"Did Phillip make it here this morning?" Leila asked Lord Pillas.

"I don't know. We've all been down there since last night. Did you check the guard house as you entered?" Lord Pillas asked. The men with her all shook their heads no.

"There was no one in them," Anatolio replied. The first sign to him that something was wrong was the missing guards.

"We were taken from our beds along with the staff by armed men in the middle of the night. Once they put us in the cellar, we didn't hear anything of what went on afterwards. We don't have much of value in the house," Lady Pillas explained. "Did Phillip come alone?" She was worried.

"No, Macarius and Javed were with him. How many people entered your home?" Leila asked.

"I'm not sure," Lord Pillas replied. "I would guess over ten or fifteen. I didn't have time to count, and it was dark."

"They were speaking a language I had never heard before," Lady Pillas said, starting to fret.

"They were from Enea," a young girl said that was standing behind Lady Pillas. Leila was not happy to hear the response. Anatolio had left but was finally returning. She cautiously moved away from the group of scared residents and talked quietly to him.

"How does it look?" she asked him as Nikias and Theo moved near to also hear.

"There are horse prints that head away from town. Lots of them. From what I can tell Phillip, Javed, and Macarius came near but didn't enter. For some reason they headed further south, but I could not see beyond a hill nearby," Anatolio explained part of what he saw.

"What is the current political situation with King Aiolos?" Leila asked Nikias. Anatolio had more to say but did not want to say it to his older brother.

"We are on fine standings with him for the time being. The last war with them was over ten years ago. King Nalick has never had a problem with him, but we are not allies either. We have by far the better military, so I don't understand why he would come into our country and do something like this," Nikias explained.

"Nalick's guards stay near the front of the house," Leila ordered, and the three men stood. "If you see anything at all, come back here immediately." All three moved to the front room and posted themselves by the windows.

"Nikias and Theo help get Lady and Lord Pillas some food and blankets and then escort them back to the cellar." Lady and Lord Pillas looked shocked.

"It is the safest place for you. If they return and find you wandering the house you could end up dead. We will send word to Nalick and have proper military come to help you out, but until then, stay there." Leila explained. Once Nikias and Theo were busy, Anatolio took her away from them out of hearing distance.

"There are at least ten people outside in the woods watching the manor. If we leave and head back out the front gate, we will be easily ambushed. There is a back route to Lexia from here and if we send a guard he can bring help, but I don't think they will wait that long," Anatolio explained and pulled Leila closer.

"There was blood near the top of the hill I couldn't see over. Something happened there." Leila stared at him as her heart began to pump wildly. Phillip was gone and there was blood. Anatolio reached out an arm to brace her, thinking she would tip over. Leila caught her breath and her resolve.

"We need to see whose blood it is," she said beginning to pace the room. The attack was staged to seem as a random break in, but now Leila doubted it was random. Leila walked back to Lord Pillas.

"Lord Pillas, is there any other way to exit your manor?" she asked.

"The wall is built around the whole compound. We have an entrance at the front, and then one at the back but, the back entrance is always locked. We have not used it in years," he explained.

"Can we have the key to the back entrance?" she asked, and he quickly ran to the nearby room and rustled through a desk.

"Take any of the horses you can use," he offered.

Leila returned to the men in the kitchen. Lord Pillas was the last put back into the cellar, and he shut the door behind them. Leila looked out the back window over the pasture and grazing horses. She needed to get to the other side of the hill quickly if anyone was hurt. Rationally, Leila thought, Phillip would not be harmed to get to me, but I am not so sure the same would not go for Macarius and Javed. Leila walked around the house trying to come up with her plan and Anatolio followed. Theo and Nikias waited for her return.

"We should head straight back to Lexia," Nikias said.

"No," Leila said while returning to the room. "There are several people waiting in the woods ready to attack us on our way back. Since we don't know how many are there, we will not directly approach them. We are going to use the back gate to send two of the guards back to Lexia as quick as possible, with each taking a different route. We can then follow the wall around the compound to find out if Phillip is further down the road." Nikias tried to object, but Anatolio stopped him.

