Page 22 of Voices in the Stars (The Lost Witch #1)

Someone was following us. I heard them soon after she stopped freaking out. There was no way to know how long they’d been following. It had to have been after we left the town. I was sure they entered the forest near where we did, but I was distracted.

She was terrified. I hated everything she stood for, but every instinct I had screamed at me to wrap her in my arms. There was even a moment where hope fluttered through me. If she was just honest, I could get her on my side. I wouldn’t have to sneak around her.

She was right. I could only act around her.

It was easier to fall into the personality that everyone expected from me.

A cold murderer. Like father, like son. It’s what I needed to protect myself from her.

I didn’t kill her earlier, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to have to later.

I had to be able to put Feycrest over my own feelings.

No matter how beautiful her eyes were as she stared up at me.

The sun was starting to go down when I finally caught up to them.

A fire lit the trees ahead of me. I crouched down, keeping to the shadows as I got closer.

Several men sat around, drinking and eating.

Light reflected off the metal chest pieces some wore.

The sound of leather rubbing together and metal shifting grated in my ears as I watched the others undress until their tunics were visible.

Tunics that bared my father’s crest, stitched into the chest. It was large and ugly.

Fitting of his ego. I cursed, taking an even greater effort to hide myself.

Though the amount of noise they were making surely would’ve done that for me.

Their voices traveled clearly through the surrounding areas.

My fingers twitched as I glanced around us.

They had a bigger death wish than Cece did.

The fire would chase away some monsters, but their wandering voices would only attract more.

“How long until he notices us?” one of the men asked.

A couple of the others just laughed as they settled around the fire, stuffing their faces.

“He’s too distracted.”

“You think that’s really one of the witches?”

One of them scoffed at that, drawing my gaze to where he was still standing. My jaw clenched as I recognized the man. I wasn’t expecting my father to send my own men chasing after me.

“We were sent here on a mission.” Metal clattered as he threw a sword to the ground. I winced before quickly looking around. Something was going to hear them. “Not to gossip about the general and his bitch.”

That was enough. I stuck to the shadows as I snuck around their small encampment. They showed no sign of hearing me as I got closer. I stopped paying attention to their idle chatter, only stopping when I was standing directly behind one of them.

The next noises that came from them were a bunch of yells as I grabbed the man by his hair, pressing my dagger to his throat. The others scrambled to their feet, grabbing at their discarded weapons as they turned to face me.

“Shut up,” I hissed at them before throwing the guy I had to the ground, pointing the weapon toward the next. “Who trained you idiots?”

They glanced between each other, throwing their swords and crossbows. Their answers were mumbles.

“Who trained you!” I screamed, giving up any hope of being quiet. At least if I drew the attention here, Cece would be safe where I left her.

“You, sir!” they screamed back at me, falling in line.

“I’m not going to ask why you’re out here. I’m not as stupid as some of you might think.” I walked up to them, satisfaction filling me as many dropped my gaze. “What I’m going to tell you is that you are to pack up and leave this moment. ”

“That’s all?” one asked as I paused. I fought to keep a straight face as he was smacked upside the head.

“Oh, I promise, you will all be paying for this later.”

With that, they all dispersed, scrambling to get their gear and armor back on. All except one.

“Commander, did you not hear me?” I asked, walking up to where he was leaning up against a tree.

“I heard you perfectly clear. You aren’t the one who gave us orders to be here, though.” He finally looked over at me. “I worry over his consequences much more than yours.”

I leaned up next to him, crossing my arms. He was right. I could run these men through fights and exercises until they collapsed. Eris would just kill them and enjoy every moment of it.

“Don’t take them back to him,” I spoke, knowing he was truly one of my men, already prepared about what was to come. “Stop outside of Kilrest. Keep them there until I send word.”

“There are patrols around there. I’ll make sure we keep out of their path,” he said, nodding in agreement with the plan.

“Good, and keep quiet there.” He rolled his eyes at my comment. “I need to focus here. I need to deal with this witch first.”

“Is she really the one?” he asked. “We all watched her bumble her way around like a newborn fawn.”

I grimaced at that. He wasn’t wrong.

“I’ll take care of her,” I finally said before leaving them.

At least taking care of her was my plan.

“Fuck!” I yelled out, cursing up to the skies.

She was gone. The dried meat I left her with was sitting on the ground, looking like it had been torn apart by animals. I glanced around with a small hope that she was still around here. That was lost when I saw her tracks, wandering off.

I ran my hands through my hair. I couldn’t tell if she was an idiot with a death wish or smarter than I’d given her credit for.

Her steps looked like they were headed right toward Kilrest. The exact opposite direction I was taking her for many reasons.

Some for the monsters that lived between us and the city.

Mostly for what Eris’ men would do to her when she reached the river.

Even without the dangers, I never would have taken her on the direct route to my father.

It would cut our time together in half. There would be no way I could convince her to betray him and join me with such little time.

It was difficult trying to wrap my mind around a way to convince her now with all the time we did have.

My legs froze as I stared at her tracks.

With the way she acted, it would be easy enough to just let the creatures here make my decision for me.

If they killed her, then I had nothing to worry about.

I could spin some tale to my father that I did everything I could to help, but she still died.

Any form of torture would be better than giving her to him. No. I knew what I needed to do.

I took off running in her direction as my heart clenched at the thought of what might happen to her.

I didn’t have time or the want to try to break down my feelings toward her.

At least out here, she could wander until she collapsed without finding others to kill.

Not without having the map in my bag, at least. I just still couldn’t understand why she was lying about what she was, why she was acting so clueless.

Maybe she was even lying to herself. I’d never know, though, if I didn’t get to her first.