Selene took a deep breath and concentrated on controlling her breathing. She could feel the twine tighten around her fingers, the weight of the arrow as it slid back on her hand. The star was not much more than a small, indiscernible figure fifty feet away, but she aimed nonetheless. The wind was not a factor, so when she was certain that her arrow would fly true, she loosed the notch and watched it sail over the range towards the star. From the moment the arrow left her bow she knew where it would land and, when it buried itself in the hay target across the range, she did not even have to ask if it hit the center of the star.
Bryce whistled as he pulled the arrow out of the target. "I'll be damned. A fortnight ago you could scarce hold a bow, and now you place arrows better than seasoned archers." He shook his head as he returned to her the arrow.
She smiled and placed the arrow in the quiver at her back. "I am still slow. If I had to do it in a fight I fear I would only loose one arrow if I was lucky."
Bryce only shrugged. "That one arrow would strike true though, sure as the sun shines."
Over the span that Bryce had taught Selene, she had learned to like him. He was a brute of a man with an odd temperament and a taxing demeanor, but he was also one of the best archers in the brotherhood-other than Jon of course. He was teaching her how to make her own bow. It was surprisingly easier than she thought it would be.
"Tis all about the wood," he would say as he polished is favorite longbow.
When she wasn't shooting her bow she was practicing with daggers and dirks and small knives. Orran taught her most of what he knew in hand to hand combat, and she was surprising them all with her adaptability. Everything seemed to come easy for her, though she could not explain it. Despite her ability to catch on to all of the fighting styles, she still enjoyed the bow the most. Something about the distance it allowed for, the finesse.
The bell for supper rang and Selene unstrung her bow and put it behind her back. The dining hall was fairly empty and she found a seat at a table by herself near the door to the kitchen. She liked to stay close so that if Eli had any questions he could simply come out and ask her. The food quality had risen drastically since she had arrived, and that reason alone was enough for her to gain respect from at least some of the men of the brotherhood.
Fried potatoes covered in meat gravy was on the menu that night, but Eli found a new spice that he added to the night's meal. Selene took the first bite with caution. She was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. It was actually one of Eli's better dishes.
Just as she was about to take another bite, the door swung open and two men staggered in, the dirt and grime of travel apparent on their clothes and bodies. They were both exhausted and thirsty, so some of the men helped them find a seat at an empty table in the middle of the room while another ran to fetch a pale of water.
A man named Darrel spoke to them first. "Now you gents hang on a moment, we are getting you a bucket of cool water. It sure looks like you could use it." The pair of men both nodded at the same time. "Alright, good, now what are your names?"
The smaller of the two, though not by much, answered first. "My name is Gavin, Gavin Yary, and this is Dylon, my brother."
Darrel nodded his head steadily. "Good good, now where are you gents from?"
"We were brought up in Adremia. We joined the Silent Brotherhood six years ago; we are part of the chapter there."
A young boy sloshed the water pale into the room and dropped it on the table in front of the two men. Darrel grabbed the ladle from the boy and began giving them drinks. "I see... the Adremia chapter. It seems that ever since the wayward wind has blown..."
"The sun shines through the open skies," the man named Gavin chimed in, finishing the quiet riddle.
Darrel glanced back at the men and nodded. The men surrounding the two brothers relaxed, pulling their hands away from their weapons and taking seats around the table. Even Selene moved closer in hopes that the brothers brought news of Jon and the others.
"What do we know?" Darrell asked the men. They already looked better after drinking copiously.
"It seems that the king is moving on Bondary," Gavin said in between drinks. "Something about Kareth's escape did not convince the Silent King of its authenticity."
Selene could not help but chime in. "You said that Kareth escaped? So he is not dead?"
Gavin looked up at her curiously and then turned to Darrel who nodded for him to proceed. "Aye, Kareth escaped and is alive and well, as far as I know. Apparently, Lord Borlay's men were transporting him to Harrendom when members of the Silent Brotherhood attacked and set him free."
Darrel frowned. "Well that is news to us."
"Aye, that is because we didn't do it." This time it was Dylon speaking. "I cannot say for sure what is going on, but the king moves on Bondary while Lord Went and the might of Tristos have Westerlay under siege, and the Merchant Lord marches on Dunmont as we speak."
"To what end?" Darrel asked.
Both of the brothers shrugged. "Perhaps there is more going on in the realm than we are aware of," Gavin said as he pushed back from the table. "I for one am tired of being out of the loop. If the prince is planning something, it would be nice of him to share it with the rest of us."
"If Kareth is keeping his plan secret, he has a reason to do so," Selene blurted out before she even realized she had done so.
Before anyone could say anything, Darrel rose. "She is right. It is not up to us to question the prince or his motives." He turned his attention back to the brothers. "Why is it that you two are here?"
