by W. J. May
A faint shudder rippled through her body. He absorbed it into his hands.
“When I went back to get my necklace, they were lying on the floor. Dead. Stacked in some huge, bloody pile, like someone was trying to save space. Dead.”
Again, he stiffened. This time, he had no idea what to say.
The people scattered around the outer rim of the kingdom had all grown up with stories of the crown prince. They knew well of his cruelty, his greed. While the princess might have known a rosier version of him up until recently, the others had long since been disillusioned.
This poster clearly did not surprise him. But saying that wouldn’t help.
“I don’t understand why he had to do that,” Katerina said faintly. Her face was still pressed up against Dylan’s chest, but the quiet words came through loud and clear. “It wasn’t like I was taking them with me. I was alone. He...he knew them. We grew up together. Why would he—”
“For exactly that reason,” Dylan interrupted gently. “To isolate you. To cut you off from everyone you know and make you feel entirely alone.”
It was quiet for a moment, then he tilted up her head.
“...but you’re not.”
She gazed up at him, her eyes shining with a hundred tears.
“You’re not alone,” he said again, quiet but firm. “You have people who are willing to fight for you. People who are willing to risk everything. You have me—” He cut off suddenly, editing on the fly. “I mean...you have us. Me and Tanya and Cass. We’re not going anywhere. I promise.”
For a moment, their eyes locked. He wiped away a stray tear that had fallen and she managed to take her first deep breath. Then, just as quickly as they’d come together, she pulled away.
“Just three more people who are going to die because of me.” She took a step back, her worn boots landing softly upon the damp leaves. “And as for us?” Their eyes locked again, before she turned away. “There is no us. You made that perfectly clear.”
BY THE TIME THEY GOT back to their little camp, the others had come to some sort of tentative truce. For at least the time being, they’d decided to go with Cassiel’s plan. They would continue to Brookfield as they’d been doing. Only with one or two minor adjustments to the route.
“What about Clever’s Pass?” Tanya was saying. “Even in the summer, it’s almost always deserted. If we’re really trying to stay under the radar, that would be our best bet.”
Cassiel frowned to himself, deep in thought. “It’s a hard climb. Even under the best of circumstances. And the weather has been unseasonably cold. I’m not sure if—”
“We’re not going to Clever’s Pass,” Katerina said quietly. The others looked up in surprise, their eyes flashing from her to Dylan then back to her. “We’re not going anywhere. Not together.”
They absorbed this for a moment.
Then Tanya shook her head. “Kat, if you’re talking about splitting up, that’s a really stupid idea—”
“We’re not splitting up,” Katerina replied firmly. “We’re parting ways. I appreciate what you’ve all done for me, what you’ve been willing to risk—but I’m not. Willing to risk it, that is. I’m not willing to risk any of you.”
Cassiel lifted his eyebrows in surprise, while Dylan turned away to the trees. Tanya, on the other hand, was outraged. And it was an emotion she seldom kept to herself.
“Well, fortunately, Your Highness, it’s not up to you. Right?” She looked around at the others for support. “We decided to embark upon this together. As a group. You can’t just—”
“I can, and I just did.” Katerina picked up her pack and swung it over her shoulders. “I won’t have any more blood on my hands. Especially that of the three of you. I simply can’t permit it.”
For the first time, Cassiel was looking at her with a hint of respect, but Tanya absolutely wasn’t having it. “Well, that’s total bull—”
“Where will you go?” Dylan interrupted quietly.
Katerina turned towards him, but before she could say a word Tanya leapt in between.
“Are you serious?” she hissed. “Dylan, you can’t possibly—”
“Where will you go?” he said again, eyes locked solely on the princess.
Katerina considered the question for the first time. Things were changing so quickly, she honestly hadn’t given it much thought. Not that she knew much about the mountain terrain anyway.
After a long moment, she simply gestured up the nearest hill.
“That way.”
Cassiel followed the gesture with a frown, Tanya cursed under the breath, but Dylan never broke her gaze. A faint look of amusement danced across his face, but he didn’t smile. He simply picked up his pack and slipped it over his shoulders.
“How strange.” He tilted his head towards the same hill. “As fate would have it, we’re heading ‘that way’ too.”
WHAT HAPPENED BACK in the clearing with the poster was supposed to have been a personal revelation. An impassioned stand after which Katerina struck out on her own forever. Exposed and defenseless against the dangers of the world, but with a clear conscience and unwavering beliefs.
It was not supposed to turn into a woodland game of hide and seek.
In the beginning, Katerina had thought they would just lose interest. That if she simply ignored them and continued on her own, they would eventually realize she was serious, give up the ghost, and head back to their respective homes.
She’d done all she could to see it through.
She’d set out immediately without giving them time to pack up their things. She’d embarked upon a nonsensical course, darting through the trees in illogical zig-zags that left her feeling dizzy but satisfied she could not be followed. She’d even doubled back once or twice before abruptly changing direction. At the last moment, she headed for the mountains instead.
Why wasn’t she surprised, then, when she heard three familiar voices ringing in the trees?
