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  “Sacha and I came to interest you in a ride; it is such a beautiful day. It would be a shame to stay inside.”

  Sacha tried not to wince. Horse riding always ended with both of them competing, as Ylianor knew full well. Competition led to bickering, and bickering… She felt too tired to quarrel with Derek. She unhooked her arm from her elder’s.

  “Oh, Ylianor, I am not-”

  Derek interrupted her excuse, like he always did, which annoyed her beyond reason.

  “I am in charge of the training while Erik is away. But I will be happy to escort you after lunch, Mother.”

  Sacha frowned at the ceremonious tone, and the fact that his invitation was directed only to the queen. She needed no further incitement to change her mind.

  “I will see to my duties, then, so they do not disturb your busy schedule, Sire.”

  Derek caught his mother’s warning glance just in time to bite back his retort and settled for a smirk and a quick bow. Sacha made a point to look elsewhere while he jogged back to his training. Well, maybe she took a glimpse at his retreating figure when he stopped to pick up his sword, but only because Ylianor was talking to her again and she had turned to face the training yard to look at her.

  The amused smile of the former queen made Sacha feel like a little girl caught with her hand in the jar of sweets.

  “Sacha, you have to learn that one catches more flies with honey than with vinegar.”

  She blushed. She had no intention of catching Derek, with vinegar or otherwise.

  oOo

  The slap of air on her face lifted her spirits and Sacha urged her mount forward, exhilarated. She felt free, far from the burden of being the first Lady of Haven and far from her dreams. Nothing could imprison her or make her tremble while she rode like the wind. She was powerful and free…

  A peal of thunder echoed behind her and she guessed Derek was trying to catch up. They both were excellent riders, but she had an early start and if she didn’t want him to join her, he would never succeed. The young woman bent on her horse and whispered softly. The white mare whinnied and accelerated. The sound in her back decreased in the hurling of the wind in her ears and she focused on her race again, savoring the movement of the animal's hot muscles under her knees. The landscape moved so fast that she had to blink to accommodate the sight.

  She had nearly reached the small bridge near the river when she allowed her mount to slow down to a more reasonable trot, then a peaceful walk.

  Derek jumped down from his mount even before his horse had completely stopped and grabbed her reins, forcing her to halt abruptly. Her mare protested, but Sacha felt so happy she faced his ire with a brilliant smile, extending her hand so he could help her down.

  Unsettled by her reaction, Derek caressed the hot neck of the horse for a second before he turned a furious glare to her.

  “God almighty, woman, are you trying to kill yourself!”

  Sacha frowned, her joy fading quickly, and withdrew her hand.

  “You are ridiculous. I am an excellent rider; you barely kept up with me.”

  The blue eyes shone like steel.

  “I did keep up with you, but you exhausted your mount and my mother had to ride by herself while I raced after you.”

  Sacha blushed at the reproach. Her mare’s hair gleamed from perspiration, and Ylianor was a small shadow at a distance… She looked away, unwilling to concede that he was right and she had acted foolishly.

  “I am fine, as you can see for yourself. Why on earth you feel you had to follow me is beyond my understanding.”

  Derek scowled, undoubtedly preparing an irritate lecture on responsibilities.

  The argument had already chased the well-being the ride had provided, and she felt edgy again. A bird took off nearby and Sacha turned on her saddle nervously. Her heartbeat refused to slow down, pounding harder by the minute.

  “Did you hear that?

  “That was just a bird. What is wrong with you today?”

  He really felt like twisting her neck. The idea of his mother riding alone was unnerving, but he could not leave Sacha now; she looked troubled enough to jump into the river. Damned woman… The growing tap of horseshoes on the ground pulled his attention back to the road and he glimpsed at the figure of Ylianor approaching them.

  His distraction loosened the hold he had on her bridle and Sacha’s horse danced away, probably because the incomprehensible nerves of its mistress were starting to reverberate on the usually docile animal. Derek tightened his grasp on the escaping reins, growling at the burning in his hand despite the gloves.