"We were sent after the king's army was spotted crossing through Adremia on the way to Bondary," Gavin replied. "Gail thought it important that Orran knew what was happening on the eastern front, and if you had any more news of the west."
Darrel shook his head. "The scouts we have sent out have yet to send any word. We are as in the dark as you are."
"Is Orran around? We need to speak with him. It is important that the brotherhood stands together while the Vint divides itself between the noblemen."
"Of course, as soon as he is available," Darrel stated as he looked over at one of the younger boys. "Show them to a room and make sure that they are comfortable."
The boy nodded and ushered the brothers out of the dining hall and up the old wooden stairs. Darrel turned quickly and headed to the stairs at the opposite end of the room. "Selene, Bryce, come with me," he ordered as he moved by.
They ascended the stairs quickly and stopped at the closed door that led to Orran's chambers. Darrel pounded his fist on the door a few times and then entered. Orran was in his usual attire, sitting behind his massive desk with a large stack of papers in front of him. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days.
"What is it, Darrel?" He didn't even look up at Selene or Bryce.
"Two men just came in claiming to be from Adremia. They are saying that Gail sent them to speak with you."
Orran raised an eyebrow. "Did they say anything else?"
Darrel nodded. "Kareth is alive. They think that the attack on Lord Borlay was staged, and the Vint is moving on Bondary. Also, in the west, Tristos has Westerlay under siege and the Merchant Lord marches on Dunmont, though we already knew that one."
"A lot has happened in a month," Orran said, surprise lacing his voice. "So Gail sent men for what purpose now?"
"Exactly. They are claiming that once the Vintish army was spotted passing Adremia, Gail sent them to make sure we were on the same page." Darrel seemed unconvinced by their story.
"And what page would that be?" Orran let out a sigh. "Kareth has given us nothing. If he truly does have a plan, I have no idea what it is."
Darrel nodded in agreement. "Why orchestrate a fake escape attempt when he could just as easily escape?"
Orran shook his head. "Perhaps-"
"You have already answered your question," Selene cut in. "You are asking why he would plan and execute a fake escape attempt, when the real question we need to be asking is where is Kareth if he does not need to escape?"
The three men exchanged confused glances before returning their gazes to her. "He didn't need to escape because he already had. For whatever reason he made Lord Borlay execute an awful attack and cover up, but why?" A smile snaked its way across her face as she revealed the answer. "What is the Vint doing right now?"
"Marching on Bondary," Darrel said, the confusion leaving his voice as he finished the statement.
Orran let out a quiet laugh. "That dirty bastard. He is turning the noblemen against the king. With Westerlay fighting Tristos and receiving no aid he succeeds in pissing off Lord Edson, and by making Lord Borlay look like a traitor he forces the king to march on Bondary, regardless of whether or not he believes the accusation." He shook his head from side to side in silent admiration. "It is genius."
"So what do we do?" Darrel questioned.
Orran moved back to his seat behind the desk. "Darrel, you stay with our new friends. Keep them busy until I can figure out what to do with them."
"What the hell am I supposed to do with them?" Darrel growled, clearly not fond of the idea of monitoring the brothers.
"I'll be damned if I know. Tell them a joke." He moved his attention to Selene and Bryce. "You two will do. Selene, you know the new Kareth best. You and Bryce see if you can't track him down. It would be incredibly helpful to get some kind of guidance from him."
Selene nodded, her mouth open as if she were to speak, but she was cut off by a loud crash from below followed by yells and the clash of steel. Alarm jumped through the four outlaws, and Orran leapt from behind the desk and led them out of the room and down the stairs. They stopped short once they were at the bottom of the stairs and Orran turned to them, his face contorted in a mixture of anger and confusion. "Get her out of here," he said to Bryce before yelling, "Go!"
An arrow flashed by Orran's head and buried itself into the wooden wall. He pulled out his knives and disappeared from the stairs and into the room below. Bryce grabbed Selene and pulled her back up the stairs. "Come on, he will be fine."
Selene did not know what to think. Bryce dragged her down the hallway and into a room on the left at the end of the hall near Orran's office. He smashed the door open and they entered. Darrel closed it behind them and helped Bryce get the window open. It was a long way down, perhaps twenty feet down, and Selene went white as a ghost when she looked out.
"Time to jump, dearie." Bryce had a hand on her arm and was coaxing her out the window.
Selene shook her head. "I don't think I can do it," she said, her voice full of fear.
"We have no choice," Darrel cut in just as boot stomps could he heard climbing the stairs. He turned back to her, his eyes wide as he brandished his sword. "Go, now," was all he said before he moved to the side of the door with his sword up, ready for someone to burst in.
Selene nodded at Bryce and, without another thought, jumped out of the window. The wind caught her face as she fell and she was certain a scream left her mouth. She hit and rolled forward, crashing into the wall of the neighboring building. Pain shot through her body and she looked down at her arm. It was deformed, obviously broken, and she clenched her jaw and stifled back another scream. Bryce hit right after her, though he did a much better job rolling forward and succeeded in only some minor scrapes and bruises.