“I say good riddance,” Tanya was saying loudly, pushing noisily through the branches, completely oblivious to the fact that she was snapping them back in Cassiel’s face. “Sure, she might come off as sweet in the beginning, but the girl is a royal pain in the ass. Plus, she ruined breakfast.”
Katerina snorted in laughter, then forced that smile into a scowl as she quickened her clumsy pace. Only a few seconds later, she heard the others. They weren’t behind her, as she’d originally thought, but were walking side by side. Just about fifty yards to her right.
“I caught her rummaging through my pockets in the middle of the night,” Cassiel added seriously. “Probably looking for money, the little thief.”
For a second Katerina almost lost her composure entirely, ready to launch all her defenses. Then she glanced out of the corner of her eye, took one look at the innocent face, and remembered to hold her tongue. They weren’t going to get her so easily.
Dylan had no stories to contribute. No slurs against her character, no baiting or lies. He kept mostly to himself and let the others do the talking. Opening his mouth only occasionally to remind them to slow their pace: “Apparently, we are to climb this mountain at the speed of a drunken child.”
Katerina bit her lip to conceal a smile. She figured that last bit was for her.
And, so, it continued. When she hiked, they hiked. When she rested, they rested. When she got lost and took an hour-long detour to avoid a river they rolled their eyes, complained, but did the same.
Things remained fairly consistent until the four of them set up camp for the night. Two separate camps. Just a stone’s throw away. But only one of them had a tent. And food. And a fire.
Katerina brought her arms up around her chest and shivered violently as she watched them jealously through the trees. How it was they’d gotten a fire going out of the wet wood, she had no idea. She’d been trying for the last forty minutes with no success, but Cassiel had basically just touched the thing and it had sprung to life. She’d finally given up and was leanin
g against the trunk of a tall tree. Clutching her cloak around her. Nothing but a single biscuit to her name.
Just give it another night. They’ll give up after another night and go home. Then you won’t have to worry about them. Then they’ll be safe.
The thought comforted her and terrified her all at the same time. Yes, she wanted them to be safe, but she couldn’t imagine what it would be like when they were actually gone. Her mind flashed back to how she’d felt that first night, running away from the palace, completely alone in the trees, and she stifled a shudder. She may be freezing, and starving, and dying of thirst, but she was taking a considerable amount of comfort just in the sight of their tent. To have it all taken away?
It’s what YOU wanted. It’s what YOU insisted upon. Get on board.
With the world’s quietest sigh, she curled up in a little ball on the ground and forced herself to close her eyes. If she could make it through the chilly night to morning without losing any of her toes, she’d count it as a success. And if she had one more night’s security, knowing that people who cared about her were close by...she might as well enjoy it while she could.
And so, with the sounds of a distant fire crackling in her ears, she drifted off into the world’s most troubled sleep. At least, that’s what she tried to do.
Three hours later, she was still awake.
The fire next door had long since died, and there were no sounds coming from the tent. The others were no doubt fast asleep, but the icy mountain chill was making that virtually impossible. She sucked a freezing breath through her teeth and huddled down as far as she could in her cloak. It was fine while she was up and moving about but wasn’t designed to act as a blanket. Even now, it had accumulated so much water that she was thinking of casting it off entirely.
A sudden noise in the trees made her sit up with a start. Her eyes widened with fear as she looked around, while her trembling fingers groped around blindly for a rock or a stick. Anything she could use as a weapon. The higher up they’d climbed into the mountains, the more tracks they’d stumbled across from nature’s finest predators. Wolves, cougars, and bears. She wouldn’t be at all surprised if one had happened upon her in the night, prowling about for an easy snack.
“Hello?” she whispered, hardly daring to speak.
There was another noise. Much closer than the first. She carefully lifted the rock above her head, then froze perfectly still. Too frightened to move. A final twig snapped, and she almost fainted right then and there.
“No need for the rock. I surrender.”
It fell from her hands as her body wilted with an exhausted sigh. A second later, Dylan stepped through the trees. He was carrying a flagon of water and a heavy blanket.
“I thought you were a bear,” she confessed weakly, bringing her knees up to her chest.
His eyes made a quick study before twinkling with his signature smile. “Not a bear. A wolf, remember?”
She was too cold to even laugh at the joke, and he settled down beside her. A second later, he’d spread the blanket across the two of them and pressed the water into her hand. When she looked up at him, he ignored her with a dismissive shrug.
“I’m cold.”
Her icy lips twitched up into a smile. Right. I bet you are.
A second after that, he leaned back against the tree. Unlike her, who’d had to fidget and adjust for a small eternity before she could get comfortable, he looked as natural as could be. His eyes were closed, and one arm was slightly extended. A silent invitation for her to come inside.
An hour earlier, she might have refused. Now, bordering on the fringes of frostbite, she no longer had that kind of pride.
Without a word, she shifted closer and nestled down into his arms. He smelled of leather and pine, and with a contented sigh she lay her head upon his chest and closed her eyes. Both arms wrapped instantly around her, and the heat from his skin seeped into her own. The sound of his steady heartbeat was like a drug, lulling her into a hypnotic sleep, but before she closed her eyes for good she tilted her head and asked him one final thing. “Why are you always saving me?”
