AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There. I see them. Here. Here,” one of our pursuers yells.
There is the crack of another shot firing and my heart stutters, and though I’m running flat-out it still seems time has stopped as I try to decide if I’ve been shot or not. It’s like some strange mental assessment of my body even as I move, dodging left and right.
The mist thickens more, rising higher. Now it’s mid-thigh but still not enough to slow the pursuit. Rob remains at my side though I know he could easily outpace me. Gratitude so deep and warm floods through that it eases the pains of my body.
Once more regret fills my thoughts. I should have trained more, should have stayed with the Druid like he wanted. I thought I knew best, thought I was ready. I wasn’t. I’m not. I can’t do this. I’m going to die. No. I can’t die. If I die, Duncan dies, and damn it I haven’t come this far to lose.
My foot comes down on loose gravel. I know what’s going to happen an instant before it does. As my weight shifts forward the foot slides with it and my leg shoots ahead. I throw my arms out to try and keep my balance but there’s not enough time.
Muscle and tendons tear as I do a forcible split, making it part way down and falling over because my body isn’t this flexible. I land on my side and tumble a few feet before coming up against a rock with bruising force. I grunt in pain and surprise.
“Quinn.” Rob calls my name.
“Here,” I say, raising an arm up.
I can’t see anything but the white mist. I hear footsteps on loose gravel, then someone slides against me, their body crushing against mine. I try to yelp but a hand slams over my mouth, shutting me up. Only then do I recognize the calloused hand on my mouth as Rob’s.
“I know I saw something here,” one of the hunters says.
He’s so close I feel his presence. Two or three dogs bark and are close enough for me to hear them sniffing, but they don’t raise an alarm. Has the mist covered our trail?
“Damn dogs, come on. Where are they? If’n you don’t find them I’ll shoot you both,” the same man’s voice says.
Rob’s pressed so tight against me that I feel his heart and every shallow breath he takes. His eyes glisten black in the darkness. Neither of us dare to move. I’m too scared to even breathe. It can’t end like this, it can’t.
The dogs move closer. I hear their nails scrambling on the rock and the snuffling of their noses as they search for our scent. I close my eyes and will us to be invisible. I don’t know how long this goes on because there is no measurement of time in this world of only sounds and whiteness.
“Over here!” another voice calls and this one is distant.
“Find something?” the closer voice asks, and as he queries his friends, I am sure he’s practically on top of us. How he hasn’t found us is a miracle. Or magic.
I can smell the dogs myself and the only way I can assume they aren’t smelling us is magic; mine or something inherent to the mists I don’t know.
“Come,” the man barks as he tromps away, pulling his dogs along with him.
Rob and I lie still until we can no longer hear the hunters and only then does he take his hand off my mouth. When I try to rise, he holds me down and shakes his head. We wait longer, waiting for what I don’t know but I’m putting my trust in him. At last Rob moves, sitting up and looking around. When I sit up, my head is barely above the mist and Rob looks like little more than a disembodied head.
He looks all around then stands and offers me a hand. When I open my mouth to say thank you, he slaps his rough hand over my mouth once again with enough force that it hurts. I frown and he glares, shaking his head. I roll my eyes and that seems to get the point across as he removes his hand.
He roughly takes my hand and pulls me along. He doesn’t run, but we move quick and furtively. He stops often, crouching and listening. I still hear the hunters. It sounds like they’re all around us but it’s hard to tell with the mist and the dark. Small stands of trees break up the landscape and we use them to hide while listening to see if any pursuers are close.
I’m lost. Between the dark, the running, and not knowing the area I have no clue where we are, and if Rob were to leave me I’d be lucky to ever find my way back to the camp or the clan. The thought is sobering since he and I aren’t as friendly as I thought we were.
We move to the edge of a group of trees. He peeks and looks around before jerking me forward, and we run for another one. As we dash across the open area the moon emerges from behind some clouds and silvery light washes over the swirling white mists surrounding us.
My fear spikes as the light comes because I’m certain we’re about to be caught out but Rob doesn’t stop. As soon as we move behind the trees he grabs and flings me around, slamming me against a large trunk. He wraps his hand around my throat and leans in close. His hot breath passes over my face.
“Quinn,” he growls, “if you are a spy, if you had any hand in this, I will kill you.”
Gray pushes in on the edges of my vision as I struggle to breathe. He’s choking me and his arm pressing against my chest makes it even harder.
“I’m… not.”
Magic trickles in but not enough to do something with. I’m so scared I’m shaking. The Druid trained me in some combat moves but obviously not enough because I don’t know how to break free.
“Are you a witch?”
I can’t answer. I won’t lie to him, but if I say the truth he might end me. I stare into his eyes and try to push past my fear. I try to use magic towillhim to let me go, all while wishing I’d waited to come back. Trained more. Learned more.
