“But still.” She sighed. “This war has turned me into someone I don’t recognize anymore.”
“It does that to us all,” I fibbed, painting a small smile on my lips. Though I was thankful for this woman’s generosity, I also knew she wasn’t the target I was supposed to grow close with. She was just a poor farmer on the edge of town. It was unlikely she would have any information about the war.
“I’m Mela,” she said after a period of silence, though she didn’t offer her arm in the traditional greeting.
“I’m Runa,” I replied, my voice almost breaking as I realizedthis was the first time, ever, that I had introduced myself to a stranger with my real name. Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes, but I forced them back. This was not the moment to get sentimental.
The air in the room, though it was less hostile than when I first entered, still wasn’t one of comfort. Therefore, I drained the clay mug for the second time before holding the glass out in her direction. “Thanks for your kindness. I’ll head into town now and see if anyone there can help me find my way home.
“There’s no need for that,” spoke a deep voice behind me. But before I could spin around and get a good look at his face, there was cloth covering my eyes, nose, and mouth. I panicked, but before I could truly gauge what was going on, I was hit on the side of the head, and everything went black.
CHAPTER 20
Iwoke to find my arms bound behind me, something else preventing my legs from moving. I was in a seated position, and a rapid wiggle confirmed I was likely seated on a chair. Maybe one of the ones I had seen in that small hut.
The small hut had been a trap, my subconscious reminded me. Still, I didn’t regret talking to Mela, even if it had been just to lure me into a false sense of security. Regardless, this is what I had been trained for.
A strange scent lingered in my nose, and I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to place the slightly earthy scent that remained. It smelled a bit like . . .moth flower.
Before I could take another moment to gain my bearings, the bag was ripped from my head, leaving me blinking at the sudden introduction of light, even though the room I was in was far from bright. But it was definitely brighter than when the cloth had been over my head.
“I’m going to make this simple for you. You tell me the truth, and no one gets hurt.”
It was the same voice as before, but now that I had the opportunity to look at him between my rapid series of blinks, I realized, though he appeared slightly familiar, I had no idea whohe was. He was broad-shouldered, tall, yet lean in a way that suggested he hadn’t been getting enough nourishment. A scowl occupied his face, though his gaze was trained on the ground. Like Mela, his face was worn, tired looking, and I wondered what had caused him so much stress.
He paced back and forth across the room in front of me, giving me a moment to look around. I had been moved while I was out, as the building I was enclosed in was not Mela’s home. Strangely enough though, he was the only one here. Surprising, considering I was not small for a woman, and that he must have dragged me here without help. I took a quick catalog of the room, but besides me, the chair I was tied to, and a basin on the far side of the room, it was barren.
His pacing came to a sudden stop, and he turned to face me. “Who are you?” His expression was anything but welcoming, the lines on his face making his scowl more pronounced.
“Runa.” I breathed, trying to keep my nerves under control and keep myself from spiraling.
“Last name?”
“Don’t have one.” That was the truth, at least.
He leaned in appraisingly, before sneering, “Lies.”
I raised my eyebrow. Crazy how I had pretended to be someone I wasn’t my whole life and now I was being heralded as a traitor the one time I gave my real information.
“My general knows you—spotted you right away on the horizon. Knew you were some sort of spy.”
Ah, well, there went my cover. The way he saidgeneralmade me pause, however, because it made me feel like perhaps Otho was the one to betray me . . . but that couldn’t be. I shook my head.
“My general seemed to know you very well. Too well, if you ask me.”
I gulped. Maybe Otho had betrayed me after all. It would explain why he wanted to help me—to get back at Adis. But onething it didn’t explain was how Friar was allowed to remain a healer in General Adis’s home.
“I swear.” I swallowed. “I don’t know who your general is, but my name is Runa.” I didn’t know if I could save this situation or not, but I was going to try.
“Well, you will have to iron that out with him. Care to explain why you crossed the front lines to come to Bru?”
I was able to surmise that the town I found myself in must have been named Bru. “I was trying to find my way home and ended up lost.” The words sounded rehearsed, even to me.
“Another lie, I see. The hard way it is then.”
I didn’t even get a chance to inquire as to what he meant by that before he was on me. I screamed, trying to fight him off as he untied my legs from the chair. For a moment, I paused, confused as to why he was untying me, but then my legs were tied together instead, away from the chair.
My heart pounded, trying to escape the confines of my chest. He was trying to move me.
