Princess of Hearts by ID Johnson

Author:ID Johnson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rogue Wolf Publishing

The princess and the king rode along for hours, winding through the forest, Rafe always slightly in the lead since he seemed to know where to go. At one point, they stopped to let the horses graze and drink some cool water from a river. They ate what food was in the saddlebags, but even while they tore hunks of bread and cheese off for one another, they hardly spoke at all. Kaylee tried a few times to get him to carry on a conversation, but it was quite clear that Rafe was not in a chatting mood, and who was she to insist he do anything he didn’t want to do under the circumstances? After all, he was already doing the last thing he hadn’t wanted to do for her.

Back on their horses, they found themselves headed uphill. As the sun began to dip down beyond the horizon, the ground grew rockier, and the incline became more drastic. Kaylee’s eyes grew heavy, and she found herself nodding off a few times. The mountains in the distance were beautiful, so she tried to focus on them, imagining what it would be like to see the world from up there. She had a feeling she’d find out soon enough.

“These mountains don’t look as frightening as I’ve heard,” she remarked, fully expecting him to ignore her comment as he had everything else she’d said in the last several hours.

“They get uglier the further north one goes,” Rafe answered. “These are pretty. We are still in Norterly. We will be for another hour or so, and then we will cross over into a land claimed by only bandits and outlaws, people like King Leopold, formerly of Gradenia. That’s where the ground becomes gnarled, the trees darken, and the rocks are jagged and steep.”

Sort of like Ketchel. “And that’s where we are headed?” Kaylee asked, trying not to let the fear in her voice give away her true feelings about the situation.

Rafe nodded. “I believe we’ll find your cousin in an abandoned palace that sits in the far reaches of that mountain chain I have just described to you, yes.”

Kaylee swallowed hard, trying not to think about the situation they were riding into. How in the world were they supposed to get her cousin out of a fortified castle in the mountains? There had to only be one way in and one way out. Wouldn’t it be guarded? Unless… they went a different route, a more treacherous one. Picturing herself clinging to the side of a mountain as she slid along, one foot and then the other, her fingers digging into the face as she prayed for her life didn’t seem too appealing.

Perhaps he was only bringing her there so that she would see what they were up against and decide not to go after all.

Rafe didn’t know her well if he thought she’d lose her bravery. Once she’d determined she was doing something, Kaylee didn’t back down--even when she knew moving forward was dangerous--and foolish.

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