Capture (21 page)

The man didn’t go down straightaway, and managed to get his sword up enough to swing at Nykin’s head. The blade missed him, but the heavy hilt clipped Nykin’s temple, knocking him back against the wall, and everything went a little blurry. Before Nykin’s vision had fully cleared, the guard advanced, one hand pressed against the wound in his side but the other still wielding his sword. He raised his arm, ready to plunge the sword into Nykin, and for one awful moment Nykin thought it was all over. But the sword fell from the guard’s hand and clattered to the floor as a blade suddenly jutted out from the man’s stomach.

The guard collapsed onto his knees to reveal Ryneq behind him. He braced his foot on the dead guard’s back and pulled the sword out in one smooth movement. “Okay?” he asked, his eyes checking Nykin over for any injuries. His gaze lingered on the side of Nykin’s head, and Nykin felt the trickle of blood working its way down the side of his face.

“Yeah.” Nykin pushed himself away from the wall and took a couple of unsteady steps before regaining his balance. “Come on.”

Ryneq stared at him for a moment before shaking his head and hurrying over to the top of the steps.

There were two more guards standing outside the castle doors when they burst out, Ryneq leading and Nykin close behind him. The guards were taken by surprise, clearly not expecting an attack from within the castle walls, and Ryneq killed the first one before he even had chance to draw his sword. Nykin managed to slit the other’s throat from behind, the guard too focused on Ryneq to notice him. They pushed the doors closed behind them, and were surrounded by an eerie silence.

“Run,” Ryneq urged, pulling on Nykin’s arm and tugging him in the direction of the land bridge. Nykin stumbled after him, looking back over his shoulder to check they weren’t being followed, but so far the coast was clear. Hatak would no doubt set off almost immediately, not trusting Nykin to leave a trail, but for now they were on their own.

T
HEY
RAN
flat out until they reached the cover of the trees, and then Nykin had to stop. He bent over and rested on his knees, sucking in several deep breaths. His ribs ached from all the exertion, and the blow to the head he’d just received was trying to make itself known again.

Ryneq came to stand beside him and laid a hand on Nykin’s back. “We can’t stop for long, Nykin.” His hand rubbed up and down, and Nykin concentrated on the feel of it while he struggled to get his breath back. “I know Hatak’s supposed to follow us, but I don’t want to get caught by any of his men who aren’t in on this plan.”

“I’m good,” Nykin said, standing up straight. Ryneq’s hand lingered on his hip, and just for a second Nykin was tempted to turn back toward him and maybe try for a repeat of their kiss. He knew it wasn’t really the time or place, but then again, when would be?

The warmth of Ryneq’s hand suddenly disappeared as he stepped away, and Nykin sighed.
Maybe not
.

“Let’s keep moving.” Ryneq headed off into the trees, and Nykin dutifully followed. “So,” Ryneq asked as they worked their way through the trees. Darkness had settled in all around them as the day slipped away, and Nykin kept as close to Ryneq as possible. “Do you have a general idea of where we should be heading?”

“South through the forest, toward the Nalvaq Sea.” Nykin stumbled over a protruding tree root, and Ryneq steadied him with a hand on his elbow. “Thanks,” Nykin mumbled, his face heating up at his clumsiness. He was much more coordinated in the air.

“That’s a big area. Can you be more specific?”

“Not until I talk to Fimor.” Nykin fell silent, the sudden ache in his chest having nothing to do with his injured ribs. His thumb automatically snuck under the edges of the bandage to smooth over the skin of his wrist. He flinched a little when his nail caught the edge of the cut. It was almost healed but still tender.

“Don’t.” Ryneq closed his hand around Nykin’s fingers and gently pulled them away. “You’ll aggravate it.” He turned Nykin around so they were facing each other. “He’ll be fine, Nykin. I imagine healing you took a lot out of him.”

“You think he’s just recovering?” Nykin cringed at how desperate he sounded, but he’d cling to any sliver of hope at this point. He met Ryneq’s gaze, his breath catching at the intensity of his expression.

“I don’t know for sure,” Ryneq replied, his voice soft. “But yes, that’s what I believe.”

Nykin’s heart stuttered as Ryneq’s gaze flicked down to his mouth and then back up. Ryneq cupped his face, his hands strong and sure as he tilted Nykin’s head a little to the side. And then they were kissing. Nykin faltered for a moment. He hadn’t actually expected Ryneq to take the initiative, and part of his mind was screaming that he shouldn’t be kissing the
king of Torsere
. But the rest of him was reaching out and hauling Ryneq closer, wrapping his arms around his waist and fisting his hands in the back of Ryneq’s shirt. His head hurt, his chest ached, and his arms weren’t much better, but Nykin shoved all of this roughly to the back of his mind and concentrated on Ryneq’s hands and mouth and tongue as they slowly took him apart.

It was vastly different from the kisses they’d shared in the cell—no audience and no agenda this time. Nykin let go of all his desperation and fear over the past few days and kissed Ryneq like he’d always imagined doing. The rough edges of Ryneq’s beard rubbed almost painfully against Nykin’s injured lips, both of them in desperate need of a shave. But Nykin didn’t care, because Ryneq’s body was hard under his hands, taut muscles flexing and contracting, and Nykin was almost dizzy with want by the time they pulled apart.

Ryneq looked wrecked, as though that wasn’t at all what he’d planned to do, and the shock was evident on his face. Nykin felt the cold, harsh stirrings of rejection beginning to settle in his belly. He waited, expecting Ryneq to push him away any moment and say it had all been a mistake.

