Bow and Sparrow

CH 26

"Who are you?"

The man standing before me, flanked by two others, was indeed not Rylan. We shared a look of confusion before his morphed into callous understanding. He wore a red, quilted coat with shiny black buttons all the way up and a red armband around his left bicep emblazoned with the Rezantri crest, identical to the red wax seal that had been on the envelope. How I was beginning to hate that symbol.

The other two soldiers behind him wore the same red coat, more faded and frayed at the hems as if they had been worn by many before them, but the armbands on their biceps were a deep blue in color. They stood with their heels together and arms clasped behind their back but they were staring at me. From the difference in their uniforms, the one in front must be their superior. I tried to remember the significance of the armbands but my mind came up blank.

"I believe the more important question is who are you?"

My focus shifted back to the man in front and I immediately wished they hadn't. His piercing green eyes studied me with calculating calmness as he took two tantalizing steps forward and began circling me like a predator surrounding its prey.

"Noreena Phillips. Am I correct?"

"Yes." The ground swayed beneath my feet but I managed to stay upright. There was no use denying it now. It seemed the entire world knew who I was and it only took one day. Suspicion brewed in my mind. Perhaps Rylan left for a different reason.

"You sneak your way into our camp as a spy for your own country's use-"

"I am no spy."

"Perhaps not." His voice came from behind me but I stared straight ahead, even when I could feel the breath of his words on my neck. "But who is to say what information you've picked up while you have been here. We simply cannot let you go until we figure that out."

"What are you going to do then?" I struggled to keep my voice even as my heart plummeted in my chest. I had been so close and for it all to come to an end here. I had no doubts what Rezantri did to spies, most likely the same thing Verdana would do if one was caught in their midst. I clenched my fists by my side to keep them from shaking.

"Normally you would be tortured for information and then eventually hanged for your crimes," He smirked at the wince that crossed my face. "But someone of your importance... well it's not for me to decide."

One of the other soldiers emerged from the bedroom, carrying my hastily packed bag in one hand and the folded map in the other. I hadn't even noticed he'd gone in. He handed it off with a curt, "Sir."

His superior unfolded the map and his face twisted up into an awful smile. No doubt he recognized the markings. He waved it in front of my face. "Not a spy, eh?"

"I told you. I am no spy." It didn't matter what I said, I realized. I was already guilty in their eyes. "But it doesn't matter what I am, does it? It's plain to tell you've already decided for yourself."

I saw a flicker of annoyance in the his eyes but he quickly replaced it with a cold, stern expression. In a gruff voice, he said, "Tie her up."

The two soldiers each grabbed my arms, wrenching them behind my back. One of them unslung a coil of rope from around his shoulder. The rough fibers scratched my wrists as they were bound. I struggled in their hold but I wasn't done yet. Maybe it was the lack of control over my own life but I was too late to stop the words from slipping from my lips.

"It's honestly laughable to think a girl like me is a threat to someone like you, in your coat that likely has never seen any action before. Well done in keeping it so pristine."

His eyes flashed with rage and his open palm flashed briefly before the sting of the slap registered, snapping my head to the side. If it weren't for the two soldiers holding my arms, I might've fallen to my knees.

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"I hit a nerve, didn't I?" I winced through the words, looking up at him through the curtain of hair that had fallen over my face. His face turned blotchy as a vein in his neck strained against the tight collar of his coat. Sunlight beamed in as the door snapped open, a voice following shortly after.

"What's going on here?"

Rylan stood in the doorway, chest heaving and out of breath, though he hid it well. Anders was right behind him, just outside the doorway and looked concerned.

"Don't worry, soldier. I've taken care of the situation."

Polished Buttons straightened up, smoothing out his wrinkle-free jacket as he turned to Rylan, clapping him on the shoulder. He leaned towards Rylan and whispered in his ear, too quietly for me to hear what was said. Rylan nodded solemnly, stepping back from the doorway and his eyes darted to me, my bound wrists, the red handprint on my cheek. And even though I saw the panic that crossed Rylan's face when we passed by him, he said nothing. Did nothing. And just like that, I was outside and my hope was dwindling.

I was forced down the path towards the entrance of the camp. The same path that I had walked so confidently yesterday with Rylan. Some of the soldiers stopped to stare as we walked by, but I didn't want to see the expressions on the faces I have come to know. So I stared at the treetops in the distance, at the birds taking flight from their branches. Even when I stumbled, my gaze never wavered.

I tested the strengths of the knots but they held strong, and I wondered if they had to tie up spies often.

For a panicked moment, I worried that we were already leaving. I knew the moment we stepped foot outside the camp my odds of escape would be slim. At least from here, I knew the general direction Verdana was in but once we were in the forest, I would be lost.

They dragged me inside the horse stable and we walked to the very end where the stalls were empty. They opened the gate to one and gestured inside. I looked between them. Surely they weren't serious.

"In you go." The soldier behind me prodded my back, sending me stumbling forward into the stall. With my hands tied behind me, I landed face-first in a pile of surprisingly clean hay. I shifted into a sitting position just as the gate latched into place from the outside, sealing my fate with a dull click.