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"By not being able to see?" I asked.
Luther chuckled. "Only for the next hour or two. If you can't see the way in, you won't find the way out. Before you think to try, these mountains are unforgiving. Unless you know exactly where you're going, you'll get lost and die up here. Now, you'll need help to get back on your horse."
I bit back a comment about how much easier it would be to mount without a blindfold. I even thought of suggesting they trust me when I say I wouldn't run. In the end, I didn't bother to say a word. Neither Luther nor Helene would listen anyway.
Even if I wanted to, I didn't have time to speak before Luther picked me up with the power and plopped me onto the saddle a little too hard. My horse shifted under me in indignation. I grabbed for the cantle before he could toss me back to the ground.
"Sorry," Luther said. "We don't mean you any harm. The sooner you accept that, the better for you. I was hoping we could be friends. I still want that." Silence fell before the scent of him moved away.
I tried to exhale through my nose, but the fabric was so tight, I was forced to use my mouth instead. I grunted to myself in frustration. When I first met Luther, he'd seemed nice enough. Now… How could anyone expect me to make friends in this situation?
In spite of his warning, I would run the moment I got the chance. I would find my way to the nearest town. No matter what they thought, I wouldn't die on the mountain.
Thank Hades I still held on to the cantle, because my mount moved forward without warning. Luther, or someone else, must hold the reins. I wanted to grind my teeth at the indignity. Perhaps slavery wouldn't have been so bad. I might have ended up working in the kitchen of some wealthy merchant, or cleaning their toilets. It had to be better than this.
I shivered in the cooler, thinner air and drew in several slow breaths. If I couldn't see where I was going, at least I could smell it. The heavy scent of trees: the loquat flowers, the sap of the hevea, the leaves of some type of gum. If I wasn't bound, I could throw my captors and their escort off the side of the mountain.
Unless Helene threw me off first.
I gritted my teeth and focused on memorising the scents we passed. At least, I tried. Having my nose covered impeded me, and with so many strong smells, they soon became a mishmash.
I leaned forward instinctively as the horse strained up the increasing incline. None of this was the animal's fault, I wouldn't make it harder for him than necessary.
I gradually became aware of the sound of water trickling—no, gushing from somewhere nearby. A stream? Maybe a waterfall?
I breathed in a hint of the scent of water. There was no power in it, not even a hint, but it was sweet and helped clear my mind.
The further we went, the louder the sound of water became. The vegetation smell became that of plants which only lived beside a water source. Vines with some kind of pungent flower, twisted around more hevea.
At least, that was what I pictured. Perhaps fish darted through the water and small animals stopped on the bank to sip before they scurried off to hide. A tiger might lurk in the shadows and hunt us all.
I wasn't too worried about those. Luther and Helene would drive them away before they got close enough. Still, I would prefer to see for myself.
Shit.
I startled at the sound of a short cry from above, but quickly laughed at myself. It was a bird of some kind, or a monkey; too brief to make out for certain.
A moment later, Luther said, "We're almost there."
Not an animal, then, but a human watcher, signalling our presence?
My heart pounded and the blood ran colder in my veins. Whatever they needed me for, I should find out soon enough.
The call came again, closer this time. How could I have mistaken it for anything but a human?
Even with the blindfold blocking most of the light, the day turned darker. The air cooled even further. I shivered. What sounded like a gate clanged behind us and the tread of hooves on dirt turned to the clip clop on stone, or pavement.
Another clang sounded behind us, a door this time. The slide of a heavy bolt and my horse stopped.
"Do you need help to get down?" To my surprise, that was Knox's voice.
"Yes, please." My hands twitched to pull off the blindfold, but I would wait. If I seemed cooperative, they would drop their guard. At least, I hoped so.
"Here, take my hands." Knox slipped his hand into mine and held me steady while I swung my leg back over the horse's back. I paused and leaned my weight against the saddle before I slid down to the ground. When I landed, Knox was there to steady me. The warmth of his body felt better than I expected. I might have stood there for a few moments longer than necessary.
"Thank you," I said softly.
"Any time." He squeezed my hands gently, then moved away.
