“Even when cut by a sword or pierced by an arrow, he doesn’t bat an eye,” Gabriel explained, his voice calm and matter-of-fact.
“If you ask him if he’s okay, he’ll simply say it doesn’t matter because his body doesn’t know pain.”
Doesn’t know pain?
Leni scoffed inwardly.
“Oh, come on, no way,” she mumbled aloud, waving her hand dismissively.
Who could truly be like that?
He’s probably just not showing it to save face, even if he’s hurting internally.
It was a common act among warriors, a facade of invincibility.
As if guessing her thoughts from her skeptical expression, Gabriel nodded.
“That’s right. Who wouldn’t be in pain if they were hurt? But the Captain always tells us to treat other soldiers first, even when he’s grievously injured. That’s why all the soldiers respect him. He prioritizes lower-ranked soldiers before taking care of himself, an act of true selflessness.”
That’s not care, Leni thought, a bitter taste in her mouth.
That’s coldly cruel, a calculated display of martyrdom.
“If you serve him, you’ll see what a great man the Captain is,” Gabriel added, a note of admiration in his voice.
Hmph! Never, Leni silently fumed.
I’ve seen his true colors.
He ignores people just because they’re young.
He eavesdrops on others’ conversations.
He even enslaved a perfectly fine person.
He’s arrogant, cunning, and utterly lawless.
Leni scoffed, a quiet sound that went unnoticed.
She then realized Gabriel was quiet, focused solely on collecting mushrooms, unconcerned by her disgruntled reaction.
He was oblivious to her internal rebellion.
Leni plucked a yellow mushroom and put it into her basket, glancing subtly at Gabriel.
Should she hit him on the back of the head with a stone?
No, attacking him would only raise more suspicion and immediately trigger a search.
If she got caught trying to escape, her only viable excuse would be to pretend she got lost looking for mushrooms.
She had been caught trying to escape from Blayden’s room too, a humiliating experience.
It was better to have an escape route, a plausible story, prepared in case things didn’t go as planned.
Pretending to look for more yellow mushrooms, Leni slyly moved behind a thick tree, obscuring herself from Gabriel’s view.
“Um… it looks like there are mushrooms beyond the stream too,” she called out, glancing back from her squatting position.
“I’ll go over there and check.”
Gabriel, still focused on his meticulous mushroom gathering, simply replied, “Yes,” without even looking up at her.
Good.
Time to move.
Leni jumped to her feet.
She walked quickly over the soft green grass, then stopped at the stream’s edge, rolled up her pant legs, and took off her shoes.
She crossed the stream by stepping on seven strategically placed stepping stones, her movements swift and silent.
As soon as she confirmed Gabriel was completely out of sight, his figure swallowed by the dense foliage, she put her shoes back on and started running, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and exhilaration.
How long did she run?
Leni was sprinting past trees, her breath coming in ragged gasps, when she collided violently with a large man who suddenly emerged from beyond a thick bush.
She instinctively took a fighting stance, her body tensing for combat, when a welcoming voice dropped from above her.
“Leni!”
“Oh, Uncle Thomas!”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she recognized the familiar, comforting face.
She was safe now, she thought, a wave of relief washing over her.
Overcome with emotion, she hugged Thomas tightly, burying her face in his shoulder.
The storm of events that had consumed her since yesterday flashed through her mind, while the warmth of his embrace, the familiar scent of him, relaxed her taut muscles.
“Leni, what on earth happened?”
Thomas asked, gripping her shoulders, his words pouring out in a breathless rush.
“Are you okay? Everyone’s been worried sick since you left to see His Highness yesterday, and Master hasn’t returned. Soldiers stormed in and searched everything, turning the campsite upside down!”
“Soldiers stormed in?”
Leni felt a chill, a cold dread, snake down her spine.
“Yes. They overturned everything, props and clothes alike, making an unbelievable mess, and then they surrounded the campsite,” Thomas explained, his voice laced with indignation. Under military surveillance?
She realized with a jolt.
She absolutely should not go to the campsite now.
“Is anyone hurt?”
Leni asked, her voice laced with concern for her troupe family.
“Nancy was about to get into trouble, swinging a wooden sword and asking what they were doing,” Thomas recounted, a slight chuckle in his voice, “but I begged them to overlook it just once. Thankfully, they don’t seem to hold any ill will towards us, as the soldiers didn’t do anything worse. They didn’t even touch our food. Everyone’s terrified, not knowing anything about the Master, and stuck here, unable to go anywhere.”
“Uncle, did they say His Highness sent the soldiers?”
Leni pressed, needing to confirm her suspicions.
