“How could we know there’d be a guard with the princess all the time. Blues in the skies, soldiers all over the place.”
“Exactly. And now we gotta move before that Mabin comes back.” Apparently, deep voice was making the decisions. “Andred can decide what to do with her. He wanted to know whether the rumor was true about Alanna coming north. Now we know. And this one can tell him more.”
A boot scuffed along the ground, and more stones clattered, followed by a rough, put-upon sigh.
“Fucking Andred. I don’t even know why we follow—”
“Yeah. You do. We made our choice.”
There was an angry grunt of annoyed agreement. And then a boot nudged roughly into her leg. “Wake up.”
Keely groaned, curling herself into a ball around her belly. No point in pretending to be unconscious if it was going to get her hurt.
A rough hand wound itself into her hair and yanked her upright, forcing her head up as she scrabbled to her feet, her head pounding. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, swallowing hard against the bile in her mouth.
The two men watched her with equal expressions of annoyance. Eventually, the shorter of the two folded his arms over his chest and jerked his head toward the taller, thinner man. “You’re riding with him.”
“Come on, Garn,” whined the tall man. “She looks like she’s about to hurl. Can’t she walk?”
Garn turned his head slowly, a ruffle of olive-colored scales flickering above his collar, not saying a word.
“Fine. Fuck. Fine.” The thin man looked at Keely with hatred. “You’re behind me.”
No. Definitely not. Getting on that horse was a terrible idea. Going anywhere with these two men was insane, and Andred sounded even worse.
She had promised the pea. She had promised herself. And Tor—what would he think? That she’d run away with his child? Again. Of course he would.
“No—” She stepped back but caught her foot on a low pile of rocks and almost fell. She wheeled around, trying to regain her feet, and by the time she had righted herself, Garn was standing so close he was almost touching her, his nose wrinkled and eyes narrowed.
“The only reason you’re still alive is because Andred might have a use for you,” he said quietly, tipping his head toward the ugly crossbow carried by his companion. “Get on the horse or we’ll shoot you now.”
She ran her eyes desperately over the narrow gully they’d pulled her into. Gray hills rose away from them, strewn with rocks and tufts of winter heather, too steep and exposed to offer any escape. The path itself was rough with stones and sand, hard enough to walk on, unstable and dangerous to run on, and also totally exposed.
There was no escape. Not yet, anyway. She had to stay alive, protect the pea, and then look for a way out.
She made her way to the horse he’d gestured toward and waited. The thin man mounted, still grumbling in a low, curse-filled monologue, and then waited impatiently while Keely hauled herself up behind him.
She had no option but to sit behind his saddle and cling to his dirty shirt for stability, while her stomach lurched and her head pounded brutally. They rode up the narrow trail with Garn riding hard behind them, the two men kicking the horses into a quick trot, moving as fast as possible along the treacherous path.
Within minutes, they reached a fork and immediately branched off away from the farmhouse, always sticking close to the rising hills and rocky outcrops around them.
Keely swallowed, taking slow breaths through her mouth and trying to ignore the stench of stale sweat and dirt. The brutal pain at the back of her head settled into a slightly more bearable ache, and she focused on the path, memorizing the route they were taking and looking for any chance of escape. But nothing could take away the misery pounding through her. It was finally over. That tiny flicker of hope that had stayed with her—against all odds—for so long, had died. She was alone.
No. Not alone. She was carrying a precious life inside her. The pea needed her to be strong. Especially now.
They’d been riding for about ten minutes when Garn suddenly called out and they moved quickly into the shadow of the rocks and rising hills as the two men stared back at the sky. In the distance, Keely could see the distinctive shape of a Mabin in flight. He stayed too far away to be sure, but it looked like Jos.
The Mabin paused in the air, turned toward them, and then flew rapidly back down toward the farmhouse.
Someone had noticed she was missing and looked for her. And now they knew where she was. All she had to do was find a way to get free, and the Hawks would help—Alanna would make sure of it. Val too. They were her friends.
For the first time, it occurred to her that she wasn’t actually alone. She had genuine, kind friends who cared for her. People who would look for her and help her. Alanna and Val would come for her.
She wasn’t going to think about Tor. That was done.
Soon they were far from the original path, surrounded by tumbled gray rocks and rising mountains. Far from the farmhouse and anyone who might be able to see them, even from the air, unless they were directly overhead.
They sped up, the horses clattering through the narrow gully, kicking up pebbles that ricocheted back off the high stone walls as they galloped.
