Seth hurried down the street towards the market square. He’d show them; he’d show them all. Anyone who had anything to do with Sally’s death would suffer far worse. Yeah, he’d make sure of that. But, where should he start? Could he do it by himself? Did he have a choice? No, not really. He would die if anything happened to Jena. What about Ellis? Maybe.
“Seth, hold on,” Jena said from behind him.
Don’t look back, Seth thought. “I want to be alone.” He picked up his pace.
Jena grabbed his shoulder. “Stop being an ass already, and you don’t want to be alone.” She reached for his hand.
His will shattered as her pleading eyes invaded his heart. “I—I—sure,” Seth said as he took her hand. “I’ll talk—a little.”
Jena nodded. “Okay.”
Her warmth brought a smile to his face. “Let’s sit by the docks.”
“Sure.” Jena’s grip grew tighter. “Are you okay? You’re not going to go nuts, are you?”
Seth glared at her. “My mother was just killed.”
“I—I know, but—”
“But what?”
She turned her eyes away from him. “I need to know that I made the right choice.”
Seth slowed his pace towards the docks. “What choice?”
Jena swallowed. “Well, I—I just know how I would’ve felt if that was my mother, plus I couldn’t let you go alone.”
Seth blinked. “Your Mother approved this?”
She shook her head. “No, but I told her that I didn’t care.”
“Maybe I didn’t want you to come. I’d have no reason to live if that happened to you,” Seth said. Tears welled up in his eyes. “I love you, and I want you to be my wife.”
She blinked. “I think we’re a little young.”
Seth laughed. “Yeah, a little young for going after my mother’s murderers, too.”
Jena grinned. “Maybe. It’s nice to see you smile.”
With the rage expelled from his body, the sweet smell of salt air invaded his nostrils. The market square was lit by the fire in the center and all the booths were empty. Merry laughter and singing poured out of the Red Tail Tavern’s windows from across the square. Seth sat down on the dock with Jena next to him. “Umm—how do we do this?” Seth asked.
Jena leaned into his shoulder. “I’ve got no idea.”
“How to do what?” a male voice asked.
Seth smiled as Ellis came into the light. “Ellis, what are you doing here?”
Ellis’ face was solemn, maybe for the first time in his life. “I heard what happened.” He put his hand on Seth’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. Anything I can do?”
Seth stood up. Should he ask him? Sure, Ellis would be a great help. What did he have to lose? “Help me find those bastards who did that to her.”
Ellis stepped back and rubbed his chin. “Hmmm, stay here and get up in the middle of the night to knead dough or kick ass. What to do?” A smile stretched from ear to ear. “Of course I’ll come with you. I can’t let you take all the glory. Besides, maybe I’ll find a few coins along the way.”
Seth shook his hand “Great.” He helped Jena up. “The three of us then? We’ll do this together.”
“I’ll always be with you,” Jena said.
Ellis grinned. “Anything’s better than working at that stupid bakery. Sure, I’m with you.”
“Where to?” Jena asked.
“Father sent Dane to the knight’s camp around Arrowhead Lake,” Seth said. “We probably need some supplies and—I can’t go back.”
“Me either,” Jena said.
Ellis rubbed his hands together. “No worries, meet me here in 30 minutes. Okay?”
“What are you doing?” Seth demanded.
Ellis giggled. “Trust me,” he said as he disappeared into the shadows.
Malon was looking through the second-story window of the Red Tail Tavern down at Seth and Jena. The inn room was dark and disheveled. Elmar was sitting at the small desk scribbling on a parchment.
The door flung open and Shania tossed her two swords onto the bed. “Well?” she asked.
“You were right,” Malon said. “The boy and his two friends were down there and it appears they’re getting ready to do something. I couldn’t hear what they were saying.”
Shania grinned. “He’s going after you and Elmar.”
Elmar laughed. “I’m not afraid of that.”
Malon sat down on the bed. “Any word from Tanyl?”
Shania shook her head. “No, nothing. We have the squad in Sarun Grove, but we don’t have a verified target for them yet.”
“How can you say that?” Elmar demanded. “We’ve got the queen’s handmaiden and the king’s blacksmith. The boy is the right age. He must be the prince. Let’s just kill him and get it over with.”
“No, we don’t know,” Shania said. “Yes, we got Brock and Sally Feran, but we didn’t confirm the boy. We have to be right when we deliver him to Tanyl.”
Malon glared at Shania. “What do you mean, deliver? Let’s lop his head off and be done with it!”
A wiry smile clawed its way onto Shania’s face. “Nothing would make me happier nor avenge my family better than having his head on a stick in front of Brock before I gouged his eyes out.”
“So, why fight it?” Elmar said.
Shania frowned. “It has something to do with the prophecy. I’m not sure. I’m not a seer,” she said. “We just have to bring him to Iron Fist Keep. The seers there will do—”
“Do what?” Malon demanded.
“No idea,” Shania said. “But, we get to kill him afterward.”
Malon pointed down at Seth and Jena. “Why not just pick them up now?”
Shania pushed Malon back down on the bed. “Because Brock is always saying that the prince is elsewhere.”
