The Archer's Daughter by Melissa MacKinnon Read Free Book Online Page B

slight frown. “If only we were to have met under different circumstances.” She sprinted toward her men, pausing for a moment to glance back at the defeated Owen. He hung his head between his knees, and both arms were slung loosely at his sides. She had bested him.
    The breath burst from her lungs as she dashed from the small clearing in which she had parted ways with Owen. Running alongside her, Wallace huffed his moans and groans as he struggled to keep pace. The joyful embraces and thankful prayers would have to wait until they cleared the forest and gained a substantial amount of ground in fleeing from the enemy.
    With every push forward, men sprung from the forest, joining Cate in retreat. Worthy men, young and old, from the surrounding villages had joined with Wallace — for her freedom. Some faces she recognized… once young boys were now young men toting steel and string, while others were strangers. Simple farmers banding together for a united cause.
    For a brief moment, a full-bodied euphoria consumed her. She had survived to live another day, granted a second chance to resume the hunt for her father’s murderer. She would see him avenged. Flashes of deep crimson, the color of the Royal Guard uniform caught her eye, and Cate tugged Wallace to a halt. She motioned for the others to lower to the ground as she did, hiding in the tall grasses. Several voices echoed through the trees, bouncing off rock and limb in skewed directions. Needing to know just how many they faced, Cate whispered to Wallace, “Wait here.”
    Rising to her elbows, she crawled through the underbrush, closer to the enemy guardsmen. The men argued, their attentions on one another rather than their surroundings, and to Cate’s favor. To her dismay, two of Owen’s men — the trackers sent after Wallace — bickered with several of the painted head hunters. Stunned by the betrayal, Cate could not move. Instead, she listened. If they were to reveal any semblance of a plan, she wanted to know of it.
    “How is it they are not dead?” one whispered harshly.
    Cate recognized the voice. He’d been wary of her, never making full eye contact, but had always kept one eye on her at all times.
    “I do not know, sir,” was the feeble reply.
    “Because your men shoot as straight as they piss!” The frustration evident in the strain of his voice, the guard growled orders. “Tell your men if they do not bring me both of their heads, it will be their own on pikes!”
    “Yes, sir!” Boots shuffled through the bracken. Horses snorted their discontent as the men mounted, the leather tack squeaking under the new weight.
    Wafts of sweat, leather, and beast tingled in Cate’s nostrils, leaving her with the overwhelming instinct to run. She crept backward, careful as to not disturb the tall plants disguising her position. A dull panic rooted in her gut, threatening to slither its way to her throat in the form of a cry.
    Two heads . The guards were plotting to kill Owen. He’d put his trust in them — in her — and even she had betrayed him. Although she swore him no duty or honor, she owed him this one thing. Owen put his life in the hands of his men willingly. She knew not why they wanted his life ended, but he did not deserve to die at the hands of treachery from his own men. Men whom he fought with, broke bread with. She must warn him of their devious ways. It was the least she could do as repayment for his kindness.
    Reaching Wallace, Cate inhaled a wavering breath. “Wallace, listen to me. Take the others and return home to Hawkhurst. There is a matter I must attend to, and I must face it alone. I will be along with haste.” She clenched his shoulder with her fingers, squeezing it reassuringly.
    “Cate.” Wallace sighed her name, his disappointment evident by the deep crease in his brow and the frown contorting his usually joyful features.
    She would not be deterred. “I know how much you have risked, and I am truly grateful, but I must warn