Page 186 of Tale of the Heart Queen

They flicker in and out of focus as if in warning that they won’t remain there for long.

Nadir needs me, but we need these. I swerve right, maintaining my pace as I scoop up the items with a triumphant whoop, when suddenly I’m hanging in the air, upside down, one ankle bound by a rope.

Lor? What happened? I heard you scream.

I’m coming. I’m fine.

I decide not to enlighten him. By some miracle, the dagger is still clutched in my hand while the pack, sword, and bow lie on the ground. Swinging up my top half, I use the dagger to saw at the rope. It’s awkward and difficult, and it only takes a few seconds before my abdominal muscles are screaming. Releasing myself, I dangle upside down for a second before heaving myself up again. I flip up and down until only a few threads remain intact.

Lor!

I’m coming!

I swing around, trying to catch my breath for one more solid slice. Magic burns in my fingertips, and I wish I could use it, but I have to keep this wild card concealed until the right moment. This will be over once Herric realizes the cuffs don’t work on me.

With a final heave, I swing up, slice the rope, and then fall. I hit the ground so hard the wind is knocked out of me, but I force myself to roll, grab the pack, and swing it over my shoulders as I scoop up the sword and the bow and quiver, and then I’m running again.

“Nadir!” I scream.

“Lor!” I hear him in the distance and alter my course, heading towards the sound.

A narrow bridge over a churning river crosses my path. From a distance, I can see it’s barely held together by a wish and a few pieces of fraying rope. My stride doesn’t waver. All I can do is hope I’m fast enough.

When I leap onto the bridge, it shudders ominously under my weight. Refusing to second-guess myself, I run as fast as I can when I feel a jerk behind me. Peering over my shoulder, I see it tear loose from its mooring.

Still running, I leap just as the entire thing collapses under me, and I hit the far edge. My legs dangle over the gap as I cling to my weapons before tossing them in the dirt and hauling myself up.

Then I’m running again. No doubts. No hesitation. Every moment I waste is another opportunity for Nadir to die.

I barrel down a path packed tightly with trees, obscuring anything beyond them. “Nadir!” I scream as my chest and thighs burn with adrenaline. Finally, I emerge to find a wide-open plain dotted with scrub and sparse, spindly trees.

Nadir stands chest high in a patch of sand. Herric must have dumped him right into it.

“Don’t move,” I scream, looking around for something to help. Trees, short grass, and rocks surround me, but not much else.

Rope. I need rope. The bridge. “I’ll be right back.”

I don’t wait for him to answer as I drop everything but the dagger and sprint back the way I came. My surroundings melt into a blur. I feel nothing as a branch scrapes my cheek, and my chest aches with leaden breaths. I can’t think. I can’t stop. The crowd screams and cheers, their judgment and cruelty knocking around the inside of my skull.

Lor!

I’m coming! Hang on!

Returning to where half the bridge dangles from the ledge, I skid to my knees and heave up the rotting planks. With my teeth gritted, I let out a roar and pull with all of my strength, dragging them up, hand over hand. When I have a pile gathered at my feet, I hack away at one end and then unwind a length of rope, moving as fast as I can, my fingers trembling and numb.

I don’t realize I’m crying until I taste salt on my lips.

“I’m coming!” I scream, even though I don’t know if he can hear me. “I’m coming!”

When I think I have enough, I loop it around my arm, and I’m up again. My thighs hurt as I skim through the narrow pathways and emerge back on the other side, finding only the top of Nadir’s head visible.

“Nadir!” I scream.

Quickly, I knot the rope onto the thickest nearby tree I can find. My fingers fumble with the knot and don’t seem to work right. Soft sand slides out from under my feet, making it tricky to keep my balance. The crowd is getting louder and louder, but they become a wash of white noise as I focus on saving my mate.

Tying the other end around my waist, I stagger to the edge of the pool. A small divot in the surface indicates where Nadir disappeared. I take a few steps back and then leap, aiming for a spot just short of that.

My feet hit the sand, and I sink as the rope cinches around my waist, burning through the leather covering my torso. I wiggle to force my body lower, inhaling deep breaths. I don’t think about being buried under the sand or the way it will suffocate me and crush me with its weight. Nadir is the only thing that matters.