Page 3 of A Court of Ash and Midnight
Two blocks later the wagon comes to a stop outside a tavern, and I hop off quickly before the driver can yell at me. I stride down the side of the street, making good speed, but not so rushed as to draw attention. I don’t risk another glance behind me, not yet. Turning right down a side street, I jog to the end, turn left, jog another block, and then turn right again.
I zig-zag my way through Kyrn and make it to the western edge of the city forty minutes later. That side of the city is marshy, where the sea pushes inland in little tributaries, as if trying to claw the land back. Unless one knows the paths through, it’s easy to get lost and have to double back. If my pursuers are still on my trail, they’ll have a harder time following me out here.
The moon rises high overhead, making the land far too bright for my liking. The clouds cover it at times, plunging the landscape into deeper shadows, and it’s these moments when I can breathe easier. But my heart’s been pounding straight for an hour now, my blood pumping so quickly I feel jittery. After all these years, the fear never lessens. The terror of being hunted.
And the worst part is, I don’t even know why.
It takes another two hours to cross the marshes, and by the time I do, the moon is nearing its apex at the top of the sky. I pause once I’m on solid ground and gaze back across the silver-and-shadow-striped space I’ve crossed, as I’d done several times already. But I don’t see any movement, any sign that I’m being followed. Perhaps I’d really lost them back in the city.
A small breath of relief escapes my lungs. I turn and continue in the direction I’ve been heading.
Off to my right a few hundred feet, one of the roads from the cities curves to the north. I don’t relish being this close to it, what with the open land and the nearly full moon, but I don’t have much of a choice. Another mile and I won’t be visible from the road, so my best bet is to put distance between us as quickly as possible. I pick up a jog, staying close to the coast as I move across the flat grasslands.
Within a matter of minutes, I can’t see the road anymore, which means those on the road can’t see me, either. I keep jogging for another couple of miles, just to be safe. The night is quiet, other than the sound of my boots thudding against the grass, and waves lapping the shore in the distance. I’ve made it all these years, somehow managing to escape each time they come for me. It seems I’ve done it again. Maybe I’m lucky after all…
The sound of hoofbeats cuts across the waves, and my heart stops.
There’s a small forest in the distance, a fringe of shadow in the otherwise bare land. If I can make it there before they see me, I may have a chance. I move from a jog to a full-out run, cursing myself for not pushing harder before. Maybe whoever is out here riding isn’t after me at all. Maybe they’ll pass me by.
The hoofbeats grow louder, and I glance over my shoulder. There are five riders about a half mile off, and they’re coming right for me. Adrenaline spikes through my veins. My heart is pounding louder than the hoofbeats and my lungs burn like a blade doused in salt water. I have my daggers, as always, but five, on horseback no less, is more than I can handle. There’s also no way I can outrun them. But it’s not going to stop me from trying.
Time seems to simultaneously slow down and speed up. The night comes at me in flashes. Moonlight on the tall grass. The dark expanse of the ocean in the distance. Deep purple skystreaked with clouds. The jagged branches of the trees ahead raking the sky. A flash off in the distance, the bow light on a ship out at sea. My breath comes in harsh gasps that fill my head, almost drowning out the sound of pursuit.
Until those that hunt me are so close that the pounding of hooves drowns out everything else.
The earth shivers beneath me as they bear down on me. I make it to the trees with only twenty feet separating us. The forest isn’t large, but it’s large enough that maybe I can hide. Or make them think I’m hiding while I escape out the other side. With the trees close together and thickets of thorns and vines between, they’ll be forced to slow down. It’s the only chance I have of surviving this night.
I weave through the trees, branches and brambles tearing at my skin and clothes. Blood wells up on my cheek as I scramble through. A few moments later I hear the horses plunge in after me, branches snapping, their snorts of fear filling the air. So much for slowing down. They clearly don’t care if their mounts are damaged in the process. I hear a crashing sound as one of them collides with something, followed by a guttural yell from one of the riders. I flinch but don’t falter.
My gaze sweeps back and forth, looking for somewhere, anywhere, to hide. A hollowed-out tree, a ravine, anything. At the speed I’m going, it’s hard to process what I’m seeing, not to mention the trees are so thick it’s near pitch black in here. The moon, which I loathed before, has abandoned me just when I need her. Maybe if I turn south and head out of the forest on the side closest to the ocean, I can make it to shore without them seeing me. I could hide in the shallows until they’re gone. It’s not a great plan, but it’s the only other option I see if I can’t find someplace to hide within the trees.
I risk a glance behind me but can’t see my pursuers. I can still hear them, though, crashing through the forest with recklessabandon. Cutting left, I move toward the southern end of the forest, toward the water. I slow slightly, trying my best to run without snagging any branches or vines that will give away my location. The sounds of the riders grow fainter as I run. Within a few minutes, I can see the fringe of forest ahead, and moonlight cutting across the grass. And beyond that, a quarter mile, the sparkle of waves.
Goddess, grant me one more night…
I pause at the edge of the trees, trying to listen, which is hard above the thudding of my heart and my ragged breathing. No snapping branches, no hoofbeats close by. In the distance, yells and a sharp neigh from one of the horses which makes me cringe again. This is as good a chance as I’m going to get. I look left and right across the plains and see no one. If I make a run for it now, I can get to the waves in under a minute. Such a short distance that represents either my life or my death.
Taking a deep breath, I bolt out from the trees. I run with everything I’ve got, because my life quite literally depends on it. I make it a hundred feet. Then another hundred. I don’t dare look behind me. Then I’m halfway, the water beckoning, moonlight shimmering on its surface. I’m so close…
A yell, and the unmistakable sound of a horse galloping up hard behind me.
Something hits me from behind, something that wraps around my legs and tightens like a vise. I fly through the air and hit the ground hard, skidding through the grass. The world spins, my brain crashing inside my skull as I roll again and again before finally coming to a stop. The horse skids to a halt a few feet away from me. I try to look up, to see what’s happening, but I’m dizzy from the fall, my vision blurry, fragmented. There’s a creak as the rider shifts in his saddle and prepares to dismount. My fingers fumble for one of my daggers…
And then a strangled choking sound as he slumps over, hand clutching his throat, and falls off his horse onto the ground.
What in the name of…
I try to summon my wits and figure out what’s happening, but everything is still spinning slightly.
A figure emerges from the darkness. Tall, wearing a black cloak that swirls out behind him as he strides toward me. Another of my pursuers? He has the same walk as they do, that way of holding himself that says he’s dangerous. But he looks different also, in a way my fuzzy brain senses but can’t define.
The stranger stops next to me and crouches down. Our eyes meet. The moon illuminates a pale face, and I can see strands of dark hair inside the edge of his cloak. His eyes are a startling shade of jade which almost seem to glow. A spark of recognition moves through me, which is alarming because I’ve never met this man.
“Who are you?” I whisper.
He doesn’t respond. Instead, he reaches out and touches one finger to my forehead, and the world fades away.
Chapter Three
