Chapter 21

"I have to get out of here," Layla pushed past Rahl and rushed down the hall. He followed close behind her. They were halfway to the exit when Rahl grabbed Layla's arm, stopping her.

"Layla," Rahl started uncomfortably.

"What?" She spat the word, eager to escape the chills this temple gave her. She saw Rahl's face and her heart softened as guilt glinted across his face quickly before he resolved.

"I'm- I'm sorry." Layla knew that she wouldn't see this side of Darken Rahl when they returned to the People's Palace. He was only acting this way because they were alone and as soon as they returned he would be back to his cold domineering self. Layla cherished this softer side of him and wanted to encourage it as much as possible.

"It's okay," Layla said sweetly, "You didn't know how horrible it was going to be." Layla wrapped his hand in hers tentatively and was shocked to find that he didn't thrust it away. Instead, he looked straight into her eyes with intense resolve.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Rahl assured her, "Layla, if something happened to you I-" Layla cut him off, by pressing her lips to his firm and gentle. Rahl kissed back briefly before pulling back sharply with a mix of confusion and awe.

"Sorry," Layla spoke hastily, flush with embarrassment," I thought, well, nevermind-" She turned and marched toward the door leaving Rahl to wonder.

When Layla finally exited the building she took a deep breath of morning air. Blades of grass touched with dew brushed against her boots and the morning sun sent pink and orange streaks glinting off the clouds. Clean air lifted Layla's spirits as she realized the dust and decay within the temple had been suffocating her. Now she could smell nothing but the perfume of wildflowers and nature.

Crisp mornings like this had always cheered Layla up and she certainly needed it now more than ever. First the trauma of reliving a slaughter and kissing Darken Rahl. Goosebumps rose on her neck as she remembered how appetizing his lips had looked. All she wanted to do was run back into the temple and entwine herself with Rahl. A ridiculous thought. She couldn't let herself start swooning over Rahl and getting distracted by whatever their relationship had become.

She stretched her arms in the air forcing her mind off the topic. Letting her middle stretch, Layla twisted to the side releasing the pent up nerves from her body. She bent over, touching her hands to the ground and stretching her legs. As her body relaxed Layla pushed the butterflies out of her stomach. One more second of stretching and she'd be back in peak condition.

When Layla rose again, she was face to face with a man walking towards her with a threatening grin. She froze wondering if she was in another vision and took too long to realize that she was not. Layla turned to run back into the temple but was stopped short as pain ripped through her left thigh. She crumpled to the ground with a piercing cry.

"Rahl!" She shouted, hoping he had some plan in place to deal with this unlikely occurrence.

Her fingers grazed her thigh and found an arrow pierced into her flesh. Blood oozed from the wound as she pushed herself up from the ground. She had barely stood when the man had caught up with her. Layla winced as the man grasped her around the neck, wielding a small, but very sharp, knife.

Seconds later, Rahl ran out of the temple with a look of panic. His eyes met Layla's. His pained expression betrayed exactly how much he cared about her. Unfortunately, Layla's captor saw it too. Another man, wielding a bow and arrow, emerged from the rotting buildings.

"Looks like the great Darken Rahl has a weakness after all." The man with the bow chuckled, pointing his arrow at Rahl.

"Sure!" the other shouted, "And we've got her safe and sound with us." He started a Rahl as he lifted the knife to Layla's neck.

Rahl drew himself up, ready to challenge and negotiate like the ruler he was. But Layla knew this could only end two ways. Either with her dying at the hands of these men, or Rahl giving up whatever it was they wanted in exchange for her safety.

"What do you want?" Rahl gritted his teeth threateningly. There was more than just anger beneath Rahl's voice. They all felt the rage permeating beneath the surface.

"Oooh," the man holding Layla taunted Rahl, "Be nice now, Lord Rahl. You wouldn't want to hurt precious Layla by being reckless with your attitude." To show Rahl exactly what he meant, he grasped the arrow sticking out of Layla's thigh and twisted it, sending pain through Layla's whole body. She screamed with pain and her knees buckled weakly. She wanted nothing more than to curl in a ball on the ground, but the man holding her hostage kept his grip firm so she would stay on her feet.

"LET HER GO!" Rahl shouted and his nostrils flared. Forgetting himself, he lunged forward. Negotiations were over now. He had shown all his cards, and these strange men would use them as leverage against him.

The man with the bow gasped Rahl by the shoulders, holding him in place. The two men stood several feet away, so neither Layla nor her captor could hear their conversation. Layla kept her eyes locked firmly on Rahl's face as they spoke. It changed from raging to resentful as the two men came to an agreement. Layla grimaced as the man holding her bent his face into her hair and sniffed deeply.

"He'll get it for us!" the other man turned and shouted once the agreement had been reached, "We're taking the girl."

"No," Rahl insisted, "You'll get what you want, but she comes back with me."

"Can't do it," the bowman replied, "Without her, we have no guarantee that you'll follow through on your promise. You know what you need to bring and where you need to bring it. Until then, she comes with us."

Rahl looked at Layla apologetically. This time his eyes gave her a completely different kind of chills. She could tell that he intended to kill the men who were taking her away as soon as he got his hands on whatever it was he needed.

Without a word to each other, they both knew that something had changed between them. After the span of a day, they now meant more to each other than either had intended.

Hastily, the men started dragging Layla to the carriage. She kicked and screamed trying to escape. The two men pushed her along, twisting the arrow stuck in her leg forcing her to crumple to the ground.

"I swear, if you harm her in any way," Rahl's voice trembled murderously. His fists were clenched at his sides, "I will kill you both."

"Fine," the bowman helped Layla into the carriage gently, "but we can't promise that our employer doesn't have something else in mind for her."

Rahl pressed his lips into a thin line, knowing that nothing else he said would matter. The bowman sat in the carriage with Layla while the other took the reins driving away. Layla smiled reassuringly at Rahl as the carriage pulled away.

"Thanks for the ride!" The man driving shouted Rahl as he hit the horses with the bridle.

Without a horse, it would take Rahl days just to get back to the People's Palace. And then who knew how long it would take for him to get whatever it was these men wanted? One thing was for sure. Layla would be stuck with these men and their employer for several days.