Heroines and Hellions: a Limited Edition Urban Fantasy Collection

by Margo Bond Collins

  We finally made it out of the forest around lunch time, and although we didn’t stop, we were still making a slow pace towards Oslor. I had crossed this part of the kingdom before, and if we didn’t speed up, we would have to camp in the plains overnight. The plains were the worst place for a travel party like ours to stop as there is no cover to help conceal the fact that a king is there. Anyone that came by would see it was a king’s party by recognising his royal cart and could attack. I gripped Sage’s reigns tight at the thought of spending the night in the plains. My riding partner noticed my angst and placed his hand on mine to tell me to calm down. I wondered why he did that as he barely knew me, but as soon as I saw Sage, I knew why. Sage had started walking uneasy. She could feel my nerves through the reigns and began acting the same. I quickly gave her a small rub on the neck to reassure her, and she returned to walking normally.

  A while later, I was staring out into the vast openness when a noise alerted me back into reality. Malik’s voice boomed out over the silence.

  “Pick up the pace for the next few hours. We need to make sure we have crossed the plains before nightfall. Once we have, we will pick a place for camp and set up for the night.”

  We flicked our horses out of a trot and into a canter to pick up the speed. I was grateful we were going faster to make it to the other side of the plains, however, it made the biting winds even colder. I pulled my hands on the reigns as close to me as I could and tried to cover them with part of my cloak. When it didn’t work, I gave up and just continued to ride.

  Hours later we found ourselves in the midst of a lush forest, denser than the one close to the castle. We had been riding all day, and my legs were beginning to get tired and restless. I started to slump in my saddle which made my back ache. When we had reached the edge of the forest, we got our horses back into a quick trot so we could search for somewhere to make camp. Malik decided to go ahead and scout a place, and when he came back we all followed him until we found it.

  It was a small clearing just off the main road through the forest. There were five old fire pits scattered throughout, making it look like it had been used before. There was no forest canopy so any rain or snow that came during the night would cover the clearing. We tied our horses to the trees and began setting up camp. The guards pitched some tents while I helped the stable hand with the horses. Captain Malik tended to the king and made sure he was okay from the day’s ride. When everyone was finished, three fires were started and a few of the guards began cooking some food. The king remained in his tent, and Captain Malik stayed at the fire close to him. The rest of the guards sat around the second fire. They chatted away about something I could barely hear, but they would burst into laughter every once in a while. I claimed the third and final fire as my own where I warmed my frozen hands with the heat and kept my cloak wrapped tight around me. I stared into the fire and didn’t realise when someone sat beside me.

  “Not very sociable, are you?” the person said, making me jump at the sound of their voice. I turned to see who it was and found my riding partner beside me.

  I smiled and shook my head. “Not really. I’ve always been one to be surrounded by silence.”

  I noticed he was holding two bowls of stew. I hadn’t realised that the guards had finished cooking. When the man held one out to me, I gave him a thankful smile and took it. We ate in silence. It actually felt nice to have someone around me for once. I had always been a loner, even when I was in the guard.

  “Shouldn’t you be with Captain Malik?”

  His question startled me. “Why?”

  “You are Callie, the king’s advisor, aren’t you?”

  I laughed. “Yes, I am, but if they need me, they will call me. I think Malik wants to handle it all himself for this trip.” I paused and looked at him. He was an extremely good-looking man, though his rugged face with a chiselled jawline held a few scars. It gave him a strong look that I found attractive. His dark brown hair was long enough that, when messy, it stuck to his face. I looked into his deep blue eyes and smiled. “Well, since you know who I am, I feel like I am at a disadvantage.”

  “I’m Asher. Haven’t you seen me around the guards?” He raised his brow.

  “I have seen you around a few times, but I never really paid attention to all the guards. Unless I was training against them, and I don’t think I even fought against you.”

  He shook his head. “No, we have never sparred. Although, I wouldn’t mind trying. You have a reputation amongst the guards.”

  “Reputation?” His words confused me. I knew I had won a lot of fights with the guards before, but I didn’t know I had a reputation.

  “Each time a guard looses against you, they go on a sparring rage. They challenge anyone they see just to bring their ego back.”

  I burst into laughter, and everyone around me stopped talking as soon as they heard me When I looked over to Asher, he was laughing along with me.

  “They are the ones that always challenged me. I can’t help that I am a good fighter.”

  “Oh, I agree. How did you become such a good fighter?”

  His question stopped my laughter instantly. I always hated when people asked me about my past. It was something I couldn’t discuss with them if I wanted to keep my position and do my job. If anyone found out that I was an assassin, they would kill me on the spot. I had fabricated a few parts of my life that I could disclose to anyone who asked, but they were never satisfied. They always tried to ask more.

  “When I was living on the streets, I used to watch the guards training. I picked up a few things.”

  “But how did you hone your skills? I’ve seen you fight with a sword, and you couldn’t get as good as you are just by watching,” Asher said.

  “I found a tree branch one day and started copying the training guards.”

  “How –”

  I stopped him in his tracks before it got worse for myself. “I don’t really like talking about my past. It was a hard time of my life that took a lot to get me to where I am today.”