But much to his relief, Ryneq shook his head a little and smiled wryly. “We’ll finish that later.” He licked his lips, his eyes flicking
down the length of Nykin’s body, and he smirked when Nykin had to reach down and adjust himself. “But first we need to put some distance between us and the castle. If we can outrun them, we won’t have to bother with the plan at all.”

He gave Nykin one last lingering look that left Nykin feeling naked and raw, and resumed their trek through the trees. Nykin sighed and followed after him, not daring to hope they could just get away and leave Hatak behind. Things were never
that
easy.

N
YKIN
WAS
right. They hadn’t been going for long when Ryneq held up his hand and gestured to Nykin that they were being followed. Obviously, Hatak wasn’t stupid and had two of his soldiers follow them from the moment they had left the castle. Back to the original plan, then. They didn’t bother trying to disguise their movements after that; in fact, Nykin took care to make it obvious which way they’d gone. He left pieces of his shirt here and there to make sure Hatak couldn’t accuse him of not keeping up his end of the bargain. He’d briefly thought about just heading for the safety of Torsere now they’d escaped the castle, but Hatak had a whole company of men at his disposal, and they were most likely on horseback. The only reason he and Ryneq hadn’t been caught yet was because Hatak was content to just follow them for now. If he thought for one minute Nykin had double-crossed them, Nykin had no doubt he would hunt them down well before they could reach safety.

“I
THINK
we should rest here for the remainder of the night.” Ryneq stopped in a small clearing, where the trees were far enough apart to allow for a crude camp. They’d been following the river so far, walking just inside the tree line, and by Nykin’s estimations, they must have crossed the Rodethian border by now.

Ryneq strode over to a large rock at the edge of the trees and slumped down in front of it, dropping his sword at his side. “I don’t think we should risk a fire just yet,” he said, his eyes dropping closed on a sigh. “They’ll be expecting me to try and hide our whereabouts.”

Nykin hummed in agreement, even though the thought of a hot fire to sleep next to was incredibly tempting. But Ryneq was right
—
they needed to remember that Hatak was expecting them to act like escaped prisoners, frightened for their lives. Nykin
was
frightened for his life, if he was honest with himself. They were far from being safe yet. He didn’t think Hatak would attack them as long as they kept up this pretense, but Nykin couldn’t know for sure. Hatak was cruel and unpredictable, and just the thought of him out there watching them set his teeth on edge.

“I’ll take first watch,” Nykin said, looking at Ryneq’s still form. He was propped up against the rock with his eyes closed, and Nykin wondered if he was already asleep.

“Be careful.” Ryneq still had his eyes closed, but his voice sounded clear and alert. “And don’t wander off.”

Nykin rolled his eyes, even though Ryneq couldn’t see him, and shuffled around the small area until he found another largish rock to perch on. He set the dagger down next to him and stared out into the night, straining to make out any sign of Hatak and his men, but the forest was too thick and too dark to see anything more than a few feet away. Although the moon was full tonight, the overhead canopy surrounding them was far too dense to let much of its light through. Nykin was thankful that their current spot afforded at least a little light, although he wondered if it made them stand out in an otherwise dark night. He figured it didn’t matter all that much. After all, Hatak probably knew exactly where they were.

Nykin had no idea how long he’d been keeping watch when he heard movement behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Ryneq stretching his muscles before getting to his feet and walking over.

“Seen anything?” Ryneq sat down next to him, their shoulders and thighs snug against each other.

Nykin shook his head. “Wherever Hatak is, he’s content to just sit and wait.”

They slipped into a comfortable silence, looking out into the darkness of the surrounding trees. Nykin yawned, unable to stifle it, and felt Ryneq’s hand slide onto his thigh.

“You should try and get some sleep.” He squeezed Nykin’s leg, fingers splayed out over the fabric of his breeches, and Nykin felt a frisson of excitement at their proximity. “I’ll keep watch now.”

Nykin thought about protesting, but he yawned again and exhaustion pulled at his body. “Yeah, okay.” Ryneq’s hand fell away, and Nykin stood up from the rock. “Night,” he muttered, heading to where Ryneq had slept earlier. He’d collapsed onto the ground, eyes already drifting closed, when he heard it.

“Nykin?”

Nykin’s eyes flew open, and he sat up, his heart beating rapidly. “Fimor?” He gasped, too shocked to do anything else. Ryneq was at his side almost immediately, but Nykin barely acknowledged him.

“I don’t have long, Nykin… healing you has made me weak.”

Nykin was almost dizzy with relief but forced himself to focus. “We’ve escaped.” He kept his voice low, barely above a whisper, conscious of who might be listening. Nykin rested his head on his knees to further muffle his voice. Ryneq should still be able to hear him, but nobody else would. “We’re in the forest, just past the Rodethian border. We need to know exactly where Eldin and his men will be waiting so I can check with Ryneq.”

Fimor quickly described the place where Eldin would be, and Ryneq’s face darkened when Nykin relayed the message.

“But you don’t need to worry about it being near the princess, Nykin, because she’ll be there too.”

“What? How is that possible, Fimor?” Nykin glanced briefly over at Ryneq, quickly looking away when he saw his expression.
“I thought she was in hiding? Ryneq won’t be happy. At all.”

Fimor huffed in amusement
. “I expect not. I’ll explain later… can’t sustain the connection anymore… take care, Nykin.”

Nykin deflated a little in the ensuing silence and rested his head back against the rock, thinking about what Fimor had told him. He was completely lost in his thoughts when Ryneq purposefully cleared his throat next to him.

“Tell me what he said,” Ryneq demanded far too quietly. Nykin opened his eyes and turned to look at him. “And I know you were talking to him in your head, so….”

Nykin took a deep breath before he spoke. This was not going to go well. He leaned closer to Ryneq and kept his voice low. “Cerylea will be there… with Eldin.”