said, arching his eyebrows again.
“Yes,” Rae said firmly.
“She’s my half-sister, actually,” Jesse offered lamely.
“And where are you headed?” the stranger asked. “I might be able to give you directions. You seem to have wandered off the main road.”
For a moment, Jesse froze. He didn’t know the name of any nearby towns. Then Rae spoke up. “To the swamps,” she said.
The stranger frowned. “Are you sure that’s wise? They call them the Swamps of the Vanished for good reason. Those who go in….” He shrugged, but Jesse knew the end of this sentence. Never return.
Just then, Silas and Parvel ran into the clearing. “Rae, we—” Parvel began. He froze when he saw the stranger.
“Are they your brothers too?” the stranger asked. His eyebrows were up permanently now, and something about his bland stare made Jesse squirm uncomfortably.
“It’s none of your concern,” Rae said hotly. She moved her hand toward the dagger at her side. Jesse prayed she wouldn’t have to use it.
Parvel and Silas were unarmed, their weapons in their packs. Could I sneak over and grab a sword? Even if I could, would I use it? The thought of killing a man, even one who seemed to be a threat, made Jesse sick.
The stranger began to pace, smiling to himself. “I know who you are. Four young people, alone in the wilderness. Not wanting to be seen. Lying about your identity.”
With every word he spoke, Jesse’s heart beat faster. What do I do? Should we run? Should we fight? The man didn’t seem to be armed, but Jesse knew from experience there were a hundred ways to conceal a weapon.
“Again, it’s none of your concern,” Rae repeated. “Leave us be.”
“None of my concern?” The stranger stopped short and gave Rae a look of mock disapproval. “Why, I’m a citizen of Amarias. Shouldn’t I be concerned when I discover four young people who are wanted for treason?”
With a cry, Rae reached for her dagger…but there was nothing there.
The stranger held it out, twirled it in the air and caught it again. “Looking for this?”
“Yes,” Rae said. At the same time, she struck the stranger in the face with her fist and grabbed for the dagger.
“Rae,” Jesse yelled, lunging forward.
But the stranger had already broken her grip and turned the dagger on her instead, holding it against her throat. Parvel and Silas rushed to their weapons, but it was too late.
“Hold!” the stranger called. “Put down your weapons, fools!”
“And what makes us foolish? That we would defend our sister?” Parvel demanded. He and Silas were just paces away from their weapons, but made no move toward them.
“No more lies,” the stranger snapped. “I know who you are. You called the little one Rae. The two of you are Silas and Parvel, and the crippled one is Jesse.”
“How do you know our names?” Jesse asked. Even if the stranger suspected they were Youth Guard, he could not know who they were. And if he were one of the king’s men, sent to destroy them, Rae would already be dead.
“Come with me,” the stranger said. “I can do nothing without consulting my father and the Kin.”
“Then you can’t order us to follow you, can you?” Jesse pointed out.
“If you come peacefully, I won’t harm you,” the stranger continued, ignoring him, “despite the king’s promise of reward for your death or capture.”
“Reward?” Jesse asked, curious in spite of himself.
“Yes. A very large sum, in fact. One hundred sceptres…for each of you.” Even Rae gasped at that. The slight movement brought her uncomfortably close to the edge of the dagger.
The stranger gave a slight smile. “Tempting, I know. A man like me could work his entire life and never see that much money. Likely that’s what the Patrol captain’s companions thought when they told the Kin of you. They said to watch for anyone meeting your description and turn you in.”
A Patrol captain? Jesse glanced at the others. He knew there were dozens of Patrol captains in Amarias. There was no reason to assume the stranger was speaking of Captain Demetri, who had pursued them since the Abaktan Desert.
No reason except the sick feeling Jesse was getting in his stomach.
The stranger paused and held out his free hand, catching a few raindrops that were starting to fall. “Well, will you do it?” Parvel asked.
“The Kin will decide,” was all the stranger would say.
By now, Jesse had decided the Kin was some kind of group or clan, maybe a local government. He had never heard of such a thing, but he was not from this district. It had not taken many days of travel to realize how different the four districts of Amarias were from each other.
“I thought you should know about the rewards, in case you tried to run or attack me.” The stranger looked evenly at them. “There are others looking for you—others who are far more dangerous and bloodthirsty than I am. And they are willing to pay a very high price to make sure you are dead.”
The stranger put his hand on Rae’s shoulder and began to march her forward, toward the east. Then he stopped. “And don’t try to take those weapons, or anything else in your packs.”
Jesse decided that didn’t include his staff. Somehow, the stranger knew he was crippled before he ever took a step. He would guess Jesse needed the staff to walk.
Suddenly the stranger whirled around. “I said, take nothing from the packs!”
Silas was kneeling on the ground. He was clutching the Forbidden Book.
“It’s a religious text,” Silas said calmly, wrapping it in his cloak to protect it from the rain. “A book of prayer.”
Jesse almost laughed. As if Silas of all people would carry a book of prayer.
The answer seemed to satisfy the stranger, although he waited for Silas to walk ahead of them. “Keep the book close,” he said, prodding them forward. “When you go before the Kin, you’ll need all the prayer you can get.”
Chapter 4
Even with the darkness of the storm, the wagons of the Kin were the most colorful Jesse had ever seen: huge wooden boxes on wheels painted with swirls of color.
That’s when Jesse realized where he had seen the stranger’s style of clothes before. They were the same as the costumes of a troupe of traveling performers that had once passed through Mir.
“Don’t try to shout for help,” the stranger warned them as they approached the wagons. He was still in the lead, holding Rae captive. “Believe me, if the others know you’re here, it’ll only be worse for you.” With a reward
