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Elizabeth Webber opened her eyes to see the first pinkish-orange glow of sunrise peeking through the overhead tree branches. The lilting songs of the wild meadow birds filled her ears and the fresh loamy smell of damp earth and pine needles wrapped her like a blanket. By all accounts it was a glorious morning. Too bad she didn't feel glorious.

Groaning, Elizabeth closed her eyes and wished the sunrise away. It was too early. Far too early in the day to be awake. How late had they ridden last night? She couldn't remember. She barely remembered stopping, much less tethering her horse, throwing down her bedroll and collapsing into sleep.

However, bemoaning her fate would do her no good, so she stretched her tired muscles, rolled over on the length of heavy wool that passed for a bed and took stock of her surroundings. The earth underneath her was spongy and soft. She breathed a sigh of relief and thanked whichever saint watched over knights on foolhardy quests. At least she hadn't flung her bedroll over an outcropping of rocks. She'd learned the hard way there was nothing worse than waking up after sleeping for a few hours with a rock or two pressed into her spine.

Elizabeth pushed her unwilling body into a sitting position. The movement made her muscles groan in a noisy symphony of aches and pains that came from the one-two punch of extreme physical exertion and less-than-comfortable sleeping arrangements. It was an unwelcome, yet familiar music. This particular melody had become her constant companion these last three weeks, like an old friend she could rely on. In an odd way it was comforting.

Stretching and twisting to get her joints moving and her blood pumping, Elizabeth began working the lingering ache from tired muscles. Had it really only been three weeks since they'd left Thornswald? Three weeks since she had stood in Commandant Taggert's office and been offered a position on a mission by the General himself?

The General… Elizabeth cast a quick glance around the small clearing. He was gone. She'd known he would be. He was always up before her scouting the area, making sure they weren't being followed or that they hadn't wandered near an enemy encampment. She'd often wondered how he could get by on less sleep than she did.

Elizabeth rubbed her palms over her face and stood. Her brown leather leggings and sleeveless tunic, soft with age and wear, moved with her like a second skin. She wore her nondescript training outfit instead of an official military uniform as per the mission rules. They were infiltrating enemy land. They couldn't be recognized for the warriors they were. Which also meant no wearing of armor, mail, or any military insignia, and no use of rank or status. They must appear like nothing more than simple travelers.

Off to the side of the small clearing her horse whinnied and tossed his head, and Elizabeth tensed, suddenly aware she was no longer alone. She hadn't seen or heard anything to set the goose bumps an her arms rising. She could simply feel another presence nearby.

Crouching, she wrapped her fingers around the sheath lying next to her bedroll and silently drew her sword. Her eyes darted around, scanning the encircling trees and underbrush, and she let herself sink into her senses, not only seeing and hearing, but also reaching beyond the physical. A slight crunch of dried leaves had her spinning on the balls of her feet to bring her sword to bear on the foliage behind her, where a moment later a man pushed the branches aside and stepped into the clearing. He came up short at finding Elizabeth's sword pointed at his chest, and then a broad grin broke across his face, setting his dark eyes to sparkling.

Elizabeth grinned just as ferociously. She was proud that in the last three weeks she'd never let the General sneak up on her, and from the grin on his face, she could see he was proud as well.

"Nicely done, Elizabeth. I thought I had you this time." The General's olive skin, which she thought matched well with the coarse rye bread the peasants baked for their tables, looked darker in the dim morning light, and his kohl black hair, clipped neatly and curling at his ears and neck, glinted in the dawn's thin light. His black eyes smiled, lending softness to his face, and yet she knew those same features could slip into a scowl that would strike terror into the hearts of men.

"Gen…" She stopped herself short when he raised a finger. She took a breath, sheathed her sword, and then started over. "How far will we be riding today?"

She'd asked the same question every morning, and every morning General Sonny Corinthos would smile, his black eyes twinkling at her, and not answer.

Except today.