“From what I overheard, they seemed to be Prince Kalian’s private soldiers,” Thomas replied, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
Leni’s heart sank.
If they were the Prince’s soldiers, she had to avoid them at all costs.
Recalling Kalian’s cruel, arrogant face made goosebumps break out all over her body.
She was going to the Tarsewin Temple anyway, so she could meet the troupe members later, once she was safe and had a clearer understanding of the situation.
Leni made up her mind, her resolve hardening, and took a step back from Thomas.
“Uncle, don’t provoke the soldiers,” she urged, her voice serious.
“The Prince is a very cruel man. The timing isn’t good right now, so tell the troupe members to stay calm and be careful what they say.”
“The timing isn’t good? What do you mean? Leni, what do you know?”
Thomas pressed, his curiosity overcoming his usual cautious nature.
She wished she could explain everything to the curious Thomas, to confide in him, but there was no time.
She couldn’t let this hard-won opportunity go to waste.
Getting to a safe place and seeking help was the immediate priority.
“Now that I think about it,” Thomas observed, his gaze falling on her clothes, “those aren’t your clothes either. What happened last night? Is the Master okay?”
“I don’t know,” Leni answered evasively, her mind already racing ahead.
She said goodbye to Thomas, telling him she’d see him later.
“I have to go somewhere urgently. Oh, and please keep it a secret that you met me.”
“Leni! Where are you going! Will you be okay by yourself?”
Thomas shouted to her as she turned and began to move away.
Leni turned her head, put her index finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet, and began to draw a mental map, charting her escape.
Forêt Forest was west of the palace.
The Tarsewin Temple was north of the Quiesar Garden.
She’d have to cross the stream again.
She hoped she wouldn’t have to go back to where Gabriel was.
As she pondered her route, she suddenly felt the ground shake beneath her feet.
The distinct clanging of metal and the rhythmic sound of heavy footsteps came from all directions, growing louder with every beat of her heart.
Soldiers, armed and armored, walked out from behind the trees, their figures grim and imposing.
Clad in chainmail, their swords glinted menacingly at their waists.
Several soldiers stepped forward, forming a tight circle around her, cutting off any escape route. One soldier held a thick rope in his hand, its coils ominously loose.
“What’s this? Why are they looking at me like prey?”
Leni frowned at the soldiers closing in, then assessed their numbers.
Six soldiers formed the immediate encirclement, with ten more arrayed behind them, effectively cutting off any retreat.
The soldier holding the rope had an eagle ornament on his sword hilt.
It was the same crest embroidered on Prince Kalian’s cloak, but less ornate, lacking the gold accents, a clear sign of his loyal guard.
She mustn’t be captured by these men.
Leni picked up a fallen tree branch from the ground, its end sharpened by a recent break.
As she pointed its sharp end at the soldiers and swung it in a defiant arc, laughter erupted from all directions.
The soldiers were mocking her, a cornered prey attempting to fight back with a twig.
Let them mock.
Just let them be careless.
A direct confrontation with them would have an obvious, disastrous outcome.
Now was the time to escape, to use their overconfidence against them.
Target the weakest one.
Leni maintained her distance from the encircling soldiers while scanning their faces, her eyes sharp, searching for an opening.
To her left, she spotted a youthful face, still very much a boy, his movements less seasoned than the others.
Swinging the branch then pulling it back, Leni hunched her shoulders and drew her arms in tight to her body.
She pushed off the ground with one foot, gathering all her momentum, and charged directly at the young soldier she had pinpointed.
Her accelerated body slammed into the soldier’s side, a surprising blow.
Caught off guard by the sudden impact, the soldier stumbled, letting out a surprised cry, his balance completely lost.
Leni dropped the branch, her hand already moving, and pulled the sword from the soldier’s scabbard, holding it up, it’s cold weight surprisingly familiar in her hand.
A shwaaa sound, as the sword scraped against the scabbard, echoed sharply in the sudden silence.
The remaining soldiers simultaneously drew their own swords, the metallic rasp a chilling symphony of impending violence.
No one was laughing now.
The eyes that had underestimated her moments before were now sharp, menacing, filled with a cold, predatory intent.
“Capture her!” someone shouted from beyond the immediate encirclement, his voice booming.
“Do not kill her. Capture her alive!” another voice commanded, indicating her importance.
A struggle could be heard behind Leni as well, further confirming the pervasive nature of the attack.
Leni swung her sword, maintaining a cautious distance from the soldiers, and glanced over her shoulder.
Thomas, held by both arms by two burly soldiers, was being bound with a thick rope, his struggles growing weaker.
“Uncle!”
Leni cried out, her focus momentarily diverted.
