“Yeah, I think it’s coming from over there.” My heart pounds. “Casey, I need you to listen to me very carefully, okay? We’re going to pretend we are princesses running from bad guys.”
“I don’t wanna be a pwincess.” Her little face lights up with an idea, and she inhales her excitement with an audible gasp. “Can I be queen?”
“Queen Alaina?” I ask with a knowing smile.
The answer is obvious. This is her favorite game, and the queen is her Roman Empire.
“Yeah!”
I shush her again. “I know, I know. But we have to stay quiet until we get home, okay?”
Casey nods.
She has no idea of the dangers of the world, and I intend to protect her innocence as long as I can.
It’s getting harder to keep up this poker face as I hear their footsteps approaching. We have no time. I can’t hide her—they’ll only sniff her out. I could run with her, but I risk leading them straight to her and, ultimately, our entire campsite.
“You’re the queen, and I’m the guard who stays behind and protects you from the bad guys. Okay?”
Loving the idea, but thankfully, remembering we are playing the quiet game, her little fists ball and shake in excitement. She nods enthusiastically.
I check to see if the coast is clear. I don’t see anyone, but it’s getting dark.
She smiles widely.
“You have to get home as fast as you can. The bad guys are coming, so you can’t stop for anything. When you get back, you must tell your dad, er—the head knight—that Bloodhound is chasing us, and to send help.” She almost squeals but remembers the game and puts a finger up to her lips, silencing herself.
I giggle silently and do the same. “Alright. Ready?”
She nods eagerly.
“Go!” I whisper yell.
Casey sprints in the direction of home, and I watch her disappear through the trees, safely out of sight. But it’s too soon to celebrate.
I glimpse men through the trees sporting the same tribal tattoo: a hound pointing at its prey. I’d recognize that crest anywhere.
Bloodhounds.
They’ve spotted me. I stand from the bush.
“What do we have here?” one sings.
Face-to-face with them, cornered, I bare my teeth in warning.
One rushes me. He grabs my shoulders and forces me to my knees.
I’ve dubbed him “Grabby.”
Grabby’s shadow covers me, and he kicks me in the stomach. The blow is significant enough to cause me to curl inward, but I manage to stay upright as much as possible.
I won’t let them overpower me.
Grabby lands another kick to my stomach. Before I have a chance to recover, the other punches me square in the face.
That’s going to leave a black eye.
Grabby scans me thoroughly before his eyes glaze over.
