All of them, dead? Even little Turner? This man was her enemy. She would not believe a word he said until she saw it with her own eyes. She spat in his direction again. “Never. And I am not the last. They will come for you.”

He cocked his head, looking down at her. “Do you believe some of your comrades survived? Or are you referring to the children back home?”

Senara nearly recoiled, giving herself away. How did he know about the children?

His smile was sickening. “Trust me. You are the last. With no way of smuggling them out of Arnath, they were just disposed of. Never again will an Orcus stand against Trulathian.”

That truly made no difference to her. Uthoria might have need of its Orcus, but it was never kind to them. There was no allegiance here. Still, there was no way she would ever serve this man. If he could be so callous about murdering children, what kinds of things would he force her to do? Years of violence may have hardened her, but not that much. She would die before she allowed herself to be bound to him.

“I apologize for the beating I gave you last night. After watching the Orcus Corp for over a month, you were the one I needed to slow down.” He bent down beside her, his words not matching his cold eyes. “You were second only to the old witch, and who knows how long she would have had in this world if I hadn’t run my sword through her. No, you were my best choice.” He put a hand out to brush a strand of hair off her face. She slapped his hand away. He smiled and stood. “Don’t worry. We will become good friends.”

He put out a hand as if to help her up.

She slapped it away again.

He laughed.

“Is that any way to treat your future king? I may have brothers before me in line, but even they know it’s just a matter of time. Especially when I walk into the throne room with the last Orcus bound to my side.”

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Future king of Trulathian? Titus, fourth in line for the throne rode a giant grey war horse. And always fought his battles personally. She clenched her hand tightly around some frozen pebbles, keeping herself in the moment. If this truly was Titus, his cruelty to his enemies was legendary.

Someone yelled back in the direction of the skirmish site. He looked that way and she kicked him in the knees with all her remaining strength. He yelled and fell over backward. Senara jumped to her feet and ran at his horse. It shied away snorting, then reared, flailing its front feet in her face. Of course a trained warhorse would let no one but its master ride.

The man struggled to his feet, unbalanced. She must have injured one of his knees. Senara took a second to slice the girth, sending the saddle crashing to the ground. The man may be able to ride without it, but he would have a hard time mounting with the injury she’d just given him.

“Stop!” he yelled. “There is no use fleeing. You will be treated well. I swear it!”

She backed away from the horse, weighing her options.

“Running is futile.” Titus straightened to his full height. “I will find you. We can work as partners.”

More soldiers came around the bend behind them. They must have been waiting for some type of signal. Senara spat in the prince’s direction, turned and sprinted down the pass. Where could she go? What was she doing, running with no way to defend herself? Maybe it would be better to just give in. Would fighting for this man be any worse than fighting for Melin?

Yes. He had killed Turner. And the children back at home. She would not serve such a monster.

Senara pushed forward, the pounding of boots and angry shouts of the soldiers spurring her forward. She made it around another bend in the road and skidded to a stop, nearly within arms distance of a surprised looking group of men. More Trulathians. The man closest to her made a grab for her. She swung wildly out of the way and backtracked a few steps, lifting her sword and giving the men reason to pause. The calls from behind her were closer. Much closer. The first group closed in. Nowhere to go to her left, only sheer rock face. She leaned a little to look over the edge to her right.

It wasn’t a straight drop off, but straight enough she would never be able to keep her balance. Hoofbeats sounded back on the road. She turned. Titus was back on his horse and moving toward her. She could practically see the same look in his eyes as when he beat her the night before. Joy in the fact that he was inflicting pain on another. Her stomach roiled. Becoming his weapon was not an option. Senara ran at the cliff, paused, and then jumped.