Sixteen

Kinkaid faded behind them; the path beyond the small village was less of a road and more of an extra-wide animal trail. It narrowed down so much that even the horses not pulling the carriages had to move in single file and at a much slower pace. At this rate, they would make it to the border within three days, but it had already felt like a week since they left the village.

No one spoke to each other. Ever since the episode at the inn , everyone had been walking on eggshells, especially around Marcus. Franklin was in a terrible mood as well. Long gone was his ever-stoic appearance; it had been replaced by a permanent scowl that threatened to cause him everlasting damage to his face. The only people Franklin hadn’t yelled at, at least once, were Marcus and Lady Alissa. He did his best to avoid them.

Marcus didn’t mind. In fact, he thought it was the best thing that could have happened. After he blew up at the man and successfully fought against his seal, he thought that it was only a matter of time before Franklin would find him and put him down. Marcus was like a wild dog that had broken off its chain and bitten its master, and there was only one thing a man like that would do to a dog that bit him.

Marcus liked his chances against the man when he was healthy, but in the shape he was in, it was very likely that Franklin would have been able to kill him easily. Still, he never came to find him, and neither did any of the soldiers under his command. He knew he was in the clear when he ambled back to Alissa’s carriage and the only thing that happened was the driver giving him a frightened gaze. After that, Lady Dresden quickly entered her carriage without saying a word and hadn’t said a single word to anyone since.

It had been a truly miserable experience.

Marcus had been watching the wheels of the carriage in front of him spin around endlessly, his mind as empty as the sky above them. Staring aimlessly was the only way that he was able to keep his mind from wandering. Still, he kept coming back to Alissa’s room and the look she had given him before kicking him out.

He would never get that out of his head.

For three entire days, the caravan moved in silence. Franklin’s sour mood only grew worse the closer they drew to the border with Pol Trulant. He started to even lash out at the attendants, something completely out of character for him. Lady Dresden seldom made an appearance outside of her carriage, and when she did, she did everything in her power to avoid even looking in Marcus’ direction. Marcus tried to strike up a conversation with her but was rebuffed at every turn, causing him to wonder if their relationship could ever be repaired.

“Halt!” A shout came from the head of the caravan, the same order echoing down the line as the other drivers relayed the order.

Marcus looked around. Nothing but scrubland, rolling hills, and small and large boulders dotted the landscape. They had left the forest behind over a day ago and had entered the Dead Plains immediately after. Marcus had to say that the naming conventions of this world were not very imaginative.

The plain was exactly that—plain. There were no trees for miles on end and no animals that he could see either. That must have been why the area was named the way it was. Nothing wanted to live there except for scraggly bushes and families of burgundy rocks. There was nothing here, and the day was still young, so Marcus was puzzled as to why they would be stopping.

“What’s going on?” Marcus asked the driver next to him as he stood up to get a better vantage point. It was hard to see exactly what was going on, but he did see Franklin galloping to the head of their caravan.

“I do not know…” the driver said, the first voice Marcus had heard all day. “We should only now be getting to the border; maybe it has something to do with that.”

Marcus only grunted, raising his hand up to his eyes to shield them from the sun. The land was flat and hosted very few obstacles, so it was easy to make out the many small figures lining the ridgeline Franklin was on his way toward. A trail of dust followed their armored commander, a few of the soldiers flanking him on either side. Whatever was going on, Marcus was sure he could figure it out. His spot was here with Alissa, and he had to prepare for whatever was coming.

It was taking much longer than Marcus would have expected. He had been milling about for almost two hours in full armor, his warhammer resting on his shoulder, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. It felt like he was back in the forest with no one else to talk to; even with everyone else around him, his hammer was the only conversation available.

Everyone else was growing restless as well; even the horses were stomping and snorting more than usual. He could overhear the low murmur of conversations, all of them wondering about the reason they had stopped and the figures waiting for them on the horizon.

The growing sound of hoofbeats soon brought them their answer.

