Hunted (Book 2) (3 page)

“You must wake up. Now.”

Delicate fingers dug into Bastian’s shoulders. He just
wanted to sleep. The last few months he’d seen too many injuries. Too many
battles. But no one seemed to care. Someone always wanted to tell him where to
go. Who to be.

“Wake up!”

The accent was strange to him. Lilting and high. Obviously
a woman. But one laced with intense vigor.

As Bastian raised his arm to shoo her away, teeth sank into
the tender skin of his arm.

“Ow!” Bastian sat up, his eyes open wide. A woman stood in
front of him. Or maybe she was a girl. He wasn’t sure. Her black cloak hid any
clues. Her golden hair spilled down to her shoulders in a mess of waves. Bright
blue eyes gazed at him intensely. “Who are you?”

“I’m Elinor.” She yanked on his arm, but she was too
diminutive to budge him. Her fingers couldn’t even wrap around his forearm. “Do
as I say or die.”

Bastian laughed. “You and what army?”

She glared at him. “Flex your stupid muscles. Well, do it.”

Bastian did as she asked and was surprised to find his arms
no longer hurt. He ran his hands over his stomach and chest. No wounds. No
blood. No bandages. “What happened? I was injured. Severely.”

“And now you’re not. Stop asking questions and get up. You
have to get out of Ashoom. Your friends are gone and I can take you someplace
safe.”

He swung his legs over the side of the table and stood up. He
felt remarkably well considering the injuries he’d sustained after fighting the
beasts in the foggy forest outside of Hutton’s Bridge, and then being dragged
back to the town by the Black Guard. “How long have I been out?”

“Days.” She shot a furtive glance toward the door.

“What?”

“You ask too many questions. If you close your lips and do
as I say, you probably won’t die.” She slipped her hand in his and tugged him
toward the back of the room.

Bastian sighed. He was so tired of being dragged and pulled
everywhere. “I’m not leaving. Tressa should be back soon and we—” He
tugged his hand away from Elinor’s.

She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “I
healed you at great cost to my own strength. Don’t be an ass by rejecting the
gift. The men of the Black Guard know what happened to Stacia. They know you
are missing. They won’t stop until they find you and kill you. Slowly. Marden
isn’t known for his compassion.”

Bastian remembered Marden. The largest man he’d ever laid
eyes on. No, he didn’t want to meet him in battle. Bastian was sure of his own
strength, but against a man like that he stood little chance.

“Then where should I hide? I don’t know this town.”

Elinor puckered her lips and blew an errant strand of hair
off her face. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Come with me and you’ll be
safe.”

Bastian took a step back. “Why should I trust you? Maybe
you’re just leading me to him.”

She stomped one tiny booted foot on the floor. “Fine. If
you want to be an idiot, I can’t change that. They warned me. They said, ‘Elinor,
he’s the least intelligent of the three. Don’t waste your time with him. Try to
find one of the other two.’”

“What are you talking about?”

Elinor scooted a chair in front of Bastian. She climbed
atop the seat, looking him straight in the eyes. “I am an initiate healer of
the First Order of the Healer's Guild, the most skilled in recent memory,
though I still have many mysteries to learn. I can heal the most grievous
injuries with the lightest touch of my hand. But I can only do it once every
moon. I used it up on you. So if you want to repay me by acting like an imbecile,
I will be teased, and forced to leave my order. It isn’t just the skill that is
valued. It’s the judgment in using it properly. I have spent all eighteen years
of my life cloistered with the other healers. You were my first test. A rather
successful one at that.”

“What will you have me do? If I follow you, that is?”
Bastian swallowed, suddenly nervous around this wisp of a woman. He was strong,
but she had powerful magic.

“I will protect you, of course. I’ll find a place for you
to hide until things calm down here in Ashoom. Until a new leader steps forward
and claims the Blue Throne. Without one, we are vulnerable to the other
dragonlords.” She clambered off the chair and smoothed out her black gown. “But
we’re wasting time. You must follow me. I will not have my first success die
only moments after I’ve healed him.”

“Thank you.” Bastian stuttered a bit. It was disconcerting
how someone so small could set him off kilter.

Elinor shoved a black cloak at him. “Cover your hair. Not
many giant redheads in Ashoom. You’re too easily recognizable.”

Bastian slung the cape around his shoulders and pulled the
hood over his head.

“Hold your wrists together.”

Bastian did as he was told.

Elinor tied a rope around his wrists and before he could
protest, she’d knotted the rope so tightly he couldn’t move.

“Hey!”

