Chapter 2

The horse's lithe muscles rippled beneath her as they pounded through the forest. She had discreetly borrowed the Nahati Desert Horse from the stables of the most expensive Inn in Caltervne. Nahati Desert Horses were the fastest and hardiest horses in all the lands; Bred to survive the scorching heats of day and freezing colds of night in the deserts of Nafaret. They could run full speed for two hours before collapsing and their speed surpassed all. They were raised and trained by the Nahati nomadic tribe of the Nafaret and were very hard to come by. It took a substantial sum of coin to coax the tribe to let go of one of their beloved horses. The mares were especially coveted as the fastest and the most beautiful horses of all.

And Áine had just borrowed one... indefinitely. Ok, she'd stolen the beauty. But she couldn't bring herself to feel remorse for the deed. The beauty had probably been on her way to some pampered noble, to live a life of confinement in a stable with brief rides when the noble wished to show off. Disgusting she thought as the mare dodged trees and boulders as they sped together through the forest. These horses were meant to run wild and free through the deserts of Nafaret with people who actually cared for them. Not to be kept as pets or trophies.

But Áine's repulsion at the prospects the horse had been facing was not the reason she had liberated the beauty. A stampede of hooves filled her ears, kicking her adrenaline up a notch. Shouts from the left. Another shout to the right. She kicked the horse's sides and crouched low as branches pulled at her cloak and hair, letting out a smidge of slack in the reins, giving the horse enough head to get them out of there of her own accord. 

She was on the run. Again. She'd guess the girl from the café had given her about two hours' head start before reporting her to the kingsmen. Yes, kingsmen. She had been unlucky enough to be seen using her gifts in a town harboring kingsmen. She would kick herself if she could. And to Áine's further dismay, they had gained on her much quicker than anticipated. She hadn't been too careful covering her tracks after she first left the café because she had assumed that only guards occupied the town. Besides it had been pouring and her obvious tracks had washed away so quickly. But no. Those gods-damned kingsmen had caught up to her within half a day.

When night fell after she left the café, she had scampered up a tree to sleep, found a thick branch and tied herself to it. Rain still drenched the forest, and it was that rain that had probably saved her. That and her instinct to walk several hundred yards downstream through a rushing creek before climbing up for the night. 

Just before sleep had dragged her under the forest had silenced. A loud silence that had brought her to full alert. Her eyes snapped open, her ears straining to find whatever was coming. Then she had seen them. Three shapes on the opposite side of the creek. At first she thought it was only deer. But they weren't acting like deer, they appeared to be in a formation. Then she saw the flicker. And the three horsemen. A string of curses and bile filled her mouth and sat on her tongue as she clenched her teeth. The curses would have to wait. 

She tracked the three figures with her eyes as they passed her tree, then back tracked. They were looking for her. Trying to follow her tracks. And they weren't just any horsemen. They were kingsmen. Silent wraiths, their density seemed to always be changing as they faded in and out of the trees. They were undeniably kingsmen. No one else could move that quietly, or blink in and out of view like that. Their specialty cloaks were made to blend flawlessly with the greens of the forest, rendering the wearer practically invisible if they knew how to move and one didn't know what to look for.

One figure dismounted and disappeared, his hand reappearing suddenly, moving over the runny forest floor. Trying to find some trace of her trail. abruptly, one of the kingsman still on horseback looked up. Right. At. Her. His hood created a yawning black where his face should have been. His cloak faded in and out of visibility making the black cavern even creepier. Gooseflesh spread over her whole body, but she didn't dare move. She thanked the gods she also had a kingsmen's cloak.

Then they were on the move. He hadn't seen her then. But she could have sworn he had seen her. As they moved off, she sighed in relief. Two days had passed since that night as they played cat and mouse. Thrice they had nearly captured her. But thrice they had failed. And now, with this gorgeous beauty under her, she hoped she could out run the suckers. Although she had to admit, stealing the most expensive horse in the city would certainly make it harder for her to hide. 

Plus, it wasn't just any city she'd taken the horse from. It was Caltervne, the third largest city in all of Dalgerstane and one of their most prominent military bases. And from the shouts behind her, she guessed the kingsmen weren't the only ones chasing her. Why did she keep misjudging the speed at which people discovered and chased after her? Damn.

Dusty orange and blue sky streaked together with the branches and leaves overhead. But night was setting in rapidly and soon they would all be running blind under a blanket of darkness. Suddenly she burst from the trees into a great meadow. Deer scattered and fled, birds took to the skies squawking, in annoyance. S**t. She needed cover not open space. 

"Come on, baby," she whispered. Her horse's ears twitched towards her. "Get us out of here." And then the horse was veering sharply to the left and Áine was holding on for dear life. She was slipping out of the saddle, tipping back uncontrollably. No, no, no. She tensed her thighs and core trying to flatten herself to the horse's back. What was this crazy creature doing?! Praying she wouldn't fall, she shifted and miraculously regained her balance. 

"Try not to kill me as you get us out of here." Was her horse shaking her head? Oh boy, what had she gotten herself into with this one, besides a whole lot of trouble. 

Before their pursuers broke through the trees, her horse ducked back into them. She was doubling back Áine realized, panicking. They couldn't go back to Caltervne. It was too dangerous. But before she could yank the reigns, they changed direction again, keeping just inside the tree line, heading west. And then she spotted them. The deer they had just spooked. They were following them, using them as cover. Brilliant. 

For the first time since they'd sped out of Caltervne, Áine looked back. The three kingsmen were the first ones to erupt from the forest. A second earlier and they would have seen her reenter. Their tight formation split and the three of them spread out rapidly, speeding towards the trees on the other side of the meadow. The trees that she had been headed for before her crazy ride had almost thrown her from the saddle with her crazy smart idea. They were sooo lucky the forest was dense and darkness descending rapidly. Otherwise they may have seen her change in direction. But they hadn't.

Four guards careened out of the forest next, slowing in confusion. They trotted their steeds in circles as the kingsmen disappeared between trees and the night. Blessed darkness enveloped them all as she raced west, the kingsmen south, and the guards in circles.