It would be a long ride home after he rescued her, and they both needed the energy for it. But they had to go all night—they couldn’t risk being chased by six guards.
He should have waited for his brother. But if he had, he might not have caught up to them. As it was, he didn’t know if his brother would even find them with how far they were off the road. The longer they had ridden, the farther they had strayed, and the ground had grown dry, so they weren’t leaving tracks.
It was entirely possible that they wouldn’t find them.
Darkness fell and a fire was built, and Sophia sat in her wagon.
He prayed that she knew he was coming for her, that she wasn’t scared, that she was waiting for him and not feeling utterly abandoned.
He prayed that he would be able to rescue her, and they would both escape unharmed.
As the guards settled in for the night, with one lone guard standing watch, he began to creep closer, at times dropping down to crawl in the dirt.
If crawling through the grass and dirt didn’t prove how much he loved her, he wasn’t sure what else he could do.
Rescuing her would be a good start, though.
Chapter seventeen
Sophia
Sophiasatstillasa stone, hoping to avoid being noticed. The Huntsman had brought her to the edge of the woods and given her a moment of privacy, before bringing her back to the wagon and tying her hands together. He’d let her sit on the bench across the front before tying the end of the rope to the wagon and handing her a piece of bread and a piece of cheese, one for each hand.
They hadn’t forced the gag on her as they’d left the main road behind. They probably thought they were far enough away from the Northlands that it didn’t matter anymore.
Her hope of being rescued was rapidly dwindling with every mile put between them and her new home.
Had Caspian noticed she was gone yet?
Thinking about it only brought tears closer to the surface, so she couldn’t allow herself to think about it too much.
She also didn’t think about the fact that it was cold away from the fire, and Lady Rendon’s beautiful dress was ruined and absolutely terrible at keeping her warm.
She’d survived worse.
Instead she thought about all of her favorite things she’d experienced in the Northlands as she ate the dry bread and cheese.
Thea’s drinks, love, and the comfort of the café. Snuggling Ginger in her favorite chair. Playing with Mollie. The day Mollie was born, too. Mollie was the first baby she’d ever delivered, and being there for the moment new life was born was an incredible thing.
Mollie had been cold, too. Sophia had used a towel to dry her off and snuggled her in the kitchen until she warmed up. She’d brought her back to the barn and watched her nurse for the first time, and ever since that day, she’d been in love with her goats.
Would Mollie think that she’d abandoned her?
No. She couldn’t think that.
That would definitely bring tears, and she refused to let them see her cry.
Her mind drifted to Caspian and all the happy moments she’d shared with him…but no. Those thoughts were dangerous, too.
She waited for dusk to turn to darkness so she could cry as much as she wanted.
She’d overheard the Huntsman telling Lady Manning they would get to the city by midday tomorrow. Lady Manning had come by the wagon to gloat several times but hadn’t said anything of substance that would tell her what she was planning.
All it did was fill her with dread for what was awaiting her in Riyel.
She would never stop fighting to get away.
She hadn’t known when she escaped the first time how wonderful life could be. She hadn’t known the feeling of a warm animal snuggled in your lap, or the feeling of a friend giving you a hug for no reason, or the feeling of a man holding you close and kissing you like he never wanted to let you go.
