And when I reached the door, I was smart enough to look out before opening it. There, a woman was looking back as if terrified, but she was the only one I could see, so I yanked the door open.
"Where's Drozel?" she demanded.
"Out there!"
The woman reached beside the door and pushed a child toward me. "He's looking for Lessa."
"Meri!" the child whimpered, pushing his shoulder into me like he wanted a hug, but he was holding a blanket so his arms couldn't grab me.
"Tamin?" I asked, recognizing Ayla's sister's child. Ayla's nephew? Whatever he was called.
The boy was young, like six years old, and his teal skin was a color I'd had to learn the name of. It also wasn't common, so I was pretty sure this was him.
"Tamin?" Lessa gasped, rushing into the living room.
But Tamin saw Sylis. "Mole!" the boy screamed, spinning on his heels and rushing back outside, clutching that blanket like it meant the world to him.
"Tamin, wait!" I begged, chasing after him.
There was a loud pop. I flinched, feeling my ears ring at the volume - which meant it was close! Tamin darted between Drozel's house and Lessa's. Behind me, that woman screamed. I heard someone moving, but I didn't care. There was a scared child, and he was Ayla's family!
"No, Meri, wait!" Lessa begged, sounding like she was right behind me.
More pops came. Something slammed into the wood in front of me, so I ducked, but I didn't slow. I couldn't. Standing still was the best way to get shot. Hitting moving targets was hard, or so Gideon had always said.
Then I heard something else. It wasn'tapop. It was a dozen of them, one right after the other. A man screamed, but I made it around the house and froze with my back against the wall. Lessa rounded the corner a second later, so I pulled her up next to me.
"Tamin's out here," I hissed, struggling to keep my voice down when I wanted to yell.
"He probably went to my sewing room," she said. "He knows it. I used to babysit him there."
"Okay," I breathed, leaning forward, ready to run.
A dark shape came around the same corner we had, right at us. A yelp slipped out - a loud one - and I jumped back, but Lessa rushed forward with her knife out like a shield. Catching the man, she slung him against the house, and her tail was already stabbing. I couldn't even count the number of times she hit him, and I wasn't sure she was going to stop.
"Lessa!" I snapped.
"Get Tamin," she said. "We're not letting anyone die, Meri."
"I'm not a fighter!"
She let go of the hunter. I stared as he slid down the side of Drozel's house, but Lessa no longer looked like she was afraid. "I'm a Dragon. Go find that boy. I need to get Sylis."
"Okay," I breathed - and then ran.
The gap between the houses was sheltered. It felt safe. I knew there was a gap and then the sewing room. I just had to make it there and I'd be safe. If Tamin was there, I could hide him in a pile of fabric. I could -
Something caught my hair, pulling me back so hard my feet went out from under me. Crashing down on my back, I grunted as the air was forced from my lungs. The knife flew from my hand, and over me, I saw my greatest nightmare.
He wore black. His jaw was no longer clean-shaven, but it was still much too familiar. Those blue eyes haunted my nightmares, but I couldn't catch my breath. Couldn't scream. I couldn't even get up to run away as Gideon glared down at me.
"Merienne?" he asked.
Finally, I could suck in a breath. Twisting as I did so, I hoped I'd be able to get my feet under me and run before he realized what I was doing. Or at least reach that knife! Sadly, Gideon was no fool.
"You're supposed to be dead, wife," he snarled, grabbing my hair again so he could pull me to my feet. Then he turned me toface him, still holding my hair, forcing my face within inches of his.
"Where is my child?"
