Page 14 of The King’s Bodyguard (Catkin Trilogy #1)

Corrin

L andis. Gods... Landis. What were you thinking?

Growling to myself, I dug my heels into my horse and pushed it forward at breakneck speed.

Somewhere, I could hear the princess calling for Landis in the mist. Judging by the fading sound of her voice, she was moving further away.

I did not pursue her. Princess Erellia had been raised to take care of herself, regardless of what her parents thought.

Besides, as princess of Esteria, she was protected by her connections. It was Landis I was concerned about.

Landis had chosen that brute, no doubt out of misplaced concern, pride, or political obligation. When I found him, I would have a word or two about his choices. When I found him. I will find him , I repeated to myself. I will.

Muffled by the mist that had now thickened to a soupy fog, I could hear the distant clatter of a horse.

My ears swiveled, tracking the sound. All of my senses were on high alert.

Heavier hoof beats than the princess’s mount.

Sanson. I found a saddle cast off. Then a saddle cloth, hanging from a scraggly bush. What was Landis doing?

I slowed down and began to take note of my surroundings.

The trees were beginning to part a little.

As I passed by, though, I caught a glimpse of a broken branch here, a trampled bush there.

Half-hanging off my saddle, I scanned the soft, dark soil underneath.

There—a glimpse of a hoof print. The spacing between the tracks suggested high speed, but then I noticed a set more closely imprinted together.

Sanson had come to a stop. Has Landis gained control?

As I considered the possibilities, I heard something else, the crack of a branch underfoot.

There was a muffled nicker of another horse in the fog.

Someone else is out there , I realized with a shiver.

Someone not calling for help. Someone trying to move stealthily. Not Landis.

Slipping off silently, I lashed my horse to a tree and moved forward, bent over.

Slipping through the mist like a dark shadow, I skirted a massive oak to find another horse standing alone.

I crept forward. All the hairs on my neck rose as I noticed a dark-cloaked figure stalking slowly through the heather. With two knives.

The unknown predator spotted the glimpse of gold among the scrub just as I did. Landis, lying half-sprawled on his side, was not moving. My sharp eyes noticed Landis’s hand lying lax upon the dirt. Unconscious. Dead?

Just the thought of it sent fire through my blood.

I saw my blade kissing the assassin’s throat, ripping it to shreds.

My hands curled into claws as I sprang forward.

The first blow of my fist slammed into the hunter’s lower back and sent him sprawling with a pained yelp.

I followed it up with a jarring slam of my boot’s heel to the back of his head.

Flipping the assassin over, I pulled off the hood, revealing a dark-skinned catkin with graying hair and a short beard, now stained with blood about the lips.

It took everything in me to not finish the assassin off.

Instead, I ran back to the horse, cut the leather reins of the horse off, and used them to tie the assassin’s wrists together and then bound them to his feet.

Once I was certain the would-be assassin was secured, I raced to Landis’s side. I gently ran my hands over his still-warm cheek. My fingers traced the line of his neck, finding the steady thrum of his heartbeat.

Thank the gods. He’s alive. Somehow managing to bite back a sob, I drew in a deep breath. I gently ran a hand along the back of his neck. There was no sign of neck injury.

Bending close, I noticed that Landis looked like he was sleeping.

It made him appear even smaller and more vulnerable than usual.

I brushed a stray golden lock away from his cheek.

Just seeing him there, safe, made waking up earlier than usual all that more worth it.

If I hadn’t decided to get up early, if I hadn’t arrived when I did, if I hadn’t been mounted.

.. Landis’s end might have come sooner than I would have liked.

Carefully rolling him onto his back, I laid my head on his chest. His heart still beat regularly.

I checked him carefully from head to foot.

No broken bones, but he had sustained a fair share of brushes from his tumble.

Heaving another sigh of relief, I considered my options.

I needed to get Landis to safety, but I also wanted to ensure that the assassin would be delivered into Lord Elthorne or Gareth’s capable hands.

After capturing him alive, it would be a shame if he were to die on the way to the castle—or escape.

“Landis?! Corrin?!”

It was Hugh. Shouting back at him, I managed to guide the knight to my side. At the sight of Landis lying at my feet, Hugh’s face paled. A hand rose to cover his mouth as horror filled his golden-brown eyes.

