She spun around, eager to get away from him and get some fresh air. The other soldiers were standing beside the truck where the prisoners were bound, patiently waiting for this man who was obviously their captain or something similar, but definitely the authority figure within the group. They treated him with too much deference for him to be anything other than their leader. The thought also occurred to her that the man was too strong, too arrogant for him to accept anything other than a leadership role. There was just something about him that shouted authority. Perhaps it was in his bearing or the way he spoke, but he was definitely the boss.
Released from the soldiers, her team rushed through the quiet streets, all of them apparently eager to get away from this scene. Nothing had gone right tonight and they needed to get back before anything else happened and before anyone discovered her disappearance. She financed this team, ensured they were well equipped and even paid them a salary so that they could work their magic and get positive results. She had far fewer new outfits because of this team, but she derived much more satisfaction from financing their efforts than she ever could by wearing a pretty new gown.
They got back across the border and all of them relaxed. “Wow!” Dinan said and collapsed against the metal wall of the van. “There were moments that I didn’t think we were getting out of that one alive tonight.”
With his initial comments, the tension was broken and they all started laughing, the adrenaline flowing as they got farther away from the scene.
One by one, Loan dropped them off and Isla was careful to go back through her secret passageway as silently as possible. The passage was old and hidden, but that didn’t mean that one of the servants might not hear her. She had to be extra careful at this time of the day when the servants were moving about, getting things ready within the palace. This early in the morning, servants had time to look into suspicious activities or noises coming from places that should be vacant – such as empty hallways or walls that shouldn’t exist.
She made it back silently through the secret tunnel, then carefully climbed up through her trap door, pushed the shoes back into place and quickly changed out of her black clothing, storing it away so it wasn’t included with her laundry. She’d wash that herself tonight in the shower, hanging it to dry in her closet where it would be less obvious. She had several other similar black outfits, just in case she was called out tonight and this material hadn’t dried yet.
That day, she helped the rest of the staff get the palace back to normal but even she had to admit that she was mildly depressed. The excitement of the past few days had been intense, and now, the lack of that excitement was a letdown.
Over the next week, there were two more skirmishes in which her team was called out. She was also called upon to help a woman in a small village give birth to her first baby when the village doctor was called away on another emergency. She enjoyed these interludes of excitement, but there was something missing now. Isla refused to admit that she wanted to see that man again. And when she found herself thinking about him, she told herself that it was only mild concern for his wound and she wanted to make sure he’d seen a doctor.
She also had this strange feeling, as if she were being watched. When she snuck out of the palace, there was just a tingle that she couldn’t identify, as if there was a spy following her. She was extra careful, had learned long ago to pay attention to these kinds of feelings. But as the week went by, the feeling intensified. It changed subtly though. The feeling of being watched was still there, but she felt almost as if she were waiting for something to happen.
The feelings intensified and she kept looking over her shoulder, trying to see if someone inside the palace was doing anything malicious. But there wasn’t anything she could see. Her guards were starting to look at her strangely and when she went out at night, she was more jumpy that usual. The dark shadows that they used for their protection and to hide from detection now looked cruel and scary, as if they were hiding something she should run from as fast and hard as possible.
Chapter 3
Zarah rushed into the dining room, breathless from her run. “They’re back!” she yelped, eager to see her brother and new sister-in-law. They’d just returned from their honeymoon and Zarah had been waiting anxiously to see if they were still as happy now as they had been on their wedding day. Isla wasn’t sure what Zarah expected to see. It wasn’t as if they would be fighting on their honeymoon.
Goodness! She actually blushed because her mind pictured her mysterious stranger and herself wrapped in each other’s arms, gloriously naked and enjoying the same activities. What was she thinking?
When Isla only sipped her coffee once again, Zarah stared at her curiously. “Aren’t you excited to see them?”
Isla thought about that for a moment. She couldn’t put her finger on her wariness and it was really starting to bother her now. The feeling had intensified in the past few days and she was becoming jumpy and paranoid. “Yes. But don’t you feel something?”
Zarah came more fully into the beige and maroon room and sat down on one of the brocade covered chairs. “What do you mean?”
Isla couldn’t put her finger on exactly the issue, but she felt a shiver run down her spine. She leaned forward and placed her coffee cup carefully in the china saucer, trying to figure out what was wrong. “I don’t know really. I just have this feeling that something is going to happen.”
Zarah laughed, waving her hand as if her sister were being ridiculous. “Are you turning psychic on me now?”
Isla knew she was sounding odd. Even a bit mysterious, but she couldn’t help it. She’d never felt this way before and it was making her think she was seeing things now, shadows that couldn’t possibly be there and had no reason to hide from her. “I’m sorry. I do sound weird.” She ran a nervous hand through her hair and tried to get a grip on her fears.
Zarah jumped up and pulled her sister’s hand, trying to get her out the door to greet their older brother. “Come on, let’s go see Sidra and Rashid. I’m sure she’s feeling a bit left out and overwhelmed right about now.”
Isla laughed and shook her head, but allowed herself to be pulled out of the chair so she could follow her sister. “I doubt it. She’s probably just furious that she’s back with all of our prying eyes instead of hiding away in some secluded place enjoying her new husband.”