Malon shoved her on the floor. “So? You know he’s just protecting the boy. Why are you insisting we play this game?” He glared into her eyes. “Tell me.”
“If we just grab him and he’s the wrong one,” Shania said as she got up, “we’ll lose the real prince. What do you think Tanyl would do to us for failing so close to victory? Simply because we were impatient.” She sat down next to Malon. “No, we continue as planned and let him go after Sally’s killer.”
Elmar rolled his eyes. “Why? How does this help us?”
“The prince in the prophecy will have courage and magic,” Shania said. “He probably doesn’t even know who he really is yet.”
“What if Brock or Sally told him?” Malon asked.
Shania smiled. “It doesn’t matter. All that would do is encourage him to act even sooner. Once we confirm that he is the one, we grab him.” She walked over to the window and looked down at her prey. “You two can have Ellis and Jena. I want Galin the V of Ravenward. Once the seers are done with him, I’ll give him a slash for every friend I lost in the Battle of Staerdale Castle and cut a limb off for every family member I lost.” She smiled out the window at Seth and Jena. “Soon, very soon.”
Thirty minutes later, Ellis came strolling back towards the dock with two packs slung over his shoulder. Seth shook his head. He hated the stealing, but they needed the supplies, right? If Seth didn’t actually do the stealing, was it really that bad?
“How does he do it?” Jena asked as she stood up.
“Not sure I want to know,” Seth replied. Seth and Jena moved towards the center of the market square near the fire to meet Ellis.
Ellis had a grin on him that stretched across his face. “Told you I’d take care of it,” he said as he tossed a pack to Seth.
Jena frowned. “Where’s mine?”
“Umm, I only found two,” Ellis said. “Besides, you don’t want to carry a pack all night, do you?”
“Where am I going to keep my spell components? You may need to be healed, you know,” she said.
Seth rolled his eyes. “Stop it already. Jena, you can store your stuff in mine.”
“Okay,” she said as she passed a small pouch of incense to Seth.
“Any idea where on Arrowhead Lake the camp is?” Ellis asked.
Seth shook his head. “Not really.”
Jena’s loving eyes blinked. “How do we find them?”
Seth’s stomach twisted. How indeed? Arrowhead Lake was huge and fed Bahr River, not to mention that half of the lake was in the Ithsein province. The Bahr River was wide and deep enough where you had to use a bridge to cross it. Since the knights, whom Seth had never met, had to stay out of sight, they probably would avoid using it, right? Sure . . . well, maybe. Why would anyone recognize them? It was not like they wore armor with the Ravenward family crest on their shields. The only bridge was closer to Crey Village. Would that be too dangerous for them?
“Well?” Ellis asked.
“I think they would be on this side of Arrowhead Lake,” Seth said. “When we get there, we look for any signs of a camp and that’s probably it.”
Jena sighed. “There’s probably more camps than just them.”
“When we get closer to them, we’ll figure it out, Jena,” Ellis said. He smiled at Seth. “What are we waiting for?”
Seth slung his pack on his back. “Let’s go.”
Shania watched the trio disappear into the darkness. She flung the torn curtains closed and turned around. She smiled at Elmar sitting on the bed.
“They’re gone?” Elmar asked.
“Yes,” Shania said.
Elmar smiled. “Looks like Malon left just in time.”
A twisted smile crept across Shania’s face. “Indeed.”
Seth paused as they approached the outskirts of Sarun Grove. The moonlight illuminated the woods in front of them. Before him stood his point of no return. He could turn back, but his mother’s killer would get away. That bastard Dane deserved to die, right? If they turned back, he could make amends with Brock and they could just disappear. Who would know the difference? His stomach twisted into knots.
Jena bit her lip. “I . . . are we sure about this?”
“Lost your nerve?” Ellis asked. He sniffed. “Typical.”
Seth took her hand. “We can do it together. I think we need to head northeast.”
Ellis adjusted his pack. “Let’s go then.”
“Follow me.” Seth pushed his way through the underbrush with Jena and Ellis in tow. The thorns tore at Seth’s legs, but he didn’t care. The three walked silently deep into Sarun Grove.
Hours later, they came to a small hill on the edge of the grove. Seth’s ears perked up as he heard faint laughter. He pressed his finger over his lips. After Jena and Ellis had nodded, they got down and moved up the hill.
The closer Seth got to the top, the more the campfire smoke stung his nose. Were they on the other side of the hill? Were they closer to the water than he thought? Were they lost? Seth stopped, closing his eyes. He stretched out his ears to listen. Nothing. He pushed forward.
Seth’s eyes narrowed on a clump of trees with saplings growing from its base. The broadleaf saplings were perfect. He crawled up to the clump of trees and pushed aside a few saplings, just enough to see the other side.
Nine men surrounded a blazing campfire. They were leaning on their packs with pots thrown about. The horses were tied off on the outskirts of the firelight. Empty plates were in a pile near the fire, right next to a beer keg.
The largest man tossed another one his mug. “Dane, get me another one.”
Is that him? Seth thought. His eyes focused through the saplings on the man filling the mug. That hair, that walk—it was him.
