Page 65 of Kingdom of Chains

‘Are you all right?’ he asked.

She nodded.

He hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her face so he could see her eyes. ‘I’m going to get you out of here, but I need you to do exactly what I say.’

Another nod.

He took hold of her hand. ‘Let’s go.’

CHAPTER 20

It would have been so easy to shoot that crazed man from his horse, then cut his throat for good measure, but the warden’s orders echoed in Blackmane’s mind. So he let the man ride away, then headed north to the dense part of the forest where his mare was tethered. Isabel did well in keeping up, though he felt her beginning to tire during the second mile.

‘Not too much farther,’ he said.

Soon the forest would be crawling with guards, and they needed to be well outside the three-mile radius before then.

‘I am fine,’ she lied. The first words she had spoken since he found her.

A pair of horses approached at a canter. Blackmane pulled her into the brush, and she huddled against him, holding her breath as they passed. He was tempted to shoot them when they circled back, but dead soldiers would clue them in that she was helped, and the three-mile search would quickly broaden.

When the sound of horses faded to a distant thud, he rose and took her hand once more. She responded with a sharp breath.

‘What’s the matter?’ he asked.

She shook her head. ‘It is nothing. A few splinters.’

He looked down at her hand but could not see much in the dark, so he made a mental note to deal with those later when they were safe.

They ran the last mile. Whenever she tripped, he pulled her upright, and she would resume running again without saying a word. When they reached the horse, he let go of her hand, and she grabbed hold of his arm.

‘Where are you going?’

He noted the panic in her voice. ‘I need to fetch a large branch.’

‘What for?’

‘They’ll try to track you. We need to make that as hard as possible for them.’ He pulled out his knife and went to cut off a large branch.

‘What are you going to do with that?’

‘Remove our tracks.’ Mounting, he reached for her with his spare hand, pulling her up onto the horse behind him. She held on tightly as he kicked the mare into a canter. The leafy end of the branch dragged along the ground behind the horse.

‘Do you want me to hold it so you can concentrate on riding?’ she asked.

‘No.’ It would be too painful if her hands were full of splinters. ‘No more talking for a while. I want you to tap me if you see or hear anything. Can you do that?’

‘Yes.’

‘And let me know if you need to stop.’

‘I will not need to stop.’

She might have been useless with weapons, but she had the heart of a wastelander.

They rode for around four hours, only slowing down when his horse began to tire. Soon after, he felt the weight of Isabel’shead on his back. He glanced over his shoulder. She was definitely tiring but was not ready to admit it.

Around half an hour later, her hands slipped from his uniform, and she began to slide sideways. Blackmane dropped the branch and caught hold of her. She woke with a start.