Free Broken Forest: Book One of the Daath Chronicles by Eliza Tilton

more death. I couldn’t allow them to do that.
    “Thank you,” Derrick said, before I could convince them not to come.
    I was ready to argue with Derrick when he grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side. “I know what you’re thinking.” He held up a finger. “We need them. This is too big for us, and I’d feel a lot better if we weren’t alone with that guy.”
    I knew he referred to Jericho, and Derrick was right: we couldn’t trust him, at least not yet. I had to remind myself who this man was—Jeslyn’s kidnapper.

I wanted to thrust my sword into Gerard’s pitiful face. “I hope you have a very good explanation as to why my entire caravan is missing!”
    He knelt. “We were attacked just before dawn. Lady Lucy informed us she had taken care of our pursuers. We were unprepared.”
    I walked down the red carpet and thought about slicing off his head. “Do not blame Lucy for your incompetence. You are the captain.” I glared down in disgust. The males of this race served little purpose, and they smelled like a mule. “Where are the rest of your men?”
    Gerard clenched his fist. “Most of them were killed during the attack. I assume the rest fled. They caught one of the guards, but I made sure he would not be able to speak. Daath’s location is safe.”
    “What else do you have to say for your failure?”
    “When I realized the battle was lost, I escaped with one of the girls. She… .”
    Before the words had left his lips, my foot snapped out, nearly breaking the ribs of his frail weasel-like chest. “Coward! You think a girl would redeem you?” I drew my sword. Enough of this.
    He buckled, gasping for air. “She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She would make the perfect bride.”
    Now, that was interesting. “All right, Gerard. Let’s see this little treasure you’ve brought me. If she is what you say she is, you get to live.” Slowly, I slid the sword back into its gold sheath, accentuating the sound of its keening blade; a melody that reminded Gerard his folly would not be tolerated. “Take me to her.”

A slow drip echoed off the stone walls. I curled into a ball on the hard wooden cot, trying to convince myself it was all a long dream, one from which I couldn’t wake. They’d put me in a horrid room, covered in dark stone with only a wash pan and a small round window well out of reach. When the suns disappeared, I lay in darkness, listening to the murmurs and cries of other prisoners and waiting for the rays of dawn.
    The guards refused to answer any of my questions, and I still didn’t know why I was taken. I wanted Mother and Father, but most of all I wanted Derrick and wished he would come crashing through the door, rescuing me.
    Questions circled my mind. What had happened to Derrick? And my brother? For where one is, so is the other.
    Footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by the twist of a key. I rolled over and faced the wall. The guards enjoyed staring, and I refused to give them any attention.
    The door creaked open.
    “Hello, my lady,” a refined voice said.
    This wasn’t one of the guards. Curious, I turned to acknowledge my visitor. I didn’t expect a handsome boy. He stared at me with deep sapphire eyes. His shoulder length hair color reminded me of the pale yellow honeysuckles back home. His chiseled features resembled a stone statue, perfectly carved. My gaze drifted to his long velvet robe decorated with intricate gold symbols. Beneath the brocade vest he wore a silk shirt and from his neck hung a gold medallion of a snake eating its tail.
    He glided towards me like a swan on water. I combed my fingers through my hair, smoothing out the wild strands. He sat down on the cot. I was surrounded by the scent of cold winter air.
    “What’s your name?” he asked.
    I should have replied, but fear closed my throat.
    He smiled and held out his hand. “My name is Lucino.”
    “Jeslyn.” I placed my hand in his, anxious and uncertain.
    He gently