Read Online The Princess and the Rogue by Jordan St. John - Free Book Online Page B

and she would be back in Morgaine’s clutches for whatever purpose that witch had in mind. Rand didn’t hesitate. He nocked an arrow and loosed it at the trailing rider. It struck and he fell. The other two never noticed. They kept bearing down on the girl. Rand raced through the woods to catch up with the remaining two.
    She tried to spur the horse forward, but she faltered in the creek. The two riders reached her and one tried to grab the reins, but she slashed him across his face with what looked like a switch. He howled a curse and the other one tried to grab her.
    Rand launched himself at the second rider, grabbing him and pulling him off the horse. The soldier gave a surprised yell, but it was cut short by Rand’s slash across his throat with a dagger. The third man looked stunned at what had happened to his partner, then turned around to look behind him. All he saw was the empty horse of the third man.
    “They’re both dead,” snarled the outlaw. With his other hand he had drawn a sword. “Care to try your luck?”
    The third rider eyed the man who had killed two of his party, standing in the creek, sword in one hand, dagger in the other, and apparently decided he wanted no part of LaFlors. He turned tail and ran. The outlaw watched him go, then sheathed his weapons and turned around, thinking to secure the girl’s horse.
    The girl had not moved. She appeared stunned, startled by the sudden violence erupting around her. He reached for the reins, but she snapped out of her frozen state, and slashed him right across the cheek with her riding switch.
    “Get away! This is my horse,” she shouted. Then she turned and headed out of the creek and down a trail through the forest.
    Rand put a hand to his cheek where the girl had struck him and watched in stunned amazement as she rode off. Well, she wouldn’t get far. This was his forest.
     
    * * *
     
    Juliet rode for what seemed like a long time before she let herself relax and slow down. While she was grateful that this brigand, whoever he was, had come along and saved her from her pursuers, she was not about to be taken prisoner by him. That would be trading one jailer for another. She followed the trail, not knowing where she was headed. Her only thought was to put as much distance as she could between herself and that awful woman.
    Her carefully planned escape had worked. After the close call with the countess and the two Ieryn princes, she had been more careful. She still carried with her the image she could not erase from her mind—the sight of the two village maids used so callously.
    She had bided her time. For days she had waited for the right opportunity. It had finally arrived in the form of a grand ball to be given by the countess. The night of the event, which was attended by a large group of foreigners and their servants, there had been enough general confusion that she had been able to walk into the stables, saddle the horse she had befriended, and ride out.
    There had been considerable risk to the enterprise, she knew. Had she been caught, there was no doubt a severe whipping would have awaited her. Perhaps she would have been given to the trainers. Morgaine seemed fond of administering punishments to the girls who labored in her castle, sometimes for trivial reasons, and escape would surely be considered a major offense. But she had been willing to take that risk in the hopes of ending her nightmare and returning home.
    She made a vow to herself to do something about the evil practices of that awful woman. Her father would never allow them to continue. If only she could convince someone of who she really was, surely they would help her, if for no other reason than the reward that would surely follow. If she could just get word to her father.
    Her father. She feared for him. Something was wrong. This illness of his did not seem natural. She especially mistrusted his high minister, Tomas Cramden. Ever since she had come of age and her beauty had