Page 39 of Sword of Desire
“What is it?” he demanded.
“There’s a handful of archers with arrows pointed at us. There’s also a boat filled with soldiers heading this way.”
“And now there are men behind you,” Ackley mumbled. “We’re surrounded.”
“You don’t want us to fight?” Morton clarified.
“No,” Ackley replied. “Stand down.” He knew it went against everything his men had been taught.
They remained standing there with their hands raised in the air.
The boat neared and Savenek jumped out before even reaching the shore. His boots splashed in the water, and he stormed closer to Ackley. “What’s the meaning of this?” His face turned red like a fire and just as furious.
“These are my men,” Ackley explained, speaking calmly, hoping to placate him. “They came here looking for me.”
“Did they follow you here?” Savenek withdrew his sword, the sound of steel slicing through the air. “Because neither Audek nor Brodek know anything about them.”
“I don’t know how they got here,” Ackley replied. “I was just about to ask them.”
Morton cleared his throat. “We, uh, tracked Prince Ackley to a manor. There, a woman gave us directions to a town near here. We were supposed to wait there for you. But we caught your trail and decided to follow you since time is of the essence.”
“Is Harley all right?” Ackley demanded. If something had happened to her, he’d tear Lyle apart.
“I’m not sure.”
“Start at the beginning,” Ackley said, panic rising. He had to stifle it so he could focus and think clearly.
“A group of Melenia soldiers came looking for you,” the man to Morton’s right explained. “Your decoy, Ruthar, decided to let himself get captured. They took him away, leaving the rest of your soldiers alone.”
That was a problem. Not only did they have one of his men, but they knew where his soldiers were camped. “Did they kill him outright?” Ackley asked.
“No. I’m assuming they took him to Lyle.”
“Then there’s still time to rescue him.” Ackley ran his hands over his head, thinking of various plans. “How does this tie to Harley?”
“No one has seen her in days.”
It felt as if the ground beneath him tilted. Then he remembered he was still standing in water. He lowered his arms. Just because no one had seen her in days didn’t necessarily mean something bad had happened to her. “When was she last spotted?” he demanded.
“I’m not sure,” Morton said. “She was rarely seen outside the castle. However, the kitchen staff started talking about her not eating dinner with the false king. Then soldiers started saying even inside the castle, she hadn’t been seen.”
Maybe she’d run away. He pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking. “Has Harley been successful at getting any information to Owen?”
“No.”
That wasn’t good. Either he’d thrown her in there completely unprepared or he’d overestimated her. She’d been there long enough that she should have been able to get some information to Owen. Otherwise, it made her look exceedingly guilty. Which, she wasn’t. She didn’t love or support Lyle—even though he was her husband.
A sick feeling took root. Something was wrong, and Ackley wanted to save Harley. But his men also needed him since his decoy had most likely been executed and Lyle knew their location.
“We told you to arrive alone,” Savenek said. “And yet, you brought Gytha. Now these men are here.”
While Ackley knew Savenek was speaking, his words didn’t fully register because he was busy thinking of the quickest way to get to the royal castle and extract Harley before something happened to her.
“Your orders?” Morton asked.
“I’m going to get her.”
Savenek chuckled. “Are you saying you fell in love with Owen’s cousin? And this cousin is married to Lyle—the man claiming to be the king?” He started laughing. “Oh, this is good.”
