Page 118 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

Dammit. My skin had betrayed me. It didn’t glow. Now I wished I’d had some of that shimmering powder Brebie used to dust me with. But it was too late. They knew who I was. And now, they’d sell me to whomever paid the most.

Izux petted my ass lightly, almost lovingly. “We’ll see how much gold she’ll fetch, the rare thing that she is.”

I wouldn’t give him the chance to find out my price. They hadn’t tied my arms or legs, probably thinking it unnecessary—the three of them would easily catch and overpower me if I ran. I kept quiet, not willing to make them change their mind on that. But I kept thinking.

The night was dark, despite the glowing bugs. My captors might let their guard down. I had to be ready to slip from the saddle and run.

I’d lose my horse, the food, and the water bag. But I’d still have the gold and the knife. I could make do with those. I just had to find the best moment to take off and then make sure they didn’t catch me.

All three men weresnakanas. They didn’t have legs. I mulled over scenarios where I could use that to my advantage. Maybe I could jump over a wide crack in the ground? Would they jump after me? Couldsnakanashop over things without having legs? Or I could run up a rocky hillside. It would hurt them to slither over sharp rocks, slowing them down.

The horse jerked suddenly. Coming to a stop.

“What the…” Izux muttered.

Then I heard a blade being drawn.

“Good evening, gentlemen.” That voice. That so dearly familiar voice. “Or should I saymidnight, since that’s about the time right now.”

Voron had caught up with me.

I rolled my eyes. That was all I could do at the sound of his deep voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Get out of the way,” Izux barked.

“Certainly. Let me just take the woman, and I’ll be gone in a flash.”

Like a wingless angel, Voron had come to my rescue, only he had every intention of dragging me back to hell right after.

“She’s ours,” Izux protested.

“To do with as we please,” one of his buddies chimed in.

“I’m afraid I can’t let that happen,” Voron replied politely, as if he were talking to the Elaros Court. Only I sensed that the sweeter he sounded, the more lethal he intended to be.

True enough. A blade swished through the air, followed by a grunt of pain and the sound of a body hitting the ground.

I twisted my torso, but hanging over the saddle with my face down and the horse’s body in the way, I couldn’t see much.

The horse stepped away from the action, possibly spooked by the swift blades and the noise. Wiggling around, I nearly fell head first. Grabbing the saddle, I shifted backwards all the way until I slid off and onto my feet.

Voron fought Izux, who had two long knives, each almost as long as Voron’s sword. One of Izux’s men lay motionless on the ground already, dark blood streaming steadily from a deep slash through his chest. The other one was slithering around Voron to attack him from the flank.

Thesnakanacracked his tail like a whip, aiming to knock Voron off his feet. Voron twisted promptly, slashing through the air with his sword. The man’s tail dropped onto the grass, blood spurting from the sliced-off end.

Thesnakanabellowed in agony. His wails cut through the night, bouncing between the tree trunks.

With trembling fingers, I found my knife, not to join the fight—neither of the men was truly on my side, anyway—but simply to have a weapon ready to protect myself if necessary.

Then, I ran.

ChapterThirty

SPARROW

Ibolted as fast as my feet would carry me through the underbrush and over the uneven ground. Jumping over the fallen trunks and ducking under the low-hanging branches, I focused solely on my next step.

I didn’t look back. Not when the noise of the fight ceased. Not when the tapping of hooves on the grass came behind me. Not when the crow cawed above my head, spelling my doom.

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