Black Moon Draw

"You're doing the right thing," I tell him, approaching. "Really, Westley."

Pain flutters through his expression and I imagine him thinking about betraying his father.

I can't even pretend to know how that feels.

He pulls my hood up and leads me out of the tree trunk.

We're at the edge of the foothills on the side of the mountains opposite the emerald hills. The pass through the peaks is heavily guarded by the Desert Knight's men, and the foothills and forest area jammed with warriors.

If the Shadow Knight was traveling with only a scouting party, the Desert Knight had taken no chances and brought his entire army. I've never seen so many people in one place and hurry to follow the teen boy.

Ducking my head down, I grip the medallion with one hand and heft up my skirts with the other.

The gray midmorning is cool, the breeze fragrant with the scent of the ocean. As we walk through the sprawling encampment, I start to notice the amount of men in White Tree Sound cloaks increasing.

The Red Knight's whole army is here. My gut grows heavy and I struggle to understand this man's role in all this. At times seemingly allied with the Shadow Knight, at times neutral and now, working with the Desert Knight.

The man is more confused than I am.

"Son."

Westley stumbles and I suck in a breath.

His father approaches, followed by two others. There's a smile on his face. In full daylight, his features appear less severe - and yet just as hard.

"Are you prepared to lead our men to victory?" the Desert Knight booms, clapping his son on the shoulder.

"Aye, father," comes the soft response.

"Then you and your princess shall be bonded once and for all." The Desert Knight glances in my direction.

I barely breathe, heart hammering. Hopefully, this is one of those near misses, where he doesn't realize who I really am and walks on by and we continue onward. Westley and I can laugh about how close our plan came to being ruined later, when we're at a feast for the victory of the Shadow Knight, right before I tackle the sexy warrior and drag him into bed.

The idea makes my inner thighs tremble and my blood flare to life. Maybe the vision of Atreyu's naked body on top of mine is what makes me miss the Desert Knight's question because suddenly, everyone is silent and staring at me.

Ripping my thoughts out of the ultimate fantasy, I glance towards Westley in the hopes he can discreetly guide me. He's pale, bordering on alarmed, and I realize something has gone wrong.