“I need to take a break,” she finally said.
“What?” Wolf sighed. “Now? We need to keep moving if we want to win. We haven’t seen another team in a while, we must be ahead.”
“Or, we could just be completely lost,” she countered.
Wolf stopped and looked at her indignantly. “I know exactly where we are, Elisa. There is no way I could get lost in here.”
“Oh? Why is that? Have you chased your little lover, Victoria I believe it was, around here?” Her mouth immediately clamped shut. She hadn’t meant to say that, but she was so tired and irritable. She didn’t have an ounce of patience left for Wolf’s ego.
His eyes turned cold. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again, turning away from her for a moment. Elisa started to feel bad. Had she actually insulted him? Before she could apologize, he turned back around and explained.
“In the west we hunt in the forest by our homes. It might as well be a maze if you don’t know your way. I learned early on how to keep track of which direction I’m going from watching the sun. Riders don’t get lost.”
“Right,” she muttered, feeling rather stupid.
“Are you ready to keep going, or do you really want to sit?”
“No, let’s just keep going,” she sighed. He didn’t move. Elisa looked up at him as he searched her face. “What?”
“I’m trying to decide if we really should stop,” he answered.
“I said let’s keep going.”
“I know what you said. I also know you’d just say that to prove a point to me. I’m trying to figure out if you really do need a rest before we continue.”
“I’m fine, Wolf,” she assured him. “I just need some water, so the sooner we get out of here the better.”
“We’re almost there if it makes you feel any better.” She nodded her head but kept quiet. After another moment he seemed to decide, because they started moving again. It wasn’t long until they heard other voices. She looked back, but she couldn’t see anyone behind them. The maze was thick and dense, and there were so many twists and turns you never knew when someone would sneak up on you. It freaked her out a little. They hadn’t seen another team in what felt like forever. The voices were hushed. She realized that they were coming from up ahead, not behind them.
When they drew closer, Wolf silently motioned her to stop. They held their backs against the hedges, listening to voices coming from just around the corner. She could hear them clearly now. Both were familiar. Her eyes went to Wolf. He was concentrating too hard to notice her.
“This is unacceptable, Markus!” Antonio argued. “I don’t care who he is, he has disrespected my house by shamelessly seducing my wife. He should have been given over to me as soon as you had him!”
“You know I can’t do that,” Markus replied. He sounded bored and a bit annoyed.
“Why not? The High King will just think he got killed in some tavern brawl! Look at him! No one will think twice about a story like that. It would never get linked back to us.”
Elisa could feel the colour drain from her face. They were talking about killing Wolf. She instinctively linked her hand with the one of his she was attached to. He turned and looked at her with surprise.
“Stop,” Markus said firmly, bringing their attention back. Elisa strained closer. “I will not kill him just because your wife chose to be unfaithful.” Antonio started to argue, but Markus stopped him. “I mean it. Enough of this. The Captain’s daughter is here, and they are clearly close friends. Do you honestly think we could get away with a stupid plan like the one you just suggested? I will not jeopardize my relationship with the Capital over some revenge plot of yours. You will not touch the boy. End of discussion.”
“You will take his side over mine?” Antonio asked. Elisa could feel the anger in his voice.
“I am not choosing sides, Antonio. You are my oldest friend, and I will always support you. I just cannot support this. You will forget about the transgression and leave the boy alone. Go home. Fix things with your wife, and be happy.”
There was a tense silence between them. Elisa was holding her breath, terrified they would be found eavesdropping at any moment.
“This Rider comes here, to my city, disrespects my family and you can stand there and protect him?” Antonio spat out. “Yours is a betrayal I will not forget.” She heard movement as he must have left. Markus let out a long sigh. Unexpectedly, Wolf tugged at her arm forcing her to step around the hedge. Her focus instantly landed on Markus, who was looking down at his feet in thought. He must have heard them, because his head snapped up in surprise.
“Ah, so the Rider and the beautiful archer have won,” he said pleasantly. Elisa could hear the strain in his voice. She tried to keep her face neutral. She was still disgusted by what she heard. Markus hadn’t pointed out how wrong it would be to kill Wolf like his Chancellor had suggested, merely that it would look bad on him. What kind of man was Markus?
CHAPTER EIGHT
Elisa shut the door to her room behind her. She was exhausted and in desperate need of another bath. Markus let them leave after the rest of the teams eventually showed up. He had been quiet and reserved, very different than he had been when she first met him. She wondered if he felt bad for not giving in to his friend’s wishes. She hoped not. The last thing she needed was to get into a fight with the leader and Chancellor of the south. Over Wolf at that! Wolf had completely screwed up during his fun little vacation down here. She understood his need to get away, but this was ridiculous. One of the most powerful men in the south wanted to kill him, and yet he was completely unfazed. While Markus looked stressed the entire time they waited, Wolf laid back on the grass and took a nap. A nap! She would never understand him.
Stripping off the horrible training clothes, Elisa headed to the bath. It was already prepared for her and smelled richly of vanilla. This was what she needed. As much as she loved the workout, she was tired and just wanted to relax.
