between her legs, forcing them apart. Thankfully, the blanket was still between them, but it also held her arms pinned to her sides, rendering her nearly helpless.
“They tell me you’re a witch,” he said from just inches away, his breath foul and acrid from too much to drink. “I’ll just have to make sure you can’t say anything,” he said. “Should make it easier to have my fun with you without drawing attention, anyway.”
He stuffed a filthy sock into her mouth, then tied it in place with another. Isabel fought the urge to vomit.
“That ought to do it,” he said, sitting on top of her, using his knees to keep the blanket firmly in place, pinning her to the bed. She could almost see him smile in the dark before he hit her across the face with an open hand, then he swiftly backhanded her across the other side of her face.
Isabel stopped struggling and went limp, closing her eyes and reaching out with her mind, searching for an animal to call to her defense. Kolo was sleeping at the foot of Baqi’s bed. She called to him, rousing him with a start. He came bounding out of Baqi’s quarters, running through the night.
The soldier hit her again, and again.
“I thought you’d put up more of a fight than this,” he said. “I’m kind of disappointed. Can’t imagine what Phane would want with you.”
The door burst open and Kolo leapt at the man from behind, clamping powerful jaws on to his neck and pushing him over onto Isabel. She drove the dog on, commanding him to bite down even harder, crushing the man’s neck and killing him where he lay on top of her. She heard bones snap, followed by footsteps coming toward her quarters.
She pushed the man off of her and rolled out of bed, pulling the gag from her mouth and drawing her sword. She was muttering the words of her shield spell when Lieutenant Febus entered, followed by three soldiers.
“Lady Reishi, we heard a commotion,” Febus said.
“One of your men tried to rape me,” Isabel said, her shield firmly in place. “You told me this chamber was secure.”
Febus swallowed, looking from the dead soldier to Isabel.
“I’m so sorry,” Febus said. “I gave strict orders that you were to be treated with respect, but this man is brother to the man you killed outside the wall.”
“So he said. His disobedience cost him his life.”
Baqi burst into the room. “There you are, Kolo. I told you not to run off in the night.” He stopped suddenly, looking around at the soldiers, at Isabel, and at the corpse, before stepping in front of his dog.
“Kolo didn’t mean any harm,” he said. “You have to believe me.”
“Your dog killed a man,” Febus said, drawing himself up and looking down at the little boy. “We can’t have dangerous animals roaming the village at night.”
“Lieutenant Febus, this dog saved my life,” Isabel said, not wanting to reveal her power over animals. “You will leave the child and his dog alone, is that understood?”
“Yes, Lady Reishi,” he said, somewhat deflated.
“Go on home, Child,” Isabel said to Baqi with a wink.
“Lieutenant, remove this corpse, post two men at my door, and leave me.”
“By your command, Lady Reishi,” he said, motioning to his men to carry the dead soldier from the room and bowing on the way out.
Isabel sighed as she sheathed her sword and sat down on her bed. It seemed that the Regency had discipline problems. She curled up with her dagger and drifted off into a fitful sleep.
Breakfast arrived while she was strapping on her armor. When she emerged from her quarters, the honor guard was preparing to depart.
“Ah, Lady Reishi, we’ll be ready within the hour,” Lieutenant Febus said.
“Very good, Lieutenant. How long will the journey take?”
“A week to ten days, depending on the weather and any threats we might encounter along the way,” Febus said. “The jungle is dangerous, home to many powerful predators, so we’ll be preparing a fortified encampment each night.”
“I trust you’ll take the necessary precautions,” Isabel said.
***
The first two days were uneventful. Isabel found herself alternately thinking about Alexander, wondering how he was and fretting over the way she’d left him, and marveling at the sheer volume of life surrounding her. The Great Forest was vibrantly alive but the jungle was full of activity. All around her, the residents of the jungle went about their daily business of surviving, largely ignoring her and the two dozen soldiers