Ducking her head, she tugged her hood down asshe walked into the crowd. Several startled exclamations followedher as she shoved her way forward, trusting that her companionshadn’t abandoned her.
She felt a slight tug on her cloak. Her hoodjerked back.
For a brief moment, there was noreaction.
“Outsider! She’s with them! There’s anotheroutsider.”
Several people close to Shea craned theirheads to look at the shouter, their eyes coming to rest unerringlyon her. At first just a few, and then others took up the cry asspace opened around Shea.
She froze for just a moment.
Too late to turn back now. Too late toescape.
She darted forward.
For a long moment, Shea thought Witt and Danehad abandoned her. Left her to face the mob on her own. Her eyeslifted briefly to her goal, the platform, and were caught by thefierce whiskey-colored gaze of the stranger.
A hand caught her arm, spinning her aroundand breaking the connection. Her eyes widened with fear as a man,his face a mask of hatred, raised one heavy fist.
This was it. She was dead.
The ground shook slightly under her feet. Atfirst, she thought it was a tremor in the earth, like the smallquakes that occasionally plagued the area. Then a scream rent theair.
“Stampede!”
Several screams followed and suddenly therewas mass chaos in the square as people shoved each other inpanic.
A crack pierced the air. A fine mist sprayedShea’s face as the man holding her dropped to the ground. A holethe size of her thumb marred the side of the man’s head.
A sob of relief left her. Witt and Dane hadcome through.
She spun and ran up the platform’s steps, noteven pausing when a villager carrying an ax appeared. Another cracksplit the air. Red blossomed on his chest. He fell back; Shea leaptover him. There were two more cracks, and then Shea was alone onthe platform except for the four captives.
“Shea!” James struggled against his bonds,his body working frantically to get loose. Cam dangled limply fromhis wrists.
Shea pulled a knife from her waist as Danepicked off anybody who got too close.
Say what you will about his whining, the mancame through in a pinch.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” James pleaded asshe cut him loose. “I didn’t know.”
“Let’s not worry about that right now.”
Her adrenaline thundering through her body,Shea sawed through the last of the rope, pulling James free. Sheshoved a knife in his hand and pushed him towards Cam.
“Get Cam loose.”
He stumbled, nearly dropping the knife beforereaching over Cam to work at the ropes.
Shea drew another knife and went to work onthe nearest stranger’s hands. She flinched each time Dane pickedoff another villager but kept at the rope.
“Powerful weapon, that,” the whiskey-eyedstranger observed.
Shea grunted in agreement as he pulled freeand moved on to the next man.
“Shea,” James shouted. “Come on. We have togo.”
She cast a glance around as she sawed. Horseshad reached the square and were now stampeding past them, shakingthe platform as they rushed by. Where did he think they couldgo?
