Page 22 of Tortured

Go away.

You’re no fun. I’m intrigued by your new abilities. I can teach you to hone them.

I don’t need your help, I hiss.

All right, princeling. Just remember I offered.

Are your legs healed yet? Don’t you have someone else to harass?

Don’t worry about me. Don’t let your guard down either. He laughs.

I have a few days until I reach the mountain. I’ll take advantage of roads and trails, as long as I don’t run into anyone.

A twig snaps on my left, in the woods. I whirl around and hold my swords at the ready.

The assassins found me?

A doe with dark, beady eyes lowers her head after staring at me for several minutes. She paws the ground before backing into the underbrush.

I am on edge.

Cold chill rakes my spine. I don’t move for several more minutes, my ears straining to hear danger.

A man huffs around the bend far in the road ahead, with a handcart laden high. The rear wheel catches on a root, and the man staggers back with a grunt as his cart rocks but doesn’t budge forward. He slams his body into the push bar with no success.

Forgetting myself, forgetting that I need to stay away from innocent people, I sheath my swords and jog up to him. “Need a hand?”

Without waiting for an answer, I lay my palm on the rear of the cart and give a half-hearted push, which dislodges the cart so suddenly that the poor traveler pitches forward and drops to his knees with an oomph.

I steady the cart. “Right. Sorry about that.”

The man brushes himself off. “Quite a strong touch you have there.”

“Yeah. Guess I don’t know my own strength.” Absolutely true. I scratch my head, feeling awkward.

The man chuckles. “I should pay you to pull the cart.”

I sniff and glance behind me to the underbrush where the deer was. She’s long gone, but my skin still feels strange with the sensation of being hunted.

Watched.

I excuse myself from the man and hurry on.

After a day, the trail is no longer well worn. It breaks off into several branches, one westward, moving along the mountain. But the path I want continues south over the range. The trail will be rough, winding upward until it hits the high point before descending on the other side, but travelers will be few.

I hike for over a week.

Caedryn’s assassins catch up with me only once. And I dispatch them without effort.

Aren’t you getting sick of stalking me?

I receive a snort in answer.

Late spring, after finally descending the mountain and following a trail to the west, I reach a tiny seaport. I’m surprised by the little town. Technically, it’s within my cousin Brenin’s realm, but no one has ever mapped it, or talked about it, because it’s so far out of reach. Apparently, the town managed to set up their own trade with ships that sailed to the east and west.

I study a ship at the meager dock. It came from the west, filled with trade from Brenin’s other major cities. Men roll goods up and down the dock, adding more to the vessel and taking some in return.

Finally, breathing in resolution, I grit my teeth and find the captain to book passage.

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