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Poseidon shook his head and stomped his feet.
“What is it, boy?” I asked. “A boar? A wild dog?”
My horse responded by flicking his head to the east. He was smart like that. Blame it on years of hunting with me. His instincts were second to none. I trusted him with my life… Mad as I was with him for leaving Shadow and the shifters behind, I couldn’t be angry at him for saving us.
Hogs were aggressive and territorial. Sea God help anyone who dared enter their territory. One had charged my father once, and his horse had reared up and had nearly tossed him off. My body couldn’t take any more bruises or injuries. Poseidon and I had to clear out quickly.
Beneath the spoiled cheese wrapped in cloth in my satchel, I found a hunting knife, and I yanked it out just in case.
Strange birdcalls sliced through the stillness of the forest. Then an odd clicking. A crunching twig. From the sound of it, several animals surrounded us. A pack?
Poseidon whinnied nervously and kicked his back legs.
Time to go.
At least five objects swarmed around us in a circle. Humans. Covered in dark green or brown clothing. Leaves were tucked into their clothes and hats. Their faces were smeared with dirt. Who were they? What were they going to do to me? Sell me back to my stepmother?
“Get the intruder!” someone roared.
Flipping hell!We’d been caught. But by whom?
A cascade of fear blossomed inside me, brought on by memories of the torture I’d endured. My heart fluttered like bird’s wings. Every part of me trembled. My throat squeezed the breath from me. Sweat oozed from every pore, making my hands slick. I lost my grip on my blade, and it dropped to the ground.
“Shit,” I said, kicking the horse, even though it did nothing.
“That’s no way for a lady to speak,” said one of the men, approaching us.
“I’m not a lady,” I snarled, using what little breath I had left. “Not anymore.”
Fear burned a hole in my gut. I felt like bringing up the food I’d eaten earlier. The prickling instinct at the base of my spine was on high alert as the man lifted what looked like a flute to his lips. What the hell was he going to do with that? Play a tune to kill us?
Another of the men issued a cruel laugh as the group closed in on us from every angle.
“I’m looking for the resistance,” I spluttered.
All the men surrounding me laughed.
“Ain’t nobody here by that name,” one answered.
“We killed ’em,” another jeered, prompting more laughs.
Where had Poseidon taken me? Rumi had said the resistance had trained him to take me straight to them. Maybe he’d lost his way. The frozen waters had scrambled his brain like it had mine.
One of the men grabbed Poseidon by the reins.
“Such a striking horse,” he said, trying to pet my stallion, but Poseidon warned him with a raised leg. “I bet you’d sell him for no more’n ten gold coins.”
Oh, I see.They wanted to steal from me. How much more trouble could we run into? My stomach burbled again with the urge to vomit.
The closest man grabbed my leg, his touch reminding me of my abuser. Everything came flooding back. All the pain I’d endured. Each thing he’d done to me flashed before my eyes, leaving me paralyzed by fear. My stomach locked tight, and my whole body vibrated.
“Please,” I begged him. “Don’t hurt me.”
The man who held my arm flashed stained teeth as he replied. “We do worse than that to trespassers.”
He spat into the flute, and something flew out of the tip, hitting me in the neck. It stung, and I slapped at my skin, trying to pick it out. A dart filled with poison. Suddenly woozy, I wobbled, almost falling off my horse. The man pushed me back up and laughed. That was all I remembered before falling into oblivion.