Today as he smiled at her, with his eyes dancing, he said, "Less than two hours." Then with a quick jerk of his head, he indicated the direction he'd come. "There's a stream to the north. If you want to bathe, be quick about it. I want to be in the saddle within half an hour."

Elizabeth moved as if the devil himself were on her heels. Two hours and they'd be at their destination. She'd joined this mission and had followed Sonny for three weeks, yet still hadn't been informed of the details of the quest. Now that she knew she was merely two hours away from knowing what she'd gotten herself into, she wasn't about to waste time.

Her bath was little more than a quick splash of soap and a rinse in cold stream water - just enough to get rid of a day's worth of grime. She was dressed again with her long brunette hair tightly braided and they were on their way before her allotted half hour had passed.

Sonny led them on a route that twined back and forth upon itself before eventually leading them to the base of the mountains. From there the trail became increasingly difficult. They rode through a forest so dense there was barely enough space between the tree trunks for the horses to pass. They rode over ridges and down gulleys, winding ever higher up the steep slope as they went.

Finally, Sonny reined in his mount and Elizabeth stopped beside him, her mouth opening in surprise at the sight before her. Below them the land dropped away revealing a pocket canyon, a narrow oval of land, like a giant thumbprint pressed into the mountainside. It was roughly thirty feet deep and a hundred feet across, and completely invisible from below. No one looking up from the lowland would suspect its existence.

A shabby log cabin squatted in the middle of the canyon. Its single window was shuttered and a thin stream of smoke trickled anemically from its stone fireplace. Elizabeth lifted an eyebrow at its dingy appearance. She'd expected the end of their trek would find them somewhere more impressive: maybe a forbidding castle with a host of guards stationed around ten-foot thick walls topped with spiked iron bars.

She turned to Sonny, her eyebrows drawn together in unspoken question. He merely tipped his head for her to follow.

They descended into the valley and as they approached the cabin, Elizabeth tensed, her fingers tightening around her reins. She expected some defense to be enacted, a guard to make himself known or challenge their approach. However, nothing happened. The cabin door remained closed and the window shut. Nothing around them stirred. Yet she knew they were being watched. The feeling crawled along her spine like an icy finger and made her palm itch for the pommel of her sword.

She edged her horse closer to Sonny's and leaned toward him as she whispered a warning. "We're being watched."

Sonny nodded without taking his attention from the house. "Yes, we are."

Elizabeth frowned. She didn't like this. Vague feelings of threat skimmed through her mind. However, before she could tell Sonny her misgivings, he was climbing out of the saddle and tying his mount to a crooked pole intended for a hitching post. She had no choice but to follow his lead.

She took up the rear guard position, a pace behind the General, and watched their backs. Her hand went to the dagger handle at her waist; her sword - strapped across her back with its pommel rising over her left shoulder - could easily be brought to bear at a moment's notice.

Turning slowly on the balls of her feet, she kept her eyes wide and alert, constantly sweeping from one side of the canyon to the other, watching for any sign of an ambush or surprise attack. So when the door to the cabin opened, she had her back to Sonny's and couldn't see the person inside.

"Jason." The casual tone of Sonny's voice made her relax her guard. She'd traveled with the General long enough to know his moods and at the moment, he was finding everything as he expected. Sheathing her dagger, she straightened and turning, stepped into the cabin behind Sonny.

Then she stopped short.

Standing inside the door was a large man wearing a plain black leather tunic and pants. He had wheat colored hair that was cut short enough to stand on end. His shoulders and chest were broad, and his bare arms, crossed over that same chest, were well muscled. However, it was more than his size and appearance that halted her, it was his presence. Never had she met a man who could fill a room with his essence. Everything about him screamed danger, but it was his eyes that chilled her to the bone. Pale blue as ice, they were piercingly cold and without a doubt had made many men tremble in their shoes.

There was only one man he could be - Jason Morgan - Sonny's most trusted soldier. Yet he wasn't a true warrior and carried no rank because he had never attended the academy. Jason had risen to power on his own merits and innate talent, and was simply known as 'The Enforcer'.

