Grishma (Necoh Saga) (19 page)

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” she whispered.

Her husband smiled.

“What?” asked Sophie.

He responded, “I will never tire of looking at your beautiful face.”

They continued to enjoy the serene surroundings until her stomach began to growl.

“Time for lunch?” he asked.

“That would be wonderful! I’m starving!”

Algid rang a small bell within the plush carriage and the coachman pulled over.

A short stumpy man opened the door and reached for Princess Sophie’s hand.

“Excuse me?” snapped the prince.

“Pardon?” said the man.

“What gave you the idea that you should be opening our door?” Algid demanded.

Why is he being so snappy?

She placed her hand on his shoulder and said, “It’s okay, honey.”

He melted under her touch. “I apologize for my tone.”

Sophie smiled and brushed off the incident as a simple misunderstanding.

She carefully stepped out of the carriage with the help of the dejected man and her feet sunk in to the thick grass alongside the dirt road.

“Your lunch is right this way,” said a familiar voice.

Sophie turned around and broke out into a large smile. “Brianna!”

Brianna returned the smile and clasped hands with Sophie. “So, how has your trip been so far?”

“Very well! The land is so beautiful here! Such a shame it won’t be like this in Dratun,” said Sophie.

“Be like what in Dratun?” asked another voice.

“Emlyn! You’re here, too? Did you both ride in the same carriage?”

“Yes,” said Emlyn. “We waited for you at the edge of the forest and then followed behind your carriage until just now.”

Sophie’s grumbling stomach interrupted their conversation and the three girls giggled.

“I guess it’s really time to eat!” Sophie announced.

Her husband joined some of the King’s men to eat, while she sat with Brianna and Emlyn.

Lunch consisted of many delicacies, ranging from roca roots that had been lightly sautéed in kinu nut oil, to fresh bink slices, to a delicate pastry filled with sporie.

“This is delicious!” said Emlyn.

Nodding her head, Brianna wiped off some bink juice that was dribbling down her chin. “I concur.”

Arching an eyebrow, Emlyn smiled playfully and asked, “What about your trip? Has Prince Algid kept you busy?”

Sophie immediately felt bashful and she raised her hands to her face to cover her red cheeks.

“Fine, just fine,” she said as she reached for another pastry.

“Ooooh! Are you eating for two already?” teased Emlyn.

“Oh my goodness! No!” responded Sophie. “We haven’t—I mean—Well, it, it’s just not like that. Not yet!”

“Whatever you say, Princess Sophie,” joked Emlyn.

Even though she had been fairly quiet during lunch, Brianna laughed when Emlyn pretended to be both Algid and Sophie kissing in their royal carriage.

“You are terrible! Stop!” laughed Sophie.

Eventually lunch came to an end and the girls’ appetites were sufficiently satisfied.

Algid popped up from behind one of the carriages, his eyes twinkling. “And what are you three laughing about?”

“Nothing,” said Brianna, just before bursting into another fit of laughter.

“Okay, okay, come on, ladies. Let’s get back on the road or we’ll never make it to Dratun!”

“See you at dinner?” asked Emlyn.

“You better believe it!” replied Sophie with a smile.

Climbing back into the royal carriage, Sophie thought back to the flashback she’d had just as they were leaving the castle grounds. It left her with a strange feeling in her stomach that teetered somewhere in between giddiness and nervousness.

Who is Ryder? Should I ask my husband about it? No, perhaps it’s best not to. Hmm… I think I’ll ask the girls at our next stop.

“My darling, if you would like, you may rest. I know you have been extremely busy and I can only imagine just how tired you must feel.”

“I suppose you’re right, I am awfully tired,” responded Sophie.

She twisted her body about until she was in a comfortable position with her head resting on a pillow in Algid’s lap. As the carriage bounced along, Sophie fell into a deep sleep.

Opening her eyes, Sophie realized that night had fallen.

“You’re awake,” whispered Algid.

“I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

“We stopped for dinner awhile ago. I told Brianna and Emlyn that you were still sleeping. I hope you don’t mind?”

Darn! I was hoping to talk to them about this Ryder situation!

“That’s okay,” said Sophie.

“I did save you some dinner, though. Are you hungry?”

“Sure. Thank you.”

Algid pulled out a basket containing silverware and a covered plate.

Peeling the cover back, Sophie inhaled. “Yum! Smells delicious!”

While she started to eat, Algid poured her a glass of kuba juice.

In between bites, she asked, “When do you think we’ll arrive in Dratun?”

“The trip should take about three days,” he said.

She took several more bites of food and washed it all down with several sips of juice.

“So, tell me, what is Dratun like?”

“Well, I have to warn you, it’s very cold there. We already have our head tailor crafting you and your ladies-in-waiting a new wardrobe.”

“Is it always cold?”

“Yes, but you’ll get used to it. Plus, I’ll be there to keep you warm!” said the Prince with a sexy smile.

He took the empty plate out of her hands and placed it back in the basket. Then, he slid next to her on the cushiony seat and cupped her face in his hands. “Just think, one day you’ll by the Queen of Dratun and I shall be your King.” He leaned forward and his lips brushed hers lightly. “Would you like that?” Another kiss followed. “To be my Queen?”

His finger trailed down past her lips and he gently traced her collarbone.

Her breath quickened and she found herself breathily answering, “Yes.”

Now he was tracing the outline of her gown as it fell against her chest.

