Page 22 of Poisoned Heart (The Emerald Realm 1)

“Now where do you think yer going, missy?” I froze at the stern voice and looked up to see Glenda crossing her arms in disapproval. “What makes ya think you can get outta bed so soon?” Her aged features were furrowed into her signature frown. Glenda’s voice resonated with strong disapproval much in the way my nannies used to when I was disobedient.

“I just need some fresh air,” I replied with false innocence. Her scary dark brown eyes looked right through me. I shakily stood to my feet to match her level at little better. “The elixir feels like it is already working, and I think a little walk might help it move through my system faster.” I put on a fake smile trying to persuade her that I was in good enough shape to go out alone.

“Listen ‘ere, young lady” Glenda didn’t look convinced as se dug her gaze into me with a cold glare. “I don’t wanna have to pull your frosty behind out of the woods this afternoon. If you got out there, just know that none of us are gonna go searching for ya if you don’t turn up later.” She tried to sound intimidating, but I could sense a sliver of worry in her tone.

“I should be fine for just a little walk.” I held myself tall in an attempt to display health. “Besides, the fresh air should be good for me.”

Glenda looked at me with squinted eyes, trying to crack through my bluff. She then she leaned back and sighed as if the battle wasn’t worth the efforts. “Alright… just be careful,” She exhaled in exasperation. “Geez, you’re more stubborn than my own daughter,” she murmured, but most of the room caught it. I couldn’t help but feel a small rush of sentiment upon hearing her compare me to her child.

Without further ado, I adorned my coat and boots and rushed through the woods as quickly as my aching body would allow me. I had lied about the elixir already working. Aside from the slight relief that came from resting on the cot, I still felt as ill as I did this morning. My head began to throb as I made my way to the edge of the outpost. The breaths I took were heavy and shallow.

We had agreed to meet near the outpost despite it being such a long distance for me to travel on foot. It hadn’t seemed like such a big deal at the time, but now it felt like the worst idea in history. I sat on a wet patch of ground, trying to catch my breath, when a hand snuck onto my shoulder. I jumped to my feet, nearly shrieking from the startle, but quickly recognized the familiar captain standing before me.

“You need to stop scaring me like that,” I said in a hushed voice, still trying to catch my breath. “We need to work on your greeting skills.” I meant the statement as a joke, but his kind face was contorted with concern.

“You look pale.” His words were flat, but his eyes looked frantic.

“I’m alright,” I lied blankly. We didn’t have time to deal with how I was feeling. “It’s only a simple illness. I took a remedy for it this morning, so I should be feeling better any minute now. Is everything set up for the plan?” I attempted to change the subject, but he didn’t look ready to move past it.

“Yes, everything is ready. Are you certain you can go through with it?” His cold, expressionless exterior was long gone. His apprehension about pursuing the plan was on full display, but it was too late now.

“Yes, I will be fine.” I gave him the most convincing smile I could manage, but he didn’t look at ease. “Is the carriage ready?”

He stepped back, standing at attention, clearly accepting that I wasn’t backing out. “It is. We should stop dawdling and get you ready,” he said, his voice deadpan, but determined. Peter led me through the woods to a small clearing where a simplistic black carriage awaited with two lone soldiers. Taking my hand, he directed me into the clearing and approached the two men.

“Your Highness, this is Frederick and Thomas.” He pointed to the two men, who bowed in respect. “They are my most trusted and loyal men. I have fully explained your situation to them, as well as the transport plans for the day.” The men looked to me with confident loyalty and instantly, I felt safe in their presence.

“It is an honor to serve you, Your Highness,” the blonde-haired man named Fredrick said with friendly composure. He was shorter than the other men, but looked just as capable to stand up to a fight.

“We swear to protect you at all costs, princess. Your safety is our highest priority.” Thomas’ voice was much deeper than Peter’s, and his dark brown beard held tufts of gray in it. The gentlemen assisted me into the carriage with Peter climbing in behind me. Once we were safely inside, he opened a hidden bench seat and pulled out a few small daggers.

