Across the Ages: Book One Ch. 02

Quietly, Rene rose from her bed. She crawled to where Brianne was sleeping soundly and covered her mouth. The handmaid was startled from her sleep but stilled when she saw Rene's face in the firelight. The princess raised a single finger to her lips as she removed her hand from her friend's mouth. Brianne nodded and silently rose from her bed; she didn't need to be told twice. It was now or never.

Rene grabbed a hunting knife from her saddle bag and began to walk stealthily towards the two sleeping men. If she let them live, they would find her. She had to do it, right?

She knelt down with the knife at the ready. Her guard was slumped up against a tree, having fallen asleep while trying to keep watch. Even in his sleep, a smile grazed his lips. She held the knife to his throat, ready to do what was necessary for her survival. With a deep breath and a hardened heart, she tightened her grip on the dagger. Brianne turned away, not wanting to watch, but knowing what had to be done. The princess pressed the blade against his skin, sucking in her breath and closing her eyes.

She sighed. Pulling the weapon from his jugular, she looked at his face. She couldn't do it. He had been kind to her, understood her when no one else did. She simply couldn't take his life to save her own. She would have to outsmart him. In a moment of rage, she stabbed the blade into the ground near his thigh and stood. Brianne smiled reassuringly as she mounted her horse. As Rene climbed into the saddle of her own, a new plan was forming in her mind.

Rene signaled for Brianne to start ahead, and waited for the sound of the horses' hooves to abate. With a final glance to her would be palace guards, she followed her friend into the stillness of the shadows.

Brianne was waiting in a grove of trees about a furlong away from the fire. Rene rode up beside her and sighed with relief. The hard part was behind them, but now she had to have her wits about her. Brianne started her mare forward but Rene called for her to pause.

"Wait; I want to take the horses for a few miles then abandon them and continue on foot. They will be able to track the hoof prints." She could tell Brianne was not thrilled with this plan, and frankly, neither was she. But it was time to tough it out if she wanted to escape the reach of her father. Then she kicked her horse into a canter, Brianne at her flank. When they were at least a half mile from the camp, she whistled into the night. Within a minute, Leon was running alongside her mare.

Rene slowed for a moment to scoop him up and held him to her chest. This was not his favorite means of travel; but since he was already out of breath from tailing the horses, he was content to ride in her lap. They continued for a few more miles before Rene called for them to stop. The dawn was beginning to stretch over the earth and the guards would be tracking them soon, if they were not already.

Rene jumped down from her horse and pulled the saddlebag onto her shoulder. Brianne followed her lead, rearranging the bag of her mare to fit on her back. Rene patted her loyal mount on the neck; then with a tear in her eye, she smacked her hindquarters as hard as she could. The mare reared and took to the horizon, her fellow horse following suit. Rene and Brianne stood for a moment, watching as they rode off into the distance then turned to make haste of their own. The set off at a steady pace in a different direction, now heading east to dissuade the men behind them.

Neither of them spoke for hours. By dusk, they had reached the edge of the mountains. It would be a difficult trek from here on out. Brianne looked worriedly at the peaks above them, and Rene caught her wide-eyed stare.

"There's a pass with a village not far from here. I can hunt for meat and hides to trade. We will be able to acquire new supplies and horses to make our way over the mountains. We can do this, Brianne. We have to."

"I have complete faith in you, my lady. It is my own resilience I doubt."

"Brianne," the princess began, "if I didn't think you could do this, I would never have asked you to accompany me. But we are in this together, and together we will stay. I am no longer a princess, nor are you my lady in waiting. You are my sister now. Nothing and no one will come between us and our future. Not even a king. I could never have gotten this far without you."

Brianne smiled at this and began to cry as Rene rushed her with a hug. "I've never had a sister before."

"Well, you do now," Rene replied, wiping a tear from her own eye. Then she pulled an arrow from her back and pricked her finger.

"Rene!" Brianne gasped. "What are you doing?"

"Making us sisters before God," she responded lightly. Brianne then held out her own palm and Rene gently pressed the arrowhead into her fingertip. She winced at the slight pain then looked into Rene's eyes. She had never seen them so full of joy and determination. Rene returned her arrow to her quiver and pressed her bloodied finger to Brianne's.

