Page 45 of Sword of Desire
He nodded. He knew it, too.
She sighed. “Unfortunately, I understand why you’re going.” She rolled her eyes. “You can count on me to do my part.”
“Thank you.” He wanted to say more but couldn’t find the words.
“Be careful,” she said. She opened her mouth to say something else but thought better of it. Instead, she patted his shoulder. “Safe travels.”
“You, too.” Not wanting to waste any more time, Ackley bid his soldiers goodbye. He mounted and nudged his horse, urging it on faster. If he rode hard, he should reach the royal castle in a few days. With any luck, he’d be reunited with Harley by the end of the week.
As he rode, he went over his plans again and again. There were so many variables that could go wrong, and he’d have to improvise. He feared Harley had tried killing Lyle, only he’d killed her instead. If that happened, Owen would never forgive Ackley for sending her there in the first place. It didn’t matter because Ackley would never forgive himself either. Regardless, Ackley still believed she would make a capable spy and assassin. She was the type of person the Knights scouted to be a part of the organization. He needed to have faith she could handle herself.
Only, she wasn’t a full-fledged Knight.
But she could be one of the greatest with more training, of that he had no doubt.
The issue was he had no idea what she planned to do with her life. She had a place at court where she could serve as a princess and a personal confidant to Idina. However, that didn’t seem enough for someone like her. Spending her time at court would be a waste of her talent. She could be a spy and work for Owen. Somehow, that didn’t feel right either. Ackley wanted her to work with him. But he was from Marsden and she from Melenia.
And then there was the matter of his romantic interest in her. Though Ackley loved her, he still didn’t want to marry. Somehow the thought of marriage made him think of being in chains, and he needed his freedom. Knights took an oath not to marry. If he devoted himself to Harley through marriage, he’d have to face giving up a part of himself by quitting the Knights.
He also had no idea if Harley wanted to remarry after being with someone like Lyle. The two of them needed to talk. While they’d both expressed an interest in continuing their relationship, neither had mentioned what it may look like.
Just before nightfall, he passed the spears with heads, entering Melenia. The land appeared colder and darker than before. Thick clouds rolled in, and thunder boomed in the distance. Once he found a suitable place to sleep for the night, he stopped.
Images of Harley being harmed filled his dreams. One had her being hanged, another Lyle hitting her. Ackley woke up, drenched in sweat. An urgency to get to her and save her inundated him. He didn’t know where the panic came from, but he felt it in his bones. She needed him.
Ackley mounted and set out, his horse flying over the land, kicking up grass and mud as it ran. He only stopped at night when it became too dark to travel. Then he woke and rode all day. Time blurred and held little meaning. All he knew was that Harley was in danger, and he wouldn’t let her down.
* * *
The royal castle came into view. It was just as his spies had described. Soldiers camped on the west end of the castle, and the roof was heavily guarded with patrols. Since he couldn’t risk someone finding his horse, he led the animal about a mile away, and then released it. If he needed to make a quick escape, he’d steal a horse from the stables. With the soldiers looking down from the top of the castle, Ackley decided to wait until nighttime to make his move.
Once darkness settled over the land, he headed to the cornfield, approaching the castle from that end. He moved between the cornstalks, being careful not to rustle the leaves and alert the guardsmen to his presence. Nearing the edge, he crawled on his stomach, ever so slowly, until the camp came into view. Several fires had been lit throughout, casting the camp in an orange glow.
He needed to find his man, Galvin.
Soldiers moved through the camp, some retiring for the night, others sitting around a fire talking. After observing the area for over an hour, he scooted backward until he was certain he couldn’t be seen. Then he stood and headed to the north end of the corn field. He dropped and crawled to the edge. Needing to get a hold of Galvin, Ackley found a stick and drew a mark in the mud at the base of a cornstalk. When Galvin saw the mark, he’d know it was a message from Ackley. Satisfied, he slowly inched backward.
He moved deeper into the middle of the cornfield, twenty rows from the north and twenty rows from the east. After setting up a handful of traps so he’d be alerted to someone approaching, he laid down and fell asleep.
* * *
A twig snapped, waking Ackley. He bolted upright, a dagger in hand. A rabbit hopped by. Taking a deep breath, he observed his surroundings, not seeing anything of concern. The dark clouds hid the rising sun. He guessed it was early morning, but he couldn’t be certain.
He sat, waiting for Galvin. Around noon, he could feel someone approaching. Standing, he prepared to attack if necessary.
A whistle rang out.
Ackley breathed a sigh of relief and answered the whistle with his own.
Galvin approached a moment later. He stood alongside a cornstalk, trying to blend it.
Ackley did the same. “You got my message,” he said by way of greeting.
“I did,” Galvin responded. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Morton found me,” he spoke softly. “He told me Harley is missing.”
Galvin snorted. “She’s not missing.”
