Leila stared at him. She had not heard any plans of going north from anyone. “What do you mean?”
“Roger sent me a note from your parents last week asking if we could go up north after the wedding and get married in your hometown. They said they have a surprise for us. I just sent back a reply yesterday that we will gladly visit as long as they don’t mind three extra kids running around.” Nalick laughed at Leila’s surprised expression. She had not heard from her parents in over a week and assumed that was because they were coming to visit soon. “You forgot to write them about the kids, didn’t you?” Nalick said.
“So, we are going to actually have a wedding there also?” she asked, contemplating a change in plans.
“Yes, if it is alright with you,” he said.
“But what about your priests? I can’t believe they would be all right with you getting married in another religion,” she said.
“Well,” Nalick paused. “It was actually their idea. Seems that they feel that we would upset your God if we didn’t get married there also, and it would bring bad luck upon our family.” Leila shook her head. She could not understand how the priests would actually support it, bad luck or not. “They asked your home town priest to talk to your parents about officially getting married there.”
Leila did not understand what he meant.
“So the wedding here won’t be official?” she asked confused.
Nalick could not help but laugh at the concern in her innocent eyes. He had not meant to confuse her. “The wedding here is official. Trust me. Not that it matters as in the eyes of Lior law, as you are already the queen. What I meant was my priests ask me not to consummate the marriage before we are also married by your priests.”
Leila blushed. His touch made her heart race enough; she had not even considered what it really meant to be getting married. Nalick smiled as she turned several shades of red. The one quality that he loved more than anything about her was her innocence. She was experienced beyond her years in so much but not in love. Leila tried to stand so that he would not see her embarrassment, but he held onto her tightly. She had not thought very far ahead of what saying yes to marriage meant and with the whirlwind that ensued, she had not had time to ponder it. Leila was thankful for the interruption as Tim came running into the garden.
“Dad, dad,” Tim called, forcing Nalick to let Leila stand. Nalick had been trying to find the courage to talk to her, but he had once again lost his nerve as Tim approached. Nalick didn’t like keeping a secret from her, but he could not find words to start the conversation he needed to have with her.
“I need to talk to you alone sometime,” Nalick said as the running boy leapt onto his lap and began to talk. Leila nodded before slipping away. She had had enough embarrassment for one day, and she was ready to quickly run away and hide.
Leila returned to the full courtyard with Anatolio to train, and the men that were lounging around waiting for her cheered as she entered. The men could see she was dressed to train with them, and they were all excited to see her work. As usual, beyond the men she was training a crowd had formed to watch. She noticed Nalick sitting near the back of the crowd but she did not see Theo with Phillip. Phillip watched wide-eyed as his new mother easily taught the men below how to fight. Leila was a courier and told him she could take care of herself, but he never imagined she was so good. Phillip watched as she finished up her session with the men for the day.
“Now, most of you are quite young,” Leila said to the fourteen men. Judging from their faces, she guessed they were all her age or younger. “For the next few years, you will mostly go against people larger in size. In my case, it is almost all the time.” They laughed. “So, I figure the move you should work on next is a way to counter the fact that someone is twice your size. Since I’ve done enough beating up on Anatolio for the day, I figure my future husband who is hiding at the back of the crowd could help.” The crowd watching her heard and all turned to the back and saw their king.
Nalick moved through the bowing crowd and stood face to face with Leila. Slowly she demonstrated to them the move she had just described, and Nalick immediately recognized it as the way she easily beat him when he tried to fight her. The smile on his face told her he remembered the move. Each man studied it again as she showed them and then she was finished for the day. As the crowd departed and Leila was left standing with Nalick and Anatolio, Nalick finally realized that Phillip and Theo were also in the crowd.
“Did you know?” Nalick asked Leila.
“After you started to walk up here I saw him,” Leila replied as Theo and Phillip began walking towards them.
Phillip stared at Leila and didn’t know what to say. Leila chuckled realizing he was tongue tied. “Now do you believe me?” she asked Phillip. He nodded. “The reason I could go on all my runs and not worry was because I can take care of myself.” Nalick nodded also. She could take care of herself, but he just worried to what extent people would try to get a hold of her.
Chapter 25
Leila rode her horse between the temporary guard out of the city to get Phillip and his new horse, and Anatolio followed at a distance as normal. She had sent Javed and Macarius along with Phillip and had to make due with several unknown men. As the group approached Lady and Lord Pillas’ manor, something was not right. Leila entered the courtyard, and no one greeted them. Leila cautiously got off her horse and was quickly surrounded by the men with her. Annoyed, she whistled and Anatolio quickly joined them and threw a small weapon to her. The men near her moved as she walked to the house.
Carefully, Anatolio opened the door, and Leila followed him in. The front room was in complete disarray. Leila scanned the room and found no one inside. Nikias indicated to Nalick’s guards to go in opposite directions as he, Theo, and Anatolio stayed at Leila’s side. She first walked to the kitchen. Where would their wine cellar be? she wondered. Anatolio thought the same thing, and immediately he led her to the right of the kitchen. Leila saw a pantry door that had been blocked from the outside. Leila put her ear to the door and could hear voices inside. Nikias and Anatolio broke the door so that they could open it, and below, Leila could see Lady and Lord Pillas along with their staff sitting at the bottom of the stairs, but Phillip, Javed, and Macarius were not with them.
