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Katerina was dreaming of her mother when the sound of a door shutting woke her. From the neighboring room she could hear voices talking quietly. Aaron must be back.
She tried returning to sleep but it was actually getting louder in the men’s room. It sounded like people were getting up. Worried about what that might mean, she rose, grabbed a coat to wrap around her and crept out into the corridor.
When she knocked the noise stopped instantly. “It’s only me,” she called, and Aaron opened the door. He glanced both ways down the corridor rapidly, “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I heard you.” She looked past him to address Noah, “Why are you dressed? Are you going somewhere?”
Aaron sighed heavily, stepping back to let her in. He looked even more exhausted than earlier, sinking onto a bed to explain wearily, “There’s been a coup within my organization. Or maybe those men were plants all along...We’ve been betrayed so I couldn’t get to the gear I went after. I have an emergency stash nearby. Noah’s going to get it for me so I can sleep.”
“I’ll go with him then,” Katerina said promptly. “I’ll just change,” she threw over her shoulder, already out the door before they could object.
She dressed as quickly and silently as possible so as not to wake Alice, all in navy — trousers, a knit top, a cardigan, boots and coat. Surprisingly, everything fitted her well. They really had researched her thoroughly she thought wryly, glancing briefly at herself in the mirror before hurrying back out again.
Aaron was already in bed. There was concern in his voice as he warned, “Be extremely careful. Any sign of trouble, you leave the gear. We can get more elsewhere.”
Noah led the way, remaining silent until they had slipped out the back door of the inn itself. Then he swung to face Katerina, demanding, “What was that all about?”
“What? You think you’re the only one that can be helpful?”
“I’m only going because he’s so tired. You should be resting too!”
“I’m okay. I was having disturbing dreams anyway.”
Noah scowled, “Fine, follow me, but quietly!”
They made their way rapidly across the open area immediately outside the inn. Once into the trees they slowed down to move as silently as possible. There was a light dew on the trees and ground, making Katerina grateful for the coat and boots. The further in they travelled, the darker it got; the silvery starlight only penetrating in odd patches.
After fifteen minutes, Noah stopped her. He leaned close to whisper in her ear, “It’s down there in that grove of trees. We’ll watch awhile to make sure there’s no one around.” Beyond him she located the trees he spoke of — a semi-circle of dark, leaf-covered ones down in a large sloping hollow. They waited in silence scanning the area all around them.
Five minutes ticked by slowly and Noah stirred. “I’ll go get the gear — you keep watching.”
Years ago, as a young adolescent, Katerina had often talked with God. His voice was kind and loving and helped her through tough times at school and her parents’ fights. But when she told her father about it as a teenager, her atheistic parent had been unable to resist lecturing her about evolution and the absence of God. They were just beginning to explore this at school too, leading Katerina to reach the only logical conclusion possible; that the voice was not God but her own imagination. Then she stopped listening.
But now, for the first time in years she heard that voice again, crystal clear. For a second she hesitated, yet the voice was so strong she knew, just knew it was not her imagination this time and she grabbed Noah’s arm, hissing, “You can’t. It’s not safe!”
“Can you see someone?” he peered past her urgently.
“Not exactly, it’s just...I know it’s not safe.”
“How do you know?”
But the memory of her dad’s response all those years ago kept her lips sealed, even while she hung onto his arm. Noah was not buying it however. He gently peeled her fingers free and tried to step around her. Afterwards she told herself it was all instinct to save Noah, nothing to do with her, for abruptly she leaned in and kissed him.
Noah froze for a few seconds in surprise, then he forgot why they were there and reaching up, took her face in his hands and did what he had been secretly wanting to do all day — kissed her back. Time seemed frozen at the feel of his hands on her skin and his mouth on hers. They kissed softly and lingeringly, relieved to be beyond the unspoken words between them — and the trees behind them exploded in a rushing, horrendously noisy fireball, throwing them apart.
Katerina landed hard on her back, instantly winded, the breath leaving her lungs in a rush. Debris was raining down all around her, making her cough and retch. She forced herself to sit up and peer down into the grove. There were clouds of smoke rising, rendering it difficult to distinguish anything, yet she thought she could make out two masked figures moving down into the area. But the smoke was stinging her eyes, obstructing her vision.
Noah loomed over her suddenly, reaching down for her. “Are you okay?” he asked. She nodded and he pulled her to her feet. “We need to get to the others. Can you run?” At her nod, he took off instantly, back towards the inn, running fast, abandoning stealth for speed.
The lights met them long before they were in sight of the inn. Huge floodlights formed a perimeter around the building illuminating it entirely. Dismayed they looked at each other.
“Are they after us?” Katerina whispered, shrinking back into the shadows of a tree.
“I don’t know. But we have to get in there and find the others regardless,” Noah said grimly.
There were people beginning to pile out onto the lawn, mostly still in their sleeping clothes and appearing dazed. They spilled out everywhere. Although most of them appeared unharmed, there were also some fully dressed women, each accompanied by at least two men with guns. It was obvious the men were in charge; the women captive.
