“If you find the girl, bring her back to my compound as quickly and as quietly as you can.” Zelrus paused. “And gentlemen?”
Haros and Lephas turned to look back at their king.
“She may be a young girl, but don't forget who her father is. Be kind to her, but if she resists... Use as much force as is necessary.” Zelrus's expression darkened.
Lephas nodded; he and Haros left the room quietly.
∞∞∞
Once they had gathered their supplies, it had taken Lephas a lot less time than he'd thought to get out on the road.
If their intel from Zelrus was correct, the faerie princess had run in the middle of the night. She must have been walking for hours, surely getting tired by now.
Though the snow fell heavily, Haros, himself and the other four demon soldiers that accompanied them had made good time. It was only late afternoon, but they had long since given up on the possibility of finding the girl and making it back to Banesteppe in one day.
The snow made things more difficult, that was for sure. They had attached sharp snow treads to their boots and had deliberately packed only the essentials – including basic camping equipment – to keep themselves as light on foot as possible.
Lephas lamented the choice to leave his heavy armour and broadsword back at the compound. He adjusted the sword at his side and hoped, should they come across any trouble, the smaller weapon would be enough.
They had no real idea where the princess had gone and they needed to advance on her position quickly if they stood any chance of catching up with her.
Lephas's large, grey mountain wolf, Karn, trotted ahead of the troop. He stopped to sniff curiously at patches of snow, looking for scents.
If she was out here, Karn would find her.
“Why do you suppose she ran?” Haros asked curiously, striding to walk alongside his commander.
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Lephas shrugged. “Makes you wonder just how bad it is in there that she saw this as a better option.”
“Yeah, I'm sure it's real hard work being disgustingly rich, having everyone do your bidding night and day,” Haros spat.
“True,” Lephas agreed. “We have to be cautious. Lazuli's men are undoubtedly out here looking for her as well.”
“Good luck to them! I bet none of those rich pricks have ever even stepped foot outside those walls before today.” Haros glanced over his shoulder. “Even with their head start, we'll find her first.”
“With any luck.” Lephas grinned. He reached inside the pocket of his thick, fur-lined leather tunic to pull out a weathered map. He frowned as he quickly determined where he and his men were.
“We'rejust south of the old farmstead where Zelrus's informant first saw this mysterious female.” Lephas pointed towards a dense bank of forest. “Which means we're just off from the main road.”
“I think we should drop back a little and cut through to the north-east. It's harder terrain through the undergrowth, but it will save us some time,” Haros suggested.
“Agreed; she's clearly turned right at the fork. If she had carried straight on, it would have taken her straight into our path. Unless she's hidden somewhere along the route, we would have spotted her by now. If we just–”
Karn howled sharply, drawing the men's attention. The wolf pawed at some disturbed snow. He'd found a scent trail.
Haros rushed over to the animal, curiously inspecting the snow.
“Yep, definitely foot prints... Small, a woman or a young person. Judging by the depth of the print, I'd say slender build. They don't appear to be wearing shoes with any form of tread.” He grinned. “I think we've got her.”
“A significant layer of fresh snow is covering those tracks.” One of Zelrus's men joined in, crouching to look at the prints. “She's been gone from this point for at least an hour, maybe two.”
“We could catch up to her, but we'll have to move – now.” Lephas spoke with urgency. “Karn...”
The wolf pricked his ears and looked in his master's direction.
“Find!” he commanded.
The wolf hurriedly sniffed the trail once more before setting off at a sprint. The large creature disappeared into the snow storm in seconds.
