Page 60 of Sword of Rage
They reached the tree line. “There’s a river not far from here,” Harley said, breathing heavily. “I keep a boat there. We can use that to go downriver.”
Another flipping boat? He cursed. At least it wasn’t the open water of the ocean. A river he should be able to handle. “Don’t you think the horses would have been faster and easier?”
“By the time we reached them, mounted, and got out of alockedpen, the men would have been upon us.”
“I can pick a lock in two seconds.”
“It doesn’t matter!” she said a little louder than necessary. “It’s too late for the horses, so stop arguing with me.”
Footsteps pounded on the forest floor behind them.
“How much farther?” Ackley thought the men were falling a little behind now that they were running amongst the trees.
“Almost there.” Harley ran with purpose, as if she’d done this a hundred times.
The trees abruptly ended and a river stretched out before them, the water rushing by. Harley slung a broken branch to the side, revealing a tiny boat barely big enough for the two of them. She dragged it to the water’s edge, hopping in. Ackley gave it a shove to get it going, then he jumped in, the boat wobbling from his weight. Harley thrust two tiny oars at him. After sitting, he took them, steering the boat with the current and toward the other side, wanting to put as much space between them and their pursuers as possible.
Men came crashing through the forest, stopping on the river bank where the boat had been only moments before. Shouts rang out, then the men started running alongside the shore after them.
“Don’t worry,” Harley said. “I have an idea.”
While they’d managed to grow their lead, Ackley could still see and hear the men chasing them.
“There’s a bend up ahead. We’ll jump out there, leaving the boat in the river. About a half mile after that, there’s a waterfall. Hopefully, they’ll think we went over it. It should buy us enough time.”
Considering the plan, Ackley looked for holes. Given their circumstances, it seemed a solid idea. “Okay.”
“Keep us on course. When I say, steer us to the left.”
He nodded and rowed as fast as he could. His shoulders burned, but he welcomed the pain.
“Now.”
He steered to the left just as the river curved the other direction. As soon as the men were out of sight, Harley launched out of the boat, the water up to her knees as she clambered onto the shore. She ran into the cover of the trees. Leaving the oars in the boat, Ackley got out then grabbed the tip of the boat, shoving it back into the middle of the river. Satisfied, he sprinted after Harley. They headed deeper into the forest, neither one speaking. After about ten minutes, he grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop. They stood there, listening.
An owl hooted. Leaves rustled in the wind. No sounds of footsteps or voices could be heard.
“What’s our next move?” Harley asked, her voice barely audible.
While Ackley didn’t like the idea of traveling in the dark, they didn’t have an option tonight. It would only be a matter of time before the men discovered he and Harley hadn’t perished in the waterfall. They had an hour at most before people came looking for them.
“I’ll explain everything later, but right now, I want to get us to Landania.” He believed they needed to head southeast. He gave her a second to consider his words.
She tilted her head up, her brows pulling together as she looked him in the eyes. “You don’t intend to meet up with Owen?”
Eyeing her sidelong, he asked, “How would you feel about going on an adventure…with me?”
Harley
An adventure…with an assassin-prince. Harley didn’t know what to think about that. When they were at her parents’ home, he’d exhibited the side of him that screamed he was an arrogant prince. Then at Lyle’s house, Ackley had revealed the ruthless assassin side of him. The part of him that could kill without hesitation. When he’d fought those men, he’d reminded her of a panther. Lean, sleek, and lethal.
“I don’t know.” Because she didn’t. Even though he scared her at times, she felt safe around him. Somehow, she knew he had her best interests at heart. But going on a mission with him took things to another level. One she was not sure she was prepared to go to. “What do you have in mind?”
When he didn’t immediately respond, she thought perhaps he hadn’t heard her. She was about to ask again when he said, “I’m going to Russek.”
NotI’d like to go to RussekbutI’m going.Somehow she knew this wasn’t a spur of the moment thing. And she was inclined to think Owen had no idea about it.
“I need someone who understands the culture and people so I can blend in,” he explained. “I need your knowledge and expertise.”