Dane passed the large muscular man his mug. “Here, John.”
Why was Dane taking this treatment from them? Wasn’t he the one always talking about how great of a knight he was and how being a noble meant he had privileges? Seth blinked. Yes, it was him. He stared at Dane’s face. It wasn’t hard or proud or—no, it was fearful.
A medium-built man with long black hair pulled back into a ponytail took a swig of his beer. “Are you really going to take that crap from him, Dane? Don’t be an ass.”
Dane grimaced as John growled at him.
John burst out laughing. “And you were a knight? Ha, you don’t hold a candle to that woman knight.”
“I was a great and fearless knight. I fought with them at Nightfall Meadows as we crushed the Feral Orc Army,” Dane said. He sipped his beer.
“Really?” John said. He pointed at the medium-built knight. “We fought there too, as well as Port Eldham. Do you remember him at Nightfall Meadows, Jason?”
The medium-built man shook his head. “Can’t say that I do. Unless—” Jason couldn’t stop giggling.
“What?” Dane asked. “Why are you laughing?”
Jason swallowed. “Unless you were a servant or a manure boy.” The rest of the knights burst out into laughter.
Dane’s face reddened. “How dare you!” He lunged toward Jason. “My honor is at stake.”
John smiled. “Well, if you didn’t have any in the first place, you can’t lose it, can you?”
Jason laughed so hard he fell over.
“Sit down, Dane, and stop pretending to be a knight. We know better,” another said.
Dane stared right at him. “Peter, I’ll kill you.”
John stumbled to his feet. “No, you won’t.
Peter jumped to his feet. “Dane, sit down before you get yourself hurt. The only reason you're here is because Brock insisted on it.” He spat on the ground. “If you were a real knight, where was your manor? How come we never saw you in court?”
“I—I didn’t like going to court,” Dane replied.
Peter sniffed. “Sure, is that the same reason we never saw you in formations, or battle, or in the tournaments that Galin held?” He sat back down. “Those are things knights had no choice but to attend. I don’t believe you.”
“I am a knight!” Dane said. “I…”
Seth’s mouth dropped to the ground. Dane was a fake! He was no knight. Seth heard leaves crunching behind him and turned his head.
Ellis tapped Seth on the shoulder as he pulled himself next to him. “Well?” he whispered.
Seth pointed at Dane. “He’s here, and he has a lot more to answer for than I thought.”
“Like what?” Jena asked as she moved alongside Seth.
“He may not even be a knight,” Seth said.
“…How dare you even imply that I—I’m not a real knight!” Dane shouted. He drew his sword, pointing it directly at John’s heart. “I challenge you to a duel to restore my honor.”
John laughed so hard that he fell over too.
Dane’s face grew a fiery red.
“You can’t be serious,” Peter said. “He’ll kill you.”
“Stand up and fight me,” Dane demanded.
After John had regained control of his laughter, he smiled. “Sit down before I skewer you like that goblin this afternoon. I’ll use your hair for a mop.” He took another swig.
Dane poked John in the side with his sword. “Get up.”
The laughter fled from John’s face as his massive body stood up. Instead of his sword, John grabbed a two-handed battle ax. The corners of his mouth curled as Dane’s face went white.
Ellis elbowed Seth. “What do we do? If he kills Dane, are we done?”
Seth shook his head. “No, we still need to get the Dark Elves.”
Dane lunged.
John side-stepped and hit Dane in the butt with the flat side of his ax, knocking Dane down.
The others burst out laughing.
Dane’s eyes narrowed as he focused on his opponent. He slashed and lunged at John, who easily knocked away Dane’s blows. “Damn you!” Dane charged at John.
John struck Dane’s head with the ax’s hilt, knocking him to the ground. He kicked Dane’s sword away and raised his ax. “Give me one reason not to kill you.”
Dane curled into the fetal position, covering his head with his hands. “Please—please don’t.”
“You’re no knight,” John said as he kicked Dane in the face. “In Ramir’s name, I’ll bet you were never even trained with a sword.” He kicked him again.
“Come on, John, be nice to him,” Jason said. “Brock wanted us to look after him.”
John kicked Dane again. “I don’t take orders from blacksmiths.” He looked down at Dane. “I heard that during the raid, you were on watch when the Dark Elves killed everyone. Instead of fighting or even warning them, you just ran off.” He grabbed Dane by the collar and looked right into his eyes. “I heard you were a useless coward.” He looked back at the other knights. “We should kill him.”
Dane shook his head. “No—please no.”
“Just let him go,” Peter said. “He’s a liar and a coward, but he’s no threat. We’ll be gone before he can tell anyone where we are, anyway.”
John tossed Dane against a tree. He threw Dane’s sword into the ground, right between Dane’s legs. “Get out of here before I change my mind. If I see you again, I’ll feed you to the goblins. Got it?”
Dane nodded.
John lunged at Dane. “Boo!”
Dane leaped to his feet and ran into the darkness.
The others burst into laughter.
John frowned. “What a coward.”
Seth looked up. “Time to go.”
Ellis and Jena followed Seth down the hill.