"We do what she says," Anatolio said. "She is the queen." Theo nodded. Leila was far better to assess the situation and make a plan than any of the three men were.

"One guard will be left here to throw off the people watching the manor to make them assume we are still here," she finished. One man volunteered to stay.

Leila led the remaining men out the back door and to the nearest barn. Finding several horses unsaddled, she quickly put their reins on them. She handed each guard a horse and cautiously led them between buildings until she reached the back of the manor. Leila could barely see the door covered by vines, so Anatolio ripped them off the door. The lock had not been unlocked in years. Once it was open, Leila directed the two guards to take different routes back to Nalick with specific instructions. Nikias and Theo followed Leila beginning to circle back around the compound outside the wall to the front of the manor. Anatolio fell behind and kept watch over the group. As they neared the road that passed in close proximity, Leila slowed down. She handed her reins to Theo and checked for anyone following them.

The group that was waiting in the woods had not moved and they were free to continue down the road. They were on the other side of the hill that Anatolio could not see over. Leila tried not to stare at the blood. Gazing down the road she noticed several men lying face down. Quickly, Leila hurried over to them and the men followed. One by one she checked each man. They were all dead and all foreigners. As she neared the last two bodies, she knew who they were. Leila kneeled beside Javed and rolled him over. She checked for a pulse and could not find one. Javed was slowly dying, but she could see that he was still breathing shallowly. He had been cut many times, and his shirt was soaked through with blood. Tears welled in her eyes. Nikias also checked over his comrade and tried to see how he could help him. Leila looked up to see Theo running over to the last man.

Leila ran to the last man also. Macarius was injured but still alive and able to talk, just not move. Theo sat his best friend up, and he opened his eyes to see Leila.

"Leila," Macarius choked. "I'm sorry... I could not stop them."

"Theo, take them back to Lexia right away. Stop at the Shilling tavern on your way in town and tell the bartender that Meg needs some assistance. Hopefully, Roger is close and can make it back," she said. "Nikias, please go with him."

"No, I am staying beside you," Nikias said. His job was to watch over Leila no matter the circumstances, and Nikias was not going to fail his king. Leila gave a motion with one hand, and Anatolio moved near his older brother.

"Sorry," Anatolio said, as he hit a spot in the back of his neck.

Nikias crumpled to the ground and Anatolio ran back to the wall and got a small cart to wheel over to the men. Anatolio put the two injured men in the cart as Theo attached it to the horses. Leila tried to help but the two men took care of everything while she plotted her plan. When they were finished they turned to her and she explained.

"The reality is that Javed was the better fighter between him and Nikias. When he wakes tell him I was sorry to do that. I will go alone to Phillip. They will not hurt me, but that does not mean they won't hurt Phillip. I don't have time to waste waiting for Nalick and please explain that to him. Anatolio is going to follow me and if I need any help, he will be there. Anatolio will also look for Nalick." Theo nodded as Leila opened the back gate. "Take care of Macarius, please." Theo reluctantly headed back to the town with the men in the cart.

Leila went back inside the house. Anatolio followed her, silently. She cautiously looked into the front room confirming what she suspected; the guard was gone. He had been showing signs of nervousness since they had left the city and his jittery attitude made Leila suspect his involvement. She was relieved to find the one bad seed of the group was the one that knew the least.

"I am heading out that way now," she said. Anatolio nodded.

"Stay behind and follow at a good distance. I am sure there must be a courier with them, so don't get caught. As soon as I get inside their camp and find Phillip I will send word to you. Stay to the east side of their camp." Leila walked to the door. Anatolio grabbed her arm.

"Be careful, please," Anatolio said to her, and she smiled.

"I always am," she replied, and he hid as she opened the door. Calmly, she walked out the front door and towards the front of the manor. She took the reins of her horse that was still sitting by the front gate, and she walked back towards Lexia. Anatolio was surprised to see her so calm. It did not faze her that she was going to meet unknown enemies. From behind he could not see the determination in her eyes. Leila had trained hard for the last four years for this moment. This time she was not going to fail to protect someone she loved.

