Page 5 of Somber Prince

I wished I could block that image out of my mind.

Maybe it’d been just a dream? A nightmare? Whatever was going on right now still didn’t feel real.

“Time to get moving,” the woman said, not answering any of my questions. “We need to get to Teneris before sunrise.”

“To get where?” My mind was reeling, my head spinning. I thought I might get sick.

Melanie shook the sand out of her jeans and blouse.

“Who cares where?” she snapped. “I’m not going anywhere with these weirdos.”

She gestured wildly with both arms, and I noticed several more figures surrounding us. Some of them were taller, with more masculine proportions, though all of them wore the same dark garments and soft, high boots, like the woman.

“What’s going on here?” Elaine asked the question that kept spinning in my head in a maddening loop.

The strange woman huffed impatiently. Raising her hand, she snapped her fingers. A few of the people came closer. They were considerably taller than either of us, with wider shoulders and broad chests covered by chainmail set with gems. Like the woman’s, their faces were as black as ink or darkness. Only their eyes were light-colored, standing out like stars in the night sky.

The man who approached us first had two curved swords attached to the belt on his hips. The sight of the weapons flashed through my mind with the image of an identical sword raised over my father’s frail frame.

“You attacked my dad,” I croaked.

The woman turned to him. “Is that true?”

Grief and anger exploded through me, blowing any sense of self-preservation to pieces.

“You hurt my sick, old father. You bastard!” I launched myself at him.

Startled, he stepped back.

The woman acted quickly, grabbing my hands before I could land a blow.

“Tie this one up, Serus,” she ordered to another man.

“Yes, my general.” Serus yanked a coil of rope from his belt.

He had a pair of curved swords on each side too. All the men around us were armed like that. Anyone could’ve been my dad’s attacker. Except the sword that had hurt him had appeared from a shadow. How was it possible?

My brain hurt. Stunned, I didn’t even fight Serus as he tied my elbows to my waist from behind.

“Now get them on the camel.” The female general tipped her head at the three of us. “We don’t have much time to lose.”

Serus grabbed me with one arm around my middle, easily lifting me off the ground before sweeping Elaine under his other arm.

Another man went for Melanie. She scowled at him, jumping back.

“I’m not going on no fucking camel!” Melanie ran.

The man suddenly diffused into the air, as if absorbed by the night. After a gentle swish following my sister, his shadow solidified in front of the running Melanie. She bumped into his chest full-speed and fell back onto her ass with a loud “oomph.”

The shadow man calmly collected her, then tossed her over his shoulder as she kicked and screamed. He carried her over to the dark silhouette of a camel that appeared to be painted in ink against the velvet night sky.

“Let me go!” I kicked my feet, aiming for Serus, who took us to the camel too.

The animal emerged like a mass of darkness, as black as the sand around us.

“Keep still,” Serus grunted, adjusting me under his arm. “Or General Oskura will order me to tie your legs too.”

He whistled, and the camel bent its front legs, kneeling to lower the caged seat that was mounted on its back. The beast appeared too dark and huge to be real, yet it moved its jaw, giving us a curious look as Serus shoved Elaine against its side.

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