Page 11 of Moonmarked

That was the beginning of the longest ride of my life.

The actual ridedidn’t last longer than two hours, if I had to guess. I was starving, so thirsty I could drink a river, but I didn’t make a single sound.

Then came the gates.

I hid as well as I could behind the crates full of herbs, and I tried not to look outside at all, but what little I did see told me that we weren’t going out the same way we’d come in with Rune.

The carriage stopped for minutes at a time, in line with others on the three separate roads. I tried to keep my fear under control, but it was nearly impossible, especially as we went through the opening in the wall that surrounded the Seelie Court.

The tunnel wasn’t long, but I felt like I was suffocating until the blue sky was over us again, and my lungs expanded, and the guards who’d held the doors open on the outside of the walls were already waving for the next carriage, payingusno attention.

Tears in my eyes.

I was outside, and I was happy—so fucking happy—but I was also terrified. Because Rune was inside those walls, and I had no idea what the hell was happening, no idea whether I was doing the right thing running away, no idea if I should have maybe stayed behind and tried to explain.

Breathing didn’t help.Thinkingdidn’t help, and so I tried to look outside, tried to keep myself distracted, except all I could see was trees.

A forest stretched on either side of the wide dirt road that had possibly a hundred imprints of different wheels on it. The wall got smaller and smaller the farther away we went, and I couldn’t even see the tunnel anymore because of the carriages that came after. The more relief I felt, the more my anxiety heightened.

My God, I had no idea what was really out here in this realm—no fucking clue. I’d seen so little, and Rune had been with me all along to keep me safe—but now? Myinstincts screamed, but even they had no clear idea of what to do next, what was the best way.

And then the carriage turned to the right and the large trees blocked the sight of the wall almost completely.

Done.I was out of the Seelie Court. I had gotten away.

Unfortunately, the tiny bit of relief I felt didn’t last.

We’d barely made it into the dense forest when the carriage slowed again. The wheels creaked to a halt all of a sudden. I felt every pulse in my throat like a drum.

I looked at the others, and they had all raised their heads now to look around, surprised that we’d stopped—possibly because this wasn’t normal.

My hands tightened in fists and I held my breath. Fae men and women jumped off carriages and boxes, and giant horses neighed in complaint. Sounds pierced the air and filled my ears—footsteps and metal rubbing against metal. The same sound those soldiers who’d let us into the Seelie Court had made when they’d walked.

Guards.

“By order of the palace, this is a check-up. We’ll be talking a quick look at your merchandise. The sooner you open the back, the sooner we’ll be done. Let’s go, people—move!”

Every inch of my body froze for a long moment.

Fae complained outside—and one of the girls who’d been working with those herbs said, “Check-up? By Reme, we don’t have time for a check-up!”

Yes, this was definitely not something that happened often, and there was only one reason I could think of why the palace had ordered this check-up:me.

I pressed myself deeper between the crates, but there was nowhere to hide, not really. The other girl shotme a look, sharp and questioning, and I didn’t wait for it to turn into something worse.

My legs moved before my mind could argue. I wasn’t entirely sure what the hell I was doing, just that I do it. I shoved open the back flap of the carriage and I jumped out. Just like that—I jumped out of the carriage. Hit the ground on one knee. Ran without stopping to take a single look around.

The world tilted beneath me as I darted into the trees. My ears were full of white noise, and I couldn’t tell you if someone was calling for me, screaming at someone to stop me, or if anybody had even noticed me slipping between the large trees at all.

Branches scraped my arms. Thorns caught in my clothes, but I didn’t care. Didn’t stop. Didn’t even breathe until the noise faded away and my ears were my own again to hear only the silence of the forest that pressed in on all sides, wild and unwelcoming.

I stopped then, breathing heavily, and turned in a slow circle.

Around me, the ground was littered with dry pine needles. Thin, whip-like branches curled toward me and saplings swayed in the breeze, their shadows dancing across the forest floor. The pines and oaks were so tall I couldn’t see the tip of them.

I wiped the sweat from my brow and listened.

Just wind. Just leaves. Just trees. No armor or swords or eyes watching me, even if I had no idea where the hell I was.Alive—that was all that mattered. I’d made it out of the court alive, and the only plan I had was tonot get caught.That would have to be good enough until Blackwater.

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