  “You stay here, I am done racing after you.”

  Sacha squealed.

  “Let me go!”

  Abashed by her sudden panic, Derek glanced up. Sacha was shaking her head and pulling on the reins, suddenly eager to escape his grip.

  The images in her mind were terribly clear; a black bird was being beat up, his soft feathers bloodied and flying everywhere. The animal’s cry of agony pierced through her like a white-hot arrow. The swan was down, the swan was dying, the swan… She screamed.

  “Sebastian!”

  Her cry sounded barely human. Startled, Derek released her mount, but Sacha jumped down from her mare to run into the woods on foot. Ylianor stopped with a horrified expression on her face. Derek looked at her before he started after the young woman, who was running as if the devil were after her.

  “Sacha!”

  He was certain she was going to break a bone in her wild race; he half-hoped she would.

  “Sacha!”

  Her own calls echoed his.

  “Sebastian!”

  He accelerated his pace.

  “Sacha for Heavens’ sake! Sacha wait! Sebastian is not...”

  And then he saw her fall.

  “Sacha!”

  Derek reached her side in a few seconds, and felt as if his heart had stopped.

  The immobile form of her cousin was resting on the ground. He quickly knelt beside them. The pulse was there, weakening by the minute. Sacha had taken his head on her lap and she was rocking back and forth. For the first time since they were kids, he saw tears wet her cheeks. Her mumbling was foreign to him.

  “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I didn’t know, I didn’t understand… Please don’t leave me… I should have known… Please, I’m sorry…”

  She sounded so desperate... Derek was at a loss of what to do, for her and for his friend, dying on the leafy ground.

  “Derek, pull her back.”

  The poised voice of Ylianor sobered him up, and he reacted quickly. Taking Sacha by the shoulders, he gently forced her to move away from her cousin so his mother could tend to him. Sacha refused to let the inanimate body of Sebastian go at first, then she stood slowly, nearly falling when her knees buckled under her; Derek steadied her swiftly.

  Then she realized he was leading her back to their mounts and he had to restrain her.

  “Get your hands off me!”

  She jolted violently to free herself. Her pale green eyes shining like jade, filled with rage or madness. One particular jerk hit his plexus at a vicious angle, and Derek grunted in pain.

  “Do not make me calm you, Sacha.”

  The low-toned threat stopped her jittering at once. Unsure if she was going to lash him again, Derek did not release her immediately, but lightened his grasp slowly until he noticed her shivers.

  Ill at ease, he rubbed his hands awkwardly on her shoulders. The fabric was soft under his palms, and warm… Then the urgency of the situation kicked back in, and Derek hardened his grip again.

  “Damn it Sacha, now is not the time to act like a fainting maiden! You never played the act before, don’t start now. I want you to go back to Haven. Alert the knights first, then Jeffrey and your father.”

  She didn’t say a word, but her jaw clenched and she nodded firmly. Instead of freeing her, he hugged her tightly then sized her up and put her on her horse without ceremony. Before she could react, Der
ek handed her the reins.

  “You’ll dash me later. Just go!”

  Sacha kicked her horse into a fast gallop before he could slap it to move. Derek watched her for a few second, then hurried back to his mother. Endless questions spun in his head. How did she know her cousin was here? What had happened to him? And where the hell was Elwyn?

  Chapter 3

  The knights patrolled the woods searching for Sebastian’s attackers but came back empty-handed. No traces of a fight were visible, nor did they find a horse. As far as they knew, the unfortunate man could have appeared out of nowhere.

  Derek concluded his report to the duke with an intense sense of failure and he hated it. Geraint shook his head gloomily.

  “Thank you, Derek. Jeffrey and your mother are tending to my nephew. His wounds are bad.”

  The young prince read between the heavy words; Sebastian might die. Clenching his jaw in a vain attempt to mask his emotions, Derek bowed slightly and was taking his leave when the doors of the hall opened to give way to Sacha.