“Marcus!” Franklin shouted just as he came into earshot, his horse still galloping towards him at full speed. “Get over here, now!”

His words sent a wave of fresh pain into his body, but it was nothing compared to what it was before. He could have easily ignored it , but he knew that whatever was happening was much more important than his desire to be difficult.

“What’s happening?” Marcus asked as he met the trotting horse and its rider.

Franklin looked pissed. Much more than Marcus had ever seen him. Even when he had badmouthed the Duke, Franklin didn’t look so mad. Whatever he was about to tell him, Marcus knew that it wasn’t good and that he wasn’t going to like it.

“We have reached the border,” Franklin spat, his steed stomping its front hooves into the ground like it was expressing its displeasure as well. “And the Pol Trulants have come to escort Lady Alissa… without us.”

“You were to escort us until we reached the palace, right?” Marcus asked, his eyes moving to the waiting figures on the skyline. “What changed?”

“I do not know. None of this makes sense, but they are refusing to allow us inside their country.” The leather reins creaked underneath Franklin’s iron grip as he explained. “We have to leave you here… There is no other choice.”

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“…bullshit.” Marcus cursed to himself as he felt his stomach start to twist itself into a knot. Things were developing in a direction that he didn’t like, not one bit. He might not have liked Franklin, but at least he knew the man and could trust him to do what was right when it came to Alissa. They still had two weeks of travel left, and now they would be in the hands of complete strangers, complete with their own set of priorities and intentions.

“Marcus… listen,” Franklin’s tone took on a grave feel as he straightened up in his saddle. “I will not repeat to you how important this all is, you have heard that enough. I would like to just say that Lady Alissa’s happiness is important to her father and me. I watched her blossom from a small girl into the wonderful woman she is today, and it breaks my heart to know what she must do. None of us wanted this to happen, but we had just as much choice in the matter as she did.” He took a deep shuddering breath before continuing. “I do not know how you overcame the slave seal , but you must never tell a soul that you did. It is something that is supposed to be impossible, and if they were to discover that you did, you would be killed… immediately.”

“Why didn’t you then?”

Franklin scoffed at Marcus’ question like it was the dumbest question he had ever heard anyone ask in his entire life. “Then who would watch over Lady Alissa? You are still needed… I can see that you care for her, although I am not sure if that is appropriate or not, but even with my misgivings I cannot allow her to go into this alone.”

Marcus nodded his head. He couldn’t argue with that logic, especially since it apparently saved his life. He would just have to keep in mind not to let anyone know about him breaking the seal. “I’ll keep her safe, don’t worry… So, what happens now?”

Franklin let out a resigned sigh, his face falling into one of despair. “I must go and speak with Lady Alissa and explain to her what is occurring. Then gather the supplies for our return to Lorneth…”

He was already trotting away before he could finish his sentence, his horse moving toward the largest carriage in their group. Marcus watched him go, his eyes glued onto Franklin’s slumped shoulders.

Marcus stood in the front of the now much shorter caravan. Almost a third of the carriages were now rolling back the way they came, carrying enough food and supplies to last the few hundred soldiers, attendants, and maids long enough to get back to Lorneth. Now, it was just him and Lady Alissa, standing there, watching as the individuals on the horizon grew steadily larger as they galloped toward them.

“Marcus…” Alissa whispered as she stared off into the distance. “I am scared… I am so scared…”

Her voice trembled along with her body. She looked so frail. Even when she was dressed in some of her finest clothes, Marcus could see her shaking. It broke his heart.

He reached out, hating the fact that his gauntlets prevented him from actually touching her. Still, his hand found its way to her shoulder, the tremors wracking her body slowly stopping due to his touch. “I’m here… I’ll always be here.”

She turned to him, tears trailing down her face. “Sir Franklin… Franklin explained everything to me. I am sorry for how I reacted earlier. I hope that…”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Marcus assured her as he squeezed her shoulder and gave her a smile that she unfortunately couldn’t see due to his helmet. “I don’t want you to worry about me. I’m fine; I want you to focus on yourself.”