“It’s part of the disguise.” She waved her hand and
gestured for him to follow. “I don’t want a month’s worth of healing to go to
waste. Now follow me. Stay close.”

Bastian shrugged and followed the girl, woman, whatever she
was, out of the back of the cottage. It was just like when he’d escaped with
Tressa after finding Connor missing.

Tressa. She’d be back soon with Jarrett and he’d be gone.
How would she find him? He looked over his shoulder at the crowded street.
People were agitated and angry. He pulled farther back into the hood. Better to
be alive in hiding than for Tressa to find him dead at the hands of her former
mates in the Black Guard.

Elinor pulled a bundle of herbs from a pocket inside her
cloak. She waved her fingers over the herbs and muttered a series of
incomprehensible words. The herbs began to smolder.

Smoke wafted into his nose, stifling his breathing and choking
him. Bastian coughed and held an arm over his face. “What is that?”

“Lavender and oregano. I’m cleansing the air around you as
we walk through the town. Everyone will stay clear, and no one will suspect you
are anything other than a diseased wretch.” She waved the herbs in front of his
face again, her blue eyes unflinching.

“They will because it reeks,” he said, muffled through his
arm.

“No. This marks you as ill and me as your healer. No one
will want to tempt the fate of the gods by coming any closer than they have
to.” She tugged hard on the rope leash. “Come on.”

Bastian stumbled and followed her down the street. She
spoke true. Everyone kept far away from them. A few made strange gestures with
their hands and some spat on the ground while cursing. Elinor was right. They
quickly left the town without any interference. He just hoped she was exactly
what she’d told him and that he wasn’t being led into another trap.

After they left the town, Elinor smothered her smoldering
herbs and untied Bastian’s hands. She commanded he keep the hood on in case
they came across anyone who was looking for him.

Bastian hadn’t been this way before. Only northwest to
Hutton’s Bridge. His head spun. Earlier in the day he’d marched out of his town
into the fog, killed the beasts, and reasoned with the woman in the tree, only
to get captured by Stacia’s men. Again. Despite all of his brawn and bravery,
he couldn’t remain free.

Women kept saving him. First Tressa. Now this Elinor girl.
It was embarrassing.

“Where are you taking me?” he asked.

“Somewhere safe.” Elinor fell back, walking next to
Bastian. They were no longer healer and patient, but equals.

Bastian looked down. Where he was too tall, she was too
short. A tiny thing, the top of her head barely reached his elbow. “I think
it’s okay to tell me now. No one is around to hear you.”

Elinor stopped and yanked on his sleeve. “Fine. We’re going
to a cave along the Snake River. It’s just to the north of the three trees that
grow as one. Past the stream that leads into the river. Does that help? Do you
know where we’re going now?”

Bastian glared at her, irritated. “Yes, I do.” He didn’t,
but there was no reason to tell her that. She didn’t need to know he’d never
travelled anywhere. “I’m very familiar with that area.”

Elinor slapped her hand over her mouth, stifling a laugh.

“What?” Bastian asked. His irritation was rapidly growing
into annoyance.

“Make sure you take a right at the cow.” She laughed again,
this time not even pretending to cover it up.

“Funny. Very funny.” It wasn’t. Not at all. But she’d healed
his injuries and led him to freedom, so he would keep his opinions to himself.

“I know you’ve never been outside of your little town or
mine.”

Bastian raised his eyebrows.

“Hutton’s Bridge is a bit of a legend to us, too.” Elinor
plucked a white daisy from the ground and twirled it between her fingers. “I
grew up thinking it was a town of mystery and enchantment. A fairy tale. I
mean, the fog has always been there. Impenetrable. How could anyone live inside
that? We thought everyone was dead.”

Bastian shook his head. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? We
believed the rest of the world was gone. Only death awaited us. Every year, our
elders sent three into the fog. No one ever returned. Not one.”

“Yet you kept trying.” She sighed. “You must have a very strong
community. Many people here would give up. They wouldn’t believe. Your people
must be so brave.”

Bastian hadn’t thought of it that way before. Sending three
into the fog had felt desperate. Villagers rarely volunteered. It wasn’t like
they were clamoring to leave. At times, they were sent at sword-point. Within a
few days, life in Hutton’s Bridge would go back to normal. The belongings of
the people who entered the fog were distributed to those who needed them most. “We
weren’t any different than your people. We did what we needed to survive.”

Elinor nodded. She tossed the daisy into the air. It landed on the ground, nestling
among the blades of grass that reached up to their ankles. They walked in
silence for a while longer.

