29. Renowlf

Stalking silently through the woods,my senses attuned to my surroundings, I search for any sign of Bayliss.

I try not to dwell on the rage burning within me, threatening to consume my control. If I give in to my anger, the beast within me could be unleashed with devastating consequences. Yet despite my efforts to stay focused on finding Bayliss, visions of her harming my mate keep invading my mind.

I cannot lose Mia. Not when I have just found her.

Periodically, I stop along the trail that leads from the palace to the river to study the ground. I know the area well, where it winds and dips as it travels through the trees. In my youth, I often hunted this forest and played war games with other warriors-in-training.

If Bayliss is on the trail, I should have intercepted her by now. Yet the boot prints visible in the dirt are too large to be female and none of them are fresh. Perhaps Dolphus' intel regarding Bayliss' route was wrong, and I am wasting valuable time in a dead-end pursuit.

Just as I am about to turn back, the sound of voices up-trail catches my attention. My senses sharpen further as I halt and listen. Although I am not close enough to follow the conversation, there are three distinct voices: two male and one female. The female voice is one I intimately recognize.

Bayliss is coming, and she is not alone.

After drawing my sword, I crouch low and conceal myself in the nearby underbrush, waiting for the trio to draw closer. When they do, I will use the element of surprise to dispatch the two guards and take Bayliss into custody.

When the small group finally comes into view, I am stunned to recognize the guards as Turgen and Hagob, warriors who have long served the Owlf kingdom. That they would betray their king cuts me more deeply than any sword.

"Hold up," Turgen says before I can reveal my presence. He studies a tablet communicator. "There"s a new message from command."

"What is it?" Hagob asks.

"The human female has left the palace," Turgen says.

"She left?" Bayliss shrieks in anger. "Where would she go?"

Turgen swears under his breath. "Apparently, she wanted to speak with that worthless drunkard, Dorlok. Dolphus is accompanying her to the dungeon."

I silently curse my second for disobeying a direct order to keep Mia confined to my quarters and protect her at all costs.

Bayliss stomps her foot like a petulant child who didn't get her way. "This was not supposed to happen. The human was supposed to be a cornered target."

"Think of it as good news, Majesty," Hagob says.

Majesty? How many of my subjects view Bayliss as their rightful queen?

"Aye," Turgen agrees. "Eliminating the female will be easier now that she is away from the protection of the palace. The human's own stupidity will hasten her demise."

"Yes, I believe you are right," a pacified Bayliss says. "What is the fastest way to get to the dungeon from here?"

Turgen studies his tablet for a few seconds. "If we move off-trail and cut through the woodland, we should get there before dark."

"We?" Bayliss says, incredulous. "You expect me to tromp through the rough in my robe and slippers?"

"Er, no, Majesty, certainly not," Hagob says hastily. "You go back to the hunting cabin. We will bring the female to you."

Bayliss nods. "Alert the others of the change in plans. Make sure you deliver the human alive. I wish to be the one who ends the slave"s pathetic life."

Their casual discussion of capturing and murdering Mia sends my beast surging to the surface. Consummating our body has given me clarity around my feelings for her. Mia is everything to me: my destiny, my heart, my one true mate. Those who threaten to take her from me must be eliminated.

Yet this is not just a twisted plan for revenge by my jilted lover and her pair of guards. This is a conspiracy against the crown by an unknown number of traitors!

My hands clench around the hilt of my sword. Using the element of surprise, I could easily slaughter both guards and Bayliss. Yet I resist that urge. A quick death is much too good for these orcs; they must suffer for their treachery.

Making them suffer is not the only reason I will spare their lives for now. I need their help rooting out the rest of the conspirators.

A plan forms in my mind as I watch the group split up, with Bayliss walking back toward the hunting cabin and the guards heading through the rough in the direction of the dungeon. While I would prefer to pursue Bayliss and use my claws to rip the life from her conniving body, she is not Mia's immediate threat.

Due north is the most direct route to the dungeon, yet the guards" progress through the woodland will be slow, and they do not seem to be in a hurry. I will follow Turgen and Hagob and interrogate them. Once I know who else is involved in the plot against me and my consort, I will deal with Bayliss.

And by the gods, vengeance will be mine.