Page 17 of The Sea of Zemira (The Zemiran Chronicles 1)

The rest of the uniformed men ran down the main vendor hall to prevent anyone from escaping, as the sheeracats snuffed out each booth and merchant. The woman who had been crying out was already in their custody. Nola noticed how she kept her hair hidden, pretty much like hers, in a tight wrap around her ears and hair. Her unusually tall body bent forcefully to the ground as one of the guards pulled the scarf off her head. That was when her tiny, pointy ears stood straight up.

She was Elven.

They tied her arms behind her back, and she screamed so loud that a few of the guards had to shield their ears. A little child, no taller than one of Nola’s longbows, was dragged away in the opposite direction.

“Monsters,” Nola said quietly. “They can’t keep doing this, Father. We ought to stop the king.”

“Not now, Nola. You’re not ready,” Duncan scolded.

“Wha’ tha’ bloody ’ell are ye two jabberin’ ’bout?” Val said in a near whisper, but her eyes went wide as the sheeracats snuck up around the corner and entered their tent.

The Lardbraks quickly bowed as they had always been instructed to do when the cats visited. Nola’s fingers felt numb as she gripped her hand into a tight fist. She shook and felt her heartbeat in her throat. The cat slowed as it entered her space and sniffed the air.

Go away, you beast. Leave us,the girl thought in her mind.

She closed her eyes tightly and sucked in a breath, holding it until she felt faint. Her eyes opened, and she looked at the beast. Its dark eyes widened slightly while sniffing the air again, and then it sneezed.

Huh, that’s odd,Nola thought.

The sheeracat turned to its mate, and the two stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds as if communicating. The guards nodded and then pulled at the leashes to yank the animals away.

As they walked out of the linen tent, Nola blew out a heavy breath and looked to her parents. “What was that?”

“I don’t know,” her father replied, aghast. “But we aren’t stickin’ ’round to find out. Once the guards disappear behind the palace walls, we’re leavin’.”

Nola stood and peered down the vendor hall, watching once again the Elven woman screaming for her child being separated and taken into the palace gates. They were both about to be executed for being born different. Nola’s nostrils flared as tears of desperation coursed through her.

He must be stopped,she thought, wiping her eyes. She did not care what her father had said about her needing more time.

It was time.

They quickly gathered the remaining bows and pulled down the tent. They were not the only ones rushing to get out of there. The stress created by the vile creatures drove most of the vendors to end their sales for the day. An uneasy feeling flooded among vendors, villagers, and customers alike. No one ever wanted to be near the palace. Still, the city’s marketplace was the only way most villagers could make enough money to meet their tax quota and have spare cash to eat.

Nola looked up at the castle beyond the gate, and, in the distance, she spotted Prince Elijah peering down into the crowd—watching her. She had walked on dangerous grounds when she had opened her mouth like a damn fool. Putting her and her family at risk was not part of her plan. She was not sure how she was going to get out of Elijah’s mind. She had probably said too much. The prince would not leave her alone—she was sure of that.

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