Page 129 of Bride of Ash & Dust

“Easy now,” the woman says. “Easy.”

There’s a rustling sound, probably the woman tying the rope to some hitching post. And then Lilias leans forward and clicks again, sharp and sudden, two times.

The carriage leaps forward, throwing me against the back seat. The woman with the rope screams, and the carriage tips precipitously as the horse bolts. Something crunches under the wheels. Branches smack the sides of the carriage. More voices start to scream from behind us.

I lunge for the carriage door. It’s locked from the outside, of course. I grab the seats to brace myself, then kick the door as hard as I can. A bolt of pain flashes through my body. There’s a horrible cracking sound, but I can’t tell if it came from the door, from my body, or from the wheels.

I kick the door again. This time, I scream when my foot makes contact. The impact jars every injury I’ve ever had, waking them all up at once.

The door flies open.

I have a dim impression of a forest, branches and leaves and darkness, all rushing past at an insane speed. I turn to Lilias, reaching for her hand. She’s pressed against the wall, and for a heartbeat, I think she might refuse to go with me. She might want to stay here, in this carriage, going to Blayne’s estate.

But then she makes another sound, a strange, fluttering trill. And, impossibly, the carriage begins to slow down. When the horse has slowed to a walk, she takes my hand.

“Chestnut,” she calls. “Whoa, girl. Whoa.”

The horse stops, throwing the carriage forward. I jump through the open door, then catch Lilias as she follows me. She braces herself against my arm as she grabs the horse’s lead and rubs its neck, whispering something to it that suddenly seems quite private.

“How in the hells did you do that?” I ask when she starts to unbuckle the horse’s harness.

Lilias shrugs. “I trained the horses in Marion,” she says, as if it were that simple.

Her face twists, and she bends over, wrapping an arm around her waist like she’s going to be sick. I step forward and finish unstrapping the harness. The horse almost leaps away from the carriage, then shakes all over as if she’s glad to be rid of the thing.

“Me too,” I tell her.

The carriage’s twin shafts fall to the ground with a crash, and one cracks in half. In the silence that follows, I hear the distant echo of voices. Angry voices. I try to imagine how many people are probably chasing this runaway carriage.

“Shit,” I mutter.

We’re on a small road, probably leading to a cluster of farms. The forest is thick all around us. I stare at the horrible carriage with its door hanging from busted hinges. And then, suddenly, I kick the godsdamned thing.

My vision flashes white with pain. The carriage creaks, then slowly falls onto its side with a massive crash. The horse snorts. I turn to see Lilias holding its halter and watching me with a look of horrified shock.

“Make it look like an accident,” I manage to stammer.

Lilias nods, then shivers and grabs at her stomach again. I look at the horse beside her. She’s a sturdy reddish mare, this Chestnut, and she looks like she might just be having the worst day of her horsey life. Well, lady, that makes two of us.

I limp over to Lilias.

“Can you ride?” I ask.

“Of course,” she replies.

I open my mouth to ask if she’s sure, but something about the look on her face makes me think that might not be a wise question. Besides, it’s not like we have much choice. If we can’t both get away from here, and fast, then being captured by Vsenrog guards might just be the best thing to happen to us for the rest of our lives.

I offer her my arm, and she takes a breath before pulling herself up onto the horse’s back. The horse sighs, and in that moment, I understand equine communication perfectly.

Then I grit my teeth and begin to jog, looking for a break in the trees, anywhere big enough to let us disappear into the darkness. Lilias makes a sound like she’s trying to stifle a moan. I turn back.

“Where are you going?” she asks.

“North,” I reply.

Chapter 72

Zarek