  She hadn’t taken the time to change. Her dress was stained with dust and her cousin’s blood. With her hair dishevelled from the rides and her eyes still too bright, she looked like a mad fury. The beautiful lady ran to her father and grabbed his hands, visibly uncaring about Derek. Her disarray left him speechless. She always made a point to prove him she was so infernally perfect…

  “Father, please… We have to go now! Elwyn-”

  Geraint squeezed both her hands gently and led her to a chair. She refused to sit.

  “Sacha, the knights did not find anything and we need to talk to your cousin before taking a course of action. Any harsh action may be quite disastrous; if an entire battalion was attacked within our borders-”

  “But Father!”

  Derek stepped forward.

  “If you give me a couple of men, I-”

  “This is out of question. You stay here, Prince Derek.”

  Geraint added the title only to remind the young man he had a duty that lay beyond running the woods and endangering himself. As long as he was safe and sound, people in Camelot could hope that one day their rightful king would overthrow the tyrant and claim back his throne. Derek growled but kept his mouth shut. Sacha was looking at him with blazing eyes. Whether she admired him for his offer or was furious at his yielding, he could not tell.

  He bowed stiffly, and left the room without waiting. The last thing he heard was the striking lady, now fully enraged, shouting accusations at her father about careless handling and cowardice. He felt a pang of pity for the man. His passionate daughter had little idea how difficult it was to wait and do nothing.

  He could not silence that part of himself that agreed with her. The quicker they went, the more chances they had to find survivors or avenge the dead.

  oOo

  Ylianor knocked and entered Sacha’s chambers. The young woman was seated at her dresser, her maid braiding her hair for the night. The girl curtsied and exited quickly after the quick nod of her mistress.

  The older woman picked up the job the maid had abandoned, twisting the dark locks together. Sacha said nothing, her eyes seeing beyond the reflection of their figures in the mirror. The former queen caressed her head gently.

  “Your father has to see to everyone’s well-being, Sacha, not just his son.”

  “And what will be our well-being, if his heir dies?”

  Ylianor closed her eyes briefly. Behind grief and anger, Sacha’s reasoning had its logic. She had said more or less the same thing to Derek in the morning. She tried another approach.

  “Sebastian escaped, so maybe Elwyn-”

  “Sebastian did not escape. He was sent back; as a warning.”

  Ylianor stiffened. The young woman met her eyes in the mirror.

  “I saw it, Ylianor. Wolves attacked and our men lost the battle. All were killed but the Swan and the Cub. Sebastian’s heraldry is a swan, with wings spread.. Elwyn…”

  Sacha continued telling her dreams, so low her companion could barely hear the words.

  “The wolf leader tortured and sent the black swan back to deliver a message.”

  “What is that message, Sacha?”

  “Hand over the son of the Dragon, before I slaughter you all.”

  The blond woman swallowed, failing to suppress the fear rising inside her. She knew those names; dread them. The wolf was Wolfryth. And he was coming after Derek.

  oOo

  Unable to sleep, turning and tossing in his bed, the prince conceded and got up. He dressed quickly and stepped out his room into a dimly lit corridor. It was past midnight, and the castle was silent. Derek breathed deeply. So early in spring, the thick stones failed to retain warmth at night. The air stung with cold, even inside the castle.

  Sebastian’s quarters were a short walk from his. Derek decided to pay a late visit to his wounded friend. His mother had said he was ‘sleeping’, a gentle word to say he had yet to regain consciousness. That didn’t mean he could not speak to him; only that Sebastian would not answer him. If he talked to his friend, maybe Sebastian would listen, and come back. He wanted his friend back.

  A swift sound, like paper folding, caught his ear and he froze. The brush automatically resounded like danger. Derek unsheathed his dagger and listened. A squeal echoed behind him and he turned abruptly to peek at some dark grey fabric disappearing behind a door. His door.