  Asher nodded, and the familiar silence returned. After a while, Asher was called over to the other fire to rejoin the guards. I took that chance to retire to my tent for the night. Four tents were raised, one for the guards and the stable hand, one each for Captain Malik and myself and one for the king. However, each night, two guards would be posted outside the king’s tent.

  My tent was small and only held my bedroll and my bags, but it was enough for me. I could still hear the guards talking and laughing outside. I took their calmness that nothing was going to go wrong. I changed into my nightclothes and slipped into my bedroll. When I finally got comfortable, I lulled myself to sleep listening to the guards.

  The next two days went by the same way. I would ride alongside Asher in silence, and when we made camp, I would help with the horses. Asher and I would eat in silence and then talk for a while. After the incident on the first night, he didn’t ask me about my past again. Our conversations ended up being about the other guards and things that had happened in the guard before and after I had joined. We started becoming close friends, and I really enjoyed his company. We reached the border between Azandia and Oslor on the third day, and although the temperature dropped, it hadn’t snowed yet. The winter weather bored down on us and even dampened our camp sites.

  By the time we got closer to the castle city of Hanra, a light veil of snow had begun to fall. It quickly covered the entire road and made it harder for the horses to manoeuvre. My hands froze in my fur-lined gloves, so I tied my cloak tight and reminded myself that we would be arriving soon.

  We picked up our pace as much as the snow would allow, and a few hours later, we made it into the town of Hanra. The town itself was very similar to Terralyn; houses surrounded the town and in the centre was a space for a market. We slowly rode through the main street, and people braved the weather to take a look at the king’s travel party. As we approached the castle, I was in awe. King Rathgar’s castle was double
the side of King Jarrett’s. It was made of a white sandstone and a beautiful white brick that I didn’t recognise. The grounds had many trees that were covered in a layer of snow, making it even more breathtaking. We directed the party around to the entrance of the castle and dismounted, leaving all the horses with the guards and the stable hand before making our way inside. King Rathgar greeted us in the stunning marble foyer. The king was a stout, medium-height man, and his short, black hair was thinning at the back and had flecks of grey. His eyes went wide at the sight of my king. He hugged King Jarrett and kissed him on each of his cheeks.

  “Rathgar, my friend, it is good to see you,” King Jarrett said.

  “Yes, dear Jarrett, it has been far too long.” He paused and looked at both Captain Malik and myself. “I have met your captain before. It is nice to see you again, Malik. Who is this fine young woman you have in your company?”

  He looked me up and down and raised his eyebrow. King Rathgar’s stare sent a shudder down my spine. His eyes lingered on me longer than I would have liked, and in that moment, I was thankful my cloak covered everything he seemed to want to look at. When the moment went longer, I realised no one wanted to introduce me.

  “King Rathgar, my name is Callie. I am King Jarrett’s new advisor.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Callie,” King Rathgar said. His voice went smooth when talking to me.

  He looked me over once again and made a step forwards to grab my hand. He held it in a manner I had never seen before. His palm covered mine, and the back of his hand was presented up. I looked over to Malik who motioned for me to kiss the king’s hand. I fought the urge to step away from the creepy kng and did what I needed to do. I gave him a small bow and kissed the back of his hand lightly.

  “Nice to meet you too, Your Highness.”

  The king clapped his hands, and some servants came running. They picked up our bags which the guards had brought in and immediately took them to our rooms.

  “Welcome to my kingdom. The servants will show you to your rooms. In a few hours, you will all accompany me to a formal dinner with my queen. Until then, rest up from your long travels.” He paused and began to turn away from us. “Jarrett, dear friend, we will begin our discussions tomorrow.”

  12

  My chambers in the Oslor castle were magnificent, yet a lot smaller than back home. It held a large bed covered in plush pillows. An armoire was placed by the window, and the servants placed my bags on top. In a room to the right of the bed was a wash room with a bath similar to back in my quarters. I drew myself a bath and stepped in. The hot water warmed every part of me. I stayed in there as long as I could. When I got out, I dressed in my nightclothes and lay down on the bed. As soon as my head hit the pile of pillows, I fell asleep.

  I woke a few hours later to a light knocking on my door. I called for whoever it was to come inside. It was a small woman. Her back was slightly hunched, and yet she was still beautiful. Her hair was tied into a bun which showed her distinguished features. She held a garment in her hands and smiled at me before placing it on the armoire.

  “King Rathgar has requested you wear this to dinner tonight,” the small woman squeaked, her voice almost as tiny as her.

  I rose from the bed and grimaced at the request. “Why had his Highness requested this of me?”

  “I don’t know, miss. You look mad, as though you don’t want to wear it,” she said, cowering next to the wall like I was about to hit her.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t hit you, and yes, I am mad. I don’t like the king’s request, however, I will follow. I don’t want you to be punished because I don’t want to wear his dress.”

  I picked up the dress off the armoire and looked at it. It had a tight, white bodice that wouldn’t do much of hiding parts of my chest, and the skirts flowed freely from the bottom of the bodice in a beautiful light pink colour with intricate lace details throughout the fabric. I took the dress into the bathroom and began trying to put it on. I soon realised it was harder than I thought and needed the handmaiden’s help. I poked my head out into my room and checked if she was still there. As soon as she saw me, her eyes widened, and she let out a small laugh.

