and all through the third day on the road. What would Valek do in this particular situation? The answer helped me to form a plan.
When the signal to stop for the night sounded, I waited until everyone was occupied before leaving the clearing. Once out of sight, I swept off my cloak and turned it inside out. Before departing the castle I had procured gray cloth from Dilana, which I had then sewn into the inside lining of my cloak just in case I needed to hide in the winter landscape. I hoped the improvised ashen camouflage would be adequate in concealing my presence when I neared the meeting site.
I strapped my bow to my back, sheathed my switchblade on my right leg, then grabbed my rope and grappling hook from my backpack. I found the northern trail. Rather than walk down the narrow path, though, I sought a suitable tree and tossed my hook up into its branches. My first concern was the potential noise of my passage through the treetops, but I soon discovered that trees without leaves only creaked under my weight as I followed the trail.
Maneuvering close to the meeting site, I spotted a tall dark-haired man waiting at the prearranged location. He seemed restless and agitated. Too thin for Janco, I thought. Then the man turned in my direction. Rand.
What was he doing here? I circled the clearing. Discovering no threat lurking in the bushes, I climbed down to the path, leaving my rope hanging from the branch. I tucked my backpack behind the tree’s trunk.
“Damn,” Rand cursed. “I thought you weren’t going to show.” His haggard face had dark smudges under his eyes.
“And I thought Janco was supposed to be here.”
“I wanted to explain, but there’s no time, Yelena.” Rand’s haunted eyes bored into mine. “It’s a trap! Run!”
“How many? Where?” I demanded, pulling the bow from my back. I scanned the woods.
“Star and two goons. Close. Leading you here was supposed to pay off my debt.” Tears streaked Rand’s face.
I spun on him. “Well, you did a good job. I see you’re actually following through on this assignment.” I spat the words at him.
“No,” he cried. “I can’t do it. Run, damn you, run.”
Just as I moved to go, Rand’s eyes widened with fright.
“No!” He shoved me aside. Something whistled past my ear as I fell to the ground. Rand dropped beside me, an arrow in his chest. Blood welled, soaking his white uniform shirt.
“Run,” he whispered. “Run.”
“No, Rand,” I said, brushing the dirt from his face. “I’m tired of running.”
“Forgive me, please.” He clutched my hand as his eyes beseeched me through tears of pain.
“You’re forgiven.”
He sighed once, then stopped breathing. The shine in his brown eyes dulled. I pulled his hood over his head.
“Get up,” a man’s voice ordered.
I looked into the dangerous end of a loaded crossbow. Leaning on my bow, I rose. With my weight balanced on the balls of my feet, I rubbed my hands along the wooden staff, finding my zone of concentration.
“The area is secured, Captain,” the man called out to the woods. “Don’t move,” he said to me, leveling his weapon at my chest.
Footsteps approached. The man took his eyes off me to look for his companions. I moved.
My first bow strike landed across his forearms. The crossbow sailed from his hands, firing into the woods. My second strike went to the back of his knees. I knocked his feet out from under him. Lying flat on his back, he blinked at me with a stunned expression.
Before he could draw breath, I slammed the point of my bow straight down onto his neck, crushing his windpipe.
A quick glance over my shoulder revealed Star and another man rushing into the clearing. Star shouted and pointed. Her goon drew his sword. I raced down the trail, his heavy footsteps thundering after me. When I reached my rope, I tossed my bow into the woods before scrambling up into the tree. The man’s blade stabbed at my legs. Cloth ripped as his sword cut through my pants. The brush of cool steel on my thigh spurred me on.
He cursed as I leaped to the next tree. Moving fast, I swung through the treetops. When the sound of his crashing through the underbrush was far enough behind me, I found a good place to hide. Wrapping myself in my cloak, I hunkered down on a low branch and waited.
Star’s thug barreled though the woods. Not far from my perch, he stopped to listen, searching the treetops. My heart raced. I muffled my heavy breathing with my cloak. Sword raised, he hunted for me.
When he was below me, I threw off my cloak and launched myself, hitting his back with my feet. We fell hard. I rolled away and stood before he could recover, then kicked his sword from his hand. He was faster than I had anticipated. He grabbed my ankle, yanking me down.
Next thing I knew, his weight pressed on top of me and his hands were wrapped around my neck. Banging my head on the hard ground, he muttered, “That’s for giving me trouble.” Then he pressed his thumbs deep into my throat.
Dazed and choking, I plucked at his arms before I remembered my switchblade. I fumbled in my pockets as my vision blurred, turning to snow. The smooth feel of wood greeted my fingertips. I grasped the handle, pulled it out and triggered the button.
The snick of the blade caused fear to flicker in his eyes. For a moment he stared straight into my essence. Then I plunged the knife into his stomach. With a low growl, he increased the pressure on my neck. Blood, hot and sticky, ran down my arms, soaking my shirt. Through dizziness and pain, I jerked the weapon out and tried again. This time, I pointed the tip of the blade up toward his heart. The man hunched forward, driving the knife in farther, and finally collapsed.
The dead man’s weight impeded my starved lungs. Summoning my last bit of strength, I rolled his body off of me.
Dazed, I wiped my switchblade clean in the dirt, found my bow and went in search of Star.
Two men. I had just killed two men. A killing machine, I hadn’t even hesitated. Fear and rage settled deep in my chest, forming a layer of ice around my heart.
Star hadn’t gone far. She waited in the clearing. Her red hair blazed against the dark gray background of the forest dusk. Night would soon be on us.
She made a small noise of surprise when I stepped clear of the trees. Peering through the gloom, she studied the blood on my shirt. The wet material clung to my skin. When she saw I was unharmed, her sharp nose jerked her head around, searching for her goon.
“He’s dead,” I said.
The color drained from her face. “We can work this out.” A pleading note entered her voice.
“No, we can’t. If I let you walk away, you’ll only return with more men. If I take you to the Commander, I’d have to answer for killing your thugs. I’m out of options.” I stepped toward her, my body frozen with dread. The others I had killed in self-defense during the heat of battle; this would be difficult—this would be premeditated.
“Yelena,
