Page 13 of Sword of Desire
“Or knight or assassin.” Ackley knew this was no ordinary soldier.
“I suppose it takes one to know one.”
Ackley chuckled. “I suppose.”
Gytha rode behind him not making conversation with anyone. With her protecting his back, he felt more comfortable to speak freely with Brodek.
“And your men,” Ackley said. “What are their names?”
“Ridek, Olek, Tarnek, Herek, Erek, and Rettek.”
Ackley mulled over the names. For some reason, he felt as if he were missing something. Instead of voicing his suspicions, he said, “And what town are you taking us to?”
“We’re going to an inn.”
“And is this inn not in a town?” He’d studied the map of the area enough to know the names of the nearby towns and villages.
“No.”
Maybe it was some sort of hunting lodge. Unease took root. He didn’t like the idea of not being near civilization.
“Relax,” Brodek said. “Unless you don’t trust me.” He shrugged.
Ackley neither trusted him nor would he relax when he didn’t know where they were going.
They rode all day. When the sun set and the sky darkened, Ackley began to worry since they’d gone farther east than he’d intended.
Just when Ackley was about to question how much longer they’d be traveling, Brodek whistled, and Ridek joined them. “Sweep the road ahead,” Brodek ordered. Ridek nodded and nudged his horse, taking off. A few seconds later, he disappeared over the next hill.
Gytha shifted on her saddle but kept her mouth shut.
After another twenty minutes, complete darkness engulfed them. Ackley could no longer see the road ahead and feared his horse would stumble and injure itself. He was just about to insist they stop for the night when they rounded a bend and light shone up ahead. The group headed straight for the light.
As they got closer, the shape of a large stone castle came into view. It appeared to be a simple square building with a turret at each corner. The only light came from the handful of torches at the front entrance.
“Where I’m from,” Ackley said, “our inns are usually wooden structures on the brink of collapse.” All his senses remained on high alert. He scanned the land, searching for threats.
“This isn’t a usual inn,” Brodek replied.
“Tell me,” Ackley said, hoping they weren’t walking into some sort of dungeon, “are you from Emperion or Landania?” He could feel Gytha tense behind him.
“Landania is part of Emperion.”
“Isn’t that a new status?” The last thing he wanted was to be some sort of political hostage.
“Does it matter?” Brodek asked.
“I’ve told you I’m a prince,” Ackley said as they neared the castle.
“And?”
“You don’t treat me as one.” Perhaps Brodek didn’t believe Ackley or held him and Marsden in so little regard that he didn’t care about Ackley’s status.
“I’ve been around enough royalty to know some don’t like to be treated differently.” He raised his eyebrows, as if daring Ackley to disagree with what he said.
Perhaps once Ackley learned more about Emperion and its politics, he could understand Brodek and where he came from better. As it stood, Ackley wasn’t certain if this man was on his side or not.
At the front doors, they dismounted. Herek and Erek took the horses while Brodek led Ackley and Gytha inside, followed by the remaining three men—Ridek, Olek, and Tarnek. Now that it was four against two, Ackley felt more comfortable with those odds. Should the need arise, he was confident he and Gytha could not only handle these four but do so without sustaining any major injuries.
