Walking through the dark forest with a stranger was frightening, but Kaylee had no choice other than to put one foot in front of the other and make her way through. She was no longer worried only for Jenna’s safety, but she was also concerned about Marcus and Gregory. She hadn’t seen either of them in hours either, and the last time she had seen them, they’d been running from the same attackers that had come after Kaylee twice.
They’d been walking for what seemed like hours when Rafe stopped suddenly and put his arm in front of Kaylee. She froze, holding her breath, hoping that whatever it was he heard proved to be an animal or something else that wouldn’t bother them.
He tugged her underneath a large cedar tree, holding her close as she began to hear the noises, too.
It definitely wasn’t an animal. The sound of several sets of feet falling on the forest floor let her know that a group was approaching them. Whether it was Rafe’s friends or the people they were running from, she couldn’t say, but she had a feeling it was the latter since Rafe would probably be able to recognize his own people.
Then, she saw them. Off in the distance, shadows in the darkness created shapes of even deeper black. She could tell by their outlines that these were the men that had attacked them earlier. Rafe pulled her close against him, and she held on tight, afraid that she might make a noise and give their location away. While he was a fierce warrior, he couldn’t fight off all of those men by himself.
They didn’t seem to know where the pair was hiding. They continued to walk in the same direction, about fifty paces in front of where Rafe had his arm around Kaylee. Eventually, their shadows faded, and the steps grew faint before fading away altogether.
Kaylee was still afraid to move for fear she’d make too much noise, and they’d come back. She kept her head pressed against Rafe’s chest, noticing that he hadn’t let go of her yet either. Was he just being overly cautious, or was he having the same problem letting go that she was? She felt safe here, nestled in his arms, pressed against him. It was the first time she’d felt safe since she’d left the castle that morning.
“I think they’re gone now,” Rafe whispered, the heat from his mouth tickling her ear.
Kaylee looked up at him, her lips trembling. “Are… are you sure?”
Rafe nodded. “They usually have a few stragglers coming behind to make sure that anyone hiding thinks they are gone and comes out in time for them to be spotted. I saw a smaller group pass by. I think that had to be the last of them.”
Taking a deep breath, Kaylee managed to get her feet moving again. In the distance, she could see an area of the forest that looked slightly brighter than the practically pitch black place where they were standing at the moment. She hoped that meant they were almost out of the deep woods. Being able to see might make her breathing easier, although, it might also make it easier for the Ketchelians to see them, too.
Rafe was already moving out from underneath the tree. Letting him go made her whole body feel cold, a sensation she didn’t like at all. But then, thinking about why it made her feel less warm with him away from her was also not a welcome thought.
They moved through the woods as quietly as possible, moving perpendicular to where the group had disappeared into the shadows. The urge to run was overwhelming. She had to keep her pace equal to Rafe’s so that she didn’t get lost. Assuming he knew where he was going, she followed along, feeling better as the forest grew lighter and lighter.
Eventually, they came to the edge of the forest and stepped out into a meadow. “We’ll need to hurry to get away from here,” Rafe told her. “This is still Ketchel. We’ll need to move into Norterly to make sure that the marauders don’t catch up to you.”
“All right,” Kaylee agreed, picking up her pace. He wasn’t running, but he was moving quickly. His long legs made it easier for him to take lengthy strides. Up ahead of them, she saw another forested area. “Where does Norterly begin?” she asked.
“See that ridge up there?” Rafe asked, pointing to a rise in the ground close to the woods. “That’s the border. Crossing through those woods will bring us to a small village where I’m sure we can find someone to take you in for the night.”
“Me?” she said, grabbing hold of his arm. “What about you?” While it was frightening to think she could be attacked by that band of Ketchelians, she didn’t trust the people of Norterly much more, despite Rafe’s assurances that the king who had treated women so unfairly was dead.
“I have to go back to meet up with my men,” he said. “I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to stay with you once we find a place for you to rest your head tonight.”
The thought of being all alone was petrifying to Kaylee, especially since she was a woman dressed as a man, which was against the law in many kingdoms. She thought that was the case in Norterly; she knew it was in Ketchel.
“You can send word to your parents where you are once you get to Norterly,” Rafe said, trying to reassure her.
“I don’t have any coin,” Kaylee admitted.
“I will take care of it,” he said with an assured nod.