Elizabeth couldn't help gaping. The man was legendary. He was the best there was. The hardest and most dangerous missions were assigned to him and he always succeeded no matter how impossible they seemed.

Sonny, though, seemed immune to the intimating effect of Jason's presence and strode forward, sweeping his gaze around the room.

"Where is she?"

Jason's frown deepened and Elizabeth got the impression he was annoyed.

He lifted one hand and pointed at a door in the wall. "In there."

Sonny crossed the room, opened the door and stepped inside. Jason slid his hand back into the crook of his arm and swung his gaze around to Elizabeth.

Being on the receiving end of that intense stare made Elizabeth's blood run cold. However, her stubbornness took over and she braced her hands on her hips, set her jaw and returned his glare, complete with a lifted eyebrow.

Jason's eyebrow slowly rose in response and he cocked his head, his frown set in place as if it were carved in stone. However, before he could speak, Sonny burst back into the room.

"You tied her up and gagged her?"

And Elizabeth, her eyes locked with Jason's, distinctly saw him wince.

"She wouldn't shut up." Irritation laced his words and dripped from the look he leveled at Sonny.

A petite brunette stormed from the room behind Sonny and rubbing her wrists, she shot a look of hatred so intense at Jason that Elizabeth half expected him to see him burst into flames.

"I can't believe this is the kind of treatment I receive during my 'rescue'. What are you? A Neanderthal? Luis Alcazar treated me better! At least he didn't tie me up and leave me gagged for hours. You!" The woman slapped Sonny in the chest. "Are you his superior? Because I want him tied up and flogged for the way he treated me."

Jason lifted one hand and slid it over his eyes.

The woman wasn't through. She marched across the room and poked Jason in the chest.

"You're rude, nasty, irritating, and refuse to listen to reason." She swung around to face Sonny as she pointed at Jason. "He nearly drowned me crossing a river and made me walk for days without any breaks after he lost our horses."

Jason, who'd thus far listened to her diatribe without comment, finally rose to her baiting.

"Who lost the horses?" His eyes narrowed.

"If you'd listened to me…."

"If you'd done what I told you," Jason's words were drowned as the woman let loose a long angry shriek, which in turn caused Jason to raise his voice until he was yelling to be heard above her screaming. "We'd still have both of the horses and you wouldn't have had to walk halfway here."

Then the woman, still shrieking, turned on her heel, stomped back into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her, leaving Sonny, Jason and Elizabeth to stare after her.

In the silence that followed, Elizabeth assembled the scattered facts she'd learned. This was a rescue mission. The woman was obviously someone of importance who'd been kidnapped by Luis Alcazar and held against her will. Jason had executed the first half of the rescue, and she and Sonny were here to help complete the second half.

It didn't take much deduction on her part to figure out her role in this rescue. The resemblance between her and the woman was too striking to miss. They were near the same height and build, and had roughly the same hair color and length. However, that's where the similarities ended. Elizabeth considered the woman to be exotically beautiful with a rich olive tint to her skin and curly, mahogany hair; whereas, she considered herself plain, pale and someone a man would meet, then forget twenty minutes later. Yet, despite the differences in their appearance, it was plain she was a decoy.

Sonny's gaze turned slowly to Jason and the older man pinned the younger with an intense look. "You lost the horses?"

Jason's lips pinched and his eyes narrowed, and Elizabeth braced herself for another outburst. However, instead of yelling, Jason rubbed his hands over his face, and then speared his fingers through his hair.

Sonny seemed to accept this as answer enough and tipped his head toward her, drawing her to Jason's attention. Then by way of introduction he said - "Elizabeth Webber."

Jason raked his gaze over her and frowned. "Why is she here? We don't need another liability."

Elizabeth bristled at the insult. Sonny rolled his eyes. "You know the plan. Elizabeth is perfect." Jason snorted as he shook his head, and Sonny sliced his hand through the air to quell any argument. "This plan is the best chance we have of getting Brenda safely back to the palace."