“Yes, I would like that very much,” she whispered.

She could feel his warm kisses replace his fingers along the top of her dress and his hand slid down her leg.

Her back arched involuntarily. She closed her eyes and inhaled.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmured.

His hand inched around her legs and settled on her lower waist.

Prince Algid pulled his new bride onto his lap.

Giggling nervously, Sophie wasn’t sure what to do next.

Her hands began shaking when she tried to undo the buttons on his shirt.

Finally, the last button was undone and she pulled back his shirt, exposing his muscular stomach.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge jolt sent Sophie flying backwards!

Slamming into the other side of the carriage, sharp pains shot through her shoulder.

“Ouch!”

“Princess! Are you okay?”

She tried to get up, but it was too painful. “I’m not sure. My shoulder, it really hurts!”

He sprang to his feet and knelt beside her. Inspecting her, he shook his head. “I don’t know what’s wrong. We must get you to a healer at once!”

Placing his strong hands around her waist, he gently lifted her onto the seat. He grabbed several pillows and propped up her arm.

“I’m going to go see what happened and how far we are from the nearest healer!”

Algid pushed the royal carriage door open and plunged into the darkness.

Before she could say anything in response, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air.

Chapter Twenty

R
ounding the corner, Ryder, Albie,
and Pidifer stood with their weapons poised and ready. The next guard was scheduled to arrive any second and they planned to take him down quickly and quietly.

“You ready?” whispered Ryder.

“You bet,” said Albie in a hushed tone.

Shuffling armor and brash voices filled the dark hallway.

“Here we go!” said Pidifer.

The three worked together like a well-composed symphony. Ryder slashed and cut with his sword, Pidifer swung a club, and Albie jabbed with a sharp spear.

The guards never stood a chance, and soon lay slain in a crumpled heap on the floor.

“Nice work, guys,” said Ryder.

The orvba puffed up his chest and said, “We orvba are great warriors.”

They continued down the hallway and around the next corner.

“Calla said we need to follow the green torches on the wall to find the servants’ quarters,” said Albie.

They ran into a few more guards before they reached their destination. Luckily, they disposed of them just as quickly.

“Hey Albie, you’re not bad with that spear,” said Ryder.

Albie grinned and did a small bow. “Why, thank you.”

After sneaking through several more passages and down a few more hallways, they reached the servants’ quarters.

“Calla said the men are on one side and the women are on the other,” said Albie.

“Okay, you two stand guard while I look inside. Hopefully my mom is in there or someone can tell me where she is,” said Ryder.

Ryder slowly pushed open the rotten wooden door. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

Stepping into the large open room, it took his eyes a minute to adjust to the dim light. The room appeared vacant and rows of empty bunk beds were stacked against the four walls.

This place looks more like a prison than a bedroom.

“Hello? I’m looking for Bethenny, has anyone seen her?”

Silence.

“It’s important!”

More silence.

He was about to turn around when he heard a faint clattering noise. Hope and fear surged through his body and he turned to investigate.

Walking to the far end of the room, Ryder found a locked door with a barred window. As he stood on his tiptoes, he felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach. “Mom! Mom? Are you okay?”

“Huh?” asked a frail woman, curled up on a dingy cot.

“Mom! It’s me! Ryder, your son!”

“Ryder?” The disheveled woman looked around her cell. “Son? Where are you?”

“I’m here! I’m going to get you out, Mom! Just hold on!”

Ryder raced back to Albie and Pidifer.

“She’s in there! Hand me your club!”

Running back to his mother’s cell, he started beating on the old wooden door.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A crack appeared near the bottom.

“Ryder, you might want to try and be a little quieter. We really don’t want to draw any more attention to ourselves down here,” said Albie in a hushed voice.

Ryder set down the club and began kicking as hard as he could. Finally, the door split open and he rushed in and knelt next to his mother.

Tears fell from her eyes as she struggled to sit up by herself. “Ryder? I never thought I’d see you again!”

Ryder hugged his mother gently.
She’s so fragile! What have they done to her?

“Oh, Mother! I’m so glad I’ve finally found you! I’ve been hunting Grishma. Every day, just like Father told me. He said I had to destroy Grishma if I ever wanted to rescue you and Brianna!”

“Brianna? You saw your sister? When? I haven’t seen her in days… She’s been helping Princess Sophie prepare for the wedding.”

Ryder’s shoulders slumped and dejection swept his face. “I know. It was horrible. When I found her, she didn’t recognize me.”

Fresh tears stung her eyes. “It’s the mind mixer potion. They had me make it for the Princess. I can’t believe they used it on my own daughter.”

A faint tap from the hallway caused Ryder to spin around and hold the club in front of him defensively.

“Mother, we will have time to talk about this later. Now, let’s get out of here!” said Ryder.

“But Ryder,” said his mother as she held up her chained arms, “I can’t get out of here.”

Panic flashed across his mind like a lightning bolt races across a summer’s night sky. Then, a solution presented itself. “The keys! I have the keys!”

After flipping through and trying just about every key on the ring, the locked chains sprang open and he freed his mother.

“Oh son! Thank you!” she cried.

Taking his weak mother by the hand, he helped her up and started to lead her out of the room.

“No, wait!” she said.

“Mother, we must depart!”

“Wait, first help me grab some of my ingredients and potions. There’s a large knapsack over there.”