"By God we are servants, by blood we are family, by bond we are sisters, now and forevermore." Rene smiled as she finished her vow and the newly formed sisters embraced each other once again.

When Rene released her, Brianne had to excuse herself to control her tears; and Rene decided that here was as good as anywhere to camp for the night. Leon was already curled near the trunk of what could be a 100-year-old oak tree. When Brianne came back, she began to dig a pit for a fire but Rene stopped her.

"Let's not build a fire tonight. I fear it would lead them right to us." Brianne nodded and returned the displaced earth. "We will have to lie close to each other for warmth," Rene continued. "It looks like Leon has picked a good spot already."

The two girls sat on either side of the lynx, who quickly climbed into Rene's lap. They snuggled together but without the comfort of a fire, they lay awake for a long while before they were finally able to succumb to their weariness.

A warm vibration was pressing into Rene's chest as she slowly pried herself from her slumber. Groggily, she recognized the weight of Leon on her legs. He was growling. It was a deep, menacing sound Rene had only heard once before; and it could only mean one thing: wolves.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins and her eyes flew open in fear. She could see them, just beyond the next tree. Their eyes flaring red and their teeth shining like the devil's smile in the light of the full moon. The low rumbling of their growls was coming from all around, ominous and forbidding. They were surrounded.

As slowly as she could, Rene reached behind her small feline guardian to rouse Brianne. She lightly shook her arm until Brianne moaned a complaint.

"Brianne, wake up."

"Hmm? What? What is it?" Brianne mumbled hazily.

"Climb," the princess demanded. Brianne opened her eyes at the tone in Rene's voice. She could tell they were in trouble. It took her all of a second to see the creatures looming in the shadows. She let out a spine-chilling scream and the wolves snarled in response.

"No!" Rene cried, "Climb! Now!" and she pushed her sister up onto the nearest low branch. As soon as Brianne was out of reach, the four-legged demons howled their assault. They needed one to be singled out, and now Rene was a perfect target. Leon hissed in retreat and began to scale the elder oak. Rene lunged for her saddle bag to grab her long-blade hunting knife.

The knife! She had left it at the camp! How could she be so foolish! The predators were closing in, their ranks in attack formation. She hastily snatched her bow and sent an arrow at the alpha male. It ducked just in time, smiling wickedly at her failure. He was the largest wolf she had ever seen; his paws the size of saucers, his shoulders at her hips. She had an arrow at the ready, and waited for the first strike. From the right, a young female yipped and lunged for her heel, but caught the arrow in the chest. With a yelp, she fell to the ground in pain. Another barked from the left. He attempted a zigzag to confuse her, but Rene hit him square in the side, puncturing his lungs.

Wolves were smart, calculating. This was their prized tactic: confuse the prey with assaults from multiple directions and tire out its defense. The alpha sent two more young members in single attacks as if he knew she only had a limited amount of arrows. Regardless of whether the leader of the pack knew this or not, Rene's supply of arrows was dwindling. She would not have enough to kill them all.

She reached behind her, feeling for a branch, a rock, anything she could use as a weapon. Her fingers fumbled upon a jagged stone and grasped it firmly, drawing blood from her palm. The alpha raised his head at the scent of her weakness, then barked to his right. The beta male stalked forward at the command of his captain. Nearly as tall but not as muscular as the alpha, the second in command was still a force to be reckoned with. He was coming in for the kill. Rene put her back to the tree and waited, patient and vigilant for him to pounce.

It all happened in a split second, the wolf's eyes contracted and his jaw relaxed, he pushed off with his hind legs aiming for Rene's neck. She leapt aside with a screech and pulled the stone from behind her, bringing it down on the back of the wolf's head as he crashed into the tree. Without a sound, he fell to the ground at her feet, dead.

The wolves behind the alpha ceased their attack. She had just killed the lead assassin of the pack. But the alpha was not deterred. With a vicious snarl he stepped forward and raised himself to his full height. He was a monster unlike Rene had ever seen. Her eyes widened in terror as the hell hound before her barred his fangs, eager to rip into her tender flesh. Frozen with fear, she didn't hear the sound of them rushing towards her in the dark; she didn't hear them yelling for her to run. The alpha lunged and caught her arm as she barely covered her face in time. A terrified scream came from above.

