there.”
Yaretzi didn’t say anything else but instead started pulling my arm again. Her obvious anger intimidated me, but Malachi at least seemed to believe she was planning to take me back to the people I wanted to be with, so I didn’t fight.
Malachi hurried behind us, grabbing her arm and trying to slow her down.
All three of us jerked to a stop as someone else pinned Malachi’s wrists behind him. “Is this
Kateinas
giving you trouble?” the stranger asked Yaretzi.
Neither of us had a chance to reply before Malachi slammed his head back into the newcomer’s chin, then whipped around, freeing himself. His hand darted toward the hilt of the knife at his waist—and then he froze.
“Go for it, Obsidian.”
I was shocked to discover that the figure in front of us, dressed in fur-lined leather and a black, ankle-length cloak clasped with a silver brooch, was a woman with black hair and startling wine-red eyes. She was flanked by two men, both in strange uniforms that were nothing like the formal jackets I was used to, who carried short swords in their hands. All three of them were staring at Malachi with similar expressions of seething hatred.
“We’re on Midnight’s land, Hara,” Malachi said. “If the guards see you with weapons bared—”
“It’s funny, how you’ll invoke their laws to protect yourself,” the red-eyed woman answered, “even when it is obvious you were trying to break them moments before.” She told Yaretzi, “I’m sorry if this creature has inconvenienced you. We can take him into custody if—”
Malachi didn’t let her finish. Instead, he dove past the guards’ blades, grabbed me, and started into the woods. When I tried to struggle, he warned, “They
will
kill you, if they realize what you are. Run. We need to get to the market.”
I didn’t have time to consider. Malachi’s panic was infectious. I ran as if my feet had grown wings.
A FEW IMPOSSIBLY long minutes later, we stumbled against a low stone wall. Malachi hoisted me up and over it. I was still struggling to regain my footing when he joined me, then sank down to the ground, panting … and, crazily,
laughing
.
“Been a while since I had a run like that,” he said between gasps. “You’ve just nearly met the princess of the serpiente, Vance. Hara Kiesha Cobriana. She was probably on her way back from a delivery of tribute. Nothing more than bad luck we ran into her.”
“She—” I had to stop, struggling to catch my own breath. “She doesn’t like you any more than I do.”
“She likes me a whole lot less,” Malachi responded, with more cheer than the words seemed to deserve. “Giventhe excuse that she was coming to the aid of a merchant, she would happily have executed me.”
“How many people want to kill you?” I asked as I looked around and tried to plan what to do next.
We were at the back of a small alley between two wooden stalls that backed up to the wall. Through the gap ahead of us, I could see people bustling back and forth, their faces down against the rain.
“Many,” Malachi answered, “but the kings and queens of the great shapeshifter nations bow to Midnight. Starting a scuffle here in the market would be impeding trade, and in Midnight, there is no worse crime. That means we are safe here.”
“That means
I’m
safe,” I said. I stood up, half expecting Malachi to grab me, but he didn’t. “Would she really have killed me?” I asked. “Or was that just a threat to get me running and save your own skin?”
He shrugged. “I don’t have much respect for the so-called royals,” he said, “but I do not believe even she is stupid enough to let a bloodwitch fall into Midnight hands.”
“
You
did.”
“I’m a sentimental fool,” he said. “Also, after murdering Midnight’s precious quetzal, they would have made sure to eliminate any witnesses—namely, again, me.” Raising his voice, he shouted to a passerby, “You! Bloodtraitor!”
The man who turned, a
Yaretzi didn’t say anything else but instead started pulling my arm again. Her obvious anger intimidated me, but Malachi at least seemed to believe she was planning to take me back to the people I wanted to be with, so I didn’t fight.
Malachi hurried behind us, grabbing her arm and trying to slow her down.
All three of us jerked to a stop as someone else pinned Malachi’s wrists behind him. “Is this
Kateinas
giving you trouble?” the stranger asked Yaretzi.
Neither of us had a chance to reply before Malachi slammed his head back into the newcomer’s chin, then whipped around, freeing himself. His hand darted toward the hilt of the knife at his waist—and then he froze.
“Go for it, Obsidian.”
I was shocked to discover that the figure in front of us, dressed in fur-lined leather and a black, ankle-length cloak clasped with a silver brooch, was a woman with black hair and startling wine-red eyes. She was flanked by two men, both in strange uniforms that were nothing like the formal jackets I was used to, who carried short swords in their hands. All three of them were staring at Malachi with similar expressions of seething hatred.
“We’re on Midnight’s land, Hara,” Malachi said. “If the guards see you with weapons bared—”
“It’s funny, how you’ll invoke their laws to protect yourself,” the red-eyed woman answered, “even when it is obvious you were trying to break them moments before.” She told Yaretzi, “I’m sorry if this creature has inconvenienced you. We can take him into custody if—”
Malachi didn’t let her finish. Instead, he dove past the guards’ blades, grabbed me, and started into the woods. When I tried to struggle, he warned, “They
will
kill you, if they realize what you are. Run. We need to get to the market.”
I didn’t have time to consider. Malachi’s panic was infectious. I ran as if my feet had grown wings.
A FEW IMPOSSIBLY long minutes later, we stumbled against a low stone wall. Malachi hoisted me up and over it. I was still struggling to regain my footing when he joined me, then sank down to the ground, panting … and, crazily,
laughing
.
“Been a while since I had a run like that,” he said between gasps. “You’ve just nearly met the princess of the serpiente, Vance. Hara Kiesha Cobriana. She was probably on her way back from a delivery of tribute. Nothing more than bad luck we ran into her.”
“She—” I had to stop, struggling to catch my own breath. “She doesn’t like you any more than I do.”
“She likes me a whole lot less,” Malachi responded, with more cheer than the words seemed to deserve. “Giventhe excuse that she was coming to the aid of a merchant, she would happily have executed me.”
“How many people want to kill you?” I asked as I looked around and tried to plan what to do next.
We were at the back of a small alley between two wooden stalls that backed up to the wall. Through the gap ahead of us, I could see people bustling back and forth, their faces down against the rain.
“Many,” Malachi answered, “but the kings and queens of the great shapeshifter nations bow to Midnight. Starting a scuffle here in the market would be impeding trade, and in Midnight, there is no worse crime. That means we are safe here.”
“That means
I’m
safe,” I said. I stood up, half expecting Malachi to grab me, but he didn’t. “Would she really have killed me?” I asked. “Or was that just a threat to get me running and save your own skin?”
He shrugged. “I don’t have much respect for the so-called royals,” he said, “but I do not believe even she is stupid enough to let a bloodwitch fall into Midnight hands.”
“
You
did.”
“I’m a sentimental fool,” he said. “Also, after murdering Midnight’s precious quetzal, they would have made sure to eliminate any witnesses—namely, again, me.” Raising his voice, he shouted to a passerby, “You! Bloodtraitor!”
The man who turned, a
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