Leander could not believe his ears. Daphne was taken because a friend of his ordered that she be taken from him? There were only a few people in this camp whom he considers his friends, and most of them were not powerful enough to orchestrate a woman's abduction -- especially when he was so close.
Annoyed, he grabbed the woman's arm and glared at her. "Are you speaking the truth, woman?"
Mia looked offended as she raised her chin and glared back at him. She pursed her lips and brushed his hand off her. "Either you take me by my words or you do not. Your choice."
The general frowned. "Where do they plan to take her?"
"The duchy of Northcove," answered Mia. "She is to be the gift to the duke."
That presented a problem. Northcove's duchy was the only part of Elgeshore that Thersalian armies were not allowed to attack, since Northcove had always been at odds with the present Elgeshoran monarch. The only thing that kept the Elgeshoran king to attack the duke was the size of Northcove's private army. Although that army would be no comparison to Thersalian armies, the Thersalian king promised to honour Northcove's neutrality in this war.
But, why would the duke agree to abduct a woman for some Thersalian warrior? Or, did the duke know Daphne?
Before Leander could further question the woman, Anthony rushed into the tent. Upon seeing Mia in there, his friend frowned. Leander narrowed his eyes, looking at Mia again.
"Do you know who it is that ordered Daphne to be taken?" he asked.
"No," Mia answered, shaking her head. "I only overheard the men speaking in whispers. I heard them chuckling as they shared thoughts of what your reaction would be once you find out that you are being betrayed."
"Betrayed?" Anthony interjected. "What nonsense is this?"
Leander looked grim as he dismissed Mia. He then turned to his second-in-command, not sure anymore about how much he should trust his friend. "What brought you back? I thought you are going to lead the search?"
"I am," said Anthony. "I only came back to inform you that a scout reported seeing five horsemen heading northwest just this morning."
A string of curses fell from the general's lips as he considered the situation. If those horsemen were indeed Daphne's captors, then, Mia could be telling the truth, since it was the direction leading to the duchy in question. And the implication was that she could be telling the truth about the betrayal.
Leander looked at his friend, wondering if Anthony could still be trusted. "How much do you trust my judgment, Renard?"
A slow, grim grin spread on Anthony's face. "When you are not thinking of Daphne, I trust you with my life. But when she is around you, or when you worry about her, I do not trust you at all. If only you would listen, I would suggest that you let go of her and be done with your folly." He met Leander's angry gaze without so much as a flinch. "But I have known you since childhood, so I know what she means to you. You need her, and if only for the friendship that binds us, by your orders, I will look for her and bring her back however much I dislike her."
The general heaved a deep breath, knowing that Anthony, at least, was not the traitor, if ever there was one. "You call it folly, do you not?"
"Think straight, Leander," Anthony told him. "You know that it is."
"I am not certain anymore," he admitted to his friend, his face further crumpling into a frown. "She is all I have, Anthony."
"I understand that," Anthony said. "Now, what was that woman telling you about?"
The general filled his friend in with the details. When done, he growled, "Who would be foolish enough to do this to me?"
Anthony raised an eyebrow. "Sylvia?" When Leander fixed him a dark look, he shrugged. "It is not unlike her to pull something as nasty as this. After all, she has been your favourite long before you found Daphne."
Leander frowned. Could it be?
*****
Mia spoke to no one after leaving Leander Van Halen's tent. She did not know whether the general believed her or not, but she could at least be proud that she tried. She muttered an apology to the gods she had been praying to for as long as she could remember, and asked for pardon for the lie she had spoken. It was necessary, she thought; that was Daphne's order. Mia knew that she could not fail the young lady now -- not when Daphne was making so large a sacrifice. She had to buy Daphne some time -- just until the lady arrived at the duke's palace.
*****
The horses raced across the green plains of eastern Elgeshore, heading northwest. There were five of them, all from the finest breed of horses found in that part of the world. Astride four were seasoned warriors who swore to protect their charge with their lives; on one was the lady they came to assist.
Daphne has insisted that they refrained from going anywhere near the villages that Leander's army spared. The general would surely dispatch men to those villages, and it was better if nobody saw her passing nearby, or else Leander would be compelled to track her down.
As thoughts of Leander began filling her mind, Daphne felt an unbidden tingling down her crotch. Memories of the moments they shared last night made her face flush red. She could almost feel his hands on her body again, his cock buried inside of her, filling her, driving her mad with desire. But she knew that it was mere fantasy, and that she should shake herself awake soon or she would be trying to relieve the ache in her sex even though there were four men with her.