As she neared the front gate of the manor she could see the people hidden in the woods. She tied her horse to the gate and left it for Anatolio. From behind a tree stepped a fairly large man. His bushy light colored beard told her immediately he was from Enea. Leila estimated that he was as large as Nalick but should be as easy to take down if she chose.

"Where's my son?" Leila asked as more men appeared from the woods onto the pathway.

"Back at camp, safe for the moment," the first man said. As he walked closer she recognized the man. He was the head of Aiolos's personal guard: Mitchell. Leila never forgot a face.

"So will you come willingly?" Mitchell asked, extending his hand.

Leila accepted his hand and stood still as a man approached and checked her for weapons. Mitchell took both her hands and tied them together.

"Do you really think I am stupid enough to do anything before I see Phillip?" Leila asked sarcastically.

"Just a precaution," Mitchell replied, pulling the rope around her arms and leading her into the woods. "Is she alone?" he asked someone still hid in the woods.

"It looks like it," the man said, stepping out from the shadows. "It is so nice to finally meet you." The man said as he bowed deeply to her.

Chapter 26.

"Queen Eia. Hm. I don't think that name suits you." His small beady eyes with dark hair and a pale complexion told Leila who the person was. Leila had never met the man before, but he was Agro. He had been a courier with Marx for many years but recently changed to work for Aiolos because he wanted more freedom to be able to kill people. Couriers in most countries worked on an oath to not kill people and thus were not see as criminals by their own government. Argo walked around Leila, viewing her from every angle.

"You are as stunning as Marx always described you. Why he never made a move on you is unknown to me," Argo licked his lips as he made the complete circle. Leila held her head high and did not reply.

Leila patiently waited for them to beginning moving as Argo continued to eye her over. Leila followed Mitchell walking in the woods. Mitchell had several horses waiting for them as they neared the edge of the woods. They had one less horse than riders, and Leila would have to ride with one of the men. She took her chances with Mitchell over Argo and followed him to his horse. With her arms still tied she hopped onto the horse ahead of him. Leila was even agile with her arms restricted, and Mitchell saw the ties were unnecessary. Mitchell wrapped his arms around her as they rode. He enjoyed the distain from Argo as she had chosen to ride with him over the other courier. Mitchell did not blame her.

Even though Mitchell was completely loyal to King Aiolos, he did not approve of his choice to hire Argo. The man seemed to have a short fuse and was quick to kill anything that got in his way. Leila did not pay attention to the men that stared at her as she rode but rather to the path they were taking. She hoped Anatolio would stay far enough behind to follow and not get caught by Argo. She had heard from Marx that Argo was not very good at his job, but he was effective in killing any opponent that got in his way. Marx was more than happy when Argo quit his post to join Aiolos.

After several hours of riding, they neared a city. Leila did not know the town, but she knew they were still in Lior. The town was empty as they rode through it. Every now and then she caught the sight of a person or two through the panes of the windows hiding in fear. Aiolos was as harsh and uncaring as Jahangir, the only difference being that Aiolos had the stature and ability to support his ruthlessness. As they neared the opposite edge of the town, a large tent city was hidden well if not accessed through the town. She estimated Aiolos had half his army with him taking over the whole area. Leila imprinted a map of the tent city in her brain as they passed by many tents on their way to the center. The ornate much larger tent they were approaching made it obvious Aiolos was there personally to greet her. Slowly they walked through the tents and the people sitting outside each. As the neared the center tent, they passed the priests who began chanting in their holy language.

As the group drew near the main tent, Leila hopped down from her horse before anyone could move to help her. Before she could enter the tent, she was stopped and several more ropes were tired around her arms and legs. Leila laughed to herself as six men were ordered to not let go of her. Leila had seen so many easy opportunities to come and go in the camp as she pleased. Six men would not be a problem if she chose. With the help of the priests who offered on her way in, Phillip would easily be safe. No matter what they did, Leila was leaving as soon as she was alone with Phillip.

