Ok, firstly a thanks to Carolm007 for inspiring the carriage scene at the end of the last chapter. It helped me get from A to B in a way you seem to have appreciated as I was a little stuck on the transition.
And thank you for all the amazing reviews...However, having read all your theories I hope that the plot isn't too much of a disappointment at this point in the story. There is still a lot more to come, at least 1/3rd as much again maybe more depending on where I eventually take it so lots more things will happen/be covered.
I know these have been shorter chapters but I hope the speed of posting has made up for it a little?
Um, so yeah. Read, enjoy, review if you feel like it!
(Crimson Bonds will be up soon)
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"Where is she?" Regina hissed. Her slave was still missing and she was furious. It was bad enough that the woman had defied her but now she was nowhere to be found!
"The collar, Mistress?" Red dared query but was thrown a dark look by the queen.
"I cannot trace her," the monarch admitted and Red looked shocked.
"How -?"
"If I knew how then I would be able to find her, you imbecilic mutt!" Regina roared. The windows of the throne room exploded, shards of glass falling towards the room's occupants only to be drawn back into their original, unbroken positions before they completed their fall.
Red was terrified. She had never seen the queen so out of control, not even Snow White caused this level of anger to manifest. Well, there had been that one time but -.
"Come," Regina was not going to stand by idly while her slave was roaming the countryside unchecked. A swirl of dark purple smoke and she was wearing her riding leathers, heavy cloak to protect her against the foul weather. "Call the pack and meet me at the stables."
"Yes, Mistress," Red murmured, her longer legs easily keeping pace with the queen until the monarch vanished into thin air. Red tilted her head and let out an ear-splitting howl, one that was taken up by any wolf who heard, ensuring the rapid spread of the message. Their queen needed them.
"Red, what's happening? Where's Emma? " Greta asked, her distress obvious as her voice broke.
"I don't know, pup," Red sighed and started out along the palace's hallways at a jog, knowing it was better to transform outside.
"Is she Ok, did she run away?" The young wolf pushed her friend for more information.
"I know as much as you do," Red growled, the stress and worry getting to her. "I don't know where she is or why the Queen can't track her. If they run she can find them. Something's wrong."
"Do you think she ran away or did Snow White take her?" Greta voiced her concerns out loud and Red snarled, fangs extended.
"If she did then I don't know what the Queen will do. To Emma or Snow, depending on who's at fault," were Red's final words before they burst into the courtyard, it was nearing the middle of the night and the rain was falling so hard it was severely restricting visibility even for those with wolf vision.
In seconds a large black wolf and her silver companion were a blur as they ran for the stable where they found their mistress already astride her stallion.
"Go, find her for me!" Regina commanded and the wolves set a hell of a pace. The roads were quiet, deserted until Red and Greta burst through the palace gates closely followed by the queen and the rest of the wolf pack not left guarding the castle. Despite the rain it only took Red a few moments to pick up the slave's scent and she ran, pushing herself, Emma needed to be found, the sooner the better for all concerned.
As she rode Regina seethed. Emma was hers! How dare she run and why wasn't the collar working? It was hard to see through the rain and the queen cast a charm to shield herself and the majority of her horse from the weather. The beast she rode gave an appreciative snort and was rewarded by a pat on the neck.
There would be flooding to tend to when the rain stopped the queen mused distractedly as they continued to gallop along the road. Her horse was nimble but the ground was covered in water and treacherous underfoot, hooves slipping occasionally but never stumbling. A sudden cacophony from the pack up ahead caught her attention and in minutes she was coming up behind them.
"Who are you and why are you here?" Regina called out to the small party that was surrounded by a baying pack of wolves. They looked terrified and they had every right to be, Red was standing at her full height, vibrating with growls as she confronted what she deemed to be the leader of the group.
"Your Majesty!" The man in question called out and Regina peered through the rain, trying to see who spoke. "You should not be out in this weather," he exclaimed. It wasn't until Regina had nudged her horse through the swarming pack and produced a glowing ball of magic to light the scene that she identified the man.
