Desperate Forest Read online

  “Don’t mention it.” He took the rope from me and crouched to attach it to the trigger point on the ground.

  Brushing his pant legs off, Jay stood and motioned for me to follow him.

  “What are these nets for?” I asked as we trudged on, moving much easier now that Jay had taken the net I’d been carrying.

  “Mainly to trap animals for food. But they also serve to warn us if someone comes too close to our camp.” He grinned and raised his eyebrows. “Worked like a charm on you.”

  “I wouldn’t have gotten caught in it if it hadn’t been so dark,” I said, holding my head high, although I knew it wasn’t necessarily true.

  “Of course you wouldn’t have.” Jay smirked and busied himself with the next net. I looked overhead and noticed the wind had picked up, causing the branches above us to sway dangerously. I hugged my arms, wishing I’d brought my cloak with me.

  “How long were you traveling by yourself?” Jay struggled with the net as it shook against the heavy wind.

  “Five days.” I realized now my journey had been so easy because I hadn’t gotten far enough into the forest to face the real threats.

  “Not bad,” Jay said, smiling. “I’m surprised a princess could manage so well on her own.”

  I opened my mouth to retort when I was cut off by a loud boom of thunder overhead.

  Jay looked up and cursed. “Come on,” he said as he abandoned the net he was working on and hoisted the remaining one on his shoulder. “A storm’s coming and they can get brutal in this forest. We should head back.”

  I nodded, falling into step behind him while the wind raged, and the branches whipped above us. We’d barely walked ten feet when pounding rain began pouring down, the thick cover of leaves and branches doing little to protect us from the torrent.

  “Hurry!” Jay called back as he grabbed my hand, pulling me along. My long skirts impeded me, especially now that they were heavy with rain.

  Lightning flashed, almost immediately followed by thunder, and Jay swore again. We both cried out as a large tree branch crashed down mere feet away, stopping us so abruptly I pitched forward into Jay’s arms.

  “Hang on!” he shouted over the downpour. “We need to find cover!” He pulled me in the opposite direction, and I wondered how he could even see where he was going in the blinding rain.

  Chapter 10

  Jay and I ran for several minutes, thunder and lightning flashing above us. My dress was so drenched from the downpour, I felt like I was wearing a bag of ice. Although Jay did his best to shield us, we were both struck by flying debris. Finally, Jay pointed to a rocky cavern.

  “In there!” He pushed me through the opening, and I ducked.

  The cave smelled musty and dank. Normally, I would have been disgusted, but now I was grateful for the cover. Winded, I collapsed on the ground.

  “Are you all right?” Jay sat down next to me, short of breath himself.

  “I think so,” I said as I tried to make out his blurry form. There wasn’t much light coming into the chilly cave, and my eyes were still adjusting to the darkness.

  Completely soaked, I began to shiver uncontrollably, my teeth chattering.

  “H-how long do you th-think it will last?” I asked, hugging my arms.

  “Could be minutes, could be hours,” Jay said easily, although I could hear a slight tremor from the cold in his voice too. He turned from the cave entrance to face me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “F-fine.” I nodded. “Just cold.”

  “You don’t say,” Jay said with a hint of humor, although his brow furrowed in concern as he evaluated me in the dark.

  “Come here.” He shifted closer and wrapped his strong arms around me.

  “What are y-you doing?” I was taken aback by his closeness.

  “It’s called body heat, Princess. Surely you read about it in one of your survival guides.” His soft breath tickled my ear, and he began rubbing my arms briskly with the palms of his hands.

  “Of course,” I mumbled, feeling quite foolish. Naturally, his initiation of contact was for practical purposes. “How did you know this cave was here?” I asked, to change the subject more than anything.

  “I had it marked on one of my maps.”

  “Why? What exactly did you do before this?” I asked, extremely curious about his mysterious past.

  “Different things.”

  “You must have traveled a lot to know the land so well.” My shivering had died down now due to his warm hands.

