Page 85 of What Lies Within Blood & Heirs

Every step of the horse carried her further from camp. And without a clear path back, she’d be running in circles all night once she slipped from their hands.

If she even managed to.

How long had she been out? How far and where did they plan on taking her?

They—another important question. If she were to escape, how many were there she’d have to fight?

Alora struggled to open her eyes, but the moment they slit—darkness … with specks of light like the stars.

Blindfolded.

At least they couldn’t see she was now awake. Couldn’t tell she was listening.

Listening!Until now, she hadn’t beenlistening.

“… concealed until we’re over the mountain.” It was her rider speaking.

A younger male voice, maybe five feet behind them, snarled, “I may be new here, but I know what I’m doing, Kyr. Worry about your own damn job.”

Her rider’s hand pressed deeper into her back as if in response. He deepened a breath, but another voice ahead of them called back, “Both of you shut up. He’ll be looking for her. I’d rather him not hear your fucking mouths. I don’t plan on dying today.”

“That won’t happen.”Yes, it will. When Garrik finds us—“I’ve taken care of it. We can speak freely,” the male behind calmly noted.

It seemed to satisfy her rider enough that he bent forward, calling to whoever rode in front. “What will it be this time? The Pass or Lord’s Markets?”

A heavy, almost bored sigh resounded in front of them. “I’m not waiting. We’d have better luck in the markets. Silas won’t be doing pickups right now. He’s too busy kissing royal ass until next week.”

One of them laughed to her right, voice rough and laced with sheer male arrogance, while another snorted behind.

“Then again…” her captor—rider—pricksaid. The horse's steps in front slowed. A hand brushed across the back of her head, and she fought off the urge to steal her rider's sword and cut it off. “A white-haired will pay triple. Likely more. She’s rare.”

A burst of embers rippled through her veins, speaking about her as if she were a specially bred beast for sale. So that was herpurpose? To be sold to the highest bidder to make them a little coin? And by how they spoke, she likely wasn’t their first victim.

Another voice called from the left. It sounded like someone had slapped a shoulder before his voice rose in excitement. “He’d petition Ladomyr to make us lords for this prized bitch. No one has seen a white-haired in over five hundred years.”

Alora stiffened.What?

Leather gloves gripped her thigh. “Our prize pony is awake,” he hummed. A sinister laugh echoed before her rider shifted in his saddle. Then she heard the pop of a button and felt a burning sting shoved into her neck.

Something settled in her head. Like slowly drifting further into a darkened tunnel.

No, no, no!

Sucking in a breathy hiss, she attempted to slow her racing heartbeat. Desperately willing her mind to do something, to make her arms move or her legs to kick—anything. But the darkness convinced her body otherwise. Rolling in a burning wave from her neck to her toes. Welcoming her back to its comforting world without any of the pain and fear, no matter how badly she begged it to allow her to stay. To fight.

No. This darkness was ruthless and carried her away.

At last,when her eyes fluttered open, she was no longer slumped over a horse blindfolded. No longer moving. The darkness wrapped around her eyes had been traded for a star-gilded night sky peeking through a canopy of trees.

The first thing she realized was how incredibly cold the ground was. Kneeling on packed dirt under a tall ash tree, it was freezing, devastatingly hard, and forced unforgiving pain into her knees. The next thing she noticed was the pounding in her head. A heavy fog clouded her eyes, too, making it incredibly hard to focus.

Alora tried to lift her arms, but they felt so heavy, wrists still shackled behind her. Pinpricks danced up and down from her fingertips to her shoulders and made them as numb as her lips.

Forcing herself to blink, to focus, an ember sparked in her gut at what waited in sight.

Don’t panic.

Cages. At least four.

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