Her own way

Chapter 30

"So what are we going to do now Josh?"

"We?" Josh glanced at his cousin as they walked swiftly through the streets of the city. "There is no 'we' Lucas. I can't risk you getting caught up in my mess so just back off."

Lucas stopped in the middle of the crowded street and grabbed Josh's arm hard, forcing him to look into Lucas' eyes. "Then how are you gonna save her huh? I don't see anyone else lining up to help!" His voice rose with every word, causing a few passers by to pause momentarily out of interest. Lucas took a deep breath to try and calm down before continuing in a quieter voice. "I know you want to save her but cousin, you need to take a step back and remember who is on your side right now because to be honest I just don't see anyone willing to help you aside from me."

"That is my point. I don't know who is on my side, I don't know anything anymore and that scares me Lucas. Do you understand that? My father is going crazy, has been for years and I am terrified about what he is going to do next. I have no idea what to do next so if you'll excuse me, I need to be alone." With that, Josh turned and walked away, leaving a stunned looking Lucas behind him.

Josh had been struggling with the current situation ever since Kate was first taken away and locked away in the dungeons. His failed rescue mission made it seem that little bit more hopeless. In the time since his very public punishment and subsequent recovery, Josh had gone through so many ideas of how to rescue Kate. Plan after plan flew through his head and each time he thought he had a solid idea that could really work, he would remember the simplest thing that could spoil his plan at any moment. Lucas had tried to help, he was the only one that was willing to make the effort. If Lucas had his way, they would both be storming the dungeons with their swords swinging wildly, knocking down any who stood in their way so that Josh could break down the door to Kate's cell, sweep her off her feet and ride off into the sunset. A typical end to a romance story, but not the ending that Josh could see happening if they went through with that plan.

The biggest flaw in any plan Josh came up with was Kate. Josh had no way of knowing how she was doing, if she was being cared for in any way, and specifically where in the castle she was being held. It was a constant question, a bit like a giant game of hide and seek. Kate was never kept in the same place for more than two nights before she was moved on to the next location, and the guards were always changed with each new location. Josh was never able to pinpoint where Kate was being held long enough to convince any of the guards to help and Josh couldn't risk word spreading back to his father that he was trying to save the girl again or his punishment could become much more severe than the public beating and starvation he had already endured.

As Josh walked through the streets a strange feeling was growing, the feeling of being watched, but he just shook it off and kept going, barely noticing as the buildings around him were getting smaller and further apart. It wasn't until he reached the forest surrounding the city that he saw just where he was, and figured out where his wandering feet were taking him. Finding a small clearing, Josh made himself comfortable on the soft green grass. Lying back and looking up at the clear blue sky Josh once more became lost in his thouhts. Heaving a great sigh, he closed his eyes and tried to remember everything that had happened since he had met Kate, hoping that at some point there had been a trigger that had set his father off on his vendetta against the poor girl. Josh could vaguely remember overhearing a private conversation between his father and Felix, he cheif spy. They had definitely been talking about a girl, more like shouting in Raphaels case. The King had been yelling about how they hadn't found a certain girl yet and that she was the key to ending all his problems, and Felix responded with a much calmer voice saying that they had traced her presence from the far reaches of Eardheorte to the border of the land between Eardheorte and Rynemona. In the whole of the conversation they never mentioned any names, at least none that Josh had heard them say. So whilst it was suspicious conversation,  Josh never hought anything of it especially in relation to Kate. But what if the girl they were talking about was Kate? That would make some sense as to her being locked away from the world like she has been for so long, but then again Raphael would have made a bigger fuss over her than just punishing her as the consequences of Josh's failed attempts at a rescue.