When the water grew cold, she finally got out, quickly wrapping herself in a towel the servant had left on a chair in the room. All her fingers were wrinkled like an old lady’s. It felt nice to be able to soak after riding for three days straight, spending the night in a sweltering, tiny apartment, and training in the hot sun. Feeling revived, and like a new woman, Elisa walked back into the bedroom to find a tray of fruit and sandwiches waiting for her. A loud grumble sounded in her stomach at the sight of it. Smiling, Elisa walked over, threw herself down on one of the sofas and grabbed a slice of apple as she did so. The breeze coming through the open balcony doors was surprisingly cool, despite the heat of the afternoon. Sinking further into the soft cushions, Elisa found herself slowly drifting off to sleep, the slice of apple still held in her hand.
“Miss!” a voice called out. Elisa felt her body being shaken as she slowly awoke. “Miss you need to wake-up!” Sitting up, Elisa looked towards the balcony doors, and saw the sky had grown dark.
“What time is it?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.
“It is eight in the evening,” the servant said, her hands shaking. “You are supposed to be dressed and in the hall already.”
Elisa looked down at the towel she was still wearing. “I have nothing to wear,” she said sadly.
“His lord sent you a dress. I’ve come to help you get ready.”
They hurried over to the bed where a gown lay out over the sheets. Elisa’s face grew flush as she looked at what Markus had picked for her. If she thought the light dress from the night before was bad, this was a complete nightmare. I’ll never be able to pull this off, she thought nervously. The servant held out the undergarments, waiting patiently for Elisa to take off her towel. She did so obediently, letting the girl dress her in a quick and efficient manner. As they pulled the gown on, Elisa looked down at the rich fabric covering her body. The top was a corset that threatened to cut off all circulation to her lower body. The young girl tied the back tightly, asking Elisa to suck in her breath as she
did so. It was cut straight across her chest, pushing her bust up so that just a little showed at the top. Her blush deepened. The sleeves were long, reaching down her arm to just above her wrists. The bottom half of the dress flowed to the ground in a large ruffle of fabric. The colour was a deep blue, with pearls along the bust and cuffs. There were two tiny silver slippers for her, which fit surprisingly perfectly on her feet. Then the girl brought out a jewellery box, opening it to reveal a necklace of silver that held a ruby the size of Elisa’s fist. She carefully placed it on Elisa, clasping it at the back of her neck.
“We must fix your hair,” she said respectfully. Her nap had left her wet hair in a tangle of knots. The servant pulled it back and into a bun that sat high on Elisa’s head. She placed a small clip in the side, decorated with pearls and small diamonds. Turning Elisa around to face her, she began to apply make-up to her face. When Elisa finally went to the mirror, she almost cried out in shock. The effect was amazing.
“I look – older,” she said, observing her reflection.
“Is that bad?” the girl asked, her voice betraying a sense of disappointment.
“Not at all,” she reassured her. There was rouge on her cheeks, bringing a nice amount of life to her skin. Thick black lines ran along the edge of her eyes, making them stand out from her face. Her lips were stained a deep red. Elisa had never worn such dramatic make-up. “Thank you,” she said, smiling at her reflection in the mirror. They quickly sprayed perfume on her, and then walked out into the hall, the young girl leading the way. The palace was already filled with the sounds of people. Elisa realized she had no idea just how big this ball was going to be.
When they walked to the main entrance, they took a sharp left, heading down the same hall Wolf and Logan had disappeared down earlier that day. At the end of the hall were two large doors that reached all the way to the ceiling. They stood open as crowds of people filtered through. At least she wasn’t the only one who was late, she thought thankfully. When they neared the door, the servant turned abruptly to her.
“I must leave you now,” she said, keeping her eyes lowered. Elisa nodded her head, watching the girl walk back the way they had come. Proceeding the rest of the way alone, her palms began to sweat. Through the opening she could see a large chandelier hanging above an open space, causing the marble floors to glitter. It wasn’t until she stood inside the doorway that she realized the glittering was the actual reflection of the light in a stream of water. A narrow river ran through the middle of the room as if it just appeared out of nowhere. A bridge stood in the centre, connecting one side of the ballroom to another. There were people everywhere dressed just as extravagantly as she was.
“There you are!” a familiar voice called out. She turned to see Logan approaching her. Relief washed over her. He was dressed in a black suit, much like the ones she had seen the men in the palace wearing, but this one was made of velvety fabric and did not have a sun embroidered on the front. The combination of his dark features and the clothes was striking, bringing out the deep grey of his eyes.
“You look great!” she smiled at him as he reached her.
“I was just about to say the same!” he smiled back, holding out his arm to her. She thanked him, resting her hand gently on the offered place. “I didn’t think you could look so – girlie,” he snickered.
“Neither did I,” she murmured.
They walked together towards the middle of the room, Elisa taking in the details of the large hall. The ceilings were painted with intricate images of the god-like people from the lands of Elysium, their white eyes glowing down at them all. A long table stood on one end, where a large throne sat in the middle, and smaller chairs ran along either side of it behind the table. Round tables were strewn about the floor on the other side of the tiny stream.
“This is amazing,” she breathed.