Sighing, Daphne let out the reins, leaned forwards, and gently kicked her mare for more speed. She found horseback riding a liberating exercise, although she had never been allowed to ride sitting like a man. Now, however, with nobody to tell her that a proper lady only rides side-saddle, Daphne had taken the opportunity and rode away, only glaring down at Conrad and the other three men when startled looks came across their faces. She found the straddling position better suited to her, and revelled in the freedom she had to finally try it out.
She sped past the men in front of her, provoking their never-to-be-outdone nature out. They urged their horses to run faster, intent on gaining the lead, but Daphne, too, did not particularly like the idea of losing the race. She urged her mare to gallop at full speed, maintaining her lead. Her riding skills was one of the few great things she was proud of inheriting from her father, and Daphne vowed never to allow anyone to speed past her in a race for as long as she had the Wildercross blood running through her veins. It was fortunate of her that her chestnut mare seemed to share the same competitive streak.
The race continued until they reached the edge of the forest that bordered Northcove's territory. As expected, five other men were waiting with fresh horses for the newcomers. Daphne was given a blue roan horse to ride on -- one of the duke's favourite personal horses. She accepted it gladly, relieved that His Royal Highness did not turn her request down.
"You ride well and fast, my lady," Conrad commented, smiling at Daphne as she mounted the blue roan easily. "A wonderful skill to have, especially when escaping from a general such as Leander Van Halen."
Daphne smiled timidly. If only she had a choice, she would not have left Leander. Not for anything in the world. But it was her duty to leave if she wanted to be of use.
'Dear god,' she prayed silently as the men led her to the path in the woods. 'Please let him understand...'
*****
A grim expression clouded Leander's face when he was able to speak to the scout who claimed to have seen five horsemen leaving the camp. It was already dusk and they were starting to eat dinner. He has questioned Sylvia earlier, but learned that the woman was too preoccupied with a new lover to plan anything.
It was only instinct that told him to talk to the scout personally. And the man told him that there was only one rider on each horse, one of which was a woman. Which could only mean that Daphne willingly left the camp with those men.
But Mia said that Daphne was taken, didn't she? So Daphne could not have willingly left. Was she coerced into doing so? Or convinced, perhaps? Blackmailed, maybe?
After their night together, Leander believed that Daphne would not even try to formulate a plan to escape. She had been so willing, so eager to have him claim her. She even invited him to stay with her that morning.
Or was that part of her plans? Grudgingly, Leander reminded himself that Daphne has planned to cooperate with him fully so that she could make a move when he trusted her enough. Did he let his guard down prematurely?
"What now?" Anthony asked him when Leander refused to put away his grim warrior mask when the meal was over and Leander sat silently watching the fire he made for himself. "The way you are frowning, it is as if we are about to face an army ten times the size of ours."
Leander did not appreciate Anthony's joke. He sent daggers through his sidelong glance to his friend. "Call Mia. I need to talk to her."
Anthony ordered a warrior to call Mia, who has been assigned a small tent of her own. He did not try to talk to Leander again, knowing that the general would rather be left alone to his musings.
When Mia arrived, she was asked to sit down beside Leander, who immediately put her on the spot.
"Did you or did you not lie to me, Mia?" the general asked, glaring at the woman.
To her credit, Mia did not even flinch as she met Leander's eyes. "About what?"
"Daphne," Leander hissed, trying his hardest not to grab the woman's arm and squeeze it painfully. In spite of his threat to Daphne the first night she was there -- that his guards would kill a woman from her village for every escape attempt she tried, Leander was not one to hurt a woman physically or to order anybody to do so. That was why he rescued Daphne in the first place even though he had no idea that it was her. And that was why he ordered the silent execution of the men who raped some of the women from her village.
Now, he did not want to treat Mia harshly even though he was aching to do just that; he had a reputation to keep. So, he calmly asked, "Where is she?"
"Regarding that matter, I did not lie to you," Mia answered. "The lady is headed to the duke of Northcove's palace. I am certain, for the men who came for her are some of his personal guards. I know because my mother once served the duke."
"What shall I do to you if I prove you wrong?" he asked.
"You can torture me any way you like," Mia offered. "And kill me in the end if that pleases you. Do to me whatever you want, General. I care not, for I am telling you the truth."
