The Breeder

by L G Nauck

  She would have wondered where he was if she wasn’t so relieved.

  It did not matter where he was as long as he stayed there for as long as possible.

  Long enough that she could get out of here.

  To get far enough where he would never find her.

  Each day that progressed, more talk about the royal wedding seemed to stain the air. Everyone seemed to be ecstatic at the idea of a huge wedding with elaborate food, and of course, a happy and blushing bride for their beloved king.

  They had to be delusional if they thought she would be happy. They had heard her screams resound throughout the hallways multiple times.

  And they had done nothing. Just smiled happily and continued with their business.

  Alena clenched her hands into fists, wishing them all dead.

  Except for her maid. The maid had tried to help her and continuously showed kindness to Alena when no other had. Which caused multiple questions to pop into her mind like, did she enjoy her job? How did she get to be in such a position? Why was she helping her?

  That information was unimportant. The only thing she cared about now was figuring out an exit strategy.

  Could she possibly distract the guards so they went to another area, leaving the space below her window open? She did not have any resources at her disposal though.

  Alena sighed, pulling at the fabric on the green love seat she was currently sitting on.

  There had to be a way. Nothing was impossible.

  Alena turned her eyes towards the ceiling, ‘Is anyone up there? They say I’m chosen by the Gods. If that is the case, where are you?’

  The proceeding silence was her answer. There was no one there to help her.

  She knew the only chance she had was when the king was away. She needed to be far away by the time he found out she was gone. She knew with his sense of smell and unnatural connection to her, he would be able to track her. Not to mention the army he commanded.

  If she could get away, and somehow, also provide a distraction so the guards would not raise an alarm….. The fact that she had barely left her room since she had been in the palace would help her. No one would suspect anything if they did not see her exit her room for a long period of time.

  And if she told someone she was feeling sick…

  Alena looked towards the door, feeling her determination solidify. She would leave tonight. And she would not turn back, no matter what happened.

  Bordering Town of Mendos

  Tane rode into the small farming village, followed by a select group of his finest soldiers. It was not often that he went to the bordering areas, so the state of the village left him feeling bereft. Houses were broken down and the land was in an upheaval with only a few awkward crops scattered about.

  The people? From what Tane could see, there were a few elderly people walking around as well as a lone child playing in the mud.

  The standards of the territory would need to be re-examined.

  As soon as he returned, he would send some supplies and an official to evaluate the village and how it could potentially prosper.

  He had not been as attentive to all the territories as he should have been.

  Tane reined in his horse as he approached the small shed that was mentioned in the letter. As his senses reached out, he knew that the ambassador was already waiting for him, as well as a few other owl Meticians, no doubt his guards.

  Tane paused, scanning the area for any possible danger before dismounting his horse and walking towards the entrance. He knew one of his soldiers would attend to his horse and that a few others would follow him, the remaining standing as guards outside. Tane forced a smile on his face as he entered the hut and greeted the ambassador.

  “Ambassador! It has been too long, what a pleasure to visit with you again.”

  The ambassador was a skinny and tall crow Metician with a pointy nose and a constant look of disapproval on his face.

  This incident was no different.

  The ambassador was not amused, only glaring at Tane as he took his casual stance across from him.

  “I see you still have that charming smile of yours. I can tell you’re quite a lady killer.”

  Not even a flicker of emotion.

  “I’m here to talk about Kathal. I do not have time to entertain your childish behavior.”

  The king would have been insulted, but he found the retort to be more amusing than anything else. Even though they had a mutually beneficial political relationship, Tane could care less about what any of these people thought.

  “Of course, straight to business so you can get back to your fun and exciting life. I know that king of yours wants more ore but that is simply not going to happen. So, if you would like to tell him to offer me a more reasonable deal, then we can start negotiations.”

  The ambassador’s eyes narrowed as his face became even more tense. Something that Tane hadn’t thought possible.

  “This is not open for negotiation. The king wants two more tons of ore per month and he has already given you more than enough to compensate for it. If you lowered the price to a decent level, then we would not be having this issue.”

  Tane shrugged, “The price is not negotiable. Resources are not easy to come by and I am taking it from the Oreki mountains. Ore is precious to them. I am not going to strip even more of their mines so that the king can have even more weapons. If he has such a big issue, then we can meet face to face to discuss it.”

  “You have always been arrogant and have refused to see reason. You are disrespectful and your lack of insight is going to cost you, King of Barthamos.”

  For the first time, he saw the stuffy-faced Metician smile.

  A trap.

  Tane felt his senses pick up the danger a second before the bomb went off and encased the room in fire.

  Night

  Alena had been watching her window ever since the sun first began to set. Her violet eyes remained transfixed on every movement, studying the guards until she had a pattern engrained in her brain.