They heard yells from above and then they saw Darrel's head stick out of the window opening. He was struggling to get through the window when he froze and his back arched. He looked down at them then, a blank stare on his face, before he fell from the window. As he fell a single arrow protruding from the middle of his back could be seen. His body smashed into the ground beside them, and Selene barely moved out of the way to keep from being crushed. Bryce moved to her quickly and covered her eyes.
"Come on, dearie," Bryce pulled her up. "We cannot stay here any longer."
They moved to the end of the alley where Bryce stopped and peered out over the corner of the building. He turned back to her. "It looks clear." And they both left the alley and moved into the street. Selene held her arm, cringing with every step. They stayed close to the buildings in attempts to remain in the shadows. About a block away from the compound on a smaller side street, they stopped at the corner of another building and glanced around cautiously.
"We are going to have to cross it," Bryce said. "Stay close, we have to move fast." Selene nodded, but before he could step out from behind the building an arrow flew by his head and struck the wall behind them. They froze as a single archer stepped out from a small alcove, another arrow was already notched into the bow and he drew back, aiming directly at them.
"I would not move if I were you," the archer said just as men filtered out from various alleys, and the compound behind them.
Bryce and Selene tensed, standing in confusion as they looked around at the surrounding men. They were all dressed in mail armor with the blue surcoats of the Vint and long broadswords. Some of them were covered in blood from the fighting, some remained clean, but all were brandished and pointing steel at them.
A man walked out of the crowd of soldiers in simple clothing. He had long dark hair and was certainly not Vintish. "And you must be Selene," the man said, his voice heavily accented. "My name is Lord Idris Etal, and I have been looking for you."
Selene's eyes darted nervously from the men to the lord. "What do you want?"
"That is not important right now, my dear. If you come with me peacefully, I promise that no harm will come to you." Lord Idris smiled graciously and held out his hand.
She looked at Bryce, their eyes meeting in a silent understanding, and she turned back to the lord. "I will never go with you," she said defiantly.
The lord's smile faded. "Have it your way. Sir Lyle, take her."
The knight named Sir Lyle moved forward. He was dressed in his captain's garb and he grasped the hilt of his sheathed sword. "What of the big one?" he said, motioning to Bryce.
Lord Idris glanced at the large outlaw for a moment before looking at the archer. "Kill him," he said and turned to walk away.
"No!" Selene yelled as the arrow left the archer's bow and, without thinking, she threw herself in front of Bryce, directly into the path of the arrow. She coughed when it struck her back, and her eyes fluttered as she slumped to the ground. Bryce caught her before she fell and cradling her in his arms. He brushed her hair from her face and his eyes glistened with tears. "Why did you do that, dearie?"
Lord Idris turned from Selene and looked to the archer, anger coursing through his veins. "You bloody moron," he said to the archer. "I need her alive!" The lord stepped to the archer and grabbed his throat, choking him until his eyes rolled back and his legs began to twitch.
"Go," she said, though it was little more than a whisper.
Bryce smiled at her. "I cannot leave you." His voice shook and his hands trembled. He laid her on the ground gently and pulled a knife from his boot, concealing it behind his body where the others couldn't see it. "Stay with me Selene. Stay with me," he said as he launched at the lord.
He was two steps away, his blade out and ready, when the lord turned to him and raised an open hand, freezing him in his tracks. The lord stepped over the body of the archer and stopped inches from Bryce's face. "You should not have let her take the arrow for you. I need her," he said as he tightened his hand into a fist. Bryce choked and coughed, his arms darting up to his throat. Lord Idris squeezed his hand together tighter and held it until the large man collapsed on the ground, his knife clattering on the cold stone.
The lord moved to Selene then and put a hand on her chest, his eyes closed for a long moment. "She is alive," he said with obvious relief. "The arrow hit high enough on her shoulder to have missed any organs. Find me a healer. I don't care what you have to do, Sir Lyle, but she lives, or you die. Is that understood?"
Sir Lyle nodded solemnly. "Yes, my lord."
"We leave for Dunmont once she is able to travel."
"Dunmont, my lord?" Sir Lyle asked, a confused look on his face.
Lord Idris shot the knight an impatient look. "Yes, Dunmont, where we will wait for the prince to come after her." The lord was up then and pushing through the soldiers as they scrambled to get out of his path. "Gather your horses men, we leave once she is ready."
Hey everyone, thank you so much for stopping by and checking out the story. I will be posting a new chapter every Tuesday and Friday until the entire novel is on Wattpad. However, I would like to let everyone know that The Lost Prince is on Amazon. I am giving the book away for free on here, but if you loved the novel and feel like purchasing a copy, or gifting it to someone else, I cannot express how honored I would be.