Jason's jaw clamped tight and although she saw disagreement burning in his eyes, he turned without another word and stormed from the cabin, letting the door bang shut behind him.

Elizabeth slowly let out the breath she'd been holding and then Sonny's words clicked in her mind. The Palace? Brenda? Understanding dawned on her. Her mouth gaped and she pointed at the closed door.

"That's Her Royal Highness Princess Brenda Barrett?"

"Yes." Sonny eyed the door to the bedroom warily. "And I guess I should check on her."

Royalty? Elizabeth shook her head and clucked her tongue in disbelief. Of all the things she'd imagined would be expected of her on this mission, passing for a princess hadn't come close to making the list.

Sonny tipped his head towards the front door. "Get the horses ready. We need to leave within the hour."

Elizabeth walked outside intending to follow Sonny's orders. However, she paused when she saw Jason squatting to fill his water skin out of a small stream not far from the cabin.

Anger tightened her chest. How dare he assume he knew her and her capabilities? He was no better than the shortsighted, over-confident plebes at the academy. Her male hand-to-hand combat training partners had seen her as a delicate female needing to be treated with kid gloves and had fought her half-heartedly, pulling their punches to protect her. She'd quickly shown them she was no wilting flower. She'd forced them to protect themselves from a good beating, and in doing so, she had learned how to use her own particular strengths to win against opponents who outweighed and out-muscled her. And learn she did. She'd carried her bruises proudly because they'd been honestly earned.

It appeared Jason Morgan was no different. He was going to have to learn the hard way.

Slowly making her way to him, she crossed her arms over her chest and sized him up. He was at least six feet tall, broad shouldered, muscular, and completely cock-sure of himself. The corner of her mouth lifted in a grin. If he was smart, she'd only have to teach him this once.

"So I'm a liability?"

Jason frowned at her as he stood, and she half-turned, presenting her side to him as she slid her hands to her hips. Surprise was her best weapon. Disguising a deep steadying breath as a sigh of defeat, she focused and then exploded into action.

Her right foot shot out and connected solidly with Jason's stomach, and with her body weight behind it, the impact of the blow doubled him over, forcing the air out of his lungs in one large explosive exhale. Channeling her momentum into a spin, she sank into a low roundhouse sweep, and caught him behind the ankles with her left leg and jerked his feet out from under him.

As he toppled backward, Elizabeth leapt at him, using her weight to speed his fall and as his back slammed against the ground, Elizabeth landed on top of him, her bottom pressing into his gut, forcing more air out of his lungs. Her knees came down on his biceps, pinning them to the ground, and she settled her weight on his belly and chest to keep him from inhaling more than a gasp of air.

Leaning forward, she smiled at him pinned underneath her. Holding his gaze, she pressed the edge of her dagger, drawn during her leap, into his throat. As she watched, the instant of surprise she'd seen in his eyes morphed into an icy blue glare and he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing dangerously against the sharp edge of her blade.

She leaned closer to his ear, a victory smile widening on her lips. "Don't underestimate me."

In the next instant she was airborne, and before she could process what happened, she found herself flat on her back with her opponent pinning her.

Jason was now stretched full length atop her, one of his hands holding both wrists over her head and the other gripping her knife. However, the most embarrassing aspect of their new position was how her spread thighs were intimately cradling his hips.

Wrenching her arms against his hold in an attempt to free them proved useless, the only thing she accomplished - judging from the lift of his eyebrow and the spark lighting his eyes - was to provide him with a bit of entertainment. That spark of humor set her teeth on edge, causing her anger to win over common sense and she lashed out, bucking her body hard against his. It was a futile escape attempt, but she couldn't help it. She was furious at being so easily subdued.

However, what she hadn't expected were the feelings that surged through her as her hips ground against his. Heat and a sudden acute awareness of his maleness flooded her senses and she gasped at its intensity.

