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her hands, tying them behind her back.
    “ Are you arresting me?” she asked, wondering if her aunt and uncle would be arrested as well.
    “ Our orders are to take you to Lord Filmar’s.”
    Several other soldiers joined them. They were all big, burly men. Rema’s legs shook. She hoped these were honorable soldiers who wouldn’t take advantage of her. Aunt Maya had often spoken of the king’s men raping women for fun when they passed through towns.
    Rema understood the importance of avoiding soldiers at all cost.
    “This way, sweetheart,” the man holding her arm tightly said.
    “I’m not your sweetheart . You will not address me in such a manner,” Rema replied.
    Several of the soldiers laughed, their voices echoing in the forest so that it sounded like there were a hundred men making fun of her, instead of only twenty.
    “Aren’t you a feisty one ?” the archer said.
    One of the men toward the back moved forward, looking Rema over with lustful eyes. “Maybe we should teach her a les son, play with her a bit.” His teeth were yellowed, and his beard had a piece of food stuck in it.
    Rema tensed. She would rather die than allow these men to attack her. If any of them moved toward her, she’d kick him and run , even if it meant getting an arrow stuck in her back.
    “No,” the archer ordered. “Prince Lennek wants to speak with her, and I’ll not deliver damaged goods. That might have been how you did things before Commander Darmik, but you will not behave that way now. If the commander hears you making crude suggestions, you’ll be discharged and sent home in disgrace.”
    The soldier looked disappointed, but obeyed.
    Rema flushed and kept her face down, unable to meet anyone’s eyes. Hearing these men speak of Prince Darmik confirmed her suspicions that he was indeed an ethical person who cared about others. How could her aunt be so wrong about him?
    “Is Prince Darmik at the governor’s?” Rema asked.
    “No,” the man holding her arm whispered. “We’re here on orders from Prince Lennek. The commander has already left.”
    “ Move out,” the archer ordered.
    T he soldier carefully picked Rema up. He sat her atop his horse and climbed on behind her. Slipping his arm around her waist, he held her tight against his body so she wouldn’t fall. Rema had never been held like this by a man before, not even Bren. She wanted to smash her head into his nose to get away, but there were too many soldiers around, and she didn’t stand a chance of getting very far. The best thing to do was to go along with them.
    When they reached the edge of the forest, her house appeared in the distance surrounded by a sea of blue soldiers. Fifty men from the King’s Army were here to do Prince Lennek’s bidding. But what did he want with her? Usually men found her odd looks unappealing. However, there were some, like Bren, who insisted she was beautiful. Rema certainly didn’t feel beautiful, and if anything, felt out of place in a kingdom where everyone had black hair, dark eyes, and brown skin.
    The soldier lowered Rema to the ground and dismounted. He took her arm, leading her through the prince’s men to her house. Inside, there were an additional five soldiers crowded together in the sitting room. It was stifling hot from so many pressing together in such a small place. When her presence was noticed, they all quieted down and moved against the edges of the room.
    Now Rema had a clear view of the two chairs in front of the empty fireplace, where Aunt Maya and Uncle Kar sat with swords pointed at their chests. Rema took a step forward, but the soldier gripped her arm tighter until it hurt and she cringed.
    “No you don’t,” he said. “You stay put.”
    She stifled the urge to run to her aunt and uncle, demanding their release. But she was at the mercy of these soldiers—they had the power to kill Kar and Maya without cause.
    A man holding a helmet with a large plume stepped forward. He was short and