Lady and Lord Pillas were grateful to see Leila but confused at the same time. Once Leila and the men helped Lady and Lord Pillas out of the cellar along with their staff, Leila waited for the guards to return from their search of the house. All three men shook their heads no as they entered the kitchen. Leila began to worry about Phillip. There was nothing beyond the front room in disarray that indicated why or who attacked the manor.
“Did Phillip make it here this morning?” Leila asked Lord Pillas.
“I don’t know. We’ve all been down there since last night. Did you check the guard house as you entered?” Lord Pillas asked. The men with her all shook their heads no.
“There was no one in them,” Anatolio replied. The first sign to him that something was wrong was the missing guards.
“We were taken from our beds along with the staff by armed men in the middle of the night. Once they put us in the cellar, we didn’t hear anything of what went on afterwards. We don’t have much of value in the house,” Lady Pillas explained. “Did Phillip come alone?” She was worried.
“No, Macarius and Javed were with him. How many people entered your home?” Leila asked.
“I’m not sure,” Lord Pillas replied. “I would guess over ten or fifteen. I didn’t have time to count, and it was dark.”
“They were speaking a language I had never heard before,” Lady Pillas said, starting to fret.
“They were from Enea,” a young girl said that was standing behind Lady Pillas. Leila was not happy to hear the response. Anatolio had left but was finally returning. She cautiously moved away from the group of scared residents and talked quietly to him.
“How does it look?” she asked him as Nikias and
Theo moved near to also hear.
“There are horse prints that head away from town. Lots of them. From what I can tell Phillip, Javed, and Macarius came near but didn’t enter. For some reason they headed further south, but I could not see beyond a hill nearby,” Anatolio explained part of what he saw.
“What is the current political situation with King Aiolos?” Leila asked Nikias. Anatolio had more to say but did not want to say it to his older brother.
“We are on fine standings with him for the time being. The last war with them was over ten years ago. King Nalick has never had a problem with him, but we are not allies either. We have by far the better military, so I don’t understand why he would come into our country and do something like this,” Nikias explained.
“Nalick’s guards stay near the front of the house,” Leila ordered, and the three men stood. “If you see anything at all, come back here immediately.” All three moved to the front room and posted themselves by the windows.
“Nikias and Theo help get Lady and Lord Pillas some food and blankets and then escort them back to the cellar.” Lady and Lord Pillas looked shocked.
“It is the safest place for you. If they return and find you wandering the house you could end up dead. We will send word to Nalick and have proper military come to help you out, but until then, stay there.” Leila explained. Once Nikias and Theo were busy, Anatolio took her away from them out of hearing distance.
“There are at least ten people outside in the woods watching the manor. If we leave and head back out the front gate, we will be easily ambushed. There is a back route to Lexia from here and if we send a guard he can bring help, but I don’t think they will wait that long,” Anatolio explained and pulled Leila closer.
“There was blood near the top of the hill I couldn’t see over. Something happened there.” Leila stared at him as her heart began to pump wildly. Phillip was gone and there was blood. Anatolio reached out an arm to brace her, thinking she would tip over. Leila caught her breath and her resolve.
“We need to see whose blood it is,” she said beginning to pace the room. The attack was staged to seem as a random break in, but now Leila doubted it was random. Leila walked back to Lord Pillas.
“Lord Pillas, is there any other way to exit your manor?” she asked.
“The wall is built around the whole compound. We have an entrance at the front, and then one at the back but, the back entrance is always locked. We have not used it in years,” he explained.
“Can we have the key to the back entrance?” she asked, and he quickly ran to the nearby room and rustled through a desk.
“Take any of the horses you can use,” he offered.
Leila returned to the men in the kitchen. Lord Pillas was the last put back into the cellar, and he shut the door behind them. Leila looked out the back window over the pasture and grazing horses. She needed to get to the other side of the hill quickly if anyone was hurt. Rationally, Leila thought, Phillip would not be harmed to get to me, but I am not so sure the same would not go for Macarius and Javed. Leila walked around the house trying to come up with her plan and Anatolio followed. Theo and Nikias waited for her return.
“We should head straight back to Lexia,” Nikias said.
“No,” Leila said while returning to the room. “There are several people waiting in the woods ready to attack us on our way back. Since we don’t know how many are there, we will not directly approach them. We are going to use the back gate to send two of the guards back to Lexia as quick as possible, with each taking a different route. We can then follow the wall around the compound to find out if Phillip is further down the road.” Nikias tried to object, but Anatolio stopped him.
“We do what she says,” Anatolio said. “She is the queen.” Theo nodded. Leila was far better to assess the situation and make a plan than any of the three men were.
“One guard will be left here to throw off the people watching the manor to make them assume we are still here,” she finished. One man volunteered to stay.
