Maia woke up alone. She could feel a fading pain on her head. Whoever hit her in the head better be prepared for her wrath.
Eyes closed, she took a deep breath and the smell of manure greeted her nose. She wiggled her feet and met no resistance. However, her shoulder muscles ached because of her arms that were wrapped around the back of a chair.
Eyes opened, she turned her head to check her surroundings.
Streams of light from two small windows near the ceiling barely lit up the barnhouse. One side had been divided into cubicles. The other had rows of wooden shelves. The place contained only hay to fill up the space.
With the premises cleared, Maia slowly stretched her fingers to the rope around her wrists and studied its knot. Her ears remained alert for any sudden sound—particularly from the other side of heavy wooden doors in front of her.
Once the knot loosened, she tilted her head up and scrunched her nose. The ugly expression lasted briefly before she let out an equally ugly sneeze.
The empty air suddenly sparked to life. The sound of footsteps and wood against wood travelled through the nooks of the barnhouse.
As the entrance opened before her, Maia's eyes drooped and her head bowed.
"Well, well, well…" A menacing voice echoed, "Our guest seems to be dreaming still."
"Bo-oss." The teenager next to him stuttered, "are we really going to give her to the Nocti?"
"And why shouldn't we?" His boss perked an eyebrow.
The lackey gulped, feeling small under the scrutinizing gaze. As the newest member of their group, he was still learning what he can and cannot say—especially around his boss who was twice his age, "Di-didn't they ask for the Prince? Why did we ta-take the girl?"
"Ha!" His leader cackled loudly. The sight made him bow his head and hide his blush. He felt a hand ruffle his ink-black hair, "You are misinformed, my subordinate."
Misinformed? The lackey immediately looked up, eyes alarmed at his mistake. On a mission with false facts? That was inappropriate! Such insolence!
"They didn't ask for the Prince?" He clarified.
The wrinkles around his leader's eyes crinkled with merriment, "They did."
"Then, why—"
Patting the lackey's head, the leader interrupted him in a low voice, "You do know the Prince is supposed to be on his way to Aurae, don't you?"
"Ye-es?"
The leader's excitement at his brilliance hissed out breathly between his teeth, "But he isn't, correct?"
"Ye-es?" The lackey's eyebrows scrunched together, "That's why the Nocti sent out the reward for any information on his whereabouts."
He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders, pulling him closer to his leader, "Well, our sources gave us a tip. The real reason the Prince ran away…" the words were almost inaudible but Maia heard them clearly, "... was to elope."
Maia choked on her own spit. Elope? She mentally gasped, who were these sources? How did they come close to the truth? Did they even know the Prince was engaged to Ariene? Did they know if she was alive?
Flabbergasted, the lackey's disbelieving eyes stared blankly at his leader, "What? The Prince has a lover?"
"Yes!" His leader brimming with delight, "He was spotted entering an inn with a woman, what do you think that means?"
…
An inn?
…
A woman?
...
Maia's panic died down as soon as it rose up. She inwardly shook her head. She should have known better. Her kidnappers were still clearly amateurs.
The lackey's reaction came out in a rush, "So he really is escaping from the agreement? What about the union between the kingdoms? Aurae would declare war on us! And Celios will come to their aid! This is madness!"
His leader squeezed both of his shoulders and shook him, "That's why the Nocti are after him. To make things right! And when we deliver him to them, we'll be heroes to our kingdom!"
The middle-aged man laughed maniacally to the sky. Ever since his fallout with his previous crew, he had struggled to rebuild his reputation. The capture of Teralyn's Prince was the perfect opportunity. Once word got out, he had his spies scout every corner of Teralyn. No doubt the Prince would keep out of sight and his hunch had given good results.
Beside him, his subordinate remained silent. The teenager looked at the ground, processing the new information.
"But…" He couldn't help but point out, "We don't have the Prince."
That comment earned him a smack on the head from his leader who looked to him disappointedly. Clearly, the brat had a long way to go if he wanted to succeed in this kind of lifestyle.
"You, idiot!" His leader berated, "This girl is his lover!"
The lackey looked over to the girl tied to a chair, sleeping. She had one of the smoothest skin he had ever seen. Most beautiful females he had encountered possessed fair skin as they preferred to stay in doors. The one he stared at had a bit of a tan, a sign that she often spent her time under the sun.
"A man who ran away from a political agreement for love is clearly weak to this love." His leader further explained but the lackey's thoughts countered, with a girl that lovely, how could the Prince not be attracted to her? A red peony among a bed of white lilies.
"Instead of the Nocti chasing after him, the Prince will be the one to come to them for his beloved!" The leader bellowed a laugh, echoing throughout the surrounding forest. It faded into the air until it was silent once more.
The lackey realized his leader had stopped talking, jerking his head towards him. His eyes met a disdainful look of disappointment.
"That's genius, boss!" He quickly recovered, making up for his lack of enthusiasm. It did make sense. It was just a shame that someone else got involved.
Luckily, his leader took it in good nature and slapped his shoulder, "Of course! I am, after all, a brilliant man."