Rui was shivering heavily, the water already starting to stiffen and freeze on her clothes.
“We have to get you out of those,” Sen said, reaching for her. But the moment his hand landed on her shoulder, she jerked on instinct and spun away.
“Don’t touch me!”
“All right! All right. What do you want?”
Rui couldn’t help it. She was starting to cry. She held her arms around herself, looked at nothing but the mirrored pond. At the far end, birds had taken to the sky over the tips of the snow-covered branches, and their small black shapes darted into the expanse of darkness above.
“I didn’t mean to do it,” she whispered.
Sen sighed. “I know. Hakaru was being an ass, they told me.”
“They’re gonna kill me.” Rui said it like a prayer, a prophecy foretold.
“Listen—” Sen began.
“They’ll never forgive me.” She was quiet now. She sniffled, and it turned into a racking cough. “I can’t stop,” she said, shaking.
Sen leaned heavily on the mud beside her, trying to catch his breath. His chest and abdomen were aching. He couldn’t make a fist. His bodyfelt like it was on fire. The wind caressed them, blowing ripples across the glassy water and the pebbles on the shore. He felt like he could feel everything. Hearing the blood as it roared in his ears.
“That’s it,” Rui mumbled. Sen almost couldn’t hear what she said. “I didn’t mean. I didn’t. I killed him.”
“Rui,” he said.
“They’ll kill me,” she said again. And then again. “That’s all it is. It’s just what it is.”
“Rui, listen,” Sen began, but at that moment, shouts and whistles rose from somewhere in the woods, and Rui flinched and pulled away, and panic flared over her features, sharp and cold as the water that soaked her clothes.
“What did you do?” she hissed.
“Nothing…”
“What did youdo?” They were getting closer now. Men with torches. Dogs. Hakaru’s hunters.
“Get away,” she raged, pulling back from him.
“Rui, wait—”
“I saidget away!”
She shoved her way up the slope, and when Sen tried to grab for her again, she spun and twisted his arm, sending him tumbling. He landed hard on the rocks and exposed roots and hissed a curse.
“I’m trying to help you!”
“I don’t want your help!” Rui shouted. She scrambled to the treeline, running, and disappeared into the leaves.
CHAPTERTWELVE
Rui
She ran until her legs gave out. Ran from the hollow, and the echo pond, into the woods, brambles scratching at her face. To a rocky turn in the trail, trees all around her and night fading fast. She was panicking, she knew. But there was no choice. They were coming.
He led me here, she thought,he led me to this place and let them find me.She shook, starving, dirty, and afraid.
“Rui, wait!” Sen called, but she didn’t stop.
I’ll never stop. I’ll keep going, I’ll run and run, and take what I have to, and I’ll never come back to this place again. They wanted nothing from me when I was their servant. They want me to be nothing now. They want to preserve their stupid pride.
