The pounding of her stolen horse’s hooves as it ran along the road back the same direction from which Kaylee had come was all she could hear besides the beating of her heart which pounded against her ribcage. The princess knew she hadn’t gotten more than five leagues, maybe ten, away from the village before she’d managed to wreck the carriage. She’d been riding as fast as the horse could go for long enough that she expected to see the village coming up ahead of her soon.
Where was Rafe? The question circled around in her head over and over again. Was he caught up in the ambush and couldn’t get away? Maybe the horse-holder hadn’t been able to tell them what had happened yet. Or maybe Rafe was already back on his steed and headed toward her.
Smoke from the chimneys became visible before the village itself came into view. Kaylee knew from when she’d gotten aboard the carriage that this road led into town and then split into a few different directions. She hoped that one of them skirted around the outside of the village because she didn’t want to deal with anyone seeing her, especially if those people could identify her later if Rafe asked if she’d been spotted flying through town.
The roof of the inn appeared next. Kaylee didn’t slow, only kept the sorrel stallion focused on the road ahead of them. She could tell which road wound around the city. If she just kept the horse headed straight, rather than rounding the bend that would take them into the village, she’d be golden. It was still close to the town proper, though, and went past a few cottages.
Keeping her head down over the neck of the horse so that it would be more difficult for anyone to see her face, Kaylee gave the horse a little kick in the side with both feet to spirit him on even faster. He was already going so fast it was difficult for him to find more speed, but he certainly wasn’t slowing down as he blazed through town.
In a matter of seconds, the village was behind her, and Kaylee was headed down the road, parallel to the forest where it spilled into Norterly from Ketchel. She’d have to change directions eventually and cut back through the woods if she was going to get back on the trail of the people who’d taken her cousin, but she was so far behind right now, she wasn’t even sure if she’d be able to pick up any signs of them.
Perhaps it would be best if she just went to the next largest village on the other side of the forest and asked around to see if there were any signs of the kidnappers or her cousins.
Now that she was through the village, Kaylee decided it would be all right to slow the horse just a bit. She didn’t want him to get too tired. With any luck, Rafe would take a wrong turn in the village if he was following her. It didn’t seem like him to just let her leave with one of his horses, so she didn’t have much doubt that he would be following her. It was just a matter of whether or not she could throw him off her tracks.
“The hunter becomes the hunted,” she muttered, sitting up a little straighter now that there were no people around.
The further northwest Kaylee rode, the more the road started to turn into more of a trail. It was overgrown, with grass and weeds intruding in the rock and dirt that had been cleared over time by many a wagon wheel or horses’ hoof. But she could see it clearly enough to keep the horse moving.
The trees became closer and closer to the edges of the road as well, making it much more difficult to see what was up ahead. Kaylee slowed her horse so that she could use her ears a little better to listen to what might be around the bend. If the same pack of wild men from the day before was in the woods nearby, she wanted to know before they were upon her.
Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten much since leaving the castle. She ignored it, not wanting to stop to see if there was anything in the saddlebags next to her legs that might make the rumbling stop. The horse seemed perfectly content to continue to run without tiring, without stopping for water or any of the sweet grass that grew next to the road.
Relatively flat land began to roll, and eventually, she found herself going uphill, which did make her horse slow slightly. The thought that she was getting closer to the mountains reminded her that she was riding out of Norterly. The mountains to the northwest of the kingdom were not claimed by any one kingdom. Rather, they served as a border between the northernmost kingdoms and the freezing lands further north. Few people dared to live north of those mountains where it was cold most of the year.
The mountains themselves were often frozen and snowy near the top. Kaylee had never been there before; she’d only heard about it from her parents. The mountain chain ran south, running through what used to be the kingdom of Gradenia. That was the kingdom her mother had been imprisoned in--well, one of the kingdoms, anyway. The king who had taken her prisoner was dead; his cousin who had been the king of Gradenia was rumored to be hiding in the very mountains she was headed toward.
Could it really be that King Leopold had her cousin? Was this some sort of sick vengeance against her parents?
She didn’t know, but it made more sense to aim for the mountains than to stab blindly out into the distance. Hopefully, the fact that she was traveling alone would allow her to get to the mountains before the pack of kidnappers got to the closest road that led up into the higher ranges. Perhaps if she could get to that road before them, she could lay in wait and find a way to take them by surprise in order to get her cousin back.
It was a long shot, but she had to try. Even if she had to do it by herself.