She tried to break through the encirclement, to reach him.
Just as she was about to raise her sword against the soldier from whom she had taken the weapon, the wind whistled and surged, a sudden, powerful gust, and a heavy net fell over her from above, dropping swiftly and silently.
The tightly woven net clung to her body, entangling her completely.
Leni instinctively tried to struggle, to free herself, but stopped immediately.
If she moved incorrectly, she could stab herself with the very sword she held.
She tried to calm her frantic breathing, assess the blade’s direction, and then, with a precise movement, cut the net.
But it was futile.
The net stuck fast to her body, its tough fibers impossible to cut, making it utterly impossible to move.
She was like an insect caught in a spiderweb, completely ensnared.
As she seethed through gritted teeth, a majestic white horse appeared, pushing through the wall of soldiers, its powerful hooves thudding softly on the forest floor.
A small, old man in a pristine white robe sat on the horse, looking down at her, his narrow eyes glinting with a cold, calculating amusement.
“So you’re Martin Scarson’s daughter, you seem to have learned swordsmanship,” the old man observed, his voice dry and knowing.
It was the man who had been in Prince Kalian’s chambers, the one who had conspired to poison the Prince and Princess Kiabel.
“I am Sir Leharth’s person! You shouldn’t treat me so carelessly!”
Leni shouted, raising her voice, hoping the name of her captor, her temporary owner, would deter them.
The old man’s narrow eyes glinted wickedly, a chilling smile playing on his lips.
“Last night at the banquet, you insisted so vehemently that you weren’t a slave. You sly creature, the more I see of you, the more I like you. But His Highness the Prince wishes to see you, so I have no choice.”
The old man, a cold, predatory smile on his face, ordered the soldiers, “Take her away!”
***
Leni was roughly thrown into a spacious, opulent room, her body sprawling awkwardly on the cold, hard floor.
The floor was made of pristine white marble, like a snowfield stretching endlessly, and three of the walls were covered entirely with towering mirrors, their polished surfaces reflecting everything.
Sunlight poured in from a large window facing a meticulously manicured garden, creating dazzling patterns on the marble.
Large, rectangular mirrors with elaborate golden frames reflected the intense sunlight, their combined glare seeming to stare at her like the unblinking eyes of a hungry beast.
Leni put her hands on the floor and slowly pushed herself up, then crawled with stiff, aching limbs towards a corner mirror, desperate for a moment of privacy.
Her reflection was a mess: tangled, bushy hair, a scratched face, and smudges of dirt.
She massaged her aching arm, feeling blood slowly returning to her stiff, cold body.
Just as she felt a semblance of strength returning, she heard the ominous sound of the door opening.
She turned her head, her gaze fixed on the entrance, to see Prince Kalian walking in, his presence immediately dominating the opulent space.
Leni gazed up at Kalian, who was approaching her, clad in an ornate robe that seemed to shimmer with authority.
She wouldn’t beg for her life, she vowed, her chin rising defiantly.
Her head stiffened for a moment, her rebellious spirit asserting itself, then the image of her father’s distraught face came to mind, and her shoulders slumped, a wave of despair washing over her.
Why did they have to endure this?
Her father was His Highness’s trusted friend.
He had been loyal to Equilium for so long, serving them with unwavering dedication.
Kalian’s pristine black boots stopped directly in front of her, where she stood with gritted teeth, a silent picture of defiance.
Kalian bent down, his posture deceptively gentle, and asked in a soft, almost silken voice, “Do you know why Blayden Leharth is interested in you?”
At the unexpected mention of Blayden’s name, Leni held her breath, her mind racing.
Kalian’s sharp, gray eyes gleamed with an unsettling intensity, but a faint, almost mocking smile played on his lips.
“The Red Wolf gathers vermin,” Kalian began, his voice a low, chilling purr.
“Insignificant things. Dirty things. Despicable things. He takes in those from the lowest depths and keeps them by his side, nurturing them in his twisted way.”
What does that have to do with me! Leni screamed silently, her mind recoiling from his words.
“He only gathers those who are unwelcome and cast out everywhere,” Kalian continued, oblivious to her inner turmoil.
“Just like him.”
His eyes, glinting mockingly, slowly swept over her face, examining her as if she were a specimen.
“You are his new collection,” he stated, a pronouncement rather than an accusation.
Leni flinched as Kalian’s hand, surprisingly delicate, gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him.
Kalian stroked the small scar on her chin with his thumb, his touch light, as if appreciating a piece of pottery, a fragile artifact.
Despite the delicate and gentle touch, a wave of profound disgust washed over her, chilling her to the bone.