“I know,” Logan agreed. Suddenly he turned to face her. “I wanted to thank you, by the way, for this morning. You really came to our rescue. I didn’t get to say that before.”
His face and voice were full of sincerity, but she could not help but laugh. “You would have done the same for me. You don’t need to say thank you.”
Logan grinned back, shrugging his shoulders casually. “I know, I just thought I’d say it anyway.” Looking over his shoulder, Elisa saw Wolf striding towards them. Their eyes met, and an odd expression passed over his face. By the time he reached them, he wore the same arrogant look she had become accustomed to. She wondered briefly if he told Logan about what they had overheard.
Wolf wore the same suit as Logan, but his lighter hair and pale green eyes created a completely different effect. As usual, he wore a headband around his hair, holding the long strands in place. Normally he wore a plain brown leather band, but this one was black, just like his suit. He looked Elisa slowly over, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
“You look nice,” he said coolly. She fidgeted awkwardly under his gaze. Not waiting for her to respond, he turned to Logan and began speaking again. “We are supposed to sit at the head table. You want to grab us three seats together?”
“Sure,” Logan replied, walking off towards the small bridge. Wolf turned back to Elisa, holding out his arm just as Logan had done when she entered. Her instincts were to walk off and leave him standing alone, but she thought better of it. As much as Wolf infuriated her, she didn’t want them to not be friends, and ever since the battle their friendship had been worse than ever. If he was going to try to be nice for once, she would play along. Placing her hand on his arm, they walked towards the bridge Logan had crossed.
“How’s your head?” she asked. From the corner of her eye, she could have sworn his mouth tightened a bit, but when he spoke he didn’t sound upset.
“Fine. It was just a shallow cut.” As they walked over the stream, Elisa looked down at the water and noticed gold, orange, and silver fish swimming below them. Wolf didn’t stop to look, leading her forward. Just as they stepped off the bridge, another figure appeared in front of them. Elisa looked up to see Markus standing there, riveted. He wore a suit similar to the other two, but his was white. His black hair stood out from the light fabric, his skin appearing even more bronzed than it had before.
“You look beautiful,” he said, eyeing her carefully. She could feel the muscles in Wolf’s arm tighten under her hand. When she peeked at him, she saw how rigid his posture had suddenly become, his free hand on the other side balled into a fist. The look he was giving Markus was anything but friendly. “I knew that gown would look superb on you. Doesn’t she look wonderful?” he continued, turning to Wolf.
Wolf remained cold, his mouth held in a firm line. He shrugged stiffly. “She looks alright,” he said. Markus looked genuinely shocked by his response. Elisa wasn’t. He treated her more like a sister than an actual girl of interest.
“Inadequate description, my young friend,” he lightly scolded. “Especially coming from the man who is supposed to be her future husband.” Elisa’s face went instantly hot. Wolf looked just as embarrassed.
“Nothing is set in stone,” he said, his voice betraying anger.
“Is that so?” Markus looked from one to another. “Then you have increased the hopes of every man in all of Nysa tonight.” He laughed lightly, and then turned to leave.
“I hate that man,” Wolf said under his breath.
Elisa tried to shrug casually, hoping the blush in her face wasn’t noticeable. “Well, try not to show it. I don’t want to have to save your butt again,” she teased, smiling at him.
Wolf looked at her, rolling his eyes, but she could swear she saw his lips twitch. “We wouldn’t want that,” he replied sarcastically. “Can you do me a favour tonight?” he said, turning to face her.
“Depends on what it is.”
“Why can’t you just say yes? Why does everything have to be so difficult with you?”
Pushing down her anger, and taking a deep breath so she wouldn’t say something mean back, El
isa tried to keep her voice calm. “Fine, what favour would you like me to do?”
“Don’t drink anything tonight except water.”
“Why?”
“Just trust me.”
CHAPTER NINE
The sun rested high in the sky, but a cool breeze was coming from the north. Fields of green stretched out all around, distant plush forests offering the only change in scenery. It would have been a beautiful, quiet day if someone wanted to enjoy the warmth of the sun, but where Aiden was, it was anything but quiet. The space around him was filled with the noise of large hooves trampling the earth. Nothing could stand in the way of the beasts born and raised in the west. It was already midday and they had yet to stop. His back and legs were killing him. It had been a long time since he had ridden a horse, and even when he had, it was never this rigorous. The stories of the Riders were not exaggerated.
Hawk rode up front, leading the rest towards the forest to the north. He insisted that Aiden join them for the morning hunt. What confused Aiden was, as far as he could tell, there were no animals around. He couldn’t imagine any animal staying put while this large group of stallions charged at them. Moose suddenly rode up beside him, a smile planted on his face.
“You look stiff, otherworlder,” he laughed. Aiden rolled his eyes. There were some similarities between Wolf and his brother that were also frustrating. They could almost be the same person, Aiden thought with a sigh.
“I am stiff,” he yelled back at him, trying to make his voice heard over the sound of galloping horses. There was no sense denying it. If the pain in his body was any indication of what was to come, it would be a couple of days of torture before he started to feel better again. There was no way to hide it. “We don’t ride like this where I come from.”
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