Hidden Knights (Knights of the Realm #3) - Jennifer Anne Davis Page 0,88
to be the duchesses, ill from something they ate. He wanted them to remain in the tents, out of sight, for as long as possible. His hope was if someone were watching the camp, they’d assume the duchesses were ill, not gone.
Once everyone was ready, Dexter paired them up, one proficient fighter with one duchess. He placed Reid with Duchess Tucker. Then, each pair left the tent ten minutes apart, pretending to be soldiers on patrol, heading directly south. Once all fourteen regrouped, they began their trek to the City of Radella.
They traveled for the rest of the night, stopping only when the sun started to rise. After finding what Dexter deemed a secure location, they slept until sunset. Then they woke and headed out, traveling as fast as they could under the cover of darkness while avoiding all towns and farms.
After five nights, they reached the outskirts of the City of Radella. Dexter led them to an abandoned shed. When he opened the door, a familiar person awaited them.
“It’s about time you showed up.”
Chapter Nineteen
Reid couldn’t believe Seb was there.
“The men are in place,” Seb said, tossing a sword to Dexter, who deftly caught it.
“Excellent.” He removed the sword strapped to his waist, sheathing the new one in its place. “Get everyone here loaded up.”
“Gladly.” Seb turned, revealing a shed stocked with hundreds of weapons. He started distributing knives to the duchesses.
“You knew Seb would be here?” Reid asked Dexter.
“I sent him ahead of us,” he said as if that explained everything.
“What men does he refer to?”
“The men and women you met at the meeting.”
The revolutionaries as Reid had called them.
Once everyone had been supplied with more than enough weapons, the group continued toward the city, Owen leading the way. At the first set of buildings, a low whistle rang out. Owen answered it with a higher-pitched one.
A Melenia soldier stepped out of the shadows. “Prince Owen?”
“Yes, along with some others. See that we’re not followed. I need to speak with Commander Beck.”
The man nodded. “I’ll escort you to the commander myself.”
Even though it was night, the duchesses examined their surroundings with wide eyes. Unlike home, the roads were paved, and the city had a clean and orderly feel to it. Most buildings were anywhere from two to five stories tall, and they were made from smooth stones in an assortment of colors and textures.
After the Melenia soldier whistled, a dozen soldiers joined them. He quickly repeated Owen’s instructions. Half moved back into the shadows, presumably watching the roads to ensure no one followed. The other half escorted their group. They took the smaller roads instead of the main ones cutting through the city. When the palace came into sight, they stopped, pressing against one of the buildings.
Reid couldn’t believe what she saw. Instead of the beautiful, green lawn surrounding the palace, tents covered the entire area and soldiers milled about. At least a dozen campfires lit the sky.
One of the soldiers whistled, and another soldier joined them, briefing Owen on the situation. When he finished, Owen addressed the group.
“The camp is comprised of soldiers from Melenia, Lyndr, and Marsden,” he explained. “We’re going to split into three groups, so we don’t attract unwanted attention. One of my men will lead each group to the commander’s tent. Be on guard.”
They all agreed. Reid was grouped with Dexter, Harlan, Gytha, and Duchess Tucker.
“Lead the way,” Dexter said to the soldier who approached them.
He gestured for them to follow. They stepped out of the shadows, heading for the east end of the camp.
Reid made a point to keep her head down and to walk quickly, like she had somewhere to be. As she made her way through the camp, she clutched a dagger in the palm of her hand, just in case. The soldier led their group through a maze of tents, around soldiers, and past men cooking at campfires.
When they reached one of the larger tents, the soldier had them wait on the side of it until the other two groups arrived. When they did, Owen and Dexter ducked inside while everyone else remained outside the tent, waiting in the shadows. Thankfully, the Melenia soldiers who guarded the area studiously ignored them.
Angry voices came from within the tent. Reid looked at the soldiers, wondering if they planned to see what was going on. The men eyed one another, but they made no move to intervene.
“Dexter is a strong fighter,” Gytha murmured beside Reid. “You don’t need to worry about him.”