Leila led the remaining men out the back door and to the nearest barn. Finding several horses unsaddled, she quickly put their reins on them. She handed each guard a horse and cautiously led them between buildings until she reached the back of the manor. Leila could barely see the door covered by vines, so Anatolio ripped them off the door. The lock had not been unlocked in years. Once it was open, Leila directed the two guards to take different routes back to Nalick with specific instructions. Nikias and Theo followed Leila beginning to circle back around the compound outside the wall to the front of the manor. Anatolio fell behind and kept watch over the group. As they neared the road that passed in close proximity, Leila slowed down. She handed her reins to Theo and checked for anyone following them.
The group that was waiting in the woods had not moved and they were free to continue down the road. They were on the other side of the hill that Anatolio could not see over. Leila tried not to stare at the blood. Gazing down the road she noticed several men lying face down. Quickly, Leila hurried over to them and the men followed. One by one she checked each man. They were all dead and all foreigners. As she neared the last two bodies, she knew who they were. Leila kneeled beside Javed and rolled him over. She checked for a pulse and could not find one. Javed was slowly dying, but she could see that he was still breathing shallowly. He had been cut many times, and his shirt was soaked through with blood. Tears welled in her eyes. Nikias also checked over his comrade and tried to see how he could help him. Leila looked up to see Theo running over to the last man.
Leila ran to the last man also. Macarius was injured but still alive and able to talk, just not move. Theo sat his best friend up, and he opened his eyes to see Leila.
“Leila,” Macarius choked. “I’m sorry… I could not stop them.”
“Theo, take them back to Lexia right away. Stop at the Shilling tavern on your way in town and tell the bartender that Meg needs some assistance. Hopefully, Roger is close and can make it back,” she said. “Nikias, please go with him.”
“No, I am staying beside you,” Nikias said. His job was to watch over Leila no matter the circumstances, and Nikias was not going to fail his king. Leila gave a motion with one hand, and Anatolio moved near his older brother.
“Sorry,” Anatolio said, as he hit a spot in the back of his neck.
Nikias crumpled to the ground and Anatolio ran back to the wall and got a small cart to wheel over to the men. Anatolio put the two injured men in the cart as Theo attached it to the horses. Leila tried to help but the two men took care of everything while she plotted her plan. When they were finished they turned to her and she explained.
“The reality is that Javed was the better fighter between him and Nikias. When he wakes tell him I was sorry to do that. I will go alone to Phillip. They will not hurt me, but that does not mean they won’t hurt Phillip. I don’t have time to waste waiting for Nalick and please explain that to him. Anatolio is going to follow me and if I need any help, he will be there. Anatolio will also look for Nalick.” Theo nodded as Leila opened the back gate. “Take care of Macarius, please.” Theo reluctantly headed back to the town with the men in the cart.
Leila went back inside the house. Anatolio followed her, silently. She cautiously looked into the front room confirming what she suspected; the guard was gone. He had been showing signs of nervousness since they had left the city and his jittery attitude made Leila suspect his involvement. She was relieved to find the one bad seed of the group was the one that knew the least.
“I am heading out that way now,” she said. Anatolio nodded.
“Stay behind and follow at a good distance. I am sure there must be a courier with them, so don’t get caught. As soon as I get inside their camp and find Phillip I will send word to you. Stay to the east side of their camp.” Leila walked to the door. Anatolio grabbed her arm.
“Be careful, please,” Anatolio said to her, and she smiled.
“I always am,” she replied, and he hid
as she opened the door. Calmly, she walked out the front door and towards the front of the manor. She took the reins of her horse that was still sitting by the front gate, and she walked back towards Lexia. Anatolio was surprised to see her so calm. It did not faze her that she was going to meet unknown enemies. From behind he could not see the determination in her eyes. Leila had trained hard for the last four years for this moment. This time she was not going to fail to protect someone she loved.
As she neared the front gate of the manor she could see the people hidden in the woods. She tied her horse to the gate and left it for Anatolio. From behind a tree stepped a fairly large man. His bushy light colored beard told her immediately he was from Enea. Leila estimated that he was as large as Nalick but should be as easy to take down if she chose.
“Where’s my son?” Leila asked as more men appeared from the woods onto the pathway.
“Back at camp, safe for the moment,” the first man said. As he walked closer she recognized the man. He was the head of Aiolos’s personal guard: Mitchell. Leila never forgot a face.
“So will you come willingly?” Mitchell asked, extending his hand.
Leila accepted his hand and stood still as a man approached and checked her for weapons. Mitchell took both her hands and tied them together.
“Do you really think I am stupid enough to do anything before I see Phillip?” Leila asked sarcastically.
“Just a precaution,” Mitchell replied, pulling the rope around her arms and leading her into the woods. “Is she alone?” he asked someone still hid in the woods.
“It looks like it,” the man said, stepping out from the shadows. “It is so nice to finally meet you.” The man said as he bowed deeply to her.
Chapter 26
“Queen Eia. Hm. I don’t think that name suits you.” His small beady eyes with dark hair and a pale complexion told Leila who the person was. Leila had never met the man before, but he was Agro. He had been a courier with Marx for many years but recently changed to work for Aiolos because he wanted more freedom to be able to kill people. Couriers in most countries worked on an oath to not kill people and thus were not see as criminals by their own government. Argo walked around Leila, viewing her from every angle.