The Lion's Gambit (Book One) Fully Released

Chapter VI -Nightmares before Dark

"Alexis, what have you been doing since you were, well...?" asked Kota as the group traveled up through a narrow path in the forest that led to Baris.

The light shone through the leaves of the trees, lighting up the path in front of them and the various plants that lay on the forest floor. In the momentary silence, Kota looked behind him, seeing Sonya walked further to the rear as she kept a short distance between her and the group. Sonya met his eyes as she fed her hawk and kept her attention focused on the group. Lucinda walked close enough to Kota to keep a close eye on him without being right next to him. She glanced around the forest and smiled, as the view was breathtaking, with the sunlight beaming through the spaces between the leaves.

The quiet clink of armor echoed with every footstep, and Alexis took a second to answer him, talking in a calm tone. "I have been searching for you and the woman that used me and my desperation to get me banished. It is not a glamorous life being banished from one kingdom that once adored you and living in hiding from another."

Alexis did not look over at him as she kept her eyes forward on the path ahead of them, but she added, "Why do you think we are on a side trail hidden in the forest? It is not just for the scenic views, although they are nice during the springtime, when the flowers are abloom."

Unsure of what to say, Kota glanced at Lucinda as she looked into the trees. She noticed Kota looking at her and turned to meet his gaze.

"Lucinda, I know you are not the innocent girl anymore, hiding out in a church on a stormy night," Kota said, keeping an eye on her face to see her reaction. "What were you before that day I met you? You can hold your own in a fight, and that is more than whatever training Alexis would have given you over the last year."

She smiled before looking through the trees and sunlight, glancing at the ever-growing forest to the right of them. She then turned her head back toward him, saying in a quieter voice, "That is a tough question to answer. Well, to start, I used to be an acquirer of sorts."

"An acquirer? What does that mean?"

Lucinda gave out a small chuckle, smiling at him. "I will tell you more someday soon; however, there is a more pressing matter to take care of at this moment than my past."

She gestured her head toward his sister, who kept her head down, keeping the conversation away from her. Kota looked back at Lucinda and mouthed words of concern. Lucinda nodded as he moved away from Alexis to stand beside her.

"This last year has not been kind to her, has it?" he asked softly.

Lucinda shook her head at him and motioned him to continue talking with his sister.

"I am sorry for putting you through all of this, Alexis. If only I had listened to Lukas, then I would not have set the past year in motion. Maybe if I was stronger..."

Sonya looked up at his comment, observing that Alexis was still not ready to talk, before sending Arro off. Listening to the wings beat through the air, she picked up her pace, moving closer to the group while avoiding a bigger branch that had fallen into the path. Once she had approached, she asked Kota, "Do you remember anything about the last year? Any faces or names that we would recognize?"

Kota turned to see her and shook his head in response to her question. "Unfortunately, I do not. I cannot truly tell if that's good or bad. The last thing I remember is waking up from whatever calling they had me under, and there was a girl I thought to be Lucinda breaking me out." He avoided another branch, only to step on a smaller one with a crunch.

"As it was not I who broke you out of the cell, I have been wondering who this woman was, if she was the one who broke you out. From what Aria told Alexis, only a few people knew you were there in the prison," said Lucinda, moving her thumb along her cheek in thought.