The Dragon's Kiss

The Dragon's Kiss - Chapter 5 - FIVE: Her Escape

The first thing Kel became aware of was the sound of hooves. Gradual consciousness spread through her body, and she realized she was sitting on a horse. Her wrists were bound tightly together in front of her, and she was leaning against something solid.

Vivid flashes of the moments before she blacked out suddenly swept through her mind, and her eyes shot open.

Dash. Barclay.

Lines of soldiers trotting along overwhelmed her vision. The silver armor with red markings dispelled any lingering doubt. She was surrounded by soldiers from the Serin Empire. She squinted at the rows of glistening armor and finally spotted Dash, dressed in Mevani’s brown uniform, riding along in the line to her left.

“Dash!” She tried to yell, but her friend’s name came out as a squeak..

“Oh you’re already awake.” Kel flinched at the gruff voice behind her. Pain shot through her forehead as she strained her neck to look back. The movement threw her off balance, causing her to lurch forward, and an armored forearm pulled her back.

“Easy,” the man soothed.

“..Where?” she finally managed to choke out, fighting to regain control of her vocal chords.

“Are you asking where those other Mevani dogs are?” The man chuckled. “You really are clueless, aren’t you?”

Kel coughed, trying to vocalize another question when she caught the scent of the pungent odor from before.

No!

She tried to throw her elbow back against the man’s abdomen, but her arms refused to obey her.

“Sorry, princess.” The man brought one hand up to her face, and the world turned to darkness once again.

When Kel regained consciousness again, she was lying on her back. In the dim light, she could make out canvas walls and a peaked roof. She guessed it must be a small tent of some kind. Feeling some strength return to her limbs, she rolled to the side. Something coarse brushed against her arm. A blanket?

With great effort, she pushed herself up to a sitting position. Her hands were still bound tightly, making it difficult to balance. Ignoring the throbbing in her head, she tried to sort out her situation.

There was no doubt she was currently being held captive by Serin. However, judging from the sheer number of fully armored soldiers she’d seen, capturing Mevani’s princess likely wasn’t their original objective.

So how did they find us?

She suddenly thought of Dash and their final moments in the clearing. Was he the one who sold them out? He said he was going to drop false intel, but had he led the soldiers to them instead?

Kel shook her head. There had to be a misunderstanding. Dash wasn’t the kind of person to sell out his own country. Besides, Kel wasn’t even the real princess, meaning he’d have even less to gain by handing her over to Serin. In fact, it could ultimately prove to be dangerous for him if she was found out.

She sighed. Her head was pounding too much to make sense of Dash’s bizarre behavior. Instead, she decided to piece together the things she knew for sure. First of all, Barclay was definitely in trouble wherever he was. He’d probably been taken hostage along with her, so finding him should be her top priority. Second, before she could find Barclay, she’d need to figure out how to get away without anyone noticing.

Kel squeezed her eyes shut, urging her foggy mind to think. Since the time Serin openly declared their intentions to take over the entire continent a few years ago, she’d spent a considerable amount of time studying the empire’s military strategy as both a soldier and a princess.