A Beast's Tale: Act 1 (His Maid)

Chapter 89

"Hey, look who came back! Ya didn't think we'd let ya sneak inside the same way you snuck out, did ya?"

The boy held his ground at the treeline, well out of the jeering guard's reach. "I don't want to go inside. I'm just here to warn you. The Rhodolitian army's on its way, and you're all gonna die if you don't leave now."

A few of the guards exchanged uneasy glances, but when their spokesman laughed, they joined in with him. "Run away?" he asked. "No. We have our orders, and we're gonna stay put. We're not cowards like you."

"No, you're cowards who'll use an innocent woman to lure Prince Chevalier Michel here," the boy countered. "And he's mad. Haven't you heard of his purges? He's got enough men with him to wipe you all out. Your boss picked a fight he can't win."

I watched the exchange from several yards east of the boy's position, hidden within the trees, waiting for the moment to strike. There were only ten guards now. Roderic could have handled that many, which meant the rest had returned to their assigned patrols and posts within the dungeons. If these remaining men were a representative sample of the Obsidianite rebels, they'd give me no trouble. They would probably scatter if Blade and I charged them. But if even one man ran inside and raised the alarm, I didn't know how Raine would react. Would he stop torturing Ivetta in favor of using her as a shield? Or would he kill her?

It was a risk I couldn't take. I had to wait.

Fortunately, it took little time for the slight teenage boy to demoralize what amounted to glorified bandits. They were shifting from foot to foot now, eyeing the door behind them and then looking toward the rising sun, as if they expected the army to appear on the eastern horizon at any moment. One man had taken a few steps westward.

Less than a minute.

"Prince Gilbert von Obsidian is with them, too," the boy said. "And I saw him sending messengers to call up his army. You're about to be crushed on both sides."

"Prince Gilbert?" a pale-faced guard asked. "Nobody said anything about Prince Gilbert."

"He's trying to scare us," the leader shouted over the anxious mutterings of his men. "Everything is going according to plan. Stand your ground! Are you gonna let some brat—"

I nudged Blade's sides with my heels and bent low over his neck. We burst through the trees at an angle, galloping toward the wall and wedging ourselves between it and the guards. Most fled. The two who remained jumped away from the door. Their leader opened his mouth, rallying them to turn and fight, but I'd drawn my sword and killed them all before he'd finished giving the order. Blood sprayed across Blade's white coat. He halted at my command, and I leaped down, wrenching the door open as he danced in place, eager for more action. His flying hooves would deter any who tried to follow me.

Raine had made several serious mistakes. This was my country, my territory, my fort. I knew its layout—I'd staged campaigns from it myself—and my knowledge combined with the boy's rough directions gave me confidence that I could reach Ivetta in less than five minutes. Sooner, depending on the quality and amount of guards stationed at various locations throughout the dank, dark corridors. It was a simple matter to sneak up on them and kill before they could shout a warning.

I lowered another body to the floor, straining my ears for the slightest sound. Flames flickered in the nearby torches. Blood dripped from my sword. No screams. Was she dead? Unconscious? Too exhausted to make a sound?

That had been Raine's biggest mistake: laying his hands on the woman I loved.

There, voices. I quickened my pace, following them to the source.

"Should I revive her again?"

"No, that's enough for now. I want her alive when Gilbert gets here. It'll be fun to make him watch me kill her."