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He pulled off his shirt and began to beat the flames so he could get to her.

Suddenly Oscar and Deni were on either side of him, the protective vests Ava had made them for tonight off, helping him beat the fire.

It took them almost half an hour to douse it completely, and by the time they did, Rangar was long gone.

“He’s got Ava?” Oscar looked at the charred body they’d found once the flames were out.

“That’s Farr,” Luc said. “Rangar stabbed him in the throat and then threw some of the flare liquid up the hill.”

“Why?” Deni stared at the blackened corpse in horror.

“Because he knew he wouldn’t get far with Ava if we were after him, and he didn’t want Farr going back with tales of how his whole mission was rendered useless.” Luc started jogging toward where they had hidden their horses, and Oscar and Deni followed.

“Where’s he taking her?” Oscar asked.

“The river, to wherever they’ve set up their headquarters.” Luc wanted to catch them long before they reached the riverbanks.

“The Queen’s Herald is looking for her?” Deni asked as they swung into their saddles.

Luc gestured to Deni’s vest, which he’d put back on, and then to his own shirt. Neither of them were even singed. “If you were a greedy, power-hungry ruler, wouldn’t you do whatever you could to have her?”

* * *

They foundthe flare canister two hours later.

Dawn had yet to break, although it wasn’t far off, but the luminous blue was easy to see in the darkness.

“Why did he leave it?” Oscar wondered.

“Maybe it was slowing him down,” Luc said. “He was worried about it spilling or dropping.” He picked it up and wrapped it in his shirt, then put it in his saddlebag.

It worried him, though. That Rangar would give up such a powerful weapon.

He’d sent Deni back to the general, to give her an update on the situation, and it was just him and Oscar chasing Rangar across the plains.

The smell of fire shortly after they found the flare canister worried him enough that they followed it to its source.

It was nothing more than a scout camp, the coals in the fire pit still glowing.

“He must have stumbled across the scout camp.” Luc circled the small area. “He didn’t want to be seen with the flare canister on him. He must have worked out a story that doesn’t suit him having one.”

“So he just left it on the plain? Out in the open where anyone could have found it?” Oscar sounded grim.

“He doesn’t care about anything except saving his own ass.” Luc caught sight of the churned up earth of many hooves, and felt his heart sink. “And having Ava to present to the Queen’s Herald is the ultimate ass-saver.”

At least that meant she was would be kept safe. For now.

But Rangar would have spun his story to the scouts and it looked like they had been persuaded to escort him on his journey.

“Let’s go.” Luc leaned down to see which path they’d taken, and he and Deni galloped in the direction of the river as the sun rose behind them and turned the plains pink and orange.

They found the base camp easily enough.

The smoke led them right to it.

They had burned the pontoons they’d used to get their equipment over the river, and they’d burned their supply wagons and their massive wooden slings.

“Why?” Oscar’s horse danced nervously around the smoke-hazed camp.