Prince Leif could not have imagined that the Princess of Aradanas would be kidnapped at her own ball, but that's exactly what happened.
Without question of his own safety, Leif and three other prospective suitors, dive blindly into a rescue missio...
TENDRILS of the Princess' long, faded-coral hair flapped over the shoulder of a Loricai soldier as if to tease the men who sought to rescue her. The sight of her unconscious head jostling set Leif's already frayed nerves on edge. Ahead of him, Tavis was gradually falling back, and his own horse struggled to maintain speed. Leaden with disappointment, Leif finally let up and allowed the distance between the two groups to grow a little longer.
"Let them run their horses. It's better we give our boys a chance to rest," Kyden said as he matched the slower pace and patted his horse's neck. "The Wilds were not in their plans. Our presence has shaken them and they've deviated from their route. That could be to our advantage."
"Do you know this land well, Leif?" Killi's eyes never left the Loricai company, dancing from one man to another.
Leif watched in interest as Killi seemed to shoot them down with a phantom bow. It would have been a good weapon to have—one Leif wished any of them had thought to equip themselves with before diving into the tunnels.
"Well enough," Leif answered and took a moment to catch his bearings. They were an hour out of the village and the Wilds were still close to a quarter-day's ride to the east. Leif squinted into the distance, searching for a way to pinpoint their location.
"I have never veered this far east," Tavis mused.
"I have. When I was a child, we used to take small boats out onto the water."
"Boats on water?" Kyden raised an eyebrow; there was not a hint of water to speak of.
"Yes." With a smirk, Leif pulled back on his horse's reins and changed course for the trees to the north. He was aware he appeared to be retreating, at least to the enemy. It wasn't a far distance he traveled before turning east again, merely minutes in fact, but he knew it would change things drastically.
"We're forbidden from sailing on the ocean," Leif explained when the others finally caught up to him. "But water is in the blood of Aradanes, and it runs through our land as it does our hearts; the ocean isn't the only place you can sail. The Loricai will run into a lake on their route, they'll have to go around it, and we will catch them while they do."
"What of the other way?" Killi waved exasperated in the opposite direction, his horse coming to a stop. "I followed you blindly last time—"
"Killi, your query was if I knew this land well, and I do. Should they go the other way, they will encounter Garda, a village populated entirely by the palace guard and their families. If they chose that route, they will pass through somewhere within an hour or two from now. At that time, the majority of the village will be finishing their daily drills and will certainly notice a faction of Loricai soldiers carting their princess through."
"Fair plan, then." Kyden caught Leif's eye, an air of approval in the look, as if he was measuring Leif by an entirely new stick.
Awkward under Kyden's gaze, Leif nodded his acknowledgement of Killi's apologetic bow. "A rider would have been sent to notify Garda right away per palace protocol. We should keep moving if we hope to block them at the lake."
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