Page 78 of A Song of Thieves

I don’t doubt his honesty. He believes me capable, as far as his knowledge has seen anyway. I don’t know if I agree yet, but the thought doesn’t make me cringe like it once did.

“You’re a horrible captor,” I tell him.

Our eyes lock, and for the smallest moment, I think he might lean down to me. To do what, I don’t know. His gaze traces the lines of my mouth, and all the sudden it feels much too warm in here. The corner of his lips turn up, a grin blooming across them. But he faces forward, continuing our walk toward Onah and to whatever lies on the other side of this darkness.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I would help you, in any way I can. It may not mean much coming from me. But I promise you, I will.” He doesn’t look at me as he says these words.

And truthfully, I don’t know what to say back except, “Thank you.”

My stomach has almost settled when I feel a breeze, the torch sputtering against it. As we turn a corner, light shines down the remaining rocky corridor, rendering my firelight unnecessary. But still I hold it in front of me, feeling some measure of protection in its flickering glow.

It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the brightness, holding my arm up to shield the sunlight from my face. My fingers are still interlaced with Parker’s, and I give him a shaky smile. I have no idea what happens from here, but my breathing seems to have evened out some at least. He nods to me, his own smile reassuring me of his last words.

I’m about to open my mouth, to ask him what happens now, when a heavy force knocks me down and out of Parker’s grip, pinning me to the rocky ground. A sharpness jabs into my face and stomach, and I claw at the loose rocks and earth around me as I try to move.

“Parker? What’s happening? Parker!” I scream. Rough hands grab at me, tying my arms firmly behind my back, something hard and heavy digging into my shoulder.

“What are you doing? Where are you taking her?” Parker says, his frantic voice behind me.

When I’m finally lifted from the ground, tiny pebbles dot along my cheek and clothing. My eyes are watering from whatever sharp element was jabbing into me while I was pinned down. Parker Aldren is held back by two men, thrashing at them as he tries to move out of their grasp.

“This wasn’t part of the agreement, Onah,” I hear him say, his breathing quick and shallow. But his sharp tone seems to be lost on the woman. Her grin is vicious as she looks at my arms tied behind me, and back to Parker.

“You had no agreement to her welfare, Aldren. You had to simply get her here. You’ve done that. Congratulations— you’re off the hook. Feel free to go retrieve your mother. I am so disappointed I won’t get the chance to meet her first. Perhaps another time,” the older lady says, smirking in his direction. His mother? What does this have to do with his mother? Retrieve her from where?

Something ghostly crosses his face at Onah’s revelation, but it’s quickly huffed out. “Lena. Lena. I’m so sorry. I had no idea. Please believe me,” he tells me, shaking his head. His eyes plead with me.Believe me. Please believe me,they say, over and over, glistening as they stare right at me.

The gruff man holding me pushes me forward, and I trip on the rocks underneath me, landing down hard as they slice into both of my knees. A drop of blood falls down one leg, a sharp sting radiating through the wound. But there’s no time to assess the damage, and no one caring enough to help me. No one free to do so anyway.

“Be careful with her. She’ll walk if you ask her to!” Parker yells at the man, his words hitting my back as we retreat down another path.

I twist my body, trying to catch any glimpse of him. My gaze lands on his face—his dark hair pulling free of its tie, a few strands falling to his shoulders, and those dark eyes staring straight at me. Onah grabs my arm, shutting me between her and the man pushing me forward.

“Let’s see how your soft feet fair without your lovesick bodyguard watching your back,” she says, spit dripping from her maleficent smirk. Lovesick? Too much is happening around me to try and make sense of her words. “It seems you can take a man out of the Guard, but you can’t take the Guard out of the man.” Her gaze flicks back to Parker, his face now turned to hardened stone at her words.

After a few more steps I strain around again, turning my head to get one more glimpse of him. He struggles with the two men, attempting again to get past them. “Lena! Lena!” he screams after me.

The last thing I see is a fist colliding against his jaw and another to his stomach, sending a bloodied Parker hard to the ground.

34

Roan

We’vesaidnothingallday, carefully timing our breaths to keep from tiring ourselves too early.

The soft ground has laid our position for all to see, our steps clearly visible. We run to keep ahead of Jaren and his unearthly ability to track us. Out of pure exhaustion and fear of being heard, we move in silence. Clouds intersperse with the sun overhead, and I can’t decide if rain will yet again become our savior today and cover our footprints.

Ari holds up a hand, signaling a few moments of rest. I turn in all directions, searching for anything out of place and anywhere we can sit that doesn’t expose us to our enemies. We move to a cluster of large bushes that hide us from the open countryside as we catch our breath. Farms intersperse the land— some beginning to sprout little tiny seedlings, some sporting larger plants already blooming to make way for their fruit, and others untouched and bare.

All my senses are honed to spot Jaren or his companions, taking in the beauty around me in the process. Someone has spent years tilling this land, the rows of symmetrical greens and their colorful buds winding through the rolling hills. I’ve never seen mountains cultivated in this way, and its brilliance isn’t lost on me. Oddly enough we’ve crossed paths with no one, as if these farms till, weed, and harvest themselves.

“What’s the plan for getting through Thenstra’s gates?” she asks me, the first words spoken today. Her voice is soft as we continue to search the horizon, neither willing to get too comfortable.

We have to be getting close, within a day at least. I’ve never been this far north, but I’ve studied plenty of maps. Ari braces her arms against her legs, leaning over as she waits for my answer.

“My plan is a work in progress,” I say, earning a scowl from the girl.

“Wonderful. We’re running for our lives without any direction,” she says under her breath, but loud enough so I can hear. I don’t blame her irritation, even directed at me.

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