They watched long enough to see at least a dozen women under guard before Noah turned to Katerina and took hold of her shoulders. “You need to hide. Climb a tree or something and keep watch. In fact, if you can get high enough you should be able to see over the other side of the inn. I’ll come back for you, meet you here.”
“I understand,” Katerina nodded. “Be careful.”
Noah looked at her a moment and the kiss was unspoken but very strong between them. Then wordlessly he walked away.
The tree she chose leant itself well to climbing and she was able to get high enough to see over the lower parts of the inn. She could also see into some of the second and third stories, wherever the lights were on. It took her several moments to work out which were their rooms as they were still dark. She was so focused on trying to see in, she would have missed the more important event occurring beneath her on the ground if Alice had not cried out.
Alice had been soundly asleep when hands shook her awake, one rough one over her mouth so she couldn’t make a sound. In the instant panic that hit her she could smell masculine body odor and make out several figures looming over her. “Aleisha Blue, you are hereby requisitioned to attend the Santtu Ball in two days’ time.” The voice was disembodied reciting a memorized sentence. “You will now accompany us.”
Mortified, Alice tried to shake her head to free her mouth as they lifted her from the bed and forced her to her feet. “I will release your mouth now. If you scream, my partner in the next room will put a bullet into one of your companions. You will get dressed in this.” Someone had laid a dress on the bed beside her — she stared at the pretty, flowery thing in dismay. “Then we will leave. If you cooperate, we may allow your companions to live.” At that he nodded to someone at the door who promptly vanished. A few moments later she heard a cry of pain from the adjourning room. She could not distinguish who it was, but she was overwhelmed with fear for Noah.
Two men turned away while she dressed, the other kept both the gun and his gaze levelled at her. She wrapped the ribbon of the dress round her waist several times with trembling fingers and mustered up the courage to ask, “Who are you? Why me?”
“Well, you are just Prince Alexandre’s type,” one of her assailants by the door said, amused. The one with the gun shot him a look and he fell silent.
“No talking! And hurry up, we’re on a tight schedule,” the gunman ordered.
“And you won’t hurt my companions?” No one answered this time.
She managed a brief glimpse into the guys’ room as they pushed her past, enough to see Aaron had blood on his face and Caleb was curled up on the floor obviously in pain. She saw no sign of her brother. Her guards hurried her by so fast she wasn’t sure if either man had seen her.
Downstairs, as her eyes adjusted to the bright lights, she saw she was not the only woman being ushered unceremoniously outside. Most of them walked calmly with their bodyguards making no fuss.
Her men made her wait near the trees while the one who had threatened her walked off. As he approached someone standing in the shadows to the side of the inn, she thought despairingly that she should do something, not just go along with this. It was at that moment that she saw Noah slipping in the door across from her and reacted instinctively. Taking her guards unawares, she started running frantically across the lawn towards her brother.
She only made it a few steps before one of the men launched himself after her and tackled her to the ground roughly. She landed hard, the wind knocked from her. As soon as she could draw breath she started screaming for Noah.
But he was already inside the building and did not come back.
She was staring desperately after him when one of her assailants yanked her up and backed her up against a tree, holding her chin so she was forced to look at him. The expression in his eyes was terrifying. He got his hand around her throat and squeezed, cutting off her air-supply. Though she clawed at him, he was too strong for her.
From the tree above Katerina looked frantically around for help for Alice who was struggling to draw breath. No one was in sight, no help coming. But she had to do something.
A loud shout gave her hope. Men were approaching, one pointing at the man strangling Alice. Alice’s captor instantly released her and stepped back, though two others moved forward to grip her arms tightly. Alice doubled over, gasping for breath.
The rest of the group kept a distance as the one who had cried out approached Alice. He was the only one in a deep hooded cloak, his face hidden. The lights were behind him too, silhouetting his form so she could not see much at all. When he reached her he said, “Let her go.” Something about his voice brought instant obedience. The men released Alice’s arms and moved back, leaving her alone before the hooded man.
Behind him she could see the one who had been hurting her start shaking. His voice was trembling as he begged, “She tried to run, I was just trying to stop her...” When he trailed off there was deathly silence. Even the noise from the inn seemed to come to a halt. Alice glanced around and saw they were the center of every gaze.
When she looked back, the hooded man was studying her closely. He reached out a hand to touch her neck, already swelling from the brutal attack. Just before his fingers touched her skin a crazy thought occurred and she gasped. But instead of touching her, the man she was suddenly willing to guess was Alexandre dropped his hand back to his side and said something brusquely to his men. Immediately another man took her by the arm and started to lead her away. Behind her, her assailant started wailing and crying as he too was removed.
From her tree vantage point Katerina watched helplessly as Alice was marched beyond the building and out of her sight. At the same time the other man was led further into the woods where his pleading ended abruptly. When Katerina strained to see why, she immediately wished she hadn’t, for the man had been killed and lay on the track in a pool of his own blood.
The crowd started to disperse now as the women left with their guards in the same direction Alice had been taken. The hooded man left too, surrounded closely by his men. Another few minutes and Noah reappeared at the front door looking around him frantically. Katerina was about to call out when more movement caught her eye. This time it was on the far side of the inn; men holding weapons on Caleb and Aaron.
