Blood Oath (13 page)

A deer
had been drinking from the lake, and it froze as they approached. Its nose
twitched, and its body spasmed. Within seconds, it had broken its own paralysis
and darted into the cover of the massive trees.

She
pulled on Pigeon’s reins, and he stopped without jarring her. Anca moved
stiffly to dismount, wincing as her overworked muscles protested the sudden
movement after two hours of remaining in an unaccustomed position.

Nikia
hopped off Brutus in one smooth motion and looped his reins over a branch on a
nearby tree. Anca led Pigeon forward to do the same thing, but Nikia shook her
head. “He never runs away. Just let him wander a bit. He’ll enjoy it.” She
patted Brutus’s neck. “This is the one who craves freedom. You can’t trust him
not to run and never come back.”

Anca
followed her sister’s suggestion of walking around to stretch her muscles while
Nikia unpacked their lunch after spreading a white blanket
she
removed
from the basket. Anca stopped near the edge of the lake and peered into the water.
It appeared bottomless, and she wondered how deep it was. She knelt to plunge
her cupped hands into the water and found it deliciously icy.

She
splashed some on her flushed face and sighed at the coldness as it washed away
the heat of the day and the morning’s exertion. She heard a twig snap behind
her and glanced up to see Nikia holding out a kerchief. Anca took it and dipped
it in the lake. As she dabbed her cheeks and the back of her neck, she pointed
to the clusters of pinkish-red blooms dotted around the edge of the lake. “What
are those?”

“Rose
bay. Some people call them carpet roses or common oleander.”

Anca
started as the name played through her mind. Abruptly, she remembered the
vision of lying with Demi in moonlight, on a bed of rose bay. Her pussy
clenched with arousal as she recalled the pleasure of making love with him. She
hoped the vision was a prophecy and not a random flutter.

Once
she had cooled off, Anca rose and walked with Nikia to the blanket. Whomever
had packed the basket had included hard cheese, soft, crusty bread, a bottle of
wine, and a flask of water. There were also two pears and two apples. She took
the chunk of cheese and bread Nikia extended. To her surprise, Nikia didn’t
seem inclined to talk while they ate, so she concentrated on the light lunch.
Remembering last night’s experience with the wine, she stuck to water.

It was
only after she returned the remains of their picnic to the basket that Nikia
leaned back and eyed her with unnerving intensity. Anca folded her hands
together and waited for her to begin. She had already guessed this outing was
about more than the two of them becoming acquainted.

“Why
did you come here?”

Anca
twiddled her thumbs, but otherwise, she didn’t betray her nervousness. “I
wanted to meet my father before he died.”

Nikia’s
brow furrowed. “Demi told you he was dying?”

She
quirked a brow at the question. “Yes.” Had he lied to trick her into coming
with him?

She
nodded. “It’s closer than I thought,” she muttered under her breath. “I didn’t
realize…” Nikia lifted her head, and her eyes were cold. “Do you think you can
just come here and take over the throne, unchallenged?”

Anca
shook her head, but she didn’t get a chance to respond.

“It’s
mine! Do you hear me? I’ve waited all my life to be queen. You won’t rob me of
my place.” Her cheeks were flushed with anger, and she was breathing heavily.

“I
don’t want to be a queen or a princess or any other nonsense this backward
country offers me,” Anca said coldly. “I have a life in New York, and I don’t
plan to give it up.”

Nikia’s
eyes narrowed, and she studied her for several minutes. Finally, she nodded.
“That’s good. I won’t surrender without a fight, you know.”

Anca
nodded, shivering at the threatening tone. She was abruptly aware of how alone
they were and cursed her stupidity for attempting to bond with her sister. Her
initial impression appeared to be the right one. She should have avoided Nikia’s
presence at all cost.

In a
flash, Nikia’s demeanor changed. “Well, now that’s out of the way, are you
ready to go back to the castle?”

Anca
nodded, disconcerted by her sister’s sunny disposition, so quickly following
her angry outburst. “Yes. I’ve had enough riding today.”

“Okay.
Let’s go.” Nikia bounded to her feet and lifted the basket. She smiled. “I’m
glad you came for a visit. I wanted to meet you.”

