Deva sent a small glare back at Mitchell where he tromped along behind her.

"Stop staring daggers at me!"

"Well if you can't walk quietly we'll find those men and that wolf easily enough," she grumbled as she turned away from him and continued walking. They had slipped out of the castle early this morning with the hope that they could discover where the men and their lupine companion were hiding out. So far, they hadn't had much luck. Though, they had found where the men had been camped previously.

Deva was cranky as they continued searching through the forest for their new camp. It didn't help that—in her opinion—Mitchell was stomping through the forest making enough noise to disturb every beast within hearing. Every twig he snapped underfoot made her wince and look around with narrowed eyes at the surrounding trees.

She stopped walking and spun around to face him. "Can you walk any louder?"

Mitchell halted abruptly before he smacked into her. "I'm walking as quietly as possible, Deva!"

"You could have fooled me, you sound like an entire heard of wild boar stampeding through the forest!" she shouted back.

"I may not be as quiet as you but I most certainly am not that loud!" he retorted just as loudly.

"I don't know how loud the boy walks, but the two of you shout loudly enough to wake the dead."

Mitchell yanked his sword free at the same moment that Deva reached for her bow.

"Oh girl, I wouldn't even bother, you're outnumbered and even you can't shoot that fast."

Deva shot a glance back over her shoulder and realized the man spoke the truth she and Mitchell didn't have a chance, while they were shouting at one another the men had surrounded them. With a curse, she slowly moved her hand away from her bow.

"Throw your weapons over here, now," he directed, pointing to a spot near his feet. They both complied. Neither made any attempt at any heroics.

"Now what?" Deva asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the man giving orders.

"Now, now you come with us. Secure them," the man directed. He waited while his men tied their hands before they hauled them forward deeper into the forest.

***

"Holly, sit down will you?"

Holly turned several more circles around Logan's room before she stopped and looked at him, twisting her hands together, a nervous and very un-Holly-like gesture. "I can't, Deva and Mitchell left early this morning to go search the forest for those soldiers you ran into and they said they would come see us as soon as they returned. They should be back by now!"

Logan gave the bed a pat. "Sit, I'm sure they'll be back soon."

With a small groan, she dropped down to sit beside him. "What if something happened to them?"

He pulled her down beside him with his good arm. "Hey don't buy trouble."

She snorted. "It's what I'm best at."

He chuckled. "I'll second that, but let's not worry until we have something to worry about, shall we?"

She blew out a long breath and shifted until she could look up at him. "If those men do work for Morgana then they'll know who Mitchell is."

Logan gave her a little squeeze before relaxing his arm around her. "Don't worry about them, Holly. Mitchell and Deva are clever, they'll be fine, and besides knowing them, Mitchell's unending need for food more than likely side tracked them. I'm sure they'll come wandering back any time now."

Holly snorted out a laugh. "You're probably right."

"When am I not right?"

"Every time you're wrong." She gestured to his injured arm.

"You would bring that up wouldn't you?"

She grinned at him and nodded.

***

"We are not in a good situation here Mitchell," Deva growled out from between clenched teeth while staring across the small camp to where their captors were discussing the situation in a small huddled group.

Mitchell sat beside her on the hard ground, also watching the men. He shifted, trying to get more comfortable before glancing at her. Their hands were tied tightly behind their backs; their ankles had also been tied. When they had arrived at the camp, the men had also put their backs against a tree and wrapped a rope firmly around their chests tying them to the tree for good measure.

Deva was correct it wasn't a good situation. "If they do indeed work for Morgana they will know who we are. This isn't going to end well for either of us."

She shot him a sidelong glance. "Do you honestly believe that I matter to them?"

"Morgan believed your mother mattered enough to kill her to upset your father. What would it do to him to lose you as well?"

She swallowed hard and couldn't look at him; instead, she kept her gaze fixed across the camp on the small group of soldiers. He had a point; it had nearly killed her father when Morgan had killed her mother. If Morgana knew who she was, it stood to reason she would use that against her father. Killing Mitchell as well would be a blow not only to the kingdom but to Cassandra and Horace as well.

Mitchell made a small sound and Deva glanced at him. "What?"

He sighed. "It would upset me as well," he said quietly.

She shifted slightly so she could prop her head on his shoulder. "I don't want anything to happen to you, either."

He grunted in agreement and they fell silent, still watching the men. Whatever happened, it was probably going to be up to whomever these men ultimately worked for and if it was Morgana then death was probably on the agenda.

When the man who had given the orders earlier rose from the gathered group and made his way over to them, Deva straightened away from Mitchell.

