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I’m surrounded by enemies at their most vulnerable. Anyone could come up and slit their throats. If Ravis had gotten his hands on this sword, he would have used it on the front lines, taking out enemies in droves before his soldiers silenced them forever without any resistance.

My gaze snaps downward. As I stare at the prince, I’m almost overcome with anger. He tried to make me his slave. He might have cost me Temra by stealing Serutha. He’s the reason I’m parted from the rest of my friends.

And he threatened Kellyn.

Maybe it’s foolish, but I take the sheath from around the prince’s waist and slide the dagger within. Ravis took weeks of my life for himself, so I’m taking something of his.

I steal a sheath for the bastard sword off one of the guards. Once I’m outfitted, I search through the sleeping bodies for Kellyn.

He’s snoring louder than anyone else. I fight a smile at the sight of him.

It takes some maneuvering, but I manage to get the horse- drawn cart as close to Kellyn as possible without crushing anyone, then haul the sleeping mercenary over to it. I hoist him onto my back and ease him into the bed of the cart. Then, remembering Lady Killer, I find Strax among the bodies and retrieve Kellyn’s longsword. I’ve no idea where my hammers have ended up (or the war hammer I’ve magicked), and I don’t have any time to waste searching for them. I’ll have to leave with what I have.

I gather as much food as I can, searching for anything that’ll keep for a while. Bread, dried meat. I take some fruit and vegetables as well. We can eat those for the first few days.

I roll a barrel of water into the cart. Then I don a stolen cloak, make sure my face is concealed, leap atop the cart, and give the reins a good flick.

We’re off.

CHAPTER TEN

I have no clue where I’m going.

The castle is an imposing shadow at my back. My only concern was to getawayfrom Prince Ravis’s home, but now I need to figure out how to get to Skiro. I’ve got a cart full of sleeping mercenary. Finding the right road is crucial.

I suppose as long as Kellyn sleeps, I know that Ravis and his guards are also sleeping.

But that means I can’t rely on the mercenary for anything.

It takes me a minute to search through the city square for the least intimidating figure, a young girl my age. I ask her for directions to the quickest road to take me south.

“Only road that will take you that way is the one to Briska. From there you can head south.”

I hide my grimace. Things did not go so well last time we were in Briska. We were beaten and imprisoned.

“It’s a long journey,” she warns. “Beg your pardon, but you don’t look like you have enough to get you there. Most of that food will spoil.”

I waste a few moments bartering fresh food for more hardy food. I sell Ravis’s dagger and purchase saddles, saddlebags, waterskins, bedrolls, and other supplies.

We’re not going to make it far if we don’t have everything we need to travel. The last time we tried, we were only making a week’s journey to Kellyn’s family’s farm, and he knew the land well enough for us to forage for food.

We have no such advantages now.

With a much fuller cart, I find the road and set off again, pushing the horses as quickly as possible.

I’ve got Kellyn’s longsword across my back and the sleeping sword at my side. Still, I’m not confident in my abilities should we run into trouble.

I start to relax when we leave the city. The homes give way to cottages, which disappear entirely after a while. The cacti and sparse shrubbery turn into trees. Some pine and fir. Some kind of deciduous trees with yellow leaves and white bark. Dried leaves crackle under the wheels of the cart; the light breeze sends more drifting off the branches.

A few people pass me by on the road, but they say nothing. No horns sound. No barking dogs. No signs of pursuit. And Kellyn is still fast asleep.

I check on him a few times, just to ensure he’s breathing. I even try rousing him. I shake his shoulder. Shout his name.

But he doesn’t stir.

Magic is indeed a powerful thing.

Afternoon gives way to evening. Still, I don’t stop the horses. I slow their trotting into walking. It’s the only reprieve I can give them. We need distance between us and Ravis, especially when I’ve no choice but to use the road. I can’t very well get a cart off the beaten path.