The Prince and the Slave: Book Two

Chapter One

He felt his heart drop as he stared at them in his hand, realisation flooding over him.

She was gone.

Someone had taken her 

Chapter One

William stared frantically into the crowd again, trying to catch any glimpse of Abey amongst the moving townspeople. He felt the panic rising in his chest as he started to charge through the town, desperately trying to find her.

He didn't think to stop and ask anyone in the crowd if they had seen her, there was no time. He knew the longer it took to find her...the less chance there was of him ever seeing her again.

He couldn't understand how this could have happened to her, the bands around her wrists should have been enough to protect her from this.

Maybe she wasn't taken. Maybe she just ran away. He paused as the nasty thought rose in the back of his mind. Maybe she doesn't love you. Maybe this was her plan all along...

William shook his head and cleared the thoughts away, pressing on – not knowing what direction he was going in, just hoping that any direction was better than none at all.

He dismissed the idea that Abey had just run away. She wouldn't do that – she had nowhere to run to. And she had told him herself that she would only run away if she had a specific destination. And also, it looked as if there had been a fight or a struggle in the doorway he had left her in. Why would there have been a struggle if she had gone herself?

William cursed as he reached the other end of the crowd, still no sign of her anywhere. He quickly turned around and ran back, trying another direction, resolving to search the entire crowd, then the entire town, until he found her. He didn't contemplate what would happen if he didn't find her. He didn't allow himself that option.

It was nearing nightfall by the time William finally had to stop his search. He collapsed against the fountain in the middle of the now empty square, letting the tears roll down his face. He cried out into the sky, letting all his anger and frustration and fear out at once.

“Why now?!” He cried. “Why her and why now? Why give me one perfect night like that then take it all away?!” He yelled to the sky, hoping whatever vengeful God was looking down on him would take pity, and bring Abey back to him.

He let out another anguished cry as he sank down to the floor, sobbing violently as it began to snow around him, the darkness falling ever faster, leaving him in a shadow of moonlight.

Eventually, he lifted his head. There were no more tears he squeeze out of his eyes, and through his pain he resolved himself with grim determination, his jaw locked tight and his eyes now hard and piercing.

“I'll find you” He whispered, gripping the two gold bands still in his hands, hoping that where-ever she was, Abey would sense what he was saying to her. “However long it takes, I'll find you”