A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan

Author:Annie Sullivan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blink
Published: 2018-07-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

The cold of the metal seeps through my gloves and chills me to the bone. But I haven’t absorbed it. Not yet. It’s curled up in my fingers, away from the slits in my glove.

The large man spreads his arms wide and lunges for me. I fling the metal box at him. It hits him square in the chest and bounces to the ground, breaking open and scattering its contents across the floor with a clang. The spilled coins reflect the light from the fire in the next room as more smoke pours in.

I’ll never get out that way.

Something in the front of the building explodes, sending shards of wood and glass through the air. My attackers instinctively duck, and I use the distraction to dash backward toward the windows. I toss the candle on the sill over my shoulder before shoving the window open. Cool air rushes across my skin, reviving me.

I launch through the window, barely registering any pain as I roll to the ground. Then I’m on my feet, running. I hold the coin far out in front of me, afraid to let it too close.

There’s a heavy thump behind me, which is followed by even heavier footfalls.

I find myself in some sort of alleyway behind the tavern. Dirt tracks run along the backs of the buildings and are hedged in by a brick wall on the other side.

Coughing, I stumble down the alleyway looking for a way out. But the buildings are connected to one another; no gaps lead back to the main road. And with my skin glowing ever so slightly in the darkness, there’s no place I can hide.

Rapid breathing echoes down the alley behind me. His steps fall more quickly than mine.

Up ahead, a small light streaks between two buildings. I beg my legs to carry me toward it and find it’s another alley. I turn down the path and see the main road ahead. As I whip around the corner, I can tell my pursuer is only a few steps behind. His arms dart out toward me.

I push harder until I burst into the street. People are everywhere, and I crash into a man before I can stop myself. I barely register his eyebrows shooting up when he sees me before I’m pushing myself off him, weaving farther into the crowd.

People with buckets are running around, shouting to others to join the fight against the fire. When I risk a look back, the large man from the tavern is still there. Still chasing me.

I use my lesser height to my advantage. I duck under arms, trying to stay out of view as I navigate in what I hope is the right direction.

I finally break through most of the crowd and realize I’m not far from the dock. I charge forward, and the crates and barrels stacked on the pier rise before me. The area is deserted. I run along it looking for the dock we’d tied our boat to, but it’s so dark I can’t make out much of anything.

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