"So Phillip must be inside," Leila guessed waiting outside the tent, and Mitchell did not respond. From the look in his eyes, she had guessed correctly.

"I was wondering," Leila said to Argo, waiting for everyone to be sure she was secured. "Will you end up like Seth if you fail also?"

"Marx won't be coming to save you this time," Argo replied. Leila's expression did not change. Word spread quickly through the courier community, and Marx would know soon enough. She just hoped she wouldn't need his help this time. There was unquestionably bad blood between Marx and Argo.

"I wasn't expecting him to," Leila responded confidently. Quickly, Argo began barking orders to the men standing around the tent. Everyone ran away swiftly, trying their best to secure the area. Even with their increased efforts, they would not be able to keep her locked away. Mitchell pulled on the rope around her arms, and she followed him into the tent in front of her. Leila stopped just past the front door as a lady approached her and removed her shoes. The floors and the walls were lined with expensive fabrics.

Though Leila found the palace in Lexia ornate, it was nothing compared to the lavishly decorated tent she was in. Continuing further inside, she observed, to her disgust, several half-dressed women lounging on beds they were chained to. Aiolos' love of power over women was evident. Mitchell continued to pull her forward as two men opened the second set of curtains in front of her. Leila quickly scanned the room for she was looking. Towards the middle of the room seated on a couch facing away from her was Phillip.

"Phillip," Leila said, and the boy turned around.

"Mom," Phillip responded, trying to stand, but the two men next to him held him down. "You shouldn't have come here. This was a trap to get you," he added. Leila nodded her head.

"She already knew that," a voice said from behind another curtain. Leila did not need to see his face to know who was speaking.

"It's been a while," Aiolos said, confidently moving the curtain as she was dragged to the center of the room. The men holding her backed away but continued to hold onto their ropes. Leila did not acknowledge the man speaking to her but stared at Phillip. He was covered in blood, and she could not tell if he had been hurt.

Aiolos walked over to Phillip and pulled the boy with him.

"I can't believe you actually care about this kid," Aiolos continued. "He isn't even your own child, and yet you came running without any back up."

"Phillip is my son," Leila replied staring at Aiolos. Aiolos could see the fire behind her eyes and smiled.

"Are you okay?" her tone changed as she looked to Phillip. He nodded his head meekly.

"Nalick was a foolish man to let you out of his palace alone," Aiolos commented. "But he did teach the rest of us how best to catch you. Just kidnap and hold someone dear to you and you come running. I didn't know if this brat would be enough, but it looks like I finally won the prize."

Leila laughed, upsetting Aiolos. "What is so funny?" he demanded.

"You think I am actually staying with Nalick because he took someone close to me? Come on now, think a little. My friend left the palace the day after I entered. What is the longest stay I have had in your palace? Either Nalick has some sort of super jail cell, or I am staying on my own free will," she replied. Aiolos raised his eyebrows. It had not occurred to him that she was staying on her own free will.

"He might have taken my friend by mistake, but she has been home now for months. I can come and go as I please in Lior. Nalick would not be foolish enough to try to keep me there by force, but it seems you are." Phillip was surprised by how easily Leila made fun of the man that was holding her captive.

Aiolos pushed Philip onto the nearest couch and approached Leila. He walked around her and viewed her from every angle.

"Seems that you clean up pretty well. Being queen suits you. Too bad about this," he pointed to her arm. "Such a worthless custom."

"And shaving a woman's head before marriage isn't?" she replied, mentioning the one custom that other countries made fun of Enea for. Leila could see she was upsetting Aiolos, and she smiled. He moved closer and grabbed her as her smile quickly faded. He was near enough she could feel his breath on her face. He would be much harder to fight off when she was chained as such.

