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"Did you loose an arrow?" he asked. "You would have used whatever you have, if the dragon was coming for you, and they all would have called it self-defence. That's how they operate, they manoeuvre people into the place they want, until they get what they want from them. Then they toss them away like scraps to a dog."
"If that was true, then they're coming after me, to help with the dragon," I reasoned.
He shrugged, but his expression was unwavering. "This scenario might better suit their agenda."
Too many seeds of uncertainty were sown in my mind for me to dismiss the idea out of hand. I wouldn't admit that yet though.
"Should you be hobbling my horse?" I asked.
He grinned. "There's that manner again. Maybe it's a woman thing. You all act as though you own the world."
"Being a smug, sexist jerk must be a man thing," I retorted.
His eyes flashed with something like anger and for a moment I thought he might hit me.
I held my ground. If he lost control, he might also lose the bond. That might be my best and only chance to escape this close to the coast.
"I am not sexist," he said through clenched teeth. He moved to take the reins from my hand and caught a set of hobbles he was thrown by a swordsman.
I crossed my arms and watched. I might need to learn to take the hobbles off at some point and I may need to do it quickly.
Luther straightened and removed the saddle from my horse. "Your tent is ready. I suggest you get out of the sun before it burns you."
I interpreted his words and expression as 'get out of my sight before you make me even angrier' but I was unapologetic and undeterred. I would provoke him until he slipped, if that was what it took to free myself.
15
Viva
"Psst."
The hushed whisper woke me from a doze.
I wasn't sure if I felt the bond or just imagined it, but it pulled on me each time I rolled over to get comfortable. That was often. The ground under my thin bedroll was almost as hard as a sheet of rock, and just as lumpy.
In spite of that, I slept, and dreamed I was laid out on the altar as a sacrifice to Hades. In my dreams, I was tied with silken rope that held me hard like iron. I writhed and fought to free myself from the bindings, to get up and run. The more I fought, the tighter they became, until they gripped my wrists and ankles like a vice. They pressed in, tighter and tighter, until blood trickled down my skin. The trickle became a flood. Blood poured down my arms, down my legs and over my feet. Off the altar and onto the floor. It started to rise like the tide, washing back and forth.
I opened her mouth to scream.
Before I could, I awoke with a gasp. My eyes snapped open.
After a moment, I remembered where I was and really wanted to scream.
"Viva?"
I recognised Knox's voice. He sounded strong, assured, but soft. A puff of wind might be louder.
"Brother Knox?"
A flash of teeth showed near the tent flap. "Just Knox."
"Right. What are you doing here? Were these the people who infiltrated the temple?" What had he said? He was the Alpha's man. If one thing was clear it was that these people were anything but.
"I suspect so. I'm not sure of their agenda, but when I heard their intentions, I had to insert myself into their band."
"Why? Who are you working for?"
"I am the Alpha's man, heart and soul," he whispered. "It's my job to search out his enemies."