The corner of his mouth rose in a smile, and she couldn't tell if he was enjoying himself or if he was mocking her. Then he bent to bring his lips close to her ear as she had done and whispered, "I consider myself duly warned."

Then he was moving again. This time levering himself off of her, and as he stood, using his hold on her wrists to drag her up with him.

He released her once they were upright and the two of them stood inches apart, openly regarding each other. He flipped her knife in his hand and offered it back to her, hilt first. She lifted it from his fingers and returned it to its sheath.

With a nod that left her feeling like she passed some unspoken test, Jason turned and headed back towards the cabin.

Elizabeth crossed her arms and watched him go, a mixture of emotions swirling within her, not the least of which was a powerful animalistic attraction. Licking her lips, she indulged herself and let herself enjoy watching Jason Morgan walking away - the broadness of his shoulders, the lines of his back narrowing down into a lean waist, sculpted hips and muscular thighs - then with decisive effort and a little regret, she shunted the feeling aside. First and foremost, she was a warrior on a mission. Everything else came second to that reality. It was the vow she'd sworn when she'd been accepted to the Academy. To King and Country above all.

Then she gasped as a feeling of foreboding shivered down her spine and settled into a cold, hard knot in the pit of her stomach.　 It was a feeling she'd had relatively few times in her life, but each time it'd come, it had preceded some traumatic event - a flash flood in the village she'd lived in, a fire that had consumed her best friend's house, and hardest of all, her grandfather's death.

She'd come to think of them as warnings, a hint to be aware of unavoidable trouble to come.

Elizabeth slid a hand over her knotted stomach as she watched Sonny step out of the cabin, level a glare at Jason, then turn to offer a hand to Brenda, and she frowned.

The problem was, she never knew exactly what she was being warned about.

It had been three long days of slow plodding. With only two horses they were forced to ride double, which had not only considerably slowed their progress - it also limited the supplies they could bring with them. Horses burdened with two passengers, as well as food and gear, simply couldn't be pushed far each day. Also compounding the problem was their need for caution, because if they were discovered a quick escape on an overburdened and weary steed would be all but impossible.

So slowly and steadily, they had picked their way through the densest sections of the forest, far from roads or habitation. At their forced sluggish pace it would take them at least four more days to reach the first of Sonny's prepared safe houses. Their food would not last until then.

Brenda had absolutely refused to ride behind Jason. So Elizabeth had become Jason's unspoken permanent partner.

Not that she minded riding with him, but it did have its downside, like the fact that her view was extremely limited. Jason was tall enough that she had to strain if she wanted to see over his shoulder, which meant that she'd spent the better part of the last three days staring at his broad back.

Which in and of itself was a very nice view. Black leather pulled taut over lean muscle. Bare biceps that bunched and flexed as he shifted his hold on the reins. It made it challenging for her to concentrate on her job of searching for enemy soldiers and even worse; it stirred her primal lusts. Lusts she couldn't afford to act upon

So it was with grim determination on the morning of the fourth day that she told Jason she wanted to take the reins.

She'd chosen a moment while he was sitting, finishing his meager breakfast, and she was standing, forcing him to tip his head to look at her. Crossing her arms over her chest, she squared her shoulders and prepared to argue with him.

He'd simply stood, forcing her to lift her chin to maintain eye contact and then shrugged. "Fine."

Then he'd stalked off leaving her feeling annoyed that he hadn't argued the point. Or maybe she was simply annoyed with him in general. At least Brenda and Sonny had actual conversations while they rode. She'd heard them talking many times and occasionally caught the sound of their muffled laughter.

Elizabeth glared into the woods the direction Jason had gone and sighed. Maybe she should try harder to talk to him.

When it was time to leave, she mounted first and took the reins. Jason made sure their gear was secure and then mounted behind her. Only he didn't allow any extra parcel of room between them and was spooned so close behind her that she could feel the press of his body from her calves, up the backs of her thighs, around the curve of her bottom, and against the entire length of her back.