“Er…”
She floundered for a response, but Nikia didn’t seem to notice. She followed
more sedately as Nikia hurried to Brutus. Anca was several steps away when she
saw the horse rear and knock her sister to the ground. She broke into a run,
but by the time she reached Nikia, the horse was galloping away.

“Stupid
horse,” Nikia said angrily. She got to her feet before Anca could kneel beside
her to check on her. “I’ll have to catch him. Wait here for me.”

“What?”

“I’ll
have to take Pigeon to see if I can catch up with him.” She whistled to the
gelding, and his ears perked. He trotted toward her. “If I don’t, Brutus won’t
return to the stable, and the wolves might get him if he’s out after dark.”

“W-wolves?”
she repeated in a shaky tone. “But—“

“Don’t
worry. It’s daytime. I’ll be back soon enough.” Nikia clambered onto Pigeon.
“If I don’t try to catch Brutus soon, I won’t be able to with Pigeon. I doubt
he can keep pace.”

“Why
don’t I come with you? We can ride double.” As unappealing as that thought was,
it was more attractive than the idea of staying alone by the lake, not knowing
when Nikia would return.

Nikia laughed.
“Carrying two riders, poor old Pigeon will never catch up with Brutus.” She
waved her arm. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Wait!”

Either
Nikia didn’t hear her, or she ignored the desperate shout. She rode off at a
gallop, heading in the same direction Brutus had taken.

She
was soon out of sight, leaving Anca alone. Despite the cloudless day and hot
sun, a chill raced down her spine. She hugged herself and examined the area
around the lake, looking for wolves and other creatures she had no wish to meet
up with—not in daylight, and especially not in the dark.

* * * * *

Anca
stayed by the lake for several hours, though her fear didn’t abate. She watched
for Nikia’s return, but the shadows cast by the sun on the trees shifted across
the ground as the afternoon progressed, still without her sister’s return.

She
longed for her cell phone in its case, lying out in plain sight on a table in
her room. Why hadn’t she remembered to grab it? She scowled when she realized
it would have been useless, even if she had it on her. She didn’t know any
Corsovan numbers, and 9-1-1 probably wasn’t available here. At least she could
have kept the boredom at bay by playing a few games.

As the
time passed, she grew hungry. She tried ignoring it for a while, but her
stomach started rumbling every few minutes. Not even her fear dampened her
hunger, and she opened the picnic basket as the sun’s strength started to fade.
Anca found a partial loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese. The water flask was
empty, and she eyed the wine warily, leaving it in the basket.

She
nibbled on the cheese and bread, trying to make the small portions last. She
had a brief thought of rationing them, since she had no idea how long it would
be before someone found her. An even more disconcerting mental image of being
eaten by wolves chased away that thought. She ate the provisions available to
her, figuring she wouldn’t last long enough to starve if she weren’t rescued
soon.

Her
mouth was dry when she finished, and she cautiously uncorked the wine. She
sniffed it and winced at the unpleasant copper smell. She wondered what type of
grapes they grew in Corsova as she took a small sip.

Anca
steeled herself for the same bittersweet taste as last night and was able to
swallow without choking. She grimaced at the taste, but found it wasn’t as
unpleasant as the last glass she had tried. In fact, after a few minutes, she
started enjoying the sharp tang and aftertaste it left in her mouth.

It had
the peculiar effect of making her more hungry though, and she corked the
bottle, knowing she had nothing else to eat right then. She didn’t even have a
passing knowledge of the flora of the Bulgain Mountains. Ripe, juicy berries
beckoned from a bush nearby, but she didn’t know if they were safe to eat. Though
the purplish-blue fruit resembled blueberries, they could be poisonous.

As the
sun slipped behind a group of clouds and the sky streaked with myriad colors,
indicating sunset was near, Anca rose from the blanket she had spread out hours
before. She walked around the perimeter of the lake a bit, searching for signs
of anyone approaching.

“Hello?”
she called out, cupping her hands around her mouth to make her voice carry.
“Nikia?”

Her
voice echoed back to her, followed by the cry of a bird, but no other sound
reached her. She walked the opposite direction, near a thick growth of trees
lining the crude path they had taken to the lake. She called out again, but
there was no answer—not even the lonesome bird’s cry.

