Page 199 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
Kassein wasn’t sure what foolishness made those tribesmen more eager to fight him than to protect their women, but he would never understand. He finished the job and glanced around, furious.
The fight was over, and by all accounts, they should have won. The tribesmen who weren’t dead or bleeding were fleeing.
And yet, it felt more like a defeat than a victory to him. How could it be otherwise when he hadn’t found the one he’d come for?
“Commander,” General Sazaran repeated, a bit louder.
“...She wasn’t here.”
His own words sounded choked up. Even from behind, one could see the tense muscles of his neck strained with fury.
Kassein angrily turned around and walked out of there, finding the first opening he could to set foot in the snow. The fresh, crisp, white coat immediately turned into a crimson puddle under him.
“I’m sorry we couldn’t find the lady, Commander,” General Sazaran said, “but the attack was a success. Our men are scouring the last tunnels we can find and have reported a handful leading toward more pathways. It sounds like your and the Princess’ theory about them using countless tunnels to travel was right. The remnants of this tribe are fleeing to wherever they–”
“Let them go,” Kassein interrupted him with a furious hiss, glaring at the General. “I was clear. Let them go and spread the word that I’m coming for the tribes.”
I’m coming for her, was what he truly wanted to say.
Kassein hoped that, no matter how far away she was, Alezya would hear what had happened here. That she would know he was looking for her. Stubbornly. Desperately.
He returned his eyes to the skies, witnessing Kein helplessly circle again, flying over every mountain and clearing, his dragon’s silver eyes scouring every crack, cave, and corner it could, looking for that pair of dark eyes they both missed.
Kassein watched, powerless, as his dragon let out furious growls in the skies, terrifying every tribesman back into their mountain but failing to make the one woman they were seeking appear.
Where was she? Every second that passed, Kassein felt like he’d rather be stabbed than worry. He hadn’t experienced this level of agony since his sister’s incident. He couldn’t breathe every time he worried about how cold, hungry, or hurt she could be at this very moment.
He’d rather be the one to suffer, and he’d swap places in an instant, anything but the thought of Alezya going through torment.
“Commander,” Sazaran said. “What do we do with the ones we captured? Shall we bring them back to the camp?”
“No,” Kassein said. “Let them go. We need as many of them as possible to spread the word of what we’re capable of.”
“Annihilation?”
“...Or mercy.” Kassein turned around, going back inside.
He’d picked this mountain, and one of the tribes they’d fought with the most, to make a point. He knew that was all part of the plan, and yet, while going in, he’d been helplessly hopeful. Maybe, just maybe, he’d find her there. Maybe Lumie would be able to sleep with her mom tonight.
Every time he thought of how little time the two of them must have had together, he felt even more sorry. The pull to frantically search every mountain was almost as strong as the one to fly back to the Onyx Castle and check on the little girl. It would be painful to face Lumie without her mother, but at least he would be able to check on one of them.
“I will give the orders, Commander,” Sazaran said. “May I dare say, your command today...”
Kassein gave him a warning glance, but the General’s expression didn’t falter; the man only straightened more, standing tall with a respectful nod.
“It was a perfect demonstration, Commander in Chief,” he said with a loud, solemn voice. “You may not enjoy it, but you do have the charisma a leader needs. Many men will remember the attack today.”
Kassein didn’t grant him a response.
He wasn’t proud of this achievement, and he cared little for how much his men admired his strength. He needed to be even stronger, strong enough that Alezya wouldn’t have to carry her burden alone and away from him. He only enjoyed the respite fighting gave him from being anxious about Alezya, even if it was only for a moment.
Kassein took one of the tunnels that would lead him back out of the mountain and toward their camp.
He was keeping an eye on their surroundings for any incoming attack, but given how much of a one-sided slaughter this had been, it was unlikely. Even if their opponents had seen them coming, they had been utterly unprepared for the attack. Why would they have been? Kassein had led so few excursions into the mountains, and they’d never wandered inside the tunnels, only taking on their scouts outside; they’d never led a raid like they had today.
Their enemies had stood no chance, and while most of their warriors had been foolish to fight until they had lost their lives, any non-fighters had fled the second they could. And Kassein’s orders had been clear about letting them escape, so anyone who had stayed behind had basically chosen death... He had lost a few men, but his losses were a fraction of what that tribe had experienced. A lot of tribesmen had survived, but they had scattered in the mountains, and he doubted they’d dare to attack his camp again.
He did hope the survivors had noted that this hadn’t been a full-on massacre. Kein hadn’t even touched the ones who had stepped out, far too busy looking for Alezya.