She hadn't been expecting him to sit so closely and she wondered if it was some kind of tactic to unsettle her into giving up the lead position. Setting her jaw, she decided whatever his intent, malicious or benign, she wasn't going to let it bother her.

However, if she'd thought watching the play of his muscles had been disconcerting, it was nothing compared to feeling the play of them against her body.

By the time they stopped for lunch, she was completely undone. She had to fist her hands to keep them from trembling and force herself to take deep even breaths. The worst part of the entire experience was that Jason didn't seem the least bit bothered by their prolonged bodily contact while she wanted nothing more than to find a cold river to jump into.

It was quite a blow to her feminine ego.

During lunch Sonny pulled out a map and marked their progress. One hand scrubbed his jaw as he spent a moment in silent contemplation.

Then he pointed to a small village a bit north of their position. "This is the closest settlement. It's an hour's ride from here." His eyes cut to Jason. "Alcazar is going to be looking for any thing that might signal our passage. Cooking fires, stolen supplies. Any unusual activity is going to be suspect and checked out. He's desperate to get Brenda back, so he's going to have the entire army mobilized to find her."

A pained look crossed Brenda's face and Elizabeth empathized with the woman's fear. Luis Alcazar had kidnapped her and taken her to his castle to be his queen. Elizabeth had no idea what Brenda had suffered while imprisoned, but even if Luis had been a perfect gentleman it still couldn't have been a pleasant experience.

"We need food and the least suspicious way to get it, is to merely buy it." Sonny's eyes cut to Elizabeth. "Jason and I are both recognizable, so you'll have to get what we need. If anyone asks, you can say you are a traveler buying supplies for an extended trip."

A flutter stirred in Elizabeth's stomach and she swallowed as she nodded.

"Jason will ride with you and wait in the forest as your backup. I will wait here and guard Brenda. If you two aren't back by sunset, I'll assume something has gone wrong and go on alone. In that case, meet us at the safe house if possible. I'll wait there three days before moving on."

Brenda interrupted with a dreamy moan and poked Sonny sharply in the shoulder. "Sonny give her some extra money to buy a lingonberry cream tart at the bakery."

Her voice, although it had started out strong, fell into a simpering plea and Elizabeth distinctly heard Jason growl.

So it was decided and after their lunch of stale bread and cheese, she and Jason took turns studying the map. Once their route was determined and money was entrusted to her for the food, they mounted up for the expedition. Elizabeth did not speak of taking the reins - the morning ride had been more than enough to endure. Besides, she was going to need her wits about her when they arrived at the village.

Arriving at the village, they found that it was large enough to have a wall, yet small enough to only have a manor house instead of a castle. They stopped in the woods, deep enough not to be spotted by anyone from the town.

Elizabeth had spent the ride reviewing her cover story so that it would automatically roll off her lips if she were quizzed. Then leaving Jason in the woods, where he could cover her with his crossbow, she headed to the town.

The guards at the main gate questioned her but not been concerned. Once inside the city several residents cast her curious looks, but no one paid her much mind. She was able to buy dried meat, a few apples, bread and a couple fancy cakes - not the cream tart that Brenda had her heart set on, but they were the best she could find. However, there was one thing that caught her eye and quickened her step as she headed out of town and back to where Jason was waiting for her.

As she climbed up the slope with her knapsack of food slung over one shoulder, she nearly jumped out of her skin when Jason stepped out from behind a tree in front of her.

Elizabeth stared at him in complete astonishment. She hadn't seen, heard or sensed his presence nearby. No one had ever been able to sneak up on her before, not even Sonny although he'd tried many times.

It irritated her that Jason could.

And it irritated her even more that she'd jumped like a scouring girl seeing a mouse. At least she hadn't screamed.

Pressing her lips into a thin line, she hefted the pack higher on her shoulder and started around Jason. "We need to get back."

