Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 96695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
“Give it time. Don’t sell yourself cheaply, Hugo. You’re handsome, smart, loyal, and adorable when you’re lost. Find someone who will cherish all that and more.”
Hugo’s tongue tied into a knot in his mouth. He couldn’t make a single sound. The prince thought those things about him? It was even flattering to be called adorable after doing something as embarrassing as getting lost in the woods. How could Everand think those things? He was a nobody. They’d met once before, and the prince had been rather hideous to him. Had it all been an enormous misunderstanding? Nothing made sense any longer.
When the bandits attacked, Hugo was almost grateful, because they saved him from saying something truly embarrassing to the prince.
The only problem was that they were fucking bandits!
Eleven
Bandits in black-and-brown garb popped out of the trees in front of them, launching Hugo’s heart into his throat as the horse reared. Prince Everand tightened his arm around Hugo’s waist while the other hand gripped the reins. Sunlight flashed off swords, and a deafening bang from a pistol sent birds winging into the air, away from the outbreak of fighting.
The two guards who had been following them shouted and rushed forward, but the closeness of the trees made it nearly impossible to get at the bandits who were attempting to swarm them. It also didn’t help that Hugo was crowding Everand, making it difficult for the prince to fight back.
“Where’s my rifle?” Hugo demanded. Not that he wished to shoot anyone, but he could at least use it as a club or brandish it to scare the bandits.
“Tucked behind me,” Everand answered, still fighting to get control of the startled horse.
“Give me the reins. You get the rifle or your sword. Something!” Hugo snatched the reins from the prince’s hands and turned all his attention to settling the horse and moving aside to allow the other guards into the fray.
Sweat poured down the sides of Hugo’s face as he wrangled the powerful beast under them. His heart raced, but his mind remained clear. He might not be a soldier or a trained royal guard, but he knew his duty was obvious: protect Prince Everand with his life.
But that was easier said than done. The horse finally responded to his command, and he got it to retreat from the half dozen horseless bandits who were attacking, allowing the guards to move forward to protect the prince. However, as they started to breathe, five more bandits raced out from the foliage on horseback, ready to capture them.
Horribly outnumbered and facing probable death, there was only one workable solution. Run.
Hugo jerked the horse sharply around and jammed his heels into its flanks, setting it off at a breakneck speed. Behind him, the rifle cracked as the prince fired.
“Where are your bullets?” the prince demanded.
Hugo didn’t chance a glance over his shoulder. He could hear the thunder of hooves on the soft earth. “Left jacket pocket.”
A hand shoved into his pocket and dug about before coming up with the shells. “Do you have a plan?” Everand inquired calmly even as Hugo heard him inserting the bullet into the chamber and sliding home the bolt.
“Escape? Escape as fast as we can?” he replied, not sure if he was making a statement or asking a question. “Finding the rest of your hunting party would be nice, too.”
Everand hummed in agreement and fired off another round. “In that case, you might want to turn more to the south.”
“South? I don’t even know which way we’re headed now.”
“Clearly. You really have no sense of direction, and it is so adorable.” The gun chunked loudly behind Hugo as the prince expelled the empty shell so he could load another shot.
“Everand!” Hugo shouted, exasperated. He didn’t even notice that he’d failed to use his title or, better yet, call him Your Highness.
“Forgive me. Head more to the right.”
Hugo followed his suggestion, but he knew deep down that they were running out of time. The prince’s horse might be strong and fast, but it was still carrying two full-grown men compared to the horses pursuing them with single riders. Everand’s horse was tiring. It would be only a matter of time before their attackers caught up.
Around him, the forest had become a blur of green and brown. He was careful to avoid low branches, assuming the prince would have all his attention on the bandits behind them rather than on the forest path in front of them. More shots cracked from the rifle, and others answered. Hugo’s entire body flinched with each one, half expecting to be hit with piercing pain at any second from a bullet slamming into his back or shoulder.
A shadow rose in Hugo’s peripheral vision on the left, and he violently jerked the horse toward the right, narrowly missing the swipe of a bandit’s sword. They’d caught up. His one hope was to lose them in the thicker trees.