"Still a lot of spirit left in you, I see," Aiolos said, moving his hand to touch her. In response she kneed his groin before her guards could tighten the ropes. Aiolos tried to conceal his pain as he back away from her and sat down next to Phillip. Mitchell barked at the men to hold onto to her tighter "Where I come from, men don't go around touching women without their permission," Leila replied with a smile. "And they certainly don't make advances towards a soon-to-be-married woman." She could not help but rub in the fact that she had chosen to marry Nalick.

"Why would you want to marry a coward?" Aiolos asked, composing himself.

"My dad's not a coward," Phillip yelled, getting angry. He had been sitting with Aiolos for several hours and all Aiolos did was try to tell Phillip what a bad person Nalick was.

Aiolos smiled. "Seems the child does know how to talk."

"Phillip, be quiet," Leila scolded, and Phillip shut his mouth.

"No, no. I want to hear more. Why isn't Nalick a coward?" Aiolos asked, but Phillip did not reply. "See, the child probably does not know about how you ran away when Jahangir's army was approaching Dria."

Leila tilted her head as though she did not understand. "I don't recall running away from anyone. The last time we were in Dria, we were visiting Nalick's father, and I thought it was be great to take Nalick to visit my home and meet my parents also at the same time," Leila said. Aiolos' eyes grew large. He was unsure if he could trust she was telling him the truth, but he was still surprised that she would even suggest it. The one secret every courier kept was where their family lived. Leila stared at the man challenging him to doubt what she said.

"You would never take him home to your family," Aiolos finally said.

"Why not? I am marrying him in a few weeks. He would have to meet them sometime," Leila replied honestly. Aiolos stared at her. The rumors he heard were true. She was going to willingly marry his rival King Nalick. Leila could see, as he comprehended the truth, his anger began to boil. She quickly looked at Phillip and began to worry. She should not have upset him so badly with Phillip around. Aiolos stood and walked to her. As he neared, she felt the ropes tighten that were holding her.

"Too bad the wedding will have to be cancelled," Aiolos moved near her and began to touch her face. It may have been a loving gesture for Aiolos, but it made her skin crawl. "It seems I have made other arrangements for you." Leila replied by spitting in his face.

"I would not marry you if you were the last person left alive," Leila said, her anger matching his.

Rather than the upset reaction she expected, Aiolos began to laugh. "You will do what I say. And you know why? Because if you don't, I will hurt this kid that means so much to you. I won't kill him, but instead I will hand him over to the interrogation squad and let them find ways to make you do what I want." Quickly two guards grabbed Phillip.

"Let's see," Aiolos said picking up a knife from a nearby table.

"Which hand is it that is so important to a Lior prince?" Each guard flattened his hands on the table and Phillip stared at his own hands. Aiolos looked at Leila.

"Your left would mean his right." Aiolos walked over to Phillip, and Leila began to struggle with the ropes holding her.

"Don't you dare hurt him," Leila yelled at Aiolos. Aiolos smiled to be able to upset her. Leila glared at him.

"You don't think I would actually worry about you or the code you follow," Aiolos replied.

"I wouldn't just worry about me," Leila said pulling against her ropes. "It is not just me that lives by that code but every courier out there. I think any one of them would be will to repay you for hurting an innocent person."

"Well, I will have to wait and see," Aiolos replied taking the knife and stabbed it into Phillip's right hand. Leila struggled to get free but there were too many people holding onto her. Phillip did not make a sound as the blade pierced his hand and then was removed. Leila could see the tears forming in his eyes, but he did not say a word, just stared at Leila. She had told him to be quiet, and he was following her orders.

"Take them both away," Aiolos said with a fling of his hands. "That was just a practice. Next time he might lose a finger or two. That should give you something to think about next time you feel like disrespecting me."

The men pulled her out of the tent before she could respond and threw her into a tent cage with Phillip. Leila was happy to see they were thrown in the same tent together. Once they were sure she was secure and could not escape, the men finally let go of their ropes. Phillip hurried to untie his mother but soon saw he would not be needed. Leila picked up his bleeding hand. Quickly she ripped the bottom of her dress and wrapped it around his hand.