Kaylee didn’t think this was the best idea. She knew that word had to have reached her parents by now about what she’d done and that Jenna was missing since her lady-in-waiting had managed to escape and headed back to the castle. Going back home was sure to be just as dangerous as staying in the forest or going off to search for Jenna in many ways. Not that her parents would kill her, but they would be fuming with anger at her negligence and disobedience.
“What is it that you and your men do?” Kaylee asked, letting go of Rafe’s arm and putting a bit of space between them. Her arm felt strangely cold now that she was no longer touching him, even though the sunshine penetrated further here, and she should be warmer than before.
“We don’t do anything,” he said, arching an eyebrow at her. “We simply live in this forest, that’s all. We happened to hear the noise from your attack and went to your aid, but normally, we wouldn’t have been so far south. You got quite lucky, Princess.”
Kaylee didn’t know what to say to that. She did feel rather lucky, not only that someone had come to their aid but that she’d been saved. She had to hope that the same had been the case for Marcus and Gregory.
“It’s not that much further to the village,” Rafe said, jarring Kaylee out of her thoughts. She took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat. “We should be there before too much longer.”
“Rafe,” Kaylee said, stopping short. “I don’t want to be left alone in the village.”
“Why not?” he asked. “I’ll make sure that you’re taken care of, Princess.”
She forced a smile onto her face and tried to be amicable. “What sort of sway do you have with these people?” she asked.
“They know me rather well since I frequent their establishments often,” he replied with a simple shrug. “Wherever we need more supplies, we come to the village to purchase them.”
“And otherwise… you live in the forest?” she asked, turning to look at him, confused. “Do you have a house out there somewhere?”
“Something like that,” he told her. “It’s not something I care to discuss, though, Princess.”
“You are mysterious, Rafe. How do you get your coin to purchase supplies and what have you? Are you a highway robber?”
He laughed. “Not usually.”
Kaylee raised an eyebrow. “So… sometimes you are?”
“Well, we don’t mind taking from the Ketchelians. They are such horrid people, as you know. Every chance we get to take from them, we do so. But that has brought them over into our lands some, looking for us, so we try not to rob them unless it's necessary. Besides, I have some coin from… before I moved here.”
“So you haven’t always lived in the forest then? Or even this part of the kingdom?”
He shook his head. “No, only for the last few years.”
Something about his tone made her think that he didn’t want to answer any more questions about his past, yet Kaylee wanted to know more. She found him intriguing for reasons she couldn’t quite put her finger on. The feeling made her unsettled.
The urge to ask him more questions was overwhelming. She’d never met anyone like him before. Even the guards and stable boys were different than he was, though they were almost of the same station, she had to assume.
Houses came into view in the distance, some of them set between the trees while further on, she thought she saw the beginnings of a lane that led to a meadow, which made her think that there were more houses and other buildings. The cottages closest to her were small with thatched roofs, their sides made of large timbers held together with some sort of mud filler between them. Kaylee had never paid much attention to the houses in the villages of her kingdom, but she thought most of them were constructed better than these. “What is this village called?” she asked as they approached the closest houses.
“Woodshire,” Rafe said. “Most of the people who live here use the forest to stay alive. Some of them perform other work, of course. There’s a blacksmith, a mill, and then the small inn I mentioned where you can spend the night.”
“If there’s a mill, does that mean there are farmers as well?” Kaylee asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
“Yes, there are a few who work the land, but it’s difficult to find enough clear space to grow many crops. There are also some that raise animals for a living.”
“It sounds like a nice little village.” They had reached the main path that led into the village proper. It was made of cobblestone and looked rather civilized compared to what she had been expecting.
“Are you well, Princess?” Rafe asked. “You look a little unwell.”
“I’m afraid I’m a bit nervous,” Kaylee admitted. “I’m not used to being in this sort of place. I’m also not sure about the outfit I have on. Will I be punished if I am found out to be a girl by just anyone? After all, it didn’t take you more than a few moments to discern that I’m not a boy.”
“I’m certain it will be fine,” he assured her. “Now come along. You’ll be fine in this town. Everyone knows me, and I do my best to help them the best I can. Besides, they’ve been keeping other secrets for me for some time.” He led her down a smaller lane to the left toward one of the larger buildings of the village.
“What sort of secrets?” she asked, unable to help herself.
Rafe turned and gave her a crooked grin that made her heart leap into her throat. “If I told you that, it wouldn’t be much of a secret, now would it?”