Page 40 of The Seeker

“Look,” she hissed, pointing to where two more forms emerged from the brush.

We were surrounded.

CHAPTER 14

Iran through all of my training from my brief stint in the army, but nothing came to mind.

We hadn’t trained for mountains, just the small hills that rose from the prairie at the frontlines.

And I’d never learned how to take on more than one foe at a time. My training had been solely for nonviolent spy work.

“We need to do what they would least expect,” I said in a low voice, directly in Ena’s ear. “We can’t take them all with a single sword. I vote we roll down the hill directly at them and hope the element of surprise has them jumping out of the way.”

Ena gulped audibly, probably thinking of how it would feel with all the twigs and pine needles poking our skin. “I can’t think of anything better. Let’s do it.”

“On two . . . one . . . two!” I pushed off the incline, pulling the sword and waterskin into my chest before crossing my arms and diving into a roll down the hill. I realized my mistake immediately.

I was rolling too fast to know whether or not the ambushers were moving out of the way. In fact, I couldn’t distinguish anything and grew dizzy with each additional turn in the dirt. Not to mention, the path wasn’t smooth—rocks slowing my roll immensely as the sticks from our failed fire jabbed into my sides, legs, and neck.

Then, I smacked into something hard.

“Fucking tree,” I hissed, grabbing my side in pain. I really hadn’t thought this plan through, as there was blood dripping down my arm. I couldn’t tell where it was coming from, though.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” The voice came from above. The voice I would recognize anywhere.

He hadn’t listened to me. He hadn’t given me space.

I opened my mouth to utter a smart remark, but all that emerged was a groan.

“I told you I would find you anywhere, Runa.” Otho breathed as he leaned down to pick me up. One of his arms was beneath my knees, the other behind my back as he lifted me and pulled me to his chest.

I hated how my body relaxed in his embrace. The traitor.

My mind wasn’t so simple, though, and I dug in my mental heels as he began to move. He was still the man who had left me behind enemy lines…for several fortnights.

“I’ve got Ena!” a voice I vaguely recognized as Askel’s called from the side.

“Otho,” I breathed. “What are you doing here?” There was no damn way he scaled a mountain just to find me.

“I told you; I can’t stay away from you.” I felt movement, and I assumed he was carrying me down the mountain.

Away from where I knew I needed to be.

Ena’s and my plan flashed behind my eyelids. “But we need to go to Shianp.” I immediately regretted divulging the information to Otho, especially with my recent realization that he wouldn’t respect my wishes.

“Then we go together,” he promised as his movements paused, and I felt warmth.

“But . . . I need space,” I pleaded, my dream of finally living life for myself crushed before my eyes.

“You’ll have space,” he promised, my magic picking up on his despair at my words.

Guilt rolled through me, even as I fought to shove it down.

I opened my eyes to find a small camp with four tents surrounding a campfire, none other than Karl using a stick to stir the flames back to life. I did a double take. I hadn’t seen Karl since the barracks in Ralheim, the night I was brought there as punishment for my betrayal of Adis. The tents in the clearing were similar to the ones we’d once used on the frontlines. Nothing fancy, but the thick beige fabric was durable and large enough to house two soldiers, though I’d always had my own. When things had grown more complicated, I’d heard from Leif that three or four men to a tent wasn’t uncommon, but if they had four with them here . . .

“Who’s on the frontlines?” I breathed, so many questions floating in my mind.

“No one. The war is over.” Otho used his fingers to turn my chin, his gray eyes scouring my face with concern in their depths. There was a flicker of something else there too, but I couldn’t place it.