On the wings of an angel, he was there. A flash of silver severed the head of Rene's attacker and she slumped to the ground. Her saviors danced gracefully with their arms in hand, slashing the bodies of the enemy with every move. Battlement sounds cascaded from every direction, drowning her ears in waves of death. She couldn't breathe.

The men had charged into the midst of the pack, scattering their ranks and sending them into panic. Without the leadership from the alpha and beta, it was chaos. Some of the older members were attacking the newcomers, but most of the pack had fled at the death of their leader. With a final stab of his sword, Alexander vanquished the final retaliator. Unceremoniously, he pulled the saber from the carcass with a gratifying slice through flesh and bone. His chest was heaving from exertion and dripping with the blood of the slaughtered animals.

Blake quickly threw down his sword and removed his soiled armor. He knelt beside the princess and gingerly pulled her injured arm towards him. The bite was deep and gushing blood, but it was far enough above the wrist that she would live. He tore the arm of his undershirt and tied it tightly above her elbow. She looked at him uncomprehendingly, her face going pale. He cradled her head in his hand and called to his cousin; he was helping Brianne out of the oak tree as she shook and wept uncontrollably.

"Alex, find a willow. Cut through the outer bark until it is soft and white. Remove thin layers of this inner bark, wrap it in a damp cloth and make haste on your return." Immediately, Alex ventured into the twilight. Then Blake turned to Rene. "Keep your eyes on me," he instructed. "All will be well. Just keep your eyes on me." He caressed her cheek in a vain attempt to keep her awake but she was quickly losing consciousness. She had lost a lot of blood.

"I know you're in shock, Brianne, but I need you to build a fire. We have to keep her warm so her blood can replenish." Brianne nodded mutely and began digging a pit to shield the fire from the chilling wind coming down from the mountains. Rene focused all her energy on the brilliant pair of eyes that glinted from above. But, eventually, the darkness overtook her.

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"Maybe we should take her to the village," she heard Brianne say.

"We can't risk them recognizing her," replied a man at her side, fiddling with her arm. It hurt, but not as much as she remembered. "We are on the outskirts of the kingdom, the villagers may feel outside the law."

"All the more reason to keep moving before they stumble upon us," another man chimed.

"We can't move her like this. She needs rest. She's in no state to travel," Brianne objected.

"We aren't protected here," the second man retorted.

"Enough," commanded the first man as he finished wrapping her injured arm.

Slowly, Rene willed her eyes to open and she stared for a moment at her guard as her knelt beside her. His vivid green eyes were filled with concern and his brow was lined in rapt concentration. Blake looked at Rene and his face softened upon seeing her eyes.

"It's about time you waked. We were all beginning to worry." He sat beside her, supporting her with his arm as she sat up. He grabbed his water flask with his other hand and gently placed the opening at her lips. She was dehydrated and tried to take long pulling gulps, but he only allowed her a small amount.

"Easy," he soothed. "Too much, too fast will do you no good, Princess."

"You came for us," she managed to whisper.

"Of course we did. Besides, you forgot this," he teased, holding up her hunting knife. She laughed at that and began to cough heavily. He pulled her up to his chest to ease her breathing. He was unbelievably warm and the smell of his skin mixed with the earth was enticing. She relished in the warmth of his body even after her coughing fit subsided. When he released her, the warm air felt like a chilling winter's breath. Before she could shiver, he wrapped her tightly in a blanket earning a smile from her tired lips.

Brianne stooped beside her with a tray of meat and greens. Rene smiled graciously and began to indulge herself, slowly though, when she remembered Blake's caution.

"How long did I sleep?" she inquired to no one in particular.

"A day and a half," replied Blake as he packed the saddlebag nearest to him. "We were supposed to be concluding our return today. I'm afraid we must get on our way," he added solemnly, noting the princess's face. She looked around the camp to avoid his gaze.

