Bloodkin by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Author:Amelia Atwater-Rhodes [Atwater-Rhodes, Amelia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-98075-5
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2015-04-14T04:00:00+00:00

THE SHANTEL FOREST had indeed let us go, and dropped us in the middle of the serpiente royal delegation. By the time Vance and I gained our bearings, there were four guards facing us, two pointing bows and the others circling behind us with drawn swords.

It was too late to run for it. They would shoot us before we took two steps.

I had my bow, but my hands were already empty, and it seemed safer to hold them out to my sides rather than reaching for a weapon. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vance’s knife fall to the ground. I wished I knew exactly where we were. If we were on serpiente land, we were dead. If we were on Midnight’s land, we might still have a chance. Either way, I was tired of being disarmed. It wasn’t like I would win in a fair fight against a trained guard anyway.

“We apologize for coming so near your camp,” I said, keeping my hands carefully away from my weapons so they didn’t have an excuse to shoot me. I glanced around, hoping Hara wasn’t about to appear through the trees to identify me. “The Shantel forest dropped us here rather abruptly. We’ll leave, if you’ll let us.”

The style of our clothes and weapons gave us away as Obsidian, but if we were in Midnight’s land, they were supposed to let us go unless we threatened them. On the other hand, we were part of the Obsidian guild and we were probably within shouting distance of their princess. They could reasonably consider that a threat all by itself.

“Kadee.” One of the guards that had moved to flank us spoke my name, and my blood ran cold. “Do you really expect us to let you disappear into the woods, so you can sneak up again behind our backs?”

Any chance I had of escaping this intact disappeared. We had to be on Midnight’s land, or else they would have shot us both by now, but I was wanted for treason and had walked armed into the royal camp. According to Midnight’s laws, that gave these guards freedom to do whatever they wanted with me.

I could still save Vance.

“Are you going to slaughter Vance Ehecatl on Midnight’s land?” I asked, using Vance’s full name, the one we almost never bothered with in the Obsidian guild. These guards would know it. It was their job to know anyone who might be a threat, either actively—like me—or because they were important. Vance, with his unspecified ties to Midnight, fell into the latter category. “We’re on our way to Midnight in order to negotiate a deal on behalf of the Shantel Family,” I added. “If we don’t arrive, Midnight will wonder why.”

The last bit was a complete fabrication, but these guards wouldn’t know that. They wouldn’t risk killing Vance if it might bring Midnight’s wrath down upon them and their royal charge.

The guard with his bow pointed at Vance wavered slightly as he glanced at the man who was probably his commander.

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