I agreedto go along with this foolish plan,” he muttered. “This entiresituation is ridiculous.”
“No, it’s not.” Bold,daring, and a little bit crazy, but not ridiculous. “I think you’reupset because it’s not your plan.”
“That has nothing to dowith it,” he hissed. “I’m upset because I swore never to becaptured again.” The roped pulled against her body, pinching her.Odar must be trying to wiggle free.
“You didn’t have to be apart of this,” she reminded him.
“Of course I did. Icouldn’t let you do this alone.”
“I could have.” She didn’tneed him here complicating matters. Being so close to him confusedher. Even though she didn’t care for him like she used to, it wasstill hard to work with him because of everything they’d beenthrough.
“I’m not going along withthis plan much longer,” Odar whispered. “One more day and that’sit. I’m leaving.”
“Alone?”
“That remains to bedetermined.”
***
Sitting astride the horsein front of the same man as yesterday, Allyssa observed hersurroundings. They must be well into Russek by now. Yet, nothinglooked familiar. The low rolling hills were dotted with flowers,making the kingdom appear beautiful and serene.
“We’re too exposed outhere,” someone commented.
The leader grunted. “This is the onlyway to Henec where the meeting is to take place.”
Allyssa didn’t recognizethe name of the town. The dark clouds from yesterday had passed,leaving the sky a brilliant blue. However, the air was still chillyand she wished she had on a fur jacket like some of the mendid.
