Hesitance and fear were written all over her face as she stepped into the flowing river, her knuckles white and lips clamped shut. Summoning courage, she fed herself along the rope quickly, as if a fire were set behind her. Maybe I’d underestimated her.
With heavy, sopping wet clothes, we didn’t take time to rest or revel in our successful attempt. I yanked my arrow free and unwound our line, placing it back in my quiver.
We needed to get to Hava City, fast.
14
Ro
Ihadn’t packed anything to conceal my face, or my usual Windguard attire. Any eyes I caught glaring my way made my cheeks heat, but I kept my pace consistent, my face neutral. So far the perceived glares were just my overactive imagination, but better to be safe than caught unawares.
The quadrant we headed to wasn’t somewhere I frequented, and I could only hope that any vendors or patrons who witnessed my market outburst wouldn’t be here.
Our clothes remained damp. We’d avoided the woods knowing the soldiers possibly still lurked within them, instead traveling along an exposed road. It’d been luck and desperation that led to us hitching a ride with a merchant heading into the city.
We portrayed ourselves as two women who’d become silly and used a nearby lake to cool off in, fully clothed. I lazily held my bow, as if I had no idea how to wield it, claiming I’d wanted to try my father’s weapon in a field but got bored. The driver chuckled and took pity on us.
I didn’t love playing the role of a foolish woman. Condescending stares from men made my skin crawl, but I would use anything to my advantage to get to the Hava City contact faster.
Alba stuck to my side as we funneled through the streets. Evening was upon us, the crowd thinning as the day drew to its end. I had to physically shake off the familiar sensation that clawed its way out from the dregs of my memories, the same rivaling fear that wanted to swallow me whole when my family fled Windguard. The people I loved were once again in danger of falling into the clutches of this merciless army, to pay a price that should never have been placed upon them.
“Ravinder said when you reach the mason’s shop to give two sharp whistles. I’ll go set up on the other side of the lane, in case you need a distraction,” Alba said, snapping me from the place I wrestled to escape.
If I hadn’t been so concerned with finding this contact and relaying the information, I might have been impressed with her take charge attitude. She seemed to keep a cool head and was quick to pick up on information. I hadn’t even recalled telling her we were going to a shop, but I had revealed his occupation, so one could only assume. I hoped Rav wouldn’t flay me for having loose lips in this situation.
My heart beat steady and quick, like the pounding of a hammer on an anvil, nearly rattling my chest with its force. I tried to hedge my thoughts about all that could go terribly wrong back at Rahana before we managed to bring help, but the fear rooted in my belly was fermenting, hard to ignore.
Few passed on the street as the sun hung low in the sky. Despite it being nearly night, I expected a place with a population like Hava City to have more activity. An almost eerie silence rolled in, accentuating every step I took that cost us time.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone grabbed my shoulder.
No, not someone grabbing my shoulder. Somethinglanding on it.
“What are you doing here?! I told you you weren’t allowed in Windguard!”
“I came to find you, but you were gone, so I sniffed out your trail.”
I couldn’t really be mad. Finding my loved ones to make sure they were safe was something I’d do.
“I need you to be extra hidden here, okay?”The blue dragon nuzzled himself into the deep pocket of my hood.
I ducked into an alley between two buildings, the masonry to my immediate right. I’d lost sight of Alba, but she probably chose to hide herself as well.
With my fingers pinched together, I raised them to my mouth and blew two strong and short notes. The seconds that passed felt like minutes, then the minutes felt like hours. Had I hidden myself too well? Did the shelter of the buildings drown out my signal? I stepped back into view of the street, casting my gaze around and toward the mason shop door. All the businesses looked closed for the evening.
Well shit. Had we come too late? I hadn’t factored in business hours causing an issue. Maybe we’d taken too long to trek here.
Waiting until morning was much too risky. Deciding it was worth trying again, I brought my fingers to my mouth, but before I whistled, the faint sound of someone approaching echoed in the empty street.
But I couldn’t locate from which direction. Because they were coming from multiple. The sound grew, like a crescendo that sang in thunderous applause. A group.
An army.
When I spotted the first set of Windguardian soldiers, I started moving, only to face another set in the distance. Pivoting again, the same thing happened. Crossing the street would expose me, but hiding in the alley became a non-option when soldiers veered down it from the other end. They were closing in, leaving me with no plan of escape.
“Stay hidden.”If Braxius chose to bolt now, which I was tempted to order him to do, I feared some soldiers with archery training may target him in the sky. People with magic were sentenced to death, so a creature associated with magic would surely suffer the same fate.
I didn’t have time for this. The camp was in danger. While I felt confident Rahana could fend off an attack, I knew insights from the mason would help us plan our course of action better, give us an advantage. Frantically scanning the other side of the street, I still didn’t see Alba. All I could hope was that she’d remain unseen. It would be up to her to update the contact. If he was even here.