His arms tightened as he glanced down with a smile. “Bad habit.”
She absorbed this for a moment, blinking against the heavy fatigue. Then she lifted her chin again, peering up at him under the light of the moon. “The other night...why did you tell me to go to bed?”
It wasn’t his fault that she could feel the sudden hitch in his breathing. That she felt the way his pulse hammered and his heart skipped a beat. It was quiet for a moment, before he gave an even quieter reply.
“I told you to go to bed because the day was over. I told you to go to bed because we had a long day ahead of us.”
His tone ended the conversation, and she put the rest of her questions away for the time being. Her head dropped back against his chest, and before she knew it she was drifting off into a dreamless sleep.
She almost didn’t hear him say the last part. She was almost too far gone.
“I told you to go to bed.” The wind swept down upon them, and his arms tightened around her again. “I didn’t say I didn’t want to go with you.”
Chapter 4
Katerina opened her eyes the next morning, shocked to discover she was warm. The sun was out, and she was still cradled snugly against Dylan’s chest. Her body rose and fell with his steady breathing, and every now and then one of his fingers would twitch in a dream.
A secret smile curled up the side of her face, and she cuddled in closer. Over the last several weeks the two of them had spent many nights together, but there had never been anything like this.
Especially after that kiss. Especially after what he said last night.
The smile grew brighter as she watched his fingers, fighting imaginary demons and monsters in his sleep. Despite the rough exterior and the ‘Get lost’ attitude, there were times he reminded her of a child. Brimming with energy. Searching for adventure. Sparkling eyes fixed on the horizon.
He probably thinks I didn’t hear. He probably thought I was asleep already.
But the words were burned forever into her mind. They’d electrified her body and kept her awake long after he’d passed out himself. “I told you to go to bed...I didn’t say I didn’t want to go with you.” After getting over the initial shock, the initial flattery, the initial cheek-blazing blush that immediately followed, Katerina did her best to consider the possibility from all sides.
Was that something she wanted? Did she even care about him like that? When two people were joined at the hip, living each day on the edge of a knife, it was hard to tell one way or another.
What feelings were real? How deep did they run? Did Dylan feel any of them, too?
The smile faded a little as she considered this.
It had only taken a few days on the road for her to realize that the man eclipsed her in terms of experience. A dozen pairs of lusty eyes followed wherever he went, a dozen lusty stories were attached to every town, and it wasn’t like he exactly shied away from the attention. He did when he was with her, of course, but the man obviously had game. And obviously enjoyed the company of women.
A night spent in her bed might be nothing more than casual for him. A way to pass the time and keep warm on the cold forest nights. No feelings involved whatsoever.
But it can’t just be that, can it? Otherwise, why would he have sent me away? Why would he have stopped our kiss? Another thought occurred to her, and she froze. Why the heck am I even thinking about all this, when my homicidal brother just put a price on my head?!
He shifted suddenly beneath her, tightening his arms like she was some teddy bear, before his eyes fluttered open and shut. They focused slowly on the brilliant sunrise, drifting down to the girl in his arms. She was staring back up at him with a little smile.
“Good morning.”
His lips twitched up, and he made no move to release her. “Morning. You still have all your toes?”
She rolled her eyes but
wriggled them just to be sure. “Ten fingers, ten toes. All in all, I’d rate the night as a huge success.”
He chuckled quietly and stretched out his long legs. She might be hyper-aware of the fact that their bodies were pressed up against each other, but he didn’t seem to notice. One hand stayed pressed against her lower back as the other rummaged around and produced the flagon of water.
“You should drink something.” It wasn’t a suggestion, but a good-natured command. “You didn’t have enough yesterday, and the last thing you want up here is to get dehydrated.”
She unscrewed the cap carefully, peeking up occasionally through her lashes. “How do you know how much water I drank yesterday?”
“...lucky guess.”
A little grin broke through, in spite of her best efforts, and she ‘accidentally’ spilled some on his stomach as she was screwing back on the cap. He tensed immediately, then scowled, then grinned, then sprayed her face with a handful of droplets.
Rangers can also be playful. Good to know.
They lay there for a while longer, passing the water back and forth, each secretly unwilling to let the other go, before the sounds from the camp next door started filtering through the trees. They glanced over at the same time, staring blankly through the tall redwoods, then dropped their heads with an identical sigh. Their brief respite was over. Time to get back to the real world.
“So, what’s it going to be, princess?” Dylan asked as they finally untangled themselves, sitting up together and gazing out over the magnificent vista beyond. “Have you come to your senses, or are we going to keep playing follow-the-leader all over these hills?”
Katerina’s eyes flickered over to the tent. Then to the breakfast fire crackling merrily in front of it. Then to the people gathered around that fire. She stared at them for a moment, taking in every single detail, and then the strangest thing happened. Along with the nauseating fear, and the worry, and the sense of doom that had been plaguing her since the moment she saw that poster, she began to feel the stirrings of something else, too. Something that felt a bit like hope.
