The soldiers and the King made their way into the trees, as Sitnalta, Najort, Aud, and Gerald ran through the orchard, heading for the far wall. Sitnalta led the way, searching for the very tree that had helped her escape the first time. None of them dared look back to see how close Supmylo and his men were in their pursuit. Finally, Sitnalta stopped running. Her three companions clustered around her trying to catch their breath. Sitnalta turned to them with a small smile.
“This is it,” she told them. She turned and gestured to a massive apple tree growing alongside the castle wall. They had made it.
Najort gazed apprehensively at the tree. He swallowed hard. He had no idea how he was going to get up that trunk. He stood firmly by his belief that trolls were not made for tree climbing.
Sitnalta turned to Aud and Gerald. “Thank you,” she told the King. “Aud,” she said, looking at the older woman. “I love you.” She looked back at Gerald. “You had better take care of her.” Sitnalta then looked at Najort and gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry,” she told him. “You’ll do fine.”
With that, she turned and made her way up the tree. She made it look so easy. Her feet used the knots in the ancient trunk like rungs of a ladder. Her hands found grooves in the gnarled bark that Najort could have sworn were not there mere moments before. Within seconds, Sitnalta was out of sight far above in the tree’s branches calling for him to join her.
Najort took a deep breath and faced the tree. His large hands tentatively reached out and touched the bark. He ran them up and down the rough trunk looking for something he could hold onto to begin pulling himself up, but found nothing. No groove was large enough for him to stick his hand in. He decided to try one of the knots he saw jutting out from the side of the tree. He grabbed a hold, braced one of his feet against the tree, and tried to haul himself up to where Sitnalta was waiting. He succeeded for a few seconds, but as he searched for his next handhold, his foot slipped, and he fell heavily to the ground.
“I would have been better off scaling the wall,” Najort said bitterly to himself.
Aud and Gerald exchanged a look over Najort’s head and nodded.
“Get up,” Gerald said to Najort.
Najort pulled himself to his feet and faced the King. “How am I supposed to get up there?” he asked him.
Gerald answered by cupping his hands together. “Put your foot here,” he said. “I will hoist you up as far as I can. The rest will be up to you.”
“No it won’t,” Sitnalta called down from the tree. “I can help him.”
Najort shook his head. “I feel ridiculous,” he told them.
“Don’t worry about it,” Sitnalta said. “I was rubbish at this the first time I tried it too.”
Najort raised his eyebrows in disbelief and put his foot into Gerald’s hands. The King hoisted the troll up as far as he could and Najort raised his arms, looking for a branch to grab onto. Instead, he found Sitnalta’s hands, and the Princess pulled him up with all her might. Najort used his feet to walk up the trunk the rest of the way.
Soon, he was sitting on a branch with Sitnalta. “I made it,” he told her.
“I knew you would. Now we have to jump the wall. I made it the last time, and it was far darker than this, so I am not worried. Just follow me.”
With that, she turned and slid off the branch, landing on top of the castle wall that was beside the tree. She turned, gave Najort a last look, and slid off the top. Najort gathered his courage and followed.
At the foot of the tree, Aud and Gerald stood, unsure of what to do.
“I hope they will be all right,” Aud said to Gerald.
“They will be,” Gerald told her. “I am sure of it.”
The two of them stiffened suddenly as seven men came out of the trees. Supmylo appeared soon after. He gazed at King Gerald, fury written across his face.
“I should have known my ‘friend,’” he sneered. “Where is she?”
Gerald just stood, staring the King in the eye.
“I will ask you once more,” Supmylo said. “Where is she?”
“Gone,” Gerald answered. “She is gone.”
“I will deal with the two of you later. I’ll be going after the Princess, and this time, she will not get away. I’ll do this myself.” Supmylo turned to one of his men. “Fetch me my horse.” And with that, he turned and stalked off towards the gates.
Chapter Thirty
Sitnalta ran through the forest. Even though it was getting darker by the second, her strides did not falter and she did not stumble once. She repeatedly stopped under the guise of catching her breath, but in reality she was making sure Najort could keep up with her. His short legs could not match her quick strides. He knew this was what she was doing, but he didn’t say a word. Despite his mounting embarrassment, he appreciated the gesture.
Sitnalta was worried, though. She knew the stunt she had pulled back at the castle would cost her, and she knew that Supmylo was surely after them. She did not know how much time they would have before he would catch up. The King knew where Najort’s cave was, so they clearly could not hide there. They would have to think of something fast.
On and on they ran. Neither one said a word to the other. The sound of their breathing helped them keep track when it grew too dark to see each other clearly. Najort began to wonder how much longer he could hold out. His breathing was becoming ragged. He had a painful stitch in his side, and he was tightly holding his hand there in a desperate attempt to alleviate the pain. Finally, Sitnalta stopped in front of him. He jogged up to her and squinted at her face in the darkness. She looked scared. Her head was cocked to the side, as if she was straining to hear something.
“What is it?” Najort gasped out.