She did not stop to think. An armed man had wandered beneath her, going to the toilet in the bushes, his gun propped up beside him against her tree. She dropped on him, sending him sprawling and grabbed his unprotected gun with frantic fingers. “Get back!” she hissed, scrambling to her feet. Astonished, the man got up too, taking a step towards her. “I mean it!” she snapped, holding the gun on him, hoping he would not see how she was shaking.
“Kat! Thank God!” Noah exclaimed behind her. “I thought they might have you too...” His voice trailed off as he saw the gun and the other man. “Here, give it to me.”
“Do you know how to shoot?” Katerina asked. Noah’s presence calmed her instantly, so her voice came out low and even this time.
“I can work it out...”
“Well I know. I’ve been trained. Take your belt off,” she raised her voice to her captor. The man obeyed reluctantly, his face livid. “Throw it here.” When it landed at her feet, she told Noah, “Tie him up, quickly. They have Caleb and Aaron around the back of the inn — we have to go help them.”
Noah nodded grimly and ignoring the belt, hit the man hard in the head, knocking him out cold. “Quickly then,” he said.
The lights went off abruptly as they circled the inn, sticking to the tree-cover. Katerina stopped to get her bearings and Noah crashed into her. “Sorry,” he muttered. “Where are they?”
“Around that corner,” she pointed.
At the corner, they took turns assessing what was happening. There were three men holding Aaron and Caleb. Both of them had blood running down their faces. As they crept closer, still sheltered by trees, they saw Aaron take a blow across the face. Katerina bit her lip to keep from crying out.
Noah caught her by the shoulder. “You might have to shoot at them,” he whispered in her ear. “Can you do it?”
“I can shoot them — in the legs or arms.”
“Really?” he was skeptical.
“I can do it.”
“Alright. I’ll circle around behind them. Give me three minutes then shoot the guy holding the gun. I’ll go for the one closest to the woods.”
“And the other one?”
“How fast can you shoot?” Katerina glanced quickly at him to see if he was joking but he wasn’t. “I hope you’re right about your aim,” he added.
“I am.”
“Just don’t shoot me,” he finished.
She counted to 180 slowly, nervously watching the men. She couldn’t make out what they were saying for their voices were pitched low. But it was obvious Aaron was not giving the answers they wanted because the one with the gun hit him again. Suddenly furious, Katerina raised her hand, steadying it with her other arm and found the man in her gun sights. She took a few slow deep breaths then sent the first bullet she had ever fired at a live person spinning across the area between them. It hit the man just where she had intended. His gun dropped instantly and he fell to the ground clutching his shoulder in pain.
A second later and Noah leapt from the bushes onto the man nearest him. Before she could line the final man up in her sights Aaron had thrown himself onto him. Within a few minutes it was all over.
In unspoken assent they moved fast, dragging the three unconscious men into the forest immediately, out of sight. Noah had barely dumped his man before he was moving again in the direction the women had been taken, urging them to hurry. He only got a few paces before Aaron grabbed his arm to halt him. For a few seconds, the two men faced off then Noah hissed, “Let me go! I’m going after Alice.”
As she joined them, Katerina could see the beating had taken its toll on the priest. He looked on the verge of fainting. He released Noah’s arm but didn’t move back, saying grimly, “I’m afraid you’re too late.”
“What are you talking about?” Noah demanded.
“They’ll already be on the prince’s train on their way back to Sienya City.”
“With my sister?”
“Yes, with Alice. But this benefits us — this gives her a chance to get close enough to touch Alexandre. He personally inspects all the women.”
Katerina saw it before Aaron and grabbed Noah’s fist as it clenched to hit the priest. Noah shook her off like he was brushing a leaf away and went for Aaron. The force of his attack sent Aaron staggering back yet it seemed the man would not defend himself. Noah swung again, landing one to Aaron’s chest. Katerina screamed, “Stop them Caleb!”
When he did not move immediately, she threw herself into the fray instead, trying to separate them. Noah ignored her, shoving her aside so roughly she fell to the ground.
“Stop it!” Caleb yelled.
It got through to Noah finally. He moved back, his whole body shaking with adrenaline, eyes on Katerina, while Aaron spat blood from a split lip. She got shakily to her feet and the four stood looking at each other. Finally, Noah spoke. “You’ve brought us nothing but trouble since we met you,” he told Aaron coldly.
Aaron nodded slowly, “Yes, I can see why you would say that. But you have to know this; if I wasn’t protecting you, you would certainly be dead already. These rulers, the four children, will stop at nothing to kill you. You represent the biggest threat any of them have ever faced.”
“It’s your fault we’re even here! How do we know that what you are telling us is even true? Perhaps you are the one we should be afraid of?”
“If he wanted us dead he could have killed us by now,” Katerina interjected. One look from Noah silenced her.
“You don’t, not for sure,” Aaron said. “But if you will trust me for just a little longer, I will get you to your sister. And we will get her back.”
Noah stared at the other man for a long time then nodded once, his face cold. “Alright. For now — I will trust you.”
