“I’ll do it again.” She grabbed her bow and disappeared into the woods with a grim expression that made Isolde’s skin prickle. She watched Felix and Garren exchange a look, rise, and draw their weapons. It wasn’t long before Luella returned, confirming their suspicions.
“We’re being followed!”
“What?!” Garren blurted out. “Who? How many? Where?”
“Five or six. To the south, coming this way,” she answered.
It was such a jarring revelation Isolde’s mind went completely blank for a moment. Followed? Who would follow them?
“What did they look like?” Felix asked. “Soldiers? Mercenaries? Did they have any badges?”
Luella shook her head. “Thugs, by my guess. No badges, simple gear. Arguing among themselves.”
To Isolde’s shock, Felix’s face split into a wide grin. “Right,” he said, “Lu, hide in the trees with Isolde. Garren and I will wait for them here. This should be fun.”
Fun? He thought being followed by a group of thugs was fun? Isolde opened her mouth to say something, to protest, but Luella beat her to it.
“Fun?” Luella echoed. “Are you out of your mind? They outnumber us. We should try to outrun them.”
Garren shook his head. “No, best to deal with this here and now.” He gave Felix an appraising look. “We should be able to handle it. Take Lady Isolde into the trees and cover us with your bow.”
Luella narrowed her eyes and looked back and forth between the two men, but finally threw up her hands. “Fine. What do I care? We’ll move faster if you both die.” She turned to Isolde. “Can you stand, my –”
“Wait,” Isolde interrupted her. “They can’t… I mean… this all sounds very… dangerous?” She pushed herself into a sitting position, giving the others bewildered looks.
“Don’t worry, my lady,” Garren said. “Please go with Luella. We will keep you safe.” He spoke kindly, but his tone left no room for argument. When Isolde finally looked to Felix to see if he’d come to his senses, he merely winked at her.
Isolde hated feeling helpless. Hated being told what to do. It was far too familiar.A lady does not lead, Isolde; she follows.So she staggered to her feet, and allowed Luella to guide her into the trees, away from the clearing. They moved through the underbrush until they reached a thick tree, and Luella gestured for Isolde to hide behind it. She positioned herself nearby, bow drawn.
When Isolde craned her head around the side of the trunk, she could spot Felix and Garren through the foliage. They stood in plain sight, arms crossed casually, as if they didn’t care at all that they were about to be outnumbered. Isolde’s heart hammered in her ears, and her fingernails dug into the bark. Everything was quiet, almost too quiet, until a group of four men and one woman strolled into the clearing, weapons drawn.
Luella leaned toward her. “Felix and Garren will stall them,” she whispered. “If anything goes wrong, follow me.” Isolde swallowed hard, but nodded.
The strangers halted some distance away. One man, a greasy-looking sort of person, snorted loudly. “Who’re you two? Where’s the leytouched girl?”
To her left, Luella sniffed dismissively, shaking her head.
“Wouldn’t know who or what you’re talking about,” Felix said, shifting his stance.
“No? What’re you doin’ out here, then? We’re lookin’ for a leytouched girl with three guards. You two match the description pretty well. Where’s she hidin’?” The man took a threatening step forward.
“What do you want with her?” Garren asked.
“There’s a bounty on ‘er head, there is,” the thug answered, as if that was obvious. “Three hundred gold crowns. Killed half the mage circle back in Azuill, she did! People demand justice.”
Felix scoffed. “You’re here for justice, are you?”
“Naw, we’re here for the gold.”
A bounty. Someone had put abountyon her. The mages? Surely not; they could have dealt with her when they had the chance. Then who? Isolde’s thoughtsspiralled. The stories that must be told about her, making her out to be a murderer, a monster… She almost moved, but a firm hand on her shoulder froze her in her tracks. She glanced sideways, and Luella caught her eye and quietly shook her head.
In the clearing, Felix let out a whistle. “You sure you can even count to three hundred?”
One of the other bounty hunters laughed. The first man scowled and waved his club at Felix threateningly. “Don’t be actin’ all smart. Last I checked, there was five of us and just two of you!”
“Glad you can count to five, at least. I’m impressed.”
What was he doing? Every instinct in her body was telling her to run, her hands growing clammy with sweat.