In response, Sitnalta placed her hand over his lips to quiet him. Najort listened intently. He heard footsteps coming towards them, accompanied by a faint crackling, and an acrid smell in the air. Najort and Sitnalta looked in the direction of the sound. Together they saw a faint glow heading in their direction through the trees. Najort heard a faint moan coming from Sitnalta’s throat.
“He’s found us,” she said to him. “He’s found us for sure now. I am so sorry.”
“Sshhh . . .” Najort said, facing the Princess. “Don’t apologize. None of this is your fault. Please do not fall apart on me know. Be strong. I know you can.”
“But this is my fault. If I had not run away in the first place,” Sitnalta whispered.
“Yes, well, if I had not chosen to live in a cave all alone in the first place,” Najort responded. “We could keep going on and on trying to place blame, and it will do none of us any good. It’s pointless. Please, Sitnalta, stay calm.”
Beside him, Najort heard Sitnalta take a few deep breaths as she tried to relax. The footsteps came closer. The light became brighter. The smell became stronger.
“We should run for it,” Sitnalta whispered to Najort. “We should just run.”
“How could we outrun him?” Najort asked. “He’s too fast for us.”
“If we both go in opposite directions he can’t chase us both,” Sitnalta answered. “Besides, he will most likely just go after me. You can still get away, Najort.”
Najort glared at Sitnalta angrily. “I will not leave you in the hands of that monster. How many times do I have to explain to you that I will under no circumstances leave you alone?”
“Stop being so stubborn!” Sitnalta hissed. “We’ll both be caught if we stay here. You’ll be throwing your life away for no good reason.”
“I’ll be protecting you,” Najort said. “That’s all the reason I need.”
Inside, Sitnalta felt her heart break. “I don’t need your protection. If you stay here, you’ll die. He’s not here to kill me. Please understand. Go.”
Najort stood his ground and did not respond. Sitnalta felt like screaming with frustration at her friend’s stubbornness. They could now see the flickering light for what it was, and the torchbearer was almost upon them.
Sitnalta reached out and clutched Najort’s hand in her sweaty, trembling one as King Supmylo approached them and looked them both in the eye.
By the light of his torch, Supmylo’s face took on a demonic caste. He looked at the Princess and the troll with a malignant fury as he strove to find the words with which to address his errant daughter.
“Are you really that unhappy at home, my sweet,” he began. “That you have to run away not once, but twice?”
Sitnalta looked away, refusing to meet her father’s eyes.
“I asked you a question,” he sneered at her.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I’m afraid I did not quite hear you.”
Sitnalta looked up and faced him. “I said, yes. Yes! I was so wretchedly miserable at home, I ran away—twice!”
Supmylo’s face turned red with fury. “How dare you speak that way to me? Me? I am your father—your King—I own you!”
“My father?” Sitnalta asked. She was shaking with suppressed rage. “My father? You never wanted me. Now you think you have this claim over me? No one owns me. No one ever has, or ever will! How dare you!” She gave Najort’s hand another squeeze, hoping it would go unnoticed by Supmylo.
“You ungrateful little wretch!” Supmylo bellowed. He reached back with a powerful arm and struck his daughter hard across her face.
Chapter Thirty-One
King Gerald and Aud sat together in the library. Supmylo had not been clear in his instructions on where to put them, so the guards had decided to lock them in there. Gerald had soon got a fire going in the hearth and Aud sat huddled in her chair.
“Well, it is certainly more comfortable than the dungeons,” Gerald said.
“I don’t see how you can joke about this,” Aud snapped at him.
“One must try to remain optimistic,” Gerald replied.
“I don’t see what there is to be optimistic about,” Aud answered back. “We’re locked in here, and Supmylo is out hunting Sitnalta and her friend Najort, who don’t even have a credible head start. And we can’t do a damned thing about it!”
“If you put it that way, yes things look a little bleak, but one must always search for the silver lining.” With that, Gerald got up and went to the door. He gave a complex succession of knocks, and got a shrill whistle as a response.
“What was that?” Aud asked incredulously.
“The silver lining,” Gerald answered.
Within moments, the door to the library was unlocked and Gerald was surrounded by a half dozen of his men. Aud stood staring in wonder at the sight before her.
“How?” she asked.
Gerald smiled at her. “I had a feeling that Supmylo would take us into custody once he discovered the Princess had escaped yet again. So, I enlisted my most trusted men to find out where we were taken, once it happened, and spring us out once I gave the signal.”
“Why did you wait so long to give the signal then?”
“Because I wanted to spend as much time as possible in your lovely company,” Gerald answered.
“You!” Aud exclaimed.
“Really, it was because I needed to give them time to find us, and to get Supmylo’s men out of the way. How would it have looked to the guards if I was rapping out codes on the door every few minutes?” He shrugged his shoulders. “Now, we must go and find the Princess. Aud, I need you to stay here.”
“What?” Aud asked. “Why must I stay?”
“We may have quite a fight on our hands. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Aud stared at Gerald in outrage. “I am not some weak female who needs you to keep her out of harm’s way.”
“I know this,” Gerald told her. His men were snickering behind him. “What if I told you that I need you here to stay locked in the library in case more of Supmylo’s men come by to see if the prisoners are still here, and I need you to pretend we both are.”
