The Captive Heir

Chapter Two

The camp woke with the sun. It seemed bandits had so many responsibilities that they had to rush from one task to the next, shouting at each other all the while. Voices and the din of activity quickly reached a noise level that pulled Elisabet from her few hours' fitful sleep and forced her to face the truth of her captivity in the unforgiving light of day.

Reluctantly, her eyes drifted open to find the tree canopy cheerfully swaying above her, uncaring of her emotional turmoil. She had no shortage of fears as she glanced over the edge of the hammock Maggie had strung up for her to sleep in. Nobody was approaching her yet, and none of the faces that passed by were ones that she recognized from the previous night. She was not sure if that was good or bad. Would she prefer the comfort of familiarity, even if it came with a sword to the throat?

So long as no one was paying any attention to her, Elisabet would do well to take advantage of the opportunity. Perhaps she could get free of the tree Maggie had tethered her to last night. She clambered out of the hammock, barely managing to avoid flipping over and falling into the dirt. The rope that had proved impossible to untie in the darkness was just as intractable in the early morning light. Elisabet was doomed to remain tied to a tree until one of the bandits saw fit to untie her.

For lack of anything else to do, she sat at the base of the tree, watching the bandits moving in all directions, and tried to keep her panic in check.

How long would it be until her family realized she was missing? Perhaps they would not know for months, until it was past time for her to return home from Etudel. Would they think she had run away to avoid marrying Michael? And Alexander—what would her baby brother think of her? She had only said goodbye to him four days ago, but it already felt like a lifetime. How long would it be before she saw him again? Would her family even know to look in Esre for her?

With a great effort, Elisabet put an end to that way of thinking. Her parents never would have agreed to send her to Etudel if they did not have someone already in the town reporting back to them on their daughter's safety. They would know something had gone wrong quickly enough. She just had to survive the bandits until her parents' contact in Etudel realized she was missing and wrote to them. A week or two, perhaps. Maybe another week for her to be found and set free.

Or longer. As large as this camp was, they had remained undetected by the Guard for who knew how long. The forest was too vast, the bandits too well hidden. And Skylar and Silvana could not get this close to the Trenorish border to find her. There would be no possible rescue coming for her. If she was to survive the bandits, she would simply have to rescue herself.

In order to attain her freedom, she would first have to get free from the dogwood that was currently confining her to camp. As though in answer to her need, Marie materialized, her arms swinging cheerfully as she moved through the clearing.

Elisabet jumped to her feet and called the bandit's name, catching her attention.

Marie checked, then changed course. "Good morning," she said, greeting the princess with a smile that was almost friendly.

For all that they'd had the same small amount of sleep, Marie looked far fresher than Elisabet felt. Her brown eyes were clear and alert, while Elisabet's own eyes felt full of sand and her head seemed to have been replaced with wet wool.

"Sleep well?" Marie asked, one eyebrow lifting slightly as Elisabet yawned hugely.

Elisabet grimaced. "About as well as I expected," she said. "What with being chased all night and then this thing." She gestured with her tethered arm to emphasize the rope.

Marie pulled a sympathetic face. "I can imagine." After a moment's consideration, she offered, "Want me to untie you?"

"Yes," Elisabet said, remembering too late that she should disguise her eagerness to be free.