When Izzie was deep enough in the forest not to be noticed by the King’s guards she stopped and looked behind her at the receding village.

There was no sign of the man who had told her to go with him; she had barely noticed his wide jaw and thick dark hair before she clocked his sword and the rather chauvinistic way he had told her about the guard, as if she hadn’t heard them.

Of course she had them; because of them she had to hurry up her work on Marrok who she discovered had been the other man who abused her family.

If she had it her way he would have suffered a lot more before he died but she had no desire to be caught by the guard either; she was already wanted for murder.

But Izzie’s thoughts got distracted when a sudden blaze engulfed the village and smoke plumed into the sky.

Izzie heard the man’s footsteps in the trees above her before he jumped down behind her; her sword still in her hand she whirled around and pressed the tip against his throat.

“Ah, there you are,” the same man from the blacksmiths muttered, looking at her like she was annoying him.

“Why are you following me?” Izzie asked him, staring in his deep green eyes.

He was tall, a few inches taller than her five foot ten, with an excellent physique of broad shoulders and a wide jaw. She had no doubt that under his white shirt his arms and chest were riddled with muscles.

But brute strength did not win a battle and she had not yet found someone she couldn’t beat.

“We need you,” the man told her.

“I’m not interested,” Izzie stepped back and dropped her sword from his throat but she still held it close, “Leave me alone,”

“You haven’t heard what I was about to say yet!” the man called after as she took a step around him.

“I’m not interested,” Izzie repeated over her shoulder, not looking back at him.

“You will be,” the man snapped, “when you hear what I have to say,”

“Look,” Izzie turned sharply, ready to bear into him when she realised that he was closer than she had thought. How had she not heard him approach? Obviously, this man was more dangerous and skilled than she thought, “I don’t do groups. No matter what the bounty,”

“Not even a royal pardon?” He asked, raising an eyebrow and Izzie stopped in her tracks.

She could evade the royal guard for her entire life if she wished but it made it a lot easier if she didn’t have to look over her shoulder all the time.

“I thought that might get your attention,” He smirked at her, irritating Izzie, “My name’s Drystan,” He held out his hand in friendship but the sword in his other made the gesture rather hollow.

“I’ll put mine away first, shall I?” Drystan murmured, sheathing his sword, “I can see you’re rather jumpy,”

Izzie didn’t like the comment but she sheathed her sword none the less, she didn’t need it to kill him, and took his offered hand.

“I’m Isadora,” she shook his hand hard to show that she wasn’t weak.

“I know,” He nodded his head, “I’ve been tracking you for the last week. Now we must hurry; we’re already late,”

“Late for what?” Izzie frowned but Drystan had already hurried off into the forest and Izzie ran to keep up with his long legs.

* * *

Izzie was going to kill him.

He had brought her to the capital where royal guards were in large numbers and every bounty hunter was after her head on orders of the king.

Izzie’s hand wavered over her sword’s handle; what was Drystan up to?

She was ready to interrogate him when he lead her away from the main road and around the outskirts of the capitals walls to an area where there was no guards and the gates to an underground tunnel had been blasted open.

Izzie wasn’t about to go into the bowels of the castle.

“Where are you taking me?” Izzie demanded, hot in his ear as she pressed her dagger against his throat and backed him up against the wall. Was he a bounty hunter? Had the king hired him?

“Tell me!” She growled at him, pressing the dagger in until blood drizzled down his jugular.

“I’m not working for the king, if that’s what you think,” he snapped at her, “I’m wanted just like you. But this job can change all of that,”

“What job? Who are you working for?” Izzie wanted to scream, he wasn’t telling her anything.

“For me,” A voice sounded and Izzie reacted.

Stepping back from Drystan she removed her sword with her spare hand and aimed it at the new arrival; a middle aged man dressed in rich clothes with the sigil of the King’s right hand man on coats right arm.

“Isadora, I would much appreciate it if you would lower your weapons,” the man murmured, his hands clasped in front of him and looking at her with a kind smile though Izzie was surprised she recognised anything ‘kind’ anymore.

Izzie narrowed her eyes at them both, “Okay,” she nodded her head and sheathed her sword but she slipped the dagger under her sleeve and held it there, “Now, tell me what’s going on,”

“I would much prefer to talk about this in the comfort of my study,” he pointed to the hidden tunnel, “I have tea brewing,”

“You work for the king. Why are you consorting with criminals?”

“I fear the king has lost sight of the real world. I need help and I’m afraid the only people capable of doing what I ask are criminals,” He murmured in a soft voice and Izzie felt herself inclined to believe him.

She looked at Drystan and found that he believed everything this man was saying.

Izzie nodded her head, “Lead the way.”

* * *

The man’s study was a lot comfier than outside in a muddy field; rugs littered the floor and a fire was roaring in the hearth warming the room up until Izzie removed her cape to reveal a knee-length leather jacket over her outfit.

“I did not introduce myself properly,” the man murmured once he shut the door, “My name is Brandon Caldwell. I work for the King and unfortunately I have seen first-hand the actions of this mad-king,”

“Mad king?” Izzie was confused; the last time she saw the king he was far from mad and confused, “What work had he done to make him mad?”

“We are still waiting for a few more people, would you like a tea as we await their arrival?”

Izzie nodded her head and situated herself in the corner of the room so she could see everything and wouldn’t be surprised.

Drystan and Brandon fell into a light conversation with Drystan muttering at how vexing it was to catch Izzie which Izzie just found hilarious and went back to looking out of the window.

From Brandon’s room, which was high up in the castle, she could right over the side of the castle wall and down to the area where she had held Drystan at knife point; so that’s how he had known they’d arrived, Izzie thought.

She was thinking to herself when she saw a few more bodies disappear down the exact same tunnel; Izzie said nothing but it wasn’t long before a co-ordinated knock came at the door and Brandon got to his feet to answer it.