The horses they had taken were tied beside the stallion and gelding brought by her guards. They must not have run as far as she hoped. The bodies of the wolves were piled some distance from the camp, what was left of them that is. They had been skinned for their pelts and what valuable meat they had was stripped from the bone. In a nearby tree, a man's shirt was hanging from the branches. After a moment, the princess realized it was the shirt she had been wearing when she was attacked. Someone probably tried to rinse the blood from it, but most of it was stained a light reddish brown. Her stomach turned, and for the first time she looked at her left arm.

It was bandaged tightly, but the skin she could see was purple and swollen. She lifted it and turned it over, barely flinching at the pain. The shirt she was wearing was not her own; it was a man's shirt, but much larger than what she was used to. When she looked to Blake, he had already begun to answer her unspoken questions.

"I had a spare shirt for myself, so your handmaiden changed you and washed your own shirt," he explained. "I covered the bite in willow bark infused with bearberry juice. It will help with the pain and swelling, though it may make you a bit dizzy. I have Wormwood here if you begin to feel feverish. But I got the willow in time, thanks to Alex for his speed."

"I owe you both my life." Rene looked to Blake's younger companion. For once, it seemed he didn't have a retort. On the contrary, he looked rather bashful as he ran his fingers through his dark hair.

"Blake gave me strict instructions," he muttered diffidently. "I was just following orders."

"I'm grateful you did," Rene said with a smile. Alexander shuffled his feet and wiped his hands on his breeches, obviously uncomfortable with the appreciation.

"Yes, well you are awake now. I will gather water for our journey, shall I?" But without waiting for his commander's approval, he snatched the flasks and paraded into the forest mumbling to himself.

Blake burst into a fit of laughter and had to sit down again next to the diminishing fire. Rene and Brianne briefly shared a smile before Brianne busied herself with packing, a slight pink flushing her cheek. Rene grinned knowingly and giggled as she watched Blake continue to be overcome with amusement. He was leaning on one arm while propping the other on his up bent leg; his head was thrown back in joy as he laughed into the sky. It was a blissful, carefree sound that Rene could not help but take pleasure in. She found herself smiling even more as she watched him ride out the hilarity.

"I have never," Blake began between laughs, "seen him so discomfited in his life!" He touched his chin in thought, smiling as he looked at the princess. "You must have really hit a nerve, my lady!"

"So it seems," she giggled. "I do believe I will need to thank him more often." She returned Blake's brilliant smile, watching his grow as he pushed himself up from the dirt.

"I look forward to it," he conferred. "But he makes a valid point: we need to get moving." With that, he began to collect the mismatched items and store them into their packs. When Alex returned with their flasks full of water, he made no eye contact with any of his company. Instead, he gathered his things and shoved them brusquely into his rucksack.

Rene felt odd merely watching them as they disbanded their camp, but she did not attempt to raise herself until they had completely finished. Blake rushed to her aid, surprising her when he scooped her up into his arms. Rene wrapped her own arms around his neck as a precaution, but quickly realized she needn't any.

His step was unfaltering as he cradled her with every stride. Rene looked up into his face as a flood of unwavering trust washed over her, making her grateful she was in his secure embrace. Had she been on her feet, she probably would have fallen to her knees in weakness. This man was not the enemy. This man was her guardian. She was wrong to have run from him and silently vowed that she would not attempt to do so again.

As he placed her gently in the saddle, she managed a small smile and wrapped the blanket snugly around her shoulders. Without a word, Blake tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and brushed his thumb across her cheek. Even amidst her torrent of emotions, Rene felt a twinge of shyness and sucked in a quick breath. He smiled tenderly as he dropped his hand then mounted his stallion in one fluid motion.

Alexander was already leading his horse forward and they were on their way. Rene was dizzy as Blake predicted and allowed her horse to follow the others without command. Suddenly, she whistled shrilly. An equally loud mew came from behind and she stopped her horse. Her lynx was cowering behind a tree, looking at her the as a child looks at their mother when they've had a nightmare.

"Oh Leon," she called softly. "Come here, it's okay." She held out her arms and he covered the distance in three leaps, bounding up into her embrace with a pitiful cry. She coddled him lovingly.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Blake reached into his pack and pulled out a sack of meat from their lunch. He rode up alongside her and held out the small package. Leon pressed himself as close as he could to her body as she took the meat.