Chapter 5 Five

Having spent her entire life learning how to curtsy, how to pour tea without spilling, and how to pretend she enjoyed conversations about weather. No one had taught her what to do when a strange man aimed an arrow at the person protecting her.

Her first instinct was to scream. Her second was to grab Rowan's arm and pull him backward. Her third, which she actually did, was freeze completely while her brain scrambled for something useful.

The archer did not move. His face was partially hidden by the hood of his green cloak, but she could see his mouth set in a grim line. His hands were steady on the bowstring. Too steady. This was not his first time threatening someone.

Rowan stood perfectly still, his body angled to shield Victoria. His voice came out low and controlled. "Lower the bow, Kael."

Kael.

So Rowan knew him.

That should have been comforting. It was not.

Kael's grip on the bow did not loosen. "I told you not to bring anyone here. Especially not her."

"I had no choice," Rowan said.

"You always have a choice."

"Not this time."

Kael's eyes flicked toward Victoria for the first time. She felt his gaze like a cold wind. He studied her with the kind of look people gave broken furniture, deciding whether it was worth fixing or throwing away.

She lifted her chin despite the fact that she was soaking wet, bruised, and barely able to stand. "If you plan to shoot us, do it quickly. I have had a very long morning and I would like to know if I survive it."

Kael blinked. Then, to her surprise, he lowered the bow just slightly. "She talks like you said she would."

Rowan's shoulders relaxed a fraction. "She talks more than I said she would."

Victoria shot him a look. "Excuse me?"

Rowan ignored her and stepped forward cautiously. "Kael, we need shelter. She is injured. Trackers are searching the area. I will explain everything, but not here."

Kael studied them both for a long, uncomfortable moment. Finally, he slung the bow over his shoulder and gestured sharply toward the trees. "Follow me. Quickly. If they find my camp because of you, I will shoot you both myself."

Victoria whispered to Rowan, "He seems friendly."

"He is," Rowan replied seriously.

She stared at him. "That was sarcastic."

"I know."

She had no idea if he was joking or if he genuinely thought Kael was friendly. Either way, she was too tired to argue. Her hip throbbed. Her legs felt like wet rope. She took one step forward and nearly collapsed.

Rowan caught her immediately, his arm sliding around her waist. "Lean on me."

"I do not need to lean."

"Victoria."

"Fine." She leaned. Her pride hurt more than her hip, but survival won over dignity.

They followed Kael deeper into the forest, moving quickly despite Victoria's limp. The trees grew thicker here, the light dimmer. Moss covered the ground like a soft green carpet. Birds called overhead, sharp and sudden, making her jump twice.

Kael moved like he knew every root, every branch, every hidden path. He did not speak. He did not look back. He just walked with the confidence of someone who had spent years learning how to disappear.

After what felt like forever, they reached a small clearing. A crude shelter sat tucked beneath a massive oak tree, built from branches, canvas, and what looked like stolen pieces of a torn wagon. A fire pit sat cold and empty in the center. Supplies were stacked neatly along one side, covered with oiled cloth.

Kael gestured toward a log near the fire pit. "Sit."

Victoria limped over and sank onto the log with a sigh of relief. Her body felt like it had been wrung out and left to dry badly.

Rowan crouched beside her, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder. "Let me see your hip."

She pulled her cloak tighter. "Absolutely not."

"Victoria, if it is badly injured-"

"It is bruised, not broken. I will survive."

His jaw tightened, but he did not push. Instead, he stood and turned to Kael. "Do you have bandages? Clean water?"

Kael nodded and disappeared into the shelter. He returned moments later with a leather pouch and a waterskin. He handed them to Rowan without a word, then turned his attention to Victoria.

"You jumped into the river," Kael said. It was not a question.

"Yes."

"That was stupid."

Victoria glared at him. "It was effective."

"Stupid and effective are not opposites."

She opened her mouth to argue, but Rowan interrupted. "Kael, enough."

Kael crossed his arms. "You brought her into the Thornwood. The one place we agreed no one should come unless they were already dead or running from something worse than death. Which is she?"

Victoria frowned. "I am sitting right here."

"I know," Kael said flatly. "Answer the question."

She looked at Rowan, confused. "What is he talking about?"

Rowan sighed and ran a hand through his damp hair. "The Thornwood is a place where people hide when they cannot go anywhere else. Kael has been living here for three years. He helps people who are running from powerful enemies."

"People like me," Victoria said slowly.

"Yes."

She looked at Kael again, seeing him differently now. He was not just a man with a bow. He was someone who understood what it meant to be hunted.

Kael sat down across from her, his expression hard. "Rowan told me about you months ago. Said you might need help one day. I told him not to make promises he could not keep."

"I kept my promise," Rowan said quietly.

Kael snorted. "You brought a noblewoman into a forest full of criminals and deserters. If her father's men find this place, they will burn it to the ground looking for her."

Victoria's stomach twisted. "I did not know. I am sorry."

Kael studied her for a moment, then shook his head. "You should be. But you are here now. So we deal with it."

Rowan knelt beside the fire pit and began building a small fire with practiced efficiency. "How many people are in the Thornwood right now?"

"Twelve," Kael said. "Mostly men. Two women. All of them dangerous in their own way. If they find out she is Lord Halstead's daughter, half of them will try to sell her back for the reward."

Victoria's blood went cold. "Reward?"

Rowan glanced at her, his expression carefully neutral. "Your father posted a reward this morning. Five hundred gold coins for your safe return."

Her mouth fell open. "Five hundred?"

"He wants you back," Kael said bluntly. "Badly."

She stood up too quickly, ignoring the pain in her hip. "Five hundred gold coins? I am worth more than a horse but less than a decent house?"

Rowan almost smiled. "You are worth more than that to him. The reward is just the beginning."

Victoria paced, her mind racing. Five hundred gold coins was enough to tempt anyone. Enough to make her a target for every desperate person in Aveloria. She thought she had escaped her father's control, but he had just extended it in a different way.

She stopped and turned to Kael. "Why did you lower your bow? If I am worth that much, why not turn me in yourself?"

Kael looked at her for a long moment. Then he said something that surprised her.

"Because Rowan saved my life once. I owe him. And because I know what it is like to run from a father who thinks he owns you."

The words hung in the air, heavy and true.

Victoria sat back down slowly. "Thank you."

Kael nodded once. "Do not thank me yet. You are not safe. Not even close."

Rowan finished lighting the fire. Flames flickered to life, casting warm light across the clearing. He looked at Victoria, his expression serious.

"There is something you need to know," he said. "Something your uncle told me before he died."

Victoria's heart skipped. "What is it?"

Rowan hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully. "Your uncle did not die of illness."

She stared at him. "What?"

"He was poisoned."

The world tilted.

Victoria felt her breath catch, her hands gripping the log beneath her. "No. That is not true. The doctors said-"

"The doctors lied," Rowan said quietly. "Your father paid them to lie."

Her vision blurred. "Why would my father do that?"

Rowan met her eyes.

"Because your uncle discovered the truth about your bloodline. And your father killed him to keep it hidden."