  Something was off.

  She noticed the guards had been talking more, whispering outside her door. The guards outside looked as if they were even more tense, their expressions revealing an intensity she had not noticed before.

  But some also seemed distracted.

  Even though she found the behavior perplexing, she also could not let the opportunity escape her grasp. She had nothing with her except the clothes on her back. She had chosen a darker dress, a navy blue that was almost black. Since she had not been provided any pants or even black clothing, she had to manage with what she had. The dress may be annoying, but the length would cover most of her skin. This would help her blend in with the shadows.

  Alena tensed her body as she watched one of the guards turn around the corner. She knew there were two more across the courtyard, behind the line of trees. She also knew that another guard would come around the other corner in approximately thirty seconds.

  Without another thought, Alena pushed open the window she had already slightly propped open earlier. She then flung her body over the edge with the gracefulness that she had practiced during her adventures in the woods with Kaleck. The distance to the ground she was not as prepared for.

  Alena tucked in her body, bracing herself for impact and rolled her body as soon as she made contact with the ground. Pain shot through her legs, but she was able to ignore it and roll herself into the closest bushes. Alena quickly grabbed as much dirt as she could, rubbing it against her face and any exposed skin she had. The dirt would help cover her skin as well as her scent. The dirt combined with the fruit she had rubbed on her skin from dinner, should provide enough cover for her scent. Although uncomfortable, hopefully it made her blend in. The wolves would not be prepared to chase after something that smelled like the Earth.

  Her senses were on high alert as she shifted her body, gauging how loud her movement would be through the bushes. If she moved slowly, she could minimize the sounds a
nd shuffling of the foliage. Alena held herself perfectly still as she watched the guard she was expecting come around the corner and stand underneath her window. Alena prayed to every God there was that he did not look up. Even though it was dark, there was still a chance the hound would be able to see the open window. And she did not need to raise any suspicion when she had only just initiated her plan.

  And it seemed as if her plans had finally been answered as the guard took one more look around his surroundings and moved on. Alena gave a mental thumbs-up to whoever was currently watching over her and hoped they would continue to do so.

  She moved her body slowly forward, knowing that she was moving in the direction of the wall from her mental map. She knew that she probably had about twenty feet to go before she made it to the wall, with a gap in between where she was bushes and the foliage on the other side. This was a gap she would have to cross without being detected. The other concern was finding a gate out of here. She knew all entrances and exits were probably heavily guarded. And she was pretty sure she could not scale the smooth, tall walls by herself. That was why she had stocked up on some fruit and onions in her dress. She planned on throwing the food items to try to distract the guards so she could squeeze by.

  The method was elementary level but she had to be resourceful.

  Alena paused as she reached the edge of the bushes and stared at the wide-open space of about ten feet. She would be easily discovered if she just ran out into the open field. She knew the guards weren’t stupid, but she also knew they seemed to be on high alert for something else and they did not expect the king’s mate to be outside.

  She dug in her pocket and pulled out one of the onions. Since the bushes also had an assortment of trees planted sporadically throughout the maze, it provided excellent coverage for her to stand slightly up and put the onion in a makeshift bow she had made out of string and a stick she had grabbed out of a decorative plant in the palace. It was not the best bow ever made, but it would hopefully get the job done. Alena put the onion in her small replica bow, more like a sling shot, and aimed it in the other direction. Taking a deep breath, Alena forced herself to remain calm as her mind begged for the makeshift technology to work. With a final promise to give up any cardinal sins she used to commit, Alena let the string go and heard the onion catapult into the air and land far away from her. Father than she could have hoped for.

  She remained frozen behind the tree, watching as the two guard’s heads immediately snapped to the sound. The two looked at each other before nodding and walking slowly in the direction of the sound. She was sure they would be disappointed when they found their culprit. Hopefully they thought the onion had been there…or perhaps that an enemy was shooting produce over the walls. That would at least leave the guards confused long enough that she could get farther away.

  Alena quickly ran across the clearing in a crouch, remaining vigilant. She knew another guard could come around the corner at any moment and she did not want to be caught with onions in her bosom.

  She let out a breath of relief as she reached the wall safely. She pressed her back against it and crouched down low so that she was close to the ground. Now, if she walked to the left she could probably get to the main entrance. Where probably a dozen or more guards were standing at attention. She highly doubted an onion would garner their attention.

  Could there possibly be a secret exit? One that was not guarded as heavily? Or could she try to rub her scent on an apple and throw it with the hope that the guards would follow it?

  She decided that could probably not distract all the guards at the gate so her best decision would be to scale the wall and hopefully find a week spot. Alena moved carefully, making sure that she made minimal sound as she moved along the wall. The fact that her dress kept getting caught on sticks and other things made her feel exasperated. She never could stand dresses and the recent enforcement of her wearing them only made her more determined to destroy every last one.

