I hit the numbers.
The green beam shoots out the top of the door. I nearly collapse as relief floods me. The door slides open and I hurry inside. I don’t have to pause and think about which horse to take.
A horse with determination to match my own.
I unlatch the gate to Fireblood. I don’t waste time with the saddle, but I climb the gate to work the bit into her giant jaws and fix the bridle, then jump on top of her, legs straddling either side. My legs squeeze her sides as I pull the reins. She takes a few steps back, unsure of my command, but then she snorts and walks toward the open door.
As we head toward the gate, I curse. I should have opened it before I went into the stable. I stop her right next to the fence and dismount, sloppily, falling to my knees. I scramble up to the gate and yank the latch open. Climbing to the top railing to mount Fireblood once more, I look up and spot Devlan. He’s running at full speed toward the stable fence.
“Come on, girl,” I say. “Time to run like there’s fire at our heels.” I grip her mane and jump onto her back, then kick hard, and she sprints through the gate.
Darkness swallows me. The moon is half-full and shrouded by treetops. The grass is gray and flat before me, the night veiling the curves of the earth. The black sky is laced with the faint blue lines, and they dimly light my way. I want to pull the reins, slow us down, but I trust the horse knows what to do. We hit a hollow and I nearly tumble off. Fireblood bounds on, and I sink against her back, letting her lead.
We forge on toward the open plain, and the moon brightens. I glance back, just once, and wish I hadn’t. Devlan follows not far behind on Hawken. He’s just hit the open plain and is gaining on me. I kick my heels and deepen my seat, launching Fireblood into a full gallop. “Come on.”
The treeline just before the wall is coming up on us, and I know it’s not long before we near the opening Sebastian took me through that leads to the meadow. Once I’m through, I can try to lose Devlan in the forest.
We enter the trees and the moonlight wanes. The darkness is thick, and I beg Fireblood to see the way. We can’t slow now. Branches reach out, grabbing at my hair and dress, but I sink closer to the horse and squeeze my eyes shut for a moment. “Just get us there, girl.”
I hear the trickle of water and rise up just enough to see the shimmer of moonlight in the winding brook. I dig my heels into her side, commanding Fireblood to enter. The boulders breaking the surface of the water are slick, and Fireblood’s hooves search for footing. She whinnies and dances back, refusing to cross the stream.
“Please, girl,” I plead. “We can do it.” I kick my heels, and she stamps forward, pushing off the bank and splashing her hooves into the dark water.
&
nbsp; We’re nearly to the crumbled opening when a splash sounds from behind. I jerk my head around and see Devlan and Hawken coming up on us quick. “Go!” I kick her harder, and she digs her hooves into the riverbed.
Fireblood wavers to the side, her footing unsteady. I lose my balance and my grip on the reins. As I’m about to go over, arms reach out and grab me, pulling me off the horse and into the river. I land on top of Devlan. “Ow.”
The cold water rushes past my skin, and Devlan’s arms grip my waist tighter as I fight against him. “Ow?” he pants hard. “You landed on me.”
I elbow his side. “Get off.”
“No.” He circles his arms around me.
The freezing water rises to my waist as he traps my arms under his hold. I stop my struggle. I’ve lost. I know it. I’ve come so far, risked so much, and failed. “Just…” I stutter out, my will gone, lost as the adrenaline leaves my body and is replaced by resignation. “Just do it quickly.” Tears sting the corners of my eyes. I refuse to hold them back. My body shakes, wracked with sobs and shaking from the biting water.
Devlan sighs into the back of my hair. His arms loosen, and he folds me into him. His hand cradles my head to his chest. “I’m not going to kill you. No one is.”
I shake my head against him, loathing the comfort I feel from his arms, and slam my fist against his shoulder. “Don’t lie to me. I heard you. I heard all of you.”
Fear gives me one last surge of adrenaline and, ignoring the icy water and my shaking limbs, I elbow his ribs. He releases his hold on me and I bound up, splashing my way toward the hole in the wall.
Hunching, I crawl through and take off in a sprint. I’m just entering the meadow when his arms circle me. I stamp his foot, and he curses. Spinning on him, I shakily lift the hem of my dress and unsheathe my dagger.
Devlan’s eyes lock onto mine. “Zara. Don’t.”
I hold the blade out, my arm locked taut, and place one foot in front of the other, moving to the side of him. “I’m not afraid to use this.” I lift my chin, forcing false bravado into my voice.
He lowers his hands and stands straight, tall. “Then use it.”
“I just want to leave. You’ll never hear from me again. Just let me go.” I glance around at the trees, remembering the Eyes. “And use your communicator to call your knights and the Force. Stop them from pursuing me as long as you can.” I raise the dagger, making my point.
“There are no Eyes here. Sebastian and I disabled them when we were kids. And we made sure the monitors never noticed a missing section.” His mouth hikes up on one side. “We were good at escaping back then.”
Relieved, I begin to back away, putting one foot behind me. I stumble over a root, taking my eyes off him only for a moment. He springs forward and grabs my wrist, forcing my dagger hand out to the side. I struggle as he pushes me into a tree. My back scrapes against the rough bark, snagging my dress.
Devlan secures both my wrists, pinning my hands above my head. His breath is heavy, coming out in hard clips as he stares down at me. His face mere inches from mine. “You misunderstood what you heard back there.”