“Then I would say that makes a lot more sense, and you should have said that first,” Aud told him, hands on her hips.
“Then, I will make that my answer,” Gerald said.
“You are incorrigible,” Aud exclaimed.
“You will stay?” Gerald asked.
“Only because your second reason makes sense, and the last thing we need is for a number of Supmylo’s men to go in pursuit of you while you are in pursuit of him.”
“Good,” Gerald replied. He turned to leave, but on a whim, he turned back and kissed Aud full on the lips, causing her to blush scarlet when he closed the doors, locking her in the library a second time.
Together, Gerald and the remaining soldiers of Sarrin left the castle in search of horses for their pursuit.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Sitnalta sat huddled on the ground, her cheek inflamed, and throbbing. Somewhere above she could hear Najort growling in anger. She stiffly helped herself up onto her feet and laid a restraining hand on his shoulder.
“That’s right,” Supmylo said, taunting her. “Hold back your beast.”
“The only beast I see here is you,” she spat out.
“Now, now,” Supmylo purred. “Hold your tongue, or I just might make the other side of your face match the first.”
Najort lunged forward, but Sitnalta held him back.
“Don’t,” she whispered to him. “He’s trying to make you angry.”
“Too bad you can’t seem to take your own advice,” Supmylo said laughing at her.
“Why are you doing this?” Sitnalta asked her father. “Why do you care? Why can’t you just leave me alone? I don’t see how I could be of any use to you now. I don’t think King Gerald has any interest in me anymore. So you can’t want me for that.”
“You don’t understand, do you?” Supmylo answered. “It’s not about the marriage. You are mine—property to do with as I see fit. That idiot Gerald is not the only King around. There are others. Other kingdoms I can acquire. The point is that you belong to me. Therefore, I cannot have you running off whenever you see fit. My horses stay in their stables until they are required. I expect the same from my daughter.”
Sitnalta stood staring at her father aghast. “A horse? You see me as nothing more than livestock? Oh, I’m sorry. I got it wrong. I am your ‘property.’ I suppose you saw my mother in much the same way. You disgust me. I am a human being. As such, I deserve my freedom. I will not be returning with you to the castle.”
Supmylo’s hand clenched tighter around his torch. Najort watched the King carefully, and noted an angry twitch in the corner of his left eye. He held his ground beside the Princess and grabbed her hand once more.
“You will not be returning?” Supmylo asked slowly. “I do not think you realize what you are saying.”
“I know perfectly well what I say—I will not be ruled by you any longer. I am not afraid of you anymore,” Sitnalta told him. She was pleased to note her voice was even and strong. Inside she was terrified. Her knees were knocking under her dress.
“You will not defy me!” Supmylo shouted. “No one defies me! I am King. I rule supreme. I will not be undermined by a stupid little girl.”
Sitnalta stared at Supmylo. Her face was calm. “It’s over. I will not go back with you. Please go and leave us be.”
“You are making demands of me?” Supmylo was astounded. “What nerve you have demanding things of me—your King—your father! I gave you a roof over your head. I fed you. I . . .”
“You did nothing. You did not even want me. You wanted a son, and when my mother . . .”
“Your mother was an insolent harlot,” Supmylo started.
“How dare you speak of my mother that way?” Sitnalta screamed in outrage. She ran forward, ready to attack her father, but Najort grabbed her about the waist and dragged her back.
“He’s trying to get this reaction from you,” he told her, smoothing down her hair to keep her calm. He kept one arm wrapped around her shoulder. “His words are poison. Don’t listen to them. He will destroy you with them.”
Su
pmylo laughed wickedly. “Wise words from a creature such as you. Tell me creature, do you love my daughter?”
“More than a monster such as you would ever understand,” Najort snarled.
“And do you think she could ever love you back?” Supmylo asked.
“I ask not for her love. My love for her is as for a daughter,” Najort responded.
“Ah, I see. It’s only because you know she could never love you any other way,” Supmylo replied.
“Leave us be, you foul man. Get out of our forest,” Najort said to Supmylo. He could feel his chest tightening with anger.
“Your forest?” Supmylo asked. “This forest lies within my Kingdom. Therefore, it and all in it are mine. You are trespassing on my land.”
“Then we shall leave,” Najort replied. “Come Sitnalta. We are trespassing.” Najort took Sitnalta by the hand and started to walk away from King Supmylo.
Supmylo chuckled softly. “The creature is a jester. Very funny, but you and the girl are not going anywhere.”
Sitnalta heard the soft, deadly sound of a sword being unsheathed. She whirled around to find Supmylo standing, flaming torch in one hand and gleaming blade in the other.
“What do you intend to do with that?” she asked him quietly.
“It seems I could not convince you with words my dear. I have decided to try an alternate method.”
“What sort of method?” Najort asked.
“It’s simple,” Supmylo said. His voice sounded as if he were trying to explain things to a young infant. “If I can’t convince you by words, I’ll just have to do it by force.”
Najort stared at him as if he had gone completely mad. “You wish to fight us? But we are unarmed.”
Sitnalta (Sitnalta Series Book 1) Page 14