  “Here and there.” Once again, his answer was ambiguous. I felt a twinge of annoyance as I recalled how he answered my questions just as vaguely yesterday. That, and the nagging feeling I’d seen him before, made me want to know more about him.

  “Where are you from?” I asked.

  “Fernshire.”

  I recognized the land as being a kingdom west of Marcsnovia. “So, why are you hiding out?”

  “Well, I don’t know if you noticed, Princess, but there’s quite a storm outside.”

  “I had no idea.” I held back a groan at his pathetic humor. “I meant here in the forest.”

  “Oh, that.” He chuckled softly, although I was sure he knew what I meant the entire time. He shifted next to me. “I guess I like a life of adventure.”

  “A life of adventure?” I released a frustrated breath. “Really? I told you my story, why can’t you tell me yours?”

  “Oh, yes.” His voice was light with sarcasm. “And you did that so willingly.”

  “I didn’t know anything about you at the time . . . and I still don’t.”

  “Look, Princess.” Jay sighed. “Some things are better left unknown.”

  “Why—”

  “Just forget it!”

  “Fine,” I said, taken aback by the sudden anger in his tone. I shifted away from him.

  His arms fell from me, and he sighed heavily. “Look, it’s better . . . if you don’t know too much about me, all right?”

  “If you say so.” I mentally chastised myself for pressing him as I recalled Gavin’s mention of Jay’s demons yesterday. For all I knew, the man next to me was dangerous. It wasn’t wise for me to make him angry when we were stuck somewhere so secluded.

  Neither of us spoke. Eventually, I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the stone wall, listening to rumble of thunder in the distance and the gentle patter of rain.

  ✽✽✽

  The next morning, I awoke to a steady rhythm in my ear. Confused, I opened my eyes, wondering if it was still the rain, then realized my cheek was pressed to someone’s chest.

  Blinking, I lifted my head and discovered the sound I heard was Jay’s heartbeat. I’d been sleeping in his arms.

  Swiftly, I attempted to break away from his grasp, startling him awake in the process. He looked around as if in a panic, but when his gaze fell on me, he blinked sleepily and smiled.

  “Good morning, Princess,” he said, making no attempt to release me.

  “Morning.” I cleared my throat as I pushed away from him. Realization seemed to set in, and he quickly removed his hands, sitting up himself.

  Jay turned toward the opening of the cave. “Well, the rain finally stopped.” He rubbed his face, and I noticed a stubbly shadow around his jaw. He pushed himself up and inched out. “Everyone must be worried about us.”

  I nodded, exiting as well. “I hope they’re okay.”

  “I’m sure they’re fine. We’ve had storms like that before.”

  As we trudged in silence through the muddy forest, my mind was dangerously active. I didn’t know what to think about the strange man walking in front of me. At times, he was so carefree—joking and teasing. But at other times, he seemed closed off and dangerous.

  I shivered in the cool morning air, then recalled how warm I’d felt when I woke up this morning, nestled in his embrace. At what point had we found each other’s arms? The last thing I remembered was Jay ending our conversation last night and me moving away from
him, falling asleep against the cold cave stones.

  You shouldn’t trust him. He’s obviously hiding something . . . and you’re engaged to Darius.

  A fresh wave of guilt swept over me, as if I’d somehow betrayed Darius by waking up in another man’s arms, even though it was completely innocent.

  I shook my head, as if I could clear my confusing thoughts that way. I shouldn’t trust Jay. That much was true. After all, it didn’t even seem like he wanted me too.

  With that resolve, I pushed forward, breaking through the forest barrier and back into our campsite.

  Immediately, everyone gathered around us, stopping their work of picking up tents and supplies scattered about from the storm.

  “Thank heavens!” Macie hurried over to us with two bowls of porridge, as if one night without food would surely strike us dead. I smiled, taking it from her gratefully as my stomach growled.

  “Good to see you.” Thaddeus clapped Jay on the back.

  “We were worried,” Gavin said, sounding relieved, while Gianna rushed over to hug me.

  Laurel glared at me, but she turned to Jay and said, “I’m glad you’re safe.”

