I shushed her with a finger. I felt a surge of power come from within her. She was definitely waking up. “Be patient. You’ve no grounds for demands yet, youngling.”
“Youngling?” she blurted.
Roman laughed, but his face was concerned with what he was watching. “What did Skerrig say?”
“Worse than what we thought,” I replied. “The feral werewolves have been targeting Doraj more heavily than we realized. I can only think of one reason for it, but it doesn’t make sense. They’ve kept Skerrig and his pack away whilst attacking though.”
“Really?” Roman said, surprised.
I nodded and he didn’t say anything. He turned back to the guards, watching them in a new light.
“The gates closing is a new rule. They must’ve been open while the guards were patrolling and–”
“What’re they putting up?” Roman asked, gesturing with his head.
The sound of nails driving into wood echoed down the street. A man stood on the verandah of the jail putting up posters. Posters that I already recognized from this distance. I turned, looking at Feyra, but her face was just as curious as Roman’s.
She didn’t know she was wanted.More questions to ask.
The legion began breaking up, men moving single file up and down the street. I could see the gatekeepers with the guards now. I turned back, the gates were unmanned. “We need to hide,” I said. “Quickly.”
Before either girl could protest I took the reins of their horses, led them to the back door of the undertaker’s, and put them in the barn.
Roman came last, “They’re checking the town. I just heard a few of them getting descriptions foryou.”
My veins turned cold. I’d brought everyone into a trap.
“Can’t we just leave?” Agatha asked. She looked between us like we were fools.
“That gate needs at least two men to operate the winches. Along with directing horses out and the fact that it’s daylight, no, we can’t just leave. We’d be seen. Then we’d have a whole battalion of men on us,” Roman said.
She crossed her arms and frowned. But she genuinely looked afraid.Maybe they did know they were being pursued?
With the horses hidden, we were able to move more freely between the buildings. The guards were searching them haphazardly. The disciplined city guards were lost here. We were able to dodge them with little effort, but it was nerve wracking. I couldn’t help but be afraid for Feyra the whole time.
I’d been reaching out to her since seeing her, and she was still shut off. But I could feel her power. I could feel the surges in her growing. The closer we came to the full moon the higher her chance of shifting would happen.
Whether she knew it or not was another thing.
We continued in this way for an hour or so, making our way slowly up towards the jail house. Roman wanted to see the paperwork, and I hadn’t been able to think of any good excuse for him not to.
We finally got to the rear of the building, hearing the talking coming from within. I could hear both Tom and Jem speaking to another man. The Inspector of the Guards. “You can argue every time,” he said. “But your people have voted it.”
Tom swore. Jem was more desperate. “But as mayor, I can veto all of their voices. You are not wanted here.”
The boards groaned and the figure of an enormous man stood in the window. He was a large and imposing figure, much taller and wider than the men before him.
“Lady Skol rewards those that join her empire. But those that refuse, or those that become rude, have other problems occur.” He walked up to them now, standing over them. “We have things you’veneverseen. If you think a few feral werewolves are your only problems then keep going and let me surprise you. Because next time we won’t come to your rescue.”
Roman’s face was dark, I knew mine would be the same. We began making our way back to the undertaker’s. We had to wait until dark to make our escape. In the meantime, we’d wait in the barn.
I moved ahead and did a quick check, inside and out, then motioned for them to join. They all filed into the large barn and we commenced waiting. There was only an hour or two of light left.
When it was time to finally go, we readied the horses and got the girls on them. We would be quick. Roman and I would open the gate, let the girls through, then sever the ropes, locking them in their own walls.
We left the barn and began moving slowly, sticking to the shadows of the walls and outer buildings. We made it to the gate and Roman and I both put the guards to sleep with quick blows to the head. A makeshift guards’ cabin was behind the wall, a light inside showed the glow of a sleeping guard. We climbed the ladders quickly and began opening the gates slowly and quietly.
When they were open, I signaled for Feyra to bring the horses through.