"Lord Archard. What are you doing out in this weather? Where are your horses?" The queen questioned the nobleman suspiciously, Red and the pack dropping back to let the queen through but still surrounding the party.
"We were on our way to the palace, Majesty. For the trade banquet," the now identified man replied. "But the storm! We lost our carriage to the river and the horses bolted, we are lucky to be alive!"
"Indeed you are but you are a long way from the palace even now, have you been walking all night?"
"For several hours, My Queen. We pressed on to raise the alarm. A young woman stopped to help us but she was swept into the river. We searched but she must have been carried downstream or-."
"Describe her. Now!" Regina barked, heart pounding as she waited for confirmation but who else could it be?
"A blonde, wearing britches and a white shirt, it all happened so fast I didn't really see -." the nobleman replied.
"How far have you come?" The queen interrupted.
"Maybe five miles, Majesty. My daughter -," a raised hand cut him off.
"Red, can you get across the river?" Regina asked her wolf who took a moment to gauge the river's width at that point. A bark indicated her consent. "Go upriver and signal if you find her. Be careful." Another bark and the wolves parted to give their alpha a clear run up to the river's bank. Red backed up as far as she could and raced towards the river, leaping gracefully into the air as her front paws hit the very edge of the muddied but still grassy verge on the water's edge. Regina was not the only one holding her breath as she watched her wolf attempt the dangerous jump.
"Go!" The queen urged, Red's leap only taking her half-way across the turbid waters but she battled through, swimming the rest of the way. Regina felt relief as her pet as soon as claws found a purchase on the opposite bank and the wolf yipped to signal she was safe. "Find her!" Red barked an acknowledgement even as she set off at a frenetic pace upstream. Emma, she had to find Emma!
"Pup, stay with me," Greta wagged her tail at her mistresses command. "I need ten wolves with me. Three to go back to the palace and come back with a carriage, bring one of the soldier's wagons, they are less comfortable but sturdier. The rest of you stay here and guard these people. Keep them safe!" Regina commanded as she swept her hand towards the woods lining the other side of the road and a makeshift shelter appeared made of branches. "It will give you some shelter until the rain abates," she called out as she wheeled her horse round and set off back the way she had come, intent on getting further down river as she distanced herself from the travellers she pulled to a sudden stop, cursing her lack of thought in the quest to find her slave.
"I need another wolf on the other side of the river!" She addressed the remaining wolves with her. "Select your best jumper," she ordered and after a moment a relatively small but lithe looking wolf took it up on itself to leap across the river using a half submerged tree trunk that had become temporarily lodged as a mid-point. As the wolf pushed off and launched towards the far bank the tree swung loose and disappeared down the rapidly flowing river. The current was so fast! Regina's heart raced at the thought of her pet being swept along such ferocious waters.
Yellow eyes flashed from the far bank.
"Go!" A low howl was released before the wolf disappeared into the inky night.
The rescue party raced for miles, passing the wagon that had been dispatched to collect the lord and his party about a mile from the palace but Regina pressed on, her wolves roaming ahead. She was constantly questing for any sign of the slave, monitoring the area for any magical signature from the collar.
Nothing.
No Emma.
Nothing from Red.
Dawn broke and they were twenty miles downriver from the palace and in the wooded area on the edge of the next town.
Regina called a pause to their search, not wanting to draw attention to herself and raise questions as to whom she was hunting. It would not do for the general populace to be made aware that the queen's slave had disappeared. With great reluctance Regina turned and rode back to her palace after leaving a contingent of magically clothed wolf soldiers in the area to canvass the town for any possible sightings of the blonde and to continue the search in the daylight. There was nothing else she could do.
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Red ran faster than she ever had, constantly seeking signs that the blonde may have made it out of the river but there was nothing. No sign, no scent. On reaching the site of the accident she saw the only parts of the broken up carriage lodged here and there in the water. No Emma. With a heavy heart she turned back and raced to find her queen.
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Next on The Collar
How long until she began the hunt for her slave in the other kingdoms? Not long. The need to have her property returned burned strongly in her breast, the anger and frustration of knowing that Emma was not here to do her bidding, to take care of her desires, consumed her.