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“What are you doing here?” I ask, as if the dog could reply. Instead, it leaps up, frantically licking any part of me it can reach. I shove it away.
Han’zir has a quizzical look on his face. “Where’d a dog come from?” he asks, peering around.
I shrug. “Who knows. Maybe it’s loose.” My belly feels sour just looking at it. It reminds me of everything we had and everything we lost.
When the greeting is over with, the dog trots away from us, still wagging. When we don’t move, it stops and runs back, barking again.
Han’zir and I exchange a glance. It can’t really be trying to tell us something, can it? But the sun is only just starting to set, and anyone could see us if we went gallivanting around.
“It’s still daylight,” I grunt. “We shouldn’t be out here.” Once more the dog runs on ahead, then turns and barks at us. I’ve never believed in things like signs before, but if there ever was one...
“I think we should go with it,” Han’zir says. He nods towards the dog. “It’s not like we’ve had any luck on our own so far.”
I have to agree. We’ve simply been following our guts, and still we haven’t found Esme. We have to take the chance.
The dog happily leads us away from the abandoned farm, through the tall grasses. We keep low as we follow, past a silent, dark farmhouse and a big empty field, stripped bare by the humans. We follow the white tip at the end of the creature’s tail until the sound of raised voices drifts towards us.
There’s nowhere to hide out here, so I grab Han’zir’s shoulder and duck close to the ground, hoping they won’t see us in the dim light. The dog circles us a few times, but thankfully, doesn’t make a sound. When the arguing finally stops, it’s full dark.
“I think she’s here,” Han’zir breathes. He turns to me with glittering eyes. “She’s here, Drazak.”
I glance down at the dog, who’s made itself comfortable at our feet. Everything has been guiding us towards her, and now we just have one last leg of the journey to go.
“But where?” I ask, gesturing at the sprawling farm. “She could be inside the house, or?—”
As if on cue, the dog hops to its feet, ears pricking forward.
“Keva?” a small voice calls out. The dog’s tail wags madly, and it takes off towards the barn. Han’zir and I exchange a look, then I get up and jog after it. If we get caught now, we get caught. This is the final gambit.
The dog vanishes inside the barn. I walk close to the wall, making sure to stay in the shadows, Han’zir following close behind.
“Aw, Keva.” I hear a familiar sad sigh, and Esme says something else in her language I don’t understand.
She’s here. She’s really here. I know the sound of her voice in my body, in my soul. With a swift glance around to make sure we’re alone, I gesture at Han’zir to follow me. His expression is giddy, all smiles. But we’re not out of the woods yet.
We still have to convince her to come home with us—and then get there safely.
Chapter 16
Esme
Keva rushes into the barn, tail wagging, and feverishly licks my face.
“What’s gotten into you?” I ask her. They’ve tied me up while the Colonel and the overseer argue inside the house. Keva runs to the open barn doors, still wagging, and barks.
“Shh!” comes a voice from the other side. I sit up against the post.
“Who’s there?” I call out. I’m helpless here, tied up like I am. I couldn’t get away if someone came for me.
A huge shadow appears in the doorway—no, two of them. I shrink back against the post.
“Esme?” I recognize Drazak’s voice. When the figure ducks inside, the lamplight illuminates his face.
My orc. And behind him, my troll. My heart surges to the surface, crying out for them, screaming their names. But it’s a damaged, whimpering cry, cut and bruised. The tears I’ve been holding in since the colonel found me leak out as Drazak kneels down in front of me. He’s wearing a heavy pack, his bow and quiver over his shoulder, his face dirty. Just like I remember him.
“What are you doing here?” I ask in a hoarse whisper. “Why did you come?”
Han’zir drops into the dirt next to me. “I’m so sorry,” he says, reaching out to touch me, and then stopping himself.