Lady Alissa nodded her head and gave him a brave smile before turning to the sound of the approaching hoofbeats. Their escorts from Pol Trulant were nearly to them, and Marcus frowned at the number of men that had come to see them safely to the royal palace.

There were barely two dozen of them, just enough to drive the carriages and tend to the animals. All of them looked to be soldiers as well. A hybrid of brass and leather covered their bodies. Long swords were strapped to their saddles, and decorative headdresses that reminded Marcus of the Roman Legion rested atop their half-helms, fluttering as they rode.

Their leader, a larger man with a distinctively different headdress, cantered out in front of his group and up to them, stopping only ten feet away. He took off his helmet, handing it to another man who had ridden up just behind him. Even atop his horse, Marcus was still nearly eye level with the man and had a clear view of his grizzled face.

He had small, harsh eyes that were a dark brown and were squinting in the sunlight, a full, black beard that covered his face, a long scar starting just above his brow, split the beard down the left side of his face, and long hair, the same color as his beard, that was tied up tightly into a small bun on the back of his head. His almost black eyes lingered on Marcus for a few tense moments before they inevitably moved over to Lady Alissa. He gave her a small bow but didn’t deign to dismount his horse.

“Lady Dresden,” His indifferent voice hung in the air. “My name is Sir Nicum Caldwell. I will be your guide to your destination.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Caldwell.” Lady Alissa said in an elegant voice that impressed Marcus a great deal, given her recent misgivings. “I look forward to traveling with you, but I must express my concerns over the number of escorts present.”

Marcus was happy to see that Alissa had addressed the issue. He was also deeply concerned about it but knew better than to voice his opinion in front of others. A predatory smile spread across Sir Caldwell’s face, his pink scar causing his cheek to fold unnaturally, giving him an uncanny look.

“There is no reason to fear for your safety. Pol Trulant is a very safe kingdom; no harm will come to you.”

Marcus’ grip tightened around the haft of his warmhammer placed on the ground before him. He didn’t much appreciate the tone the man was taking with Alissa or the implications of his words. Duke Dresden and Franklin both had warned him that there were those who wished to see the union between their two countries fall apart, but Marcus hoped that they could have at least made it to the palace before the backstabbing began.

“…then what of attendants?” Lady Alissa asked, her cracking voice betraying the unease she was feeling. “I do not see any among your men.”

“Ah, yes. I am afraid there was some confusion concerning the attendants assigned to you.” Sir Caldwell explained with faux remorse as he shook his head, but neither Marcus nor Alissa missed the smile that spread across the face of the man behind him. “I pray for your forgiveness. It was a gross oversight that has embarrassed us deeply. If you would like, I could assign a few of my men to assist you in… whatever you would need on our journey.”

It took all of Marcus’ considerable willpower not to leap onto the man. He wanted nothing more than to throttle him for even suggesting such a thing. He was sure he could arrange some unfortunate mishap; there weren’t very many of his men around, and he could probably get away with it.

“No!” Alissa nearly shouted before collecting herself, “No. That is quite alright. I… I will be able to attend to my own needs. There is no reason to burden your men with more responsibilities.”

“Very well, Lady Dresden.” Sir Caldwell said with a smirk before taking his helmet back from the man behind him. “We will leave shortly. Is your… slave capable of driving your carriage?”

“Mar… He is able.” Lady Alissa stated, her shoulders shuttering at the word.

Sir Caldwell slipped his galea back onto his head. “Good. And Lady Dresden, please remember to keep it on a short leash.”

With his words, the men on horseback behind him moved to secure the carriages and their contents. A few of them held the dowry being paid to the third prince, and Marcus couldn’t help but overhear the comments about the amount of treasure they contained. He had a feeling the prince was going to be getting less than he was originally promised.