Page 8 of Knightfall
The big man stepped closer to his complaining companion. His arm swung like a hammer. I heard thethwackof his fist smacking down. The scrawny man wobbled where he stood. Someone else scrambled to scoop up the spit, so that their dinner didn’t burn. Scrawny fell back on his butt, dazed.
“Anyone else have a problem with the plan?” Big guy glared at his companions. One by one, they shook their heads no. “Good. Then in a few weeks, we should be rid of Princess Avia.”
My heart leapt into my throat. Fear buzzed along my spine. These men were planning to attack my little sister. The new crown princess. I skittered backwards. I turned and ran blindly back up the tunnel.
I could hear them toasting behind me.
“To a new day for Evaness!”
Bile rose in my stomach. They were sick men. Twisted. Maybe it was just talk. Maybe. I tried to calm my beating heart. But cat reflexes don’t react too well to logic. My heart raced. Every nerve in my body pushed me to bolt. My instincts screamed that these men were serious. These men were dangerous. They were going to kill my sister.
I tripped. Rocks skittered down the tunnel behind me.
“Someone’s here!” I heard one of the rebels yell.
Sard.
Now I didn’t just have a spy master chasing me. I had a rebel group, too.
Chapter Three
Itumbled down the hill into the night and took cover under some bushes.
I sniffed desperately, trying to separate the smells that assaulted my cat nose.
I smelled bear scat somewhere nearby, and instead of revolting me, it just sent a warning tingle to my toes.
Don’t walk there, my senses whispered.
I heard boots tromping around the hills behind me. I crouched lower to the ground, desperate to catch Quinn’s scent.
Warm and wild, slightly musky, his bobcat smell hadn’t been the worst thing. I twitched my nose to the north, seeking.
There. There it was.
I shot out of the bushes and through the fallen blue leaves, not caring how much sound I made.
An arrow whizzed overhead.
Aboomsounded behind me. Like those rebels had set off an explosion spell.
My ears rang, and my balance was thrown off. I stumbled sideways, though I didn’t slow my pace. I couldn’t.
Sard.
Those shites were serious. Beyond serious. This couldn’t be a small operation if they had the funds to pony up for spells like that. Even the royal palace only used explosion spells for war.
Avia. They are gonna hurt Avia. Go!
I pushed my cat legs to go faster, pushed the nose to keep on Quinn’s trail. When it turned left, I tried to turn so quickly I ended up rolling head over tail into a thorny bush.
I landed right at the feet of a very angry bobcat, whose neck wounds still showed a trickle of blood.
The cat’s eyes flashed, and his big paw batted at my head and pushed it down into the leaves.
I let him. I held very still as his sharp ears caught the sound of the rebel’s hunt in the distance.
His eyes flickered back to mine and held.
