Page 20 of Sword of Desire
“I don’t think we should fight,” Ackley said as he brought up the rear. They were probably outnumbered, and he had no desire to get into a scuffle this early in the morning when he had more important things to attend to.
“Who said anything about fighting?” Ridek muttered.
When everyone had a sword in hand, fighting was implied. Instead of saying that, Ackley simply followed, observing everything. He would decide what to do once he had a better read on the situation. He tapped Gytha and motioned for her to sheath her sword. Her eyes widened, but she conceded.
A low whistle echoed in the hallway. The four of them froze. The whistle came again.
Brodek’s shoulders relaxed. “Olek,” he whispered to them. Then he whistled back.
They stood there for about two minutes until Olek joined them.
“Tarnek can’t make it back to the castle,” Olek said. “He’s hiding outside about half a mile away.”
“Hiding from what?” Ridek asked.
“There’s a group of Landania soldiers patrolling the area.”
“Is that a problem?” Ackley asked. “After all, Landania falls under Emperion jurisdiction.” Which meant they were on the same side. If these men feared the Landania soldiers, perhaps they weren’t who they said they were.
Brodek’s shoulders stiffened, as if he weren’t used to people questioning him. “We’re trying to do this as quietly as possible. The less people who know we’re here, the better.”
“Why?” Ackley demanded, leaning forward into Brodek’s personal space.
He didn’t flinch. “Because I don’t know how trustworthy the Landania soldiers are.”
Ackley could understand that. However, he still thought there was more to it than that. “I suggest you start talking. Now.” In that moment, he was only an assassin, not a prince. And he wanted answers.
“Don’t threaten me,” Brodek snapped, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the hilt of his sword.
“Who are you?” Ackley demanded. If Brodek didn’t answer, Ackley planned to jam his fist into the guy’s throat, followed by a stomach punch. Gytha could handle Ridek and Olek.
“I’ve already told you my name.” Brodek shifted his feet.
Ackley stepped to the side to avoid the strike. It barely missed him. “Don’t forget I’m a prince,” Ackley snarled, unable to believe this guy had tried punching him.
“And you’re a foreigner on my land.”
“Your land?” Ackley leaned in, forcing Brodek to take a step back. “You’re not a common foot soldier, are you?” He suspected Brodek belonged to either a group of mercenaries or an elite unit in the Emperion military.
“I will defend this land until the day I die,” Brodek snarled. “I took an oath.”
Interesting. “Do you intend to broker a meeting between me and Empress Rema?” Or perhaps this entire thing had been a set up to get rid of Ackley and Gytha.
“If Her Majesty wishes to meet with you, my men and I will make it happen.”
That was all Ackley needed to know. He patted the man’s shoulder. “Then let’s find a way to sneak out of here so that meeting can happen sooner rather than later.”
“And you said the border assignment was going to be boring,” Ridek mumbled.
“We could stay here and hide,” Olek suggested. “There’s plenty of places in the castle.”
“No.” Ackley refused to remain there since they hadn’t been careful not to leave a trace. If people came in, they would immediately see the dust had been recently disturbed and half-cooked rabbits rested over hot logs. The castle would immediately be searched.
“I agree,” Brodek said. “We’ll leave out of the entrance closest to the forest, heading straight for the cover of the trees.
“What about the horses?” Gytha asked.
“They’re in the stables at the other end of the castle,” Brodek replied. “We can’t possibly reach them without being seen.”