“Take these.” He handed me two petite blades no longer than my hand. “Keep one in your sleeve and the other in your boot. If for any reason my men can’t keep the assailant out of the cabin, I don’t want you to be defenseless.” I held the small weapons in my palm, feeling a rush of nausea from the shining metal. It reminded me far too much of the weapon the silver knight had wielded, and I already wasn’t feeling my best. I tucked the blades into their appropriate places, mostly to remove the memory from my direct sight.

“Thank you, Peter,” I whispered, hoping to calm both of our nerves. “I have faith that this will work.” I gathered my courage and placed my hand it affectionately atop his. He jolted slightly from the touch, and I almost pulled away, but then he relaxed back into his seat.

“I will feel better when that beast is behind bars, and you are safe again.” He kept his eyes trained on my hand, avoiding looking into my eyes. He may have been more anxious than I was. “I hope for Isalla’s sake that this works.” Inhaling a deep breath, he took my hand into his own with a tight squeeze.

Time passed in slow motion as we tensely sat in the coach together. Per the plan, Thomas and Frederick spent the time inspecting the carriage wheels and tending to the horses. The goal was to make it look like we were taking our time to prepare for a covert journey. Peter remained in the back corner of the coach, out of view from the window. I, on the contrary, sat directly in front of the window, gazing out intentionally. After an elongated inspection of the carriage, Thomas poked his head into the cabin and announced he was going to collect one more necessity before we left.

This was the moment of truth. With Thomas gone and only Fredrick standing guard, I was left severely undefended. I gazed out the window with nervous anticipation, eyeing the woods for even a single falling leaf. A couple of minutes passed, and I felt my heart sink.Were we too vague? Or were we too obvious?My hopes for luring the assassin were beginning to fade when a sudden noise shot my attention back out the window.

He was here.

An arrow had landed in the spoke of the carriage wheel, locking it into place. Had the intention been to run away, he would have already thwarted us. I watched from the corner of the window as Fredrick jumped down from the box seat and pulled a sword out to face the man in black. A sudden rush of fear flowed though me as I felt the gravity of the situation dawn on me. Was this even a good idea? No matter what I thought, it was too late to back out now.

I was beginning to feel dizzy from the rush of adrenaline and the ailments seizing my body when Peter snapped me back into reality.

“Get inside quickly!” He opened the storage compartment in the bench seat and I hurried into the cramped space. Before he shut the lid, he gave me one last look of dismay before switching to an aggressive determination. He closed the lid, and I heard the click of the lock placed over the latch.

This carriage was built to military standards, meaning it would take more than just one tenacious man to tear it apart. Even if the man made his way into the cabin, he would have to track down the key from Thomas to get me out. I lay back on the solid metal floor, carefully listening to the sounds outside of my metal surroundings, feeling a wince of terror at every yell.

I could make out three distinct voices. One was Peters, one was Fredrick, and one was the deep, chilling voice of my attempted killer. I didn’t hear Thomas amongst the voices, which was a good sign. His part in this plan was to watch from the edge of the forest. If the battle became too fierce for Fredrick and Peter to handle, then he would join the fray to help the odds. If the fight was still falling out of their favor, then they would use their emergency whistles to summon reinforcements.

I took long, deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. The crowded compartment was growing warm from my body heat, and my faint feeling from earlier had returned. My head flooded with pain, and I no longer felt like I could take a full breath. The sounds from outside blurred into white noise as my vision grew fuzzy in the already dark space.

Despite my deafening misery, I suddenly caught the addition of a new voice in the fray. I began to hyperventilate, panicking at the addition of Thomas. This wasn’t good. I squirmed as much as could against the restricting walls. The anticipation of the fight’s outcome was too much to bear, and I needed to get out. I thrashed my limbs, trying to achieve even the slightest amount of lift from the sealed lid. I huffed unsteadily as sweat beaded across my forehead.

The sounds of conflict grew nearer. Suddenly, the entire coach lurched, and I felt movement in the cabin. The voices were perfectly clear. Peter’s aggressive grunts and huffs were partnered with the labored breath of the all too familiar beast. I felt sick as I listened to each and every parry of their blades, terrified that Peter was the one on the defensive.

---