  “You all fuss too much.” Jay laughed. “We were fine. We weren’t even that far away, we just had to wait the storm out in a cave. It was night by the time it stopped, so it was safer to stay where we were.”

  I nodded. “Yes, and we weren’t caught in the storm that long. Luckily, Jay knew where to go.”

  “Let’s get moving then,” Gavin said, and everyone dispersed to prepare for the day.

  ✽✽✽

  Today, riding was a bit more uncomfortable. My muscles ached from sleeping against the hard cave.

  But sore is better than dead . . .

  I shifted, trying to get more comfortable. Once again, I sat behind Jay on his black horse. We were mostly ignoring each other.

  The sun shone brightly as we rode through a large open field. Although Jay was still leading the group, we were all more spread out than yesterday, and I could get a better view of my companions.

  My glance fell on Thaddeus, who was seated on a painted horse, and my blood ran cold. Suddenly, I remembered where I had seen him before.

  Thaddeus had been one of King Charles’s knights. His head knight, in fact, and he’d also acted as one of King Charles’s advisors.

  I had seen Thaddeus upon that black and white horse many times, riding closely behind King Charles throughout Marcsnovia. Now, I easily recognized Thaddeus’s steely gray eyes, but in Marcsnovia, he had no beard.

  I had never had any personal interaction with Thaddeus during any of my visits to Marcsnovia, but I’d seen him by King Charles’s side often. Now, one specific instance came to mind.

  It had been my last summer at Marcsnovia, the summer when Darius and I had grown close. I was reading underneath my favorite willow tree, almost hidden from view by the thick veil of leaves. I looked up when I heard footsteps approaching, seeing King Charles and his advisor, who I now knew was named Thaddeus, approaching.

  Assuming they would pass by me quickly, I made no attempt to notify them of my presence.

  “I should have you dismissed for what you did!” King Charles’s voice was low and angry.

  “With all due respect, Your Highness, I did what needed to be done,” Thaddeus said as they walked closer. “You need to tell him.”

  “But what about Darius? It would complicate things immensely.” King Charles’s reply was quiet and I inwardly cringed, realizing I was overhearing something I shouldn’t be. But it seemed too late to show myself now.

  “It’s not a matter of what’s complicated, it’s a matter of what’s right!” Thaddeus said, sounding angry now himself.

  “But is it?”

  “Yes . . . and if you don’t act on it soon, then I will.”

  “You forget your place, Thaddeus!” King Charles’s voice boomed, shocking me. I had never heard him sound so harsh before.

  “My apologies, Your Highness.” Thaddeus seemed to be backing down, although I wondered if it was merely for show.

  I couldn’t hear King Charles’s response as they moved away from me.

  I sat there puzzled, wondering what they could have been talking about. It sounded important and obviously involved Darius in some way. I was intrigued and wished I’d heard more. It sounded like King Charles was trying to decide whether he should tell Darius something.

  I briefly imagined all sorts of fantastic things their conversation could be about.

  You’re much too imaginative, Roselie. My father’s gentle voice floated in my head, causing me to smile.

  It was true and I knew it. No doubt, King Charles and his advisor were simply discussing a delicate political situation and nothing more. I dismissed what I’d heard and never said anything to Darius about it.

  Now I wished I had told Darius what I overheard.

  My heart leapt in my throat as a sickening thought came to me. Was Thaddeus the knight who had killed King Charles? Macie said that knight had never been found. Had he survived and found refuge with this group? Was he now riding a few feet away from me?

  Both Thaddeus and King Charles had certainly seemed angry when I’d overheard them. Had their disagreement only intensified after that day, until it erupted in the final argument leading to King Charles’s death?

  I watched Thaddeus upon his horse. He looked odd without his palace garbs or armor, especially with his new beard.

  Feeling uneasy about his presence here, I immediately made up my mind to ask Gavin about him. Just how much did he know about Thaddeus?

  ✽✽✽

  Later that afternoon, Gavin and I were walking back to the camp after dueling when I took the opportunity to ask him the question I’d been wondering since that morning.