  “I am sorry, miss,” she continued to laugh as she spoke.

  “It’s fine. Would you mind coming to help?”

  “Not at all,” she said. She stepped into the bathroom with me. “You haven’t worn a dress like this before, have you?”

  I shook my head. “In my profession, I don’t get to go to many balls and fancy dinners.”

  She helped me slip on the bodice and tighten it until it wouldn’t slip off my body. I was right about the dress; the tighter it became, the more my breasts were pushed up and shown off. I cringed at the unpracticality of it as it would be horrible to move in if something were to happen during dinner. My handmaiden pulled back my hair and pinned it up, leaving only a few stands left dangling down. She then handed me a pair of pink and silver flat slip-on shoes. When I looked in the mirror, I was shocked. As much as I hated the dress, I looked beautiful. I turned to my handmaiden, and her face lit up with a smile.

  “Thank you for helping me. You did a wonderful job,” I said.

  “You’re welcome, miss.” She gave a small bow and smiled again before turning to leave the room.

  “What’s your name? I forgot to ask before.”

  She laughed. “My name is Kate.”

  Before I could properly greet her and thank her again, she left the bathroom and my chambers. I took a deep breath before stepping out into the hall. A guard was posted by my door. He bowed his head and began walking off, motioning for me to follow him.

  While following the guard, I had a chance to take in the castle. The inside was a lot darker than King Jarrett’s. The bricks were a dark brown, and all the details on the doors were brass. The curtains in the hallways were a deep red and barely let any sunlight through the windows. The servants and workers scurried through the halls; none of them had smiles on their faces. They looked down towards the ground, and if they bumped into anyone, they mumbled and scurried off again. It was strange watching the way King Rathgar ran his kingdom and his castle. We walked down a set of stairs and down a large and vast hallway which opened up through a set of dark wooden double doors.

  The king’s formal dining room was gigantic. The wall behind the long table had floor to ceiling windows which held long, deep red curtains on the sides. A beautiful gas-lit chandelier hung from the ceiling over the centre of the table. Down the end, right in front of the windows, was King Rathgar, sitting in a throne almost twice the size of a normal throne. Beside him was two guards, one facing the windows and the other facing the table. To his left was Queen Penelope, a small woman with long, black hair tied back with hair pins. She was a thin woman, her cheekbones prominent on her face. When she looked at me, I noticed dark circles under her eyes.

  I stopped at the end of the table and allowed the guard to introduce my arrival. When King Rathgar looked at me, his eyes lit up. I gave a small bow to his majesty and the queen before waiting to be told where to sit.

  “Miss Callie, don’t you look divine,” King Rathgar said, looking me up and down. I shivered at the sight of him eyeing me. “Come, come sit beside me.”

  Before I moved from my place, I took a deep breath. “But Your Majesty, isn’t that where King Jarrett will be seated?”

  “Nonsense. You are my guests, and I will seat you where I please. Now, come and take your place.”

  His words cut deep like a dagger in my stomach. If anyone else had said that to me, I would have put them in their place and taken them down a peg, but since it was another king, I had to bite my tongue. I slowly walked up to the chair, and the king stood as I pulled it out from under the table. He placed his hand in the small of my back as he helped me to sit in my dress. My whole body shuddered as soon as his hands touched me. I locked eyes with King Rathgar, and he gave me a flirty smile. I bit my tongue again. Before the king could start asking me question
s, King Jarrett and Malik arrived.

  Malik wore his formal guard’s uniform, a black jacket with royal blue intricate detail on the chest and arms. This matched the king’s formal attire, but his was gold instead of blue. King Jarrett took his seat next to Queen Penelope and gave me a strange look. I gave him a reassuring one back as Malik took his seat beside him.

  Throughout the entire dinner, King Rathgar kept his attention on me until King Jarrett started asking questions about the trade. He made sure that all of the questions were worded so I couldn’t get anything from what they were saying. As soon as the wait staff placed the food on the table, I took my focus away from the kings. I knew that wasn’t what I should have done, but I also knew they wouldn’t be divulging any information in front of me. The room went silent as we ate, and every few moments, my body would shudder from the feeling of King Rathgar’s eyes lingering on me.

  “Callie, how did you become old Jarrett’s new advisor and guard?” King Rathgar asked.

  I swallowed a lump that formed in my throat before answering. “I beat all of the other guards wanting the position.”

  King Rathgar leaned in closer and placed his hand in the small of my back again, I fought the urge to move away, even when he moved closer towards my ear.

  “How did someone as small as you beat all of those big men?”

  His question concerned me, I looked over towards Malik and he wasn’t paying attention to me. I needed to avoid the question, as soon as the servents took the food away. I excused myself from the table, both Malik and King Jarrett shot me a horrible look for leaving the dinner early, but I didn’t care. I rushed back to my room and as soon as I knew I was safe and away from the creep of a King, I rested my back against the door and sighed.