“He’s alright, Hugh,” I hastily assured him. “Breathing. His heartbeat is strong. Took a tumble is all. Probably had the wind knocked out of him.”

“Oh, oh,” Hugh heaved a sigh that almost sounded like a half-sob of relief. “Thank the gods. For a moment...”

I clapped him on the arms.

“I’ll ride back with him,” I said. “Or at least... somewhere where he can rest.”

“There’s a lodge over the ridge. A private one. His father...” Hugh shook his head. “Never mind that.”

“I’d take him in a heartbeat, but there is another matter to attend to. Whoever he is, he was about to kill the king, but I ambushed him and captured him.” I pointed at the motionless figure lying face down, still trussed like a pheasant. “Alive.”

Hugh grinned toothily.

“Good, good. Gareth will want a nice… civilized chat with the rogue.” Hugh glanced down at Landis. “But first, let’s get you on your way.”

“It’s not far, right? I can carry him.”

With Landis cradled in my arms, I followed Hugh’s instructions.

Hugh guided me several paces over, where a small hard-packed path wound through the forest. Hugh had quite a bit to do: mount a search for Sanson, return my horse to the stables, escort the would-be assassin to the castle, and send a healer and more guards.

Leaving him to his tasks, I trudged down to the hidden lodge.

Upon arrival, I battered the door down with a well-timed thrust of my boot’s heel.

Laying Landis on a large bed in the back room, I set about making the lodge secure until the guards’ arrival.

I had a fire stoked in the bedroom, and I was rummaging through closets when a band of dark-clad catkin arrived.

The King’s Blades, I guessed. They were joined by Gareth, the mage Alan, and the court’s favorite medic, Aileen.

Without a word, Gareth stalked into the bedroom, followed by Alan and Aileen.

As the latter two checked on Landis, Gareth stood by the head of the bed, arms folded, and gazed grimly down at Landis.

I stood at the end, watching helplessly as the elderly molly examined Landis.

According to her, Landis was bruised but was already on the mend.

“He’ll just need some rest and some care,” Aileen said, eyeing me meaningfully.

I blinked at her, trying to fathom what the molly truly meant. Alan set a potion aside for after dinner. Food had been brought, and three guards were posted around the lodge’s clearing.

“He’ll be waking soon,” Alan said.

“Yet you do not wish to move him back to the castle,” I noted.

“There are some inquiries that Lord Elthorne and I would like to make. Interrogations... and announcements. We hope that by approaching this in a more... roundabout fashion,” Gareth said, “we will be able to perhaps surprise someone into some kind of confession.”

I nodded. It made sense.

“We have not yet announced that we have found Landis.” Gareth led the way back to their waiting horses.

“As such, removing too many guards from the palace would raise suspicions. Three of your kinsmen were chosen for this watch, and the outermost perimeter will be patrolled by five others from the King’s Blade.

You will stay with him in the lodge for the rest of the evening. Understood?”

I understood. My serious, intense gaze brought a rare smile to Gareth’s face. He clapped me on the shoulder.

“Your country, your country kin, and your king owe you one this day, Corrin. I leave Landis in your care.”

“I will do my best.”

The promise was easy to make. Gareth, Alan, Aileen, and two guards disappeared into the trees.

I looked around. As promised, there were three Munni tomkin, including Alf, standing guard among the eaves of the tree.

I re-entered the lodge and began to cook up the simple dinner that the medic had brought for Landis and me.

Over the soft bubbling of the stew in the small iron cauldron over the fire, I heard a slight creak in the next room.

There was a soft groan. In a flash, I was in Landis’s room.

Landis was stretching lazily and wincing.

I crossed over to him. I could not keep my hands off him, cupping his face and checking him for signs of pain. Landis’s hand rose to cover mine.

“Corrin. You-you found me?”

“I did, just in time too.” I ran my hands lightly down his neck and over his shoulders. “How do you feel?”

“Not bad, all things considered.” Landis looked around. “Where are we?”

“A hunting lodge, where we are staying for the night while Gareth and Hugh investigate.”

“Investigate?” Landis tilted his head. “They saw the thistles already?”

“Thistles?”

“Under Sanson’s saddle cloth.”

“Dammit.”

I glared at the ground.

“So the horse bolting wasn’t simply a fit of temper.”

“No.” Landis shook his head. “Sanson is a nasty fellow, but not that—Wait. What is Gareth investigating?”