Page 105 of The Threadbare Queen

He went down with a shout, slashing his knife across Melodie’s throat as he fell.

Ava saw him do it, and it was quite deliberate.

Rage flared up in her, even as she registered Melodie had thrown herself out of his arms and was rolling away from him. She scrambled to her feet, completely unharmed.

Ava lifted the hammer again, so angry she found it hard to concentrate on the shouts and exclamations of the others. She was quite prepared to slam it into Sirna’s head, but Gregor beat her to it.

The knife was in his hand as he leaped forward. He jerked Sirna up from where he knelt on the ground by the throat.

“You tried to kill my daughter.” He said the words quite calmly, and then he plunged the blade into Sirna’s gut. He held him there, with the same ease Sirna had held Melodie, and then he threw him down on the ground.

Evelyn started to scream, and Madame Croter turned on her.

“Shut up. Or do you want to be next?”

The threat did the job. Evelyn backed away, her gaze fastened on Sirna, on the pool of blood widening around him, as she edged away. As soon as she was clear, she started running down the road to where they must have left the cart.

“You want me to fetch her back?” Vanin Gruger asked.

Gregor shook his head. “Let her go. She’s no threat anymore.”

They all turned back to Sirna, whose hands were trying to stem the bleeding.

“Are you going to help me?” His words were garbled, and there was blood on his lips. His eyes were fixed on Reckhart.

“You tried to kill a little girl,” Reckhart said, voice strained. “No. I’m not going to help you.”

No one moved, no one said anything, they just watched until Sirna’s eyes closed.

Then Gregor grabbed his shirt again, and dragged him amongst the trees.

When he came back out, Vanin Gruger uncapped a water skin, and Gregor held out his bloody hands and rubbed them together as water was poured over them.

He shook the droplets off as if the matter was now done.

“If we don’t leave for the border right away, we won’t get through,” Madame Croter said, the practicality of it jarring after what had just happened.

They all began to move, quiet now. Subdued.

Melodie had stood beside Madame Croter, watching her father drag Sirna into the forest. When he emerged, she stood still and submitted to a thorough examination, her father’s now clean hands smoothing over her, making sure she was completely unharmed.

Ava left them to it, heading for their cart. She clambered onto the driver’s seat and realised she still held the hammer in her hand.

She set it down beside her and leaned back, closing her eyes against the warm sun.

She had finally escaped her captors. And they were gone for good.

She heard a noise and turned, opening her eyes. Melodie stared up at her from the ground. She reached down a hand, and pulled the little girl up beside her.

“How strong is the hat’s message?” she whispered.

“It’s still saying not to look at you, but more in a normal voice now, not a shout.”

Ava nodded. She’d have to sneak off at the next stop and work some new embroidery into it, to bolster it for the border station.

But the hard part was done.

She was free.

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