Page 75 of Hollow Valley

Sticking to the shadows, I slipped past shuttered windows and careless sentries.I didn’t know exactly where the stables were, so I peered around every corner for a sign of a building large enough to house horses.

Then, finally, I heard a mule let out an annoyed braying, and while I couldn’t technically be certain it was Vince, I knew in my gut that it was.Maybe he could smell me.Maybe he hated it here.

When I opened the stable doors, the hinges groaned loudly, so I grimaced and dashed inside.The musky warmth was a relief from the cold sting of the air on my face.Vince’s head popped over this stable door, and I hurried over to greet him.

I ran my hand over the coarse fur of his forehead and snout.His ears flicked forward at my touch, and he leaned into the pressure, offering a soft snort of recognition.

“I missed you, too, buddy,” I whispered to him.“I hope you warmed up, because we’re getting out of here soon.But I have to get my stuff first.I’ll be right back.”

Quietly, I climbed up a ladder to the loft overhead, where Benedict and Clifton had once mentioned the Revvers stashed the stuff they took from outsiders like me.My own bags were easy to find, because they were nearest to the front.But I had to procure a better pair of boots if I had any intention on keeping my foot through the winter.

My heart pounded as I rummaged through the bags, and I tried not to think about who had owned them before.It was hard to do when I rifled through a tiny backpack embroidered with pink butterflies, or another one that contained a stack of faded polaroids of a smiling group of people trekking through the woods.

The most overwhelming thing was honestly the sheer amount.Bags stacked upon bags stacked upon bags.How many people had come through and had all their possessions taken from them?And what had happened to the people themselves?What the hell were the Revvers actually doing here?

I let out a sigh of relief when I finally found a solid pair of boots.They were about half a size too big, but with my left foot so swollen, the extra room was actually a good thing.Just in case things got rough later, I put the other boot into my pack along with my spare supplies.

Vince made another annoyed snorting sound below, and I worried I was taking too long or making too much noise.Either way, it was clearly time to get out of here.

I tossed my bags down to the main floor, and then I climbed down after them.I’d only touched my good foot on the concrete floor when I heard someone shouting behind me.

“The loft is off limits,” a man announced, and I slowly turned around to see Benedict.His face contorted to rage the moment he recognized me, and he snarled, “You’re not supposed to be here!What do you think you’re doing with our property?”

“I’m only taking my own stuff,” I insisted, as if I thought it would convince him of anything, and I reached around to the scalpel I had tucked into the waistband of my jeans.

“None of that is yours!”Benedict snapped.“All of that belongs to the Reverent and the Revenant, and you will be punished for crossing us!”

He started stomping toward me.His rifle was still shouldered, and he didn’t reach for it.By the way his hands were balled up tightly at his sides, I guessed he was looking for a more tactile release of all his rage.

I stepped backward, until I bumped into the ladder behind me, and I pretended to cower down.I wanted him to think that he had me cornered.

But when he was close enough, I lunged forward, and I drove the scalpel right into his right eye.I knocked him backward onto the ground, and his blood was pouring hot all over my hand.

He was screaming, so I grabbed him by the head and I slammed it back into the concrete, hard enough to knock him out.All the noise he made likely drew attention, so I had to get the hell out of there.

As quickly as I could, I saddled up Vince and loaded up all my gear.I grabbed the musket rifle from Benedict, and I took Vince’s reins.

Once out of the stable, I led him steadily toward the heavy gates in the fortress wall, the ones that led to the exterior world.

The Sentry posted at the gate hesitated as I approached, his face uncertain as he eyed the rifle I pointed in his direction.I didn't give him a chance to argue, and my voice was low and firm as I demanded he drop his own rifle and open the gates.

With a wary glance, he complied, opening the massive door.I commanded the Sentry to walk in front of me through the darkened passage because he had to open the door on the other side.

As soon as we were on the outside, I used the butt of the rifle to knock the Sentry out, and as I climbed up onto Vince, I heard the bells ringing in the fortress behind us.Our escape had been announced.

Vince must’ve understood, because he galloped ahead as fast as his long legs would carry us through the snow.

46

Remy

One of the reasons that Lazlo had thought that Vince was better suited to my travels – beyond his mutual tolerance of the lion – was that mules had an innate sense of self-preservation.More plainly speaking, it meant that Vince wouldn’t run himself to exhaustion, no matter how much I urged it.

That also meant that I trusted Vince.He ran on for what seemed like hours, enough that I was starting to worry about him just before he stopped on his own.I had been hoping his time at Fort Lately would be a recovery, but now I feared it had been nearly as unpleasant for him as it was for me.

We camped out for the night in a thicket of trees, not that either of us slept much.But it was dark, and Vince couldn’t run any longer.

Fortunately, the severe arctic temperatures had subsided some, though it was still below freezing.If I wrapped myself in my bedroll and kept the travel stove fed with nearby twigs, that was enough to keep me warm through the night.