The soldier stood for a moment and stared down at them in silence. He was slightly taller than average and unremarkable looking. Mousy brown hair, light brown eyes and plain features. Nothing at all that would ever make him standout in a crowd. She noted a small scar that bisected his left eyebrow, other than that she saw nothing she could remark upon about the man.

"I will send one of my men to inform our leader of your capture, only then will we decide what is to be done with you, until that time you will remain here as our prisoners." He shifted his gaze to Mitchell. "I don't doubt our leader will want something done with you, Your Highness."

Mitchell's spine straightened and he glared at the man. "You can expect retribution from my mother; she won't let my capture, or my death, go unpunished. She will hunt all of you down"

The man lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "The person I work for has plans for both your mother and your father. They won't live long enough to seek retribution."

Deva saw Mitchell go pale at the man's words and he strained at the ropes that bound him, surging forward in an attempt to leap at the man.

"You keep away from them! Don't you touch my parents!" Some colorful cursing followed his statements. She had never really heard Mitchell curse before; actually, she hadn't thought he knew any curse words.

The man's laughter floated back to them and he turned and walked back to the fire where the rest of his soldiers were still gathered.

"Mitchell, calm down. We need to find a way out of here. If we escape they can't kill us, if they can't kill us they have nothing to threaten anyone we love with."

He gave a quick decisive nod but he was still glaring at the leader of the soldiers, he hadn't even looked at her.

***

Morgana read the note for the third time; she had to because the first two had actually caused her to smile widely. Something she hadn't ever done. Smiling was foreign to her. She hadn't been happy in quiet a long time, since her family had been together in one place. Since her father had been alive, not that it had been all happiness with that man.

Still, there had been happy times. Morgarath had cared for her and her brother in his own way. While he had been a harsh man, he had often told them they were his only true joy. One day they would bring him his ultimate happiness, because through them he would see his line rule Araluen forever more.

She shoved away memories of a past that would never be again, her father and brother were both dead and gone. This letter however was going to help bring about a future neither of her dead relations had been able to live long enough to see come to pass. Her men had captured Prince Mitchell. Her lips curled into a smile once more. Princess Cassandra might be on the mend after the poisoning, but if her boy were to die suddenly ...

She let the thought trail away as she dashed off a quick reply and rose to head out and find Marrok. Everyone knew the princess doted on her only child; she would be devastated if he were to perish.

It was time to put an end to King Duncan's line. First the prince and then she would handle Princess Cassandra and Sir Horace. Once they were gone, it was only a matter of time before Duncan wasted away from whatever it was that was ailing him. She had heard the rumors filtering through the kingdom, Duncan was ill.

Her men would kill the prince and leave his body near the castle grounds; it was only a matter of time before it was found. Morgana hurried through the darkness and into the woods, where she whistled a haunting tune that floated through the trees.

As for his companion, the Apprentice Ranger, Will Treaty's daughter—her smile became more feral—Marrok could easily deal with the girl and he would enjoy every moment of it.

The big wolf slunk quietly out of the darkness. Morgana dropped to her haunches so she was eye level with the beast. "Hello my baby."

The wolf cocked its head to the side and huffed out a breath at her.

"I know but it is hard for me to leave the castle without gaining notice. Take this note back to the men and see that they carry out the orders within. They are to kill the prince and leave his body where someone in the castle will find it. The Ranger girl is to be left to you. Make certain you leave the pieces of her body for Ranger Treaty to find my good boy." She stroked her fingers through the wolf's soft fur.

He gave a low satisfied growl as she scratched him between the ears.

Morgana laughed. "Just be certain they do as they are told, if they do not then it will be up to you to control them."

The wolf snorted in response and Morgana nodded. "Then eat them, I don't care one whit about them. Now go on and get back there."

Marrok rubbed his face against her cheek before he turned and trotted off into the darkness.

Morgana watched him go. The wolf was the last bit of family she had left. The only creature left she could trust wholeheartedly. The beast would do as he was told because he trusted her as much as she trusted him. With a nod, she turned and stalked back to the castle.

Nonsense really, he was a dumb animal. He did as he was told because he knew she would kill him if he disobeyed. He did as he was told because he had a safe haven, shelter, food, anything he could ask for as long as he obeyed. She snorted at her stupid bout of sentimentality. She had been at the castle too long, she needed to end this. It was time to kill the royal family and take over. End the Rangers as well.

There was no room for sentiment in death. People died it was the end, there was nothing more after. Therefore, you needed to suck it up and move the hell on. There was no need to look back, no need to dwell on what was, look to the future. Look for ways to make those who took your loved ones away from you to suffer because those who died won't never ever be coming back.