She
walked back to the clearing at the edge of the lake and examined the path. She
remembered from riding that it was at least an hour’s worth of riding back, but
she didn’t know what that would translate to if she walked it. Aside from that,
she didn’t know at what point to leave the trail or which direction to go.
Nikia had led her on a twisting route from the castle, through trees, tall
grass, and untamed land.

When
they broke onto the path, she had asked why they hadn’t taken it all the way.
Nikia had explained it didn’t lead back to the castle, but originated in the
village of Grasov, which was in a different direction than Castle Draganescu.

Anca
considered the path before she looked up at the sky. By the way the sun was so
quickly waning, she knew she wouldn’t make it back to the castle before
nightfall. She probably wouldn’t even make it to the point where she was
supposed to leave the trail—if she could remember where that was. Since she had
no idea how far away Grasov was, that didn’t seem to be a viable option either.

With a
disgruntled sigh, Anca dropped onto the blanket again and locked her arms
around her knees. She rested her head on her thighs and cursed her stupidity
for remaining at the lake for so long, waiting for Nikia to come back. If she
had started walking hours ago, she probably would have been at the castle or
the village by now.

She
stiffened when she heard a wolf howl in the distance. She’d hoped Nikia had
been toying with her when she mentioned wolves, but it appeared there were
still some roaming Corsova.

Twilight
would soon be upon her, and the dim sky already provided little illumination.
Would fire repel the wolves or attract them? She wondered how difficult it
would be to make a fire before she remembered she didn’t have any matches. She
hadn’t even been a Girl Scout, so she didn’t have a clue about creating a fire
from striking stones or sticks, or whatever one struck.

All
Anca could do was wait and hope someone came soon. Preferably, before she
became dinner for a pack of wolves or other wild animals. Why hadn’t she listened
to her inner warnings and refused Nikia’s invitation?

* * * * *

“It’s
my fault.” Starr’s head was bowed, causing her light-brown hair to obscure her
angular face. “I should have waited right by her door.”

Demi
sighed. “I told her to take you along if she left the castle. It’s not your
fault she didn’t listen. Nikia had her part in whisking Anca away without an
escort. Don’t forget how manipulative she can be.”

Starr
shook her head. “It’s my fault,” she insisted. “I was derelict in my duties. If
I’ve let Her Highness come to harm…”

Ylenia’s
soothing voice interrupted. “Assigning and accepting blame doesn’t help right
now. We must find Anca. She’s out there alone.”

“Worse,”
Demi said grimly. “She’s with Nikia.”

Starr
made a soft sound of distress, but didn’t repeat her statement about it being
her fault. “I’ll gather Sorin and Lucien to help me search. We’ll go in
wolf-form. We’ll make better time that way.”

“I’ll
come with you,” Demi said. He began unbuttoning his shirt and averted his eyes
as Starr slipped out of her robe. She quickly transformed and moved to Ylenia’s
side, pressing her furry body against the older woman’s leg. He shed his
clothes, but before transforming, he said to Ylenia, “Tell Valdemeer what’s
happened. Have him organize as many guards as he can, as quickly as possible.
We have no idea which way Nikia led her, so we have a vast area to cover.”

Ylenia
nodded, and her wrinkled face clearly reflected her worry. “Shall I notify my
niece and have her ask her leader to take his pack to search for her in their
region?”

He
hesitated, blanching at the idea of asking Rica for anything. “That’s a long
way from the castle. Would Nikia have led her so far?”

“Rica
won’t deny my request, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she said in a soft
voice. “He won’t be happy to be called into the search, but he’ll assist us.”

With a
small sigh, he laid aside his pride, knowing Anca’s welfare was more important
than honoring the pack’s desire for isolation. “Very well.” Demi found a small
smile. “I wonder how Anca will react if we find her before the guards do.”

He
didn’t wait for an answer as he closed his eyes and thought about transforming.
He felt the familiar burning-stretching that accompanied the change. He looked
down and saw his nose morph into a muzzle. Within seconds, he had transformed
into a silvery-white wolf several inches taller and much more muscular than
Starr. Side by side, they padded from the room. As she went to gather Sorin and
Lucien, he broke into a loping run.