Catching hold of her arm as she passed, Jason tugged her to a stop. Snapping her head around, Elizabeth had her mouth poised for a biting comment about his manners, but the look he was giving her dried the words in her throat.

He was staring so intently at her with those ice blue eyes of his she felt as if he were seeing right into her thoughts. A cold shiver went down her spine and she felt a need to back away, to put a safe distance between them.

"What?" Elizabeth tugged her arm out of his grasp and stepped back, making him blink as she broke their gaze.

"Something happened." There was a certainty to his words that defied logic. He couldn't possibly know what had happened in the village.

Easing the pack off her shoulder, she set it at her feet and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Alcazar's men have already been through here. There were wanted posters of you and Brenda posted in the town square." Jason scowled. "She's wanted alive and unharmed. You on the other hand are to be considered armed and dangerous and should be killed on sight."

Jason had shifted to gaze down the hill to the small village snuggled in the valley and growled when a man on horseback rode out of the main gate and headed straight for their position. One of his hands reached out to grab Elizabeth's arm, the other reached down to snatch up the backpack of food. Then without a word, he dragged both of them deeper into the woods.

Elizabeth barely kept up as Jason jumped the trunk of a fallen tree and collapsed behind it. She crashed on top of him as they rolled into a pile of pine needles. Now well hidden from the rider, she glared at him as he held a finger in front of his lips to shush her as if she knew no better.

The pounding of hooves neared and Elizabeth held her breath, willing herself to become invisible, to not be seen. The rider passed without slowing and as the hoof beats trailed away, she let out the breath she'd been holding in a sigh of relief.

Her relief was short lived.

Jason's brows drew together in a frown. "Tell me everything that happened."

She didn't much like the position she was in, flat on her back with him looming over her, so she pushed up onto her elbows. "Nothing happened. I stopped at the butcher and bought meat. Then I went to a farmer's cart and bought some carrots and tomatoes. Then I stopped in the bakery and bought bread and a couple of little cakes. They didn't have the tarts Brenda wanted, I even asked to make sure, and…" and as she remembered the strange look the man had given her, everything clicked into place and suddenly two plus two made four.

Of course the army would have informed the townspeople all about Brenda and given them a laundry list of information to be looking for. Obviously lingonberry cream tarts were one of the items on that list. She'd walked in and handed the baker a gold embossed invitation. "Hi, I'm with Brenda Barrett." He was probably already making plans on how he was going to spend the reward money.

Flopping back on the ground she covered her face with her hands and groaned. "I screwed up."

"They know we're here." He was on his feet in an instant and dragging her along with him. "We've got to get back and get moving. It won't be long before the forest will be swarming with troops looking for us."

It took nearly all of her concentration just to stay on her feet while keeping up with Jason's pace. "How long do we have?"

"It depends on where the army is camped, but the sooner we get moving the better."

Elizabeth wanted to scream. Blast it all. Sonny had trusted her with one simple mission and the first thing she'd done was give away their position. How could she be so stupid?

Arriving at their horse, Jason leapt on a stump and vaulted onto its back. Elizabeth climbed up after him and leaning over, he extended his hand. Apparently her self-loathing was radiating from her face, because he frowned at her

"You don't have time to wallow in self pity. Deal with it and move on."

Elizabeth felt the sting of his barb and without a word grabbed his hand. He hefted her as she leapt onto the horse behind him. Then he wheeled around and took off for Sonny and Brenda's hiding place.

This time her pride didn't keep her from holding on tightly to Jason as he pushed the animal to its limit.

She'd made a grave error and now all their lives were at risk. Her only recourse was to throw herself on her sword. Maybe if she stayed behind, she could arrange to be found by Alacazar's army and then convince them that she was traveling alone. Thus letting Sonny, Jason and Brenda escape undetected.

Despite her academy training, a single tear spilled over her lashes and down her cheek. She'd had a premonition of danger the day she and Sonny had met Jason and Brenda. It hadn't taken long for it to come to pass. Now she was going to do whatever she had to do to set things aright.