  Every time she heard any slight sound, she pressed back against the wall and held completely still, begging the Gods to be on her side. And it seemed to be working since none of the guards seemed to be aware of her presence. It seemed like she had been creeping along the outer wall for miles before she finally felt an opening.

  Alena felt her heart jump as her hand felt open space to her right. Could this be an exit?

  She looked around to make sure that she did not see or hear anyone coming before feeling her way into the opening. She reached out her hand to feel the wall for a guide as she moved further into the darkness. The moon provided her with a slight light which allowed her to see that she was between two walls separated by about four feet. As Alena moved further through the crevice, she noticed what looked like hedges in front of her.

  Was this a maze of some kind?

  She paused, feeling herself grow nervous and unsure of herself as she peered into the hedge maze.

  What if she got lost?

  What is she got caught?

  What if something attacked her?

  These were risks she would just have to take.

  Alena closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling it while forcing all her problematic emotions into her subconscious. She did not have the luxury of choices or hesitation right now. She needed to get out of here.

  The thought of being caught and forced back to her prison where she would live out her life as the broodmare of an asshole drove her forward. This was not the end of her story. She would not be someone’s pet.

  Alena felt her way through the hedges, moving slowly so she would not be caught by surprise by any unwanted vermin. Her hands went back and forth from feeling in front of her to feel the area at her sides. Once she felt a hedge in front of her, she turned, following the leafy path forward.

  She stopped once her hand touched smooth wood, starkly different than the big leaves and twigs. Alena ran her hands over the surface, becoming more certain that it was a door of some sort. Could this be what she needed?

  Feeling excited she searched frantically for a handle.

  Please.

  Her heart skipped a beat when her hand touched a smooth metal object that resembled a handle. With a push, she felt the door jerk and open, a feeling of satisfaction washing over her. She pushed the door open only slightly, squeezing her body against the wood so she could peek through the crack at what was on the other side.

  From what she could see, the door just opened to more trees and foliage. No guards in sight. Was this another courtyard?

  Pushing the door open further, she stepped out and closed the door behind her. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary in her surroundings. Alena turned to look behind her and saw the large wall that surrounded the palace. And she was on the other side of it.

  Could she really have gotten out? Were there other guards or obstacles? There was no way she could have gotten away so easily. What security system would leave a door unlocked and unattended? Could they have possibly forgotten about it?

  Alena could not help but hope that they had simply forgotten about it and she had successfully gotten away. Or at least partially.

  She moved carefully into the surrounding forest, moving as far away from the wall as possible. The more steps she took, the lighter she felt. She didn’t even care where she was going at this point, all she knew was she was putting distance in between her and her nightmare.

  As she continued to walk, she noticed the forest start to thin out and open into a field. A light in the distance drew her attention. There, in the darkness, she could see the outline of the city. She was out. She was free.

  Alena felt a smile curve her mouth. For the first time in weeks, she felt a small measure of happiness. Would she be able to make it? Could she escape to the outskirts and start a new life?

  She forced her frantic thoughts to calm down, so she could focus on her goal. She was not out of danger yet.

  Step one.

  She needed to get to the South side of t
he city where she could find Kaleck and they both could get out of here. She knew there would be questions, but she did not think she could give answers to them yet. He would have to be content with trusting her. And if he did not want to go with her…Well, she would just have to go on her own. All she knew was that she did not want to be anywhere near this city or the demon who made her skin crawl.

  Alena started moving towards the city, keeping a safe distance away from the wall while keeping alert to her surroundings. Even though she was over the wall, it did not mean there weren’t still people patrolling the area.

  From what she could tell, it would probably take her a couple of hours to get back to her home. By that time, it would be early dawn and she was certain that everyone would be asleep. Which would benefit her because there would be no one to recognize her or ask questions. She would be able to sneak in, wake up Kaleck, grab some items, and try to get as far away from Barthamos as she could before she passed out from exhaustion.

  She was pretty sure that there had been no announcement of her mate-hood to the king yet. She knew that some of the elite would be invited to the wedding, but her identity had not been disclosed yet. Which would also give her an advantage because no one would think to report her.

  Well, other than the fact she looked like something out of a horror story with her dirty face and dark, torn clothes.

  It may draw attention but hopefully it would also keep people away. Maybe they would assume she was homeless. No one paid attention to the homeless.

  How long before anyone noticed she was gone?

  She hoped she had at least until noon before someone would wander into her room. Hopefully, they would assume she was sleeping and not bother her. Perhaps she had even more time. If the king didn’t return. She hoped to the Gods he didn’t. It would be even better if he died and then she would never have to worry about him again. Her lips twisted up in a cruel smile as she clenched her hands into fists.