A man in his late twenties already mounted on a horse asked, “Lady Reid?”

She nodded.

Pulling up his sleeve, he revealed his Knight mark. He looked at her, waiting.

Assuming he wanted verification, she yanked up her sleeve to show him her identical mark.

Seemingly satisfied, he said, “If anyone asks, I’m Victor, your second cousin.” Dark brown hair topped his pleasant face. “The horse in the stall to your right is saddled and ready for you. Let’s be off.”

Reid led the horse from the stall, then attached her bag to the animal. She mounted, nudging her horse to follow Victor out of the stables.

“Sorry to make you wake so early,” he said as they rode off the palace grounds and into the city. “I want to cover as much distance as possible today.”

“It’s no problem.” It felt good to be back in a saddle again.

They exited the city and went southwest, pushing the horses hard. They only stopped once for a quick meal. When it became too dark to travel, Victor found a cave for them to sleep in. He woke Reid before the sun rose, and they set out, traveling hard and fast the entire day.

Just when Reid was about to ask if he planned to stop for the night, they came to a mountain, Victor steering his horse directly toward it. At the base, he started ascending in a back-and-forth pattern.

“It’s almost dark,” Reid said. “Are we to take shelter in another cave for the night?” She thought Henrick had said it was only a two days’ journey from the palace.

“We only have a little bit farther to go.”

The higher they went, the steeper it became. Afraid her horse would lose its footing and fall, she suggested they stop for the night.

Victor agreed, steering his horse behind a large boulder. Reid did the same. On the other side, a passageway cut directly between the mountain. Since it was too narrow to ride side by side, she followed close behind him. After a quarter mile, they exited to a flat area sunken in the middle of a mountain. The area had to be at least a mile in diameter. In the center, a castle had been built from stones. The place looked ancient.

Victor headed straight toward the castle.

“Is this it?” Were they at the Knights’ headquarters? The deteriorating castle appeared abandoned.

He nodded.

An eerie sensation—like spiders crawling over her skin—unsettled her. “Victor,” she whispered. “Are we being watched?” While she didn’t see anyone, she could feel eyes tracking them. Were there unseen Knights following their movements?

He smiled over his shoulder at her.

Unease filled Reid, making her want to turn around and leave. However, she had no desire to descend the steep mountain since it was almost dark.