“Keep close beside me,” Isolde ordered, warily scanning the woods. “We’ll need to press on to reach the city by nightfall.

Isolde could only assume she’d been chosen for this task because of her skill. She knew she was able. She knew she could protect the king’s cousin ably against the kidnappers who’d sought doggedly to capture them.

Still, something felt amiss as Isolde strode forward. The forest was just a little too quiet, a little too empty. She would be on her guard.