Trees stretched into the sky, covered in green leaves
swaying in the gentle breeze. It was far different from the forbidding forest
outside of Hutton’s Bridge. This one didn’t harbor monsters waiting to suck the
marrow from his bones. Magical guardians didn’t hide in the trees, holding the
fate of hundreds in their hands. Here, Bastian could almost appreciate the
beauty. He just wished Tressa was there with him, not off on some errand with
that man from the Black Guard.

Yes, Jarrett had helped to keep her safe. He’d fought
bravely against the dragon when Bastian was wounded and left for dead in the
hall. But Bastian bristled, knowing that Jarrett was interested in Tressa.

“We’re almost there,” Elinor said. “You can hide here until
things calm down in Ashoom. Then I’ll find a way to get you out of the Drowned
Country. Probably by river. Can you sail?” She looked up at him with blue eyes
large and round.

“No, I can’t. I’ve never even been near a body of water
bigger than a well.”

“Of course not.” Elinor blushed. “I wasn’t thinking. Well,
it’s not so hard. You’ll get used to it quickly.”

Bastian appreciated her help, but he wasn’t sure she’d
thought her plan all the way through. “Where should I sail to?”

“You can sail the Snake south to one of the major ports. From
there you can hire a ship and go anywhere you want.” She paused, laying her
hand on the bark of a nearby tree. She pressed her ear to a knothole.

Bastian pretended to look at a rock. He wanted to look at
anything other than Elinor. If she hadn’t saved his life, he might have
questioned her sanity.

Elinor pulled away from the tree and smiled. “Yes, there’s
a cave up ahead. It will do well to hide you.”

“Did the tree tell you that?” Bastian asked, a smirk
crossing his face.

Elinor crossed her arms under her chest. It was the first time
Bastian realized she had one. An ample set of breasts had been hiding under her
cloak the whole time. He forced himself to look into her eyes again. “Just
because you don’t understand, doesn’t mean you should tease.” She glared at
him. “And, yes, the tree did tell me there’s a cave ahead. It said something
about a family living there, but I have to doubt that. There are no families in
this part of the forest. Sometimes the memory of trees is polluted by time.”

“Lead on, then,” Bastian said. His wounds were healed, yes,
but his stamina hadn’t returned. He needed a rest, and a quiet cave would be
perfect. Maybe even a nap.

Elinor turned to the north. “It’s not far now. I know we’ve
been walking a long time, but we’re almost there. I promise.” She flashed him a
toothy white smile.

“When we get there, will you be leaving?” Bastian wasn’t
afraid to be alone, but night would be falling soon. It might not be safe for
her to travel in the forest. She’d taken such good care of him. It was right to
ask her to stay.

Elinor looked up into the canopy. “The sun is almost ready
to set. It would be wise to remain here. Do you mind?”

Bastian shook his head. “Of course not. Maybe you can tell
me more about the port. Where can boats take me once I’m on them? I don’t want
to go too far away. Tressa said she’d be coming back for me. If I can’t wait in
Ashoom, I want to make sure there’s a way she can find me.”

“I’ll watch for her,” Elinor said. “If she comes back, the
guard will kill her. It is certain. Soon everyone will be looking for the girl
who dresses as a boy. I’ll tell her where you’ve gone. I have friends in the
ports who can pass on a message to her. You will be reunited. But if you act
foolishly, you’ll be killed, and you’ll never see her again. You have to trust
me.”

“You’ve brought me this far,” Bastian said. “I will do as
you say.”

Elinor gasped in relief. “Look ahead. Do you see that copse
of trees there? It’s guarding the entrance to the cave. We’ll be able to slip
in on the other side. Come on!” She grabbed his hand, propelling him forward.

Together they ran to the cave, eager to sit down and rest.
Bastian hadn’t asked, but he hoped she’d thought to bring some food. Perhaps
there was some hiding in that cloak of hers.

The dark mouth of the cave opened wide, just as she’d said,
on the other side of the trees. They stumbled inside, smiles on both of their
faces. Bastian rested his hand on a large rock near the mouth of the cave. He
sat down, his back against it.

“What?” Elinor said, staring into the cave in horror.
“There is a family here.” She took a few steps back, her hand covering her
mouth. Her eyes were large, her face pale.

Bastian’s stomach turned. What had she seen? Whatever it
was, it couldn’t be worse than the giant beasts he’d fought in the forest
outside of Hutton’s Bridge. “What do you see?” He squinted into the darkness,
not seeing anything of interest other than a bunch of boulders.

“The cave.” Elinor pointed, her hand shaking. “It’s filled
with eggs.”