  The young man tightened his grip on his weapon and backtracked carefully to his chambers. He heard no noise coming from it, so his late visitor was either very quiet or had already found the room empty and was preparing to exit…

  Derek moved away from the door just in time to avoid being seen when it opened, and grabbed the burglar by the throat, pressing his blade against its side.

  Sacha yelped. Her jolt of surprise had her flank pressed harder on the dagger and she gave a little cry of pain. Derek discarded the blade quickly before he shoved her into his chambers and closed the door behind them. Footsteps echoed in the corridor a few seconds later and the lady’s eyes widened in apprehension. Derek motioned her to silence. He did not mind having company at night, but if someone caught this particular lady in his quarters…

  He was still holding her and the situation made him suddenly very aware of the softness of her skin under his hand. He could feel her pulse, just a little harried, and her body heat increasing… The person outside his room walked away and he released her.

  Sacha took her hand to her throat where her skin tingled from his touch. Her eyes shone in surprise, along with some emotion he did not try to define. Derek stepped away and growled, “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Please mind your language.”

  The haughty tone annoyed him immediately and Derek smirked, bowing his head mockingly.

  “I never suspected you liked me so much that you’d decide to sneak into my chambers; at night; my lady.”

  She glared, probably more irked by her sudden blush than his sneer. Her fingers were still smoothing the skin of her throat and he preferred to look elsewhere.

  “Derek, help me.”

  He was waiting for some poisonous retort to match their growing argument. She knew she had his attention when his blue eyes flicked back to her, first to her face first and then to her attire.

  Sacha briefly wondered if she should be insulted by the relief in his eyes when he noticed she was fully clothed under her wool cloak. Derek scowled.

  “Are those Elwyn’s old breeches?”

  She chinned up, mute, and realization hit him.

  “Oh no, absolutely not.”

  “He is my brother…”

  And you are the only one who can free him… She didn’t add the last part. Sacha deciphered hesitation in his eyes, the need to obey and stay put battling the urge to do something. She remembered the anger he had tried so hard to conceal from her father that very same afternoon in the hall. But he kept silent. Sacha broke the eye contact, disappointed. She would find another
way to save them all. There had to be another one…

  She turned to leave and he grabbed her arm.

  “I cannot let you go.”

  Sacha glanced at him defiantly and freed herself from his grasp. Derek placed himself between her and the door, folding his arms over his chest. She raised an eyebrow, temper starting to fire again.

  “I only have to alert the guard, Sacha.”

  “Oh really? My father will be so delighted to learn how you lured me into your chambers at night and...” she put one hand on her throat again. “...assaulted me.”

  She was bluffing. She was surely bluffing and he should not buy her threat. He did anyway. Derek blamed it on the growing desire to go to Elwyn’s rescue; and on the certainty Geraint would claim for reparation; most probably a marital one. The idea of spending the rest of his days and nights with her was enough to push anyone to act harshly.

  Anyway, he refused to move away from the door, but he relaxed his stance a little.

  “What do you have in mind?”

  Sacha stamped her foot impatiently.

  “My maid prepared our horses and some hoards. All you have to do is pack a few things and…”

  “Did you say our horses?”

  God, this man was impossible. She frowned and decided to change her tactic.

  Sacha approached the stubborn prince slowly and placed one hand on his crossed forearms, her fingertips brushing his chest, and she plunged her clear stare into his.

  “I took a chance on your heart, Derek, please…”

  Derek swallowed hard. Suddenly, he was glad the proud Lady of Haven preferred threats and commands to more feminine ways to submit a man to her will. No man in his right mind would deny her anything when she fixed her impossibly green eyes on him, all innocence and sweet admiration. He certainly could not.

  Derek untied the slender fingers from his shirt, and hid his surrender behind a severe “Give me five minutes.”

  The glint of triumph she quickly masked behind a thankful smile was enough to confirm he had been framed. But he knew that beforehand, and he had dived anyway. Derek shrugged his shoulders, and started packing.