The Rebel Prince (The Season Series #3)

Chapter 23 - Part 1

A shadow detached itself from the darkened back doorway, but rather than startle or back away, Frederico was already sliding from his saddle. Beatriz reined to a halt, ordering me to dismount. My feet had barely touched the ground before hers did, her fingers flying deftly as she undid the saddlebags.

"Can I do something to help?" I asked, attempting to undo those on my side of the horse. She shouldered the packs as if they weighed less than a parasol.

"I told you to stop talking," she said, her brown eyes meeting mine over the horse's back.

She was worried and trying not to show it.

"We don't have much time," the shadow said in Ardal, once Frederico had undone all of his saddlebags as well. "Follow me."

He led us into a stable, only the cool pre-dawn light leaking through the cracks illuminating our way. Four horses stood ready, tacked and awake, and the twins wasted no time in hoisting their saddlebags into place.

"Can he ride?" the shadow asked.

"Less talking, more moving please," Beatriz said, strain colouring her tone.

"You said they weren't far behind you," Frederico said, "The longer we dally, the closer they get."

That was enough to quiet the shadow, who revealed himself to be a young man with an eerily familiar face when he pulled down his hood. He was taller than both Frederico and Beatriz, with the broad-shoulders and thick neck of a fighter, armed to the teeth beneath his cloak. For some reason, his chiseled cheekbones conjured images of a wailing husband and a dying wife, coloured by the chaos and terror of my last night in Relizia.

But there was no time to think about how this young man so resembled the dying duque's heir.

"Hurry up," Beatriz snapped, thrusting the reins of the fourth horse into my hands. Frederico and the familiar-looking man had already left the barn, leading their horses around to the back of the building.

I didn't need to be asked twice.

I was astride my horse before she had mounted hers, the other two already hurrying away. I waited, but that earned me nothing more than an irritated demand for me to hurry up once again. She took up the tail position of our group, her eyes scouring the road behind us. Ahead, the young man had taken the lead, confirming my suspicion that he and Beatriz were two bodyguards meant to protect two princes.

I sent up a quick prayer that all the weapons strapped to the newcomer wouldn't be needed before we reached whatever safe haven we were headed towards.

We'd almost reached the edge of the village when the cause for our haste was revealed. A scouting party of at least a dozen soldiers appeared on the road we'd thundered down in the early morning light, covering the distance between us at the respectable clip.

"You said a half dozen!" Frederico barked at the other man, who simply gulped as he reached a hand down to the pommel of his sword.

"Get them to safety, Rafael!" Beatriz shouted, kicking her horse into a gallop and smacking the rump of mine as she passed to startle it into motion.

Behind us, a shout went up as we tore down the road, Frederico following as the other man, Rafael, veered into the farm fields surrounding the village. I crouched in my saddle as he led us over fence after fence, through the crops and finally out into a rolling meadow, the grasses swaying peacefully in the golden light of dawn.

"Bea, they're gaining on us!" Rafael shouted, when he risked a look back over his shoulder. I followed his gaze to the line of soldiers fanning out behind us, weapons drawn.