Page 17 of A Waltz with Lord Death
“Will you tell me when?”
“No.”
“Is it soon?”
He turned his head to scowl at her. “Do you really want to know?” He pointed to a passing traveler with one hand and a guard with the other. “It’s longer than his but shorter than his.”
She eyed the traveler, noting the ashen color of his skin. His shoulders drooped beneath the pack he carried. A hacking cough escaped his lungs, followed by a wheeze. He swayed a moment on his feet, but he continued trekking onward.
Upon glancing back at Death, his expression gave nothing away, but a nagging feeling told her something set in his jaw wasn’t right. What wasn’t he telling her?
“What’s your name?” she asked curiously.
“Death.”
“No, what’s your real name?”
He smirked and turned to look her way with a mischievous glint in his eye. “I will trade the information for a kiss.”
“I will not kiss you.”
“No? I’ve heard I give soul-crushing kisses.”
“That’s not amusing.”
“I never said it was.”
Death’s shoulders drooped a fraction as if a sudden weight fell over him. His eyes changed from a hard onyx to a sullen gray. The shadows stirred at his feet, whining, and licking his hands as if attuned to his somber mood. She turned her attention away in discomfort, not wishing to witness the change within him. She didn’t want to care. She wanted to turn him away and never see his face again.
A fray on her cloak caught her attention, and she picked at it with a great deal of concentration. “Why are you here? I thought you had plenty of work to do.”
“I’m waiting,” he answered.
“For what?”
He squinted as he peered at the guard leading the group. The man sat ramrod straight in his saddle, appearing unaffected by the bad weather. His sheathed sword rested against his thigh, bouncing with each step the horse took.
“Only about fifteen seconds now. I’m not entirely sure what will happen, but a lifespan never lies. And you, my darling…” He paused as he glanced her way, his eyebrows furrowed. “You should be happy to know you won’t die. Not today.”
Her heart accelerated, her eyes growing wide. Her hand flew to her chest as her gaze darted to the leading guard. “Wilford!” she shouted to the guard. He turned his horse, startled to hear his name. “You are in grave danger!”
But the moment the words left her mouth, an arrow whizzed out of the trees and struck the guard in the throat. He released a gurgled cry of surprise before he toppled off the horse and fell into the snow, the white powder quickly staining red.
War cries erupted from the trees. Men wearing thick leather and fur coats charged toward the road with weapons held high. Another arrow shot their way and pierced a guard’s chest before they leaped into action. The guards drew their swords and met the ruffians in combat. Horses stomped and whinnied, and the horse she rode reared up in fright.
She cried out as she lost her balance on the creature and fell face first into a pile of snow. The powder seeped into every crack between her skin and clothing, setting a chill deep into her bones. Another cry escaped her as a horse hoof stomped toward her face, but she rolled out of the way to avoid the creature, only to breathe in a lungful of snow.
Through coughing, sputtering, and choking, she scrambled to her feet. Her heart beat a frantic rhythm as she dodged out of the way of two clanging swords and rushed in the direction of the trees. Powder kicked up into her face like sand in a storm. Stinging. Blistering. Frigid.
Weapons clashed behind her, becoming more distant as she trudged through a foot of snow, leaped over protruding roots, and finally ducked beneath the safety of a pine tree. Fire surged through her lungs with every breath she took. She cocked her ears for sounds of pursuit, but even the fighting had disappeared with the distance between her and the danger.
She was alone.
A distant male voice sent shivers of fear racing down her spine. “The woman went this way! Hurry or we’ll lose her.”
“What’s she gonna do?” another male scoffed. “She’s on foot. There’s nowhere she can run without us finding her. If the king wants her, it’s good enough for me. He’ll pay a hefty ransom to get her in one piece.”
The voices became more distant.