So lost in her thoughts was Kaylee that she didn’t hear the other horse until it was upon her. It came from her left, from between the trees, a blur of dark horsehair flying in the wind, the rider wearing green. Kaylee turned to see them coming at her at a charging pace.
She bit off a scream and kicked her horse, begging him to run faster. The sorrel began to gallop at full speed as well, his hooves flying down the road. Kaylee leaned low over his neck again, this time urging him to pick up speed. She could feel the other horse breathing down her neck, hear the cursing and swearing beneath the breath of the rider. She had to get away!
“Princess Kaylee! Stop! Now!”
Rafe’s voice did nothing to inspire her to rein the horse in. If anything, it made her kick the horse harder in an attempt to get away. That didn’t seem possible, though. The sorrel was already doing everything he could to rocket her away from the other rider. Rafe coming through the trees the way he had seemed to spook him. So even if he recognized the man shouting behind them, the horse wasn’t about to slow down.
Unfortunately, the steed behind her was a bit faster. Hazarding a glance over her shoulder, Kaylee saw that Rafe was almost to the right flank of the horse she was riding. If she didn’t find a way to lose him, he’d be even with her in a matter of moments. Then, he’d take control of her horse, and her escape would be over.
She couldn’t let that happen.
Picturing Jenna’s sweet face in her mind, Kaylee scanned the area around her, particularly in front of her. Rafe would expect her to keep going straight.
So she needed to do something else.
Up ahead on the right, she saw another trail heading off into the woods. She didn’t know how quickly the horse could make the turn. The last thing she needed to do was cause him to break his leg. She’d created enough casualties for one trip. Her options were limited, though.
As she approached the turn, she pulled the reins hard so that the horse no longer had his head and spurred him to take the turn off. The path was narrow here, with thick pine trees on either side. The scent of cedar filled her lungs as her legs scraped against branches on both sides of her. Perhaps this was more of a deer trail than an actual path. No matter--she’d make it work.
Another glance behind her told her that Rafe had not reacted quickly enough. He had to have continued to go straight because he was no longer back there. Still, Kaylee couldn’t relax or breathe a sigh of relief. There was a good chance he would be right back behind her again in a moment.
Or barreling into her from the side again.
“Damn it!” Kaylee shouted as Rafe came out of the trees once more. This time, he was far enough ahead of her that her horse instantly got spooked and reared up his front legs. Once again, she found herself hanging onto the reins for dear life, her eyes wide with terror as she tried not to scream. The sky was in front of her, the ground directly behind her, and her hands were beginning to slip.
“Whoa! Whoa!” Rafe said as he took hold of the horse’s bridle. “It’s all right, Spark,” he said, his voice gentle. “It’s okay, boy.”
Somehow, he managed to get the horse to return his hooves to the ground, and Kaylee was able to resituate herself so that she wasn’t hanging off the back of the saddle.
Her heart banged against her ribcage as she tried to force air into her lungs “What the actual hell?” she demanded of him. “Do you have any idea how painful that might’ve been if I’d slid off the back?”
“You are in no position to be angered at me, Princess. What do you think you’re doing?”
“You know exactly what I’m doing!” Kaylee narrowed her eyes as the horse, still under Rafe’s control, snorted and whinnied, trying to calm himself down. “I’m going to find my cousin.”
“No, you’re not!” Rafe disagreed. “What you’re doing, apparently, is trying to get yourself killed! Why are you so hellbent on making sure that you’re dead before the sun goes down this night?”
She wanted to shout something clever at him, but the only response that came to mind was, “If I had died just then, it would’ve been at your hand.”
“No, Princess, it wouldn’t have been. You, my dear, are now a horse thief. Do you know what the punishment is for horse thievery in the kingdom of Norterly?”
A ripple of fear shot through her as she realized she did, in fact, know. Or at least she imagined she knew since it was likely the same in this kingdom as in her own--and all civilized kingdoms. “I suppose I do,” she said, trying to keep the defiance in her eyes even as the fear threatened to take over. Surely, the king wouldn’t hang her for borrowing one of his men’s horses--would he?
“Well, then, perhaps it is time that you begin to consider precisely how much trouble you may be getting yourself into, as opposed to assuming that your every whim and impulse is the correct action to take.”
Kaylee wanted to argue with him, to spout something witty and stinging, but she couldn’t think of anything to say to argue with his assessment. Instead, she looked him in the eyes, and with tears beginning to form in hers said, “I have to find my cousin.”
Rafe’s mouth opened, but it took a moment for words to form. Before he spoke, he dropped his head just a moment, shook it slightly, and said. “Fine.”