  “Gavin, what do you know about Thaddeus?”

  “Thaddeus? He’s a good man.” Gavin glanced at me. “Keeps to himself, but he’s levelheaded and a fine hunter.”

  “How long has he been traveling with you?”

  “Not long. Showed up a bit before you, actually. Why do you ask?”

  “He’s a knight from Marcsnovia. Do you know why he left there?”

  Gavin shook his head. “From what I hear, things are a little tense in Marcsnovia right now—with the king’s death and your uncle threatening war. I heard there were . . . changes.”

  I nodded. Despite Darius’s best efforts, maintaining order in the kingdom was likely a challenge with so much trouble right now.

  “I can’t help but wonder . . .” I tried to choose my words carefully. “Did you know King Charles was murdered by one of his knights?”

  Gavin stopped walking and stared at me. “You think Thaddeus murdered the king?”

  I shrugged. “I have no idea. But I remember him from Marcsnovia—I even heard him and King Charles arguing one day. All I’m saying is maybe you should be careful. How do you know he’s really trustworthy?”

  “Jay assured me Thaddeus was honorable, and I trust Jay. Plus, Thaddeus hasn’t done anything to make me suspicious.”

  “How does Jay know him?” I had wondered ever since Gianna mentioned Jay vouched for Thaddeus.

  “From their time in Marcsnovia, I would assume,” Gavin said as we started walking again.

  “Marcsnovia? But I thought Jay was from Fernshire?”

  Gavin cleared his throat, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “Uh, no . . . I’m pretty sure he’s from Marcsnovia.”

  “Then why did he tell me he was from Fernshire?” Was Jay really from Marcsnovia? Was that why he seemed familiar to me?

  “I don’t know . . . why don’t you ask him?” Gavin quickened his pace and I could tell he no longer wanted to have this conversation with me. “As far as Thaddeus goes, I’ll keep my eye on him. But like I said, he hasn’t given me any reason to worry yet.”

  “Perhaps he thinks traveling with your group is the best way to avoid being captured,” I said, although my mind was elsewhere.

 
; I shouldn’t have been surprised, especially not after the way Jay had acted last night when I questioned him about his past, but I couldn’t help feeling betrayed knowing he had lied to me.

  What is he hiding?

  Chapter 11

  When Gavin and I reached the camp, the smell of dinner cooking over the fire caused my stomach to growl.

  “Smells delicious, Macie,” Gavin called out. “As always.”

  I nodded. A full day of riding combined with a long dueling session with Gavin had made me quite hungry.

  Gianna came over, carrying two large buckets. “Do you remember where Jay said the stream was?” she asked Gavin.

  He turned and pointed to the pine trees we had come through. “Just beyond those trees. I’ll go with you.”

  “Let me,” I said, taking a bucket from Gianna. I was grateful to Gavin and Gianna for the kindness they had shown me. I wanted to make myself helpful around the camp like the others.

  “Okay,” Gavin said slowly. “But be back quick. It’s getting dark.”

  I glanced up and saw the sun had already dipped well below the pines.

  “Yes, Father,” Gianna assured him with a wry smile.

  Gavin laughed, then walked over to where Laurel was sitting under a tree, sorting herbs into small jars. He sat beside her and started talking. Within seconds, she was smiling and chatting comfortably.

  It was quite surprising to see the change in her. I didn’t think she liked anyone. But then again, Gavin was so friendly and easy to talk to, it was impossible not to like him.

  As Gianna and I made our way through the thick cluster of trees, I could barely see the faint glisten of water ahead.

  “What’s it like being a princess?” Gianna asked with a longing sigh. “Do you get to meet all sorts of exciting people and travel to exotic lands?”

  I laughed. “Not exactly. Although the last year of my father’s life, he started taking me into town to meet people there.” I looked at her thoughtfully and smiled. “Perhaps if he’d lived, I would have even met you. We would sometimes travel to other kingdoms—that’s how I met Darius. But ever since my uncle became king, I’ve been practically a prisoner. This is the most I’ve seen of the world outside the castle in months.”