By Choice by Sara Hubbard

Author:Sara Hubbard [Hubbard, Sara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sara Hubbard

Eleven

We left at dusk. I wanted to walk but none of my savage friends were enthusiastic about that. Too slow, they grumbled, almost in unison.

“I can run,” I said, lifting my chin high.

“No. I’ll carry you.” Remmie said, holding out his arms to clutch me.

I sidestepped him, slapping his hands away. “You’re injured. If anyone is carrying me, it will be Roland.”

He frowned at me. “I’m fine. They’re just flesh wounds.”

The long sideways slash on his torso said otherwise. “My mind is settled.”

Remmie kicked at the dirt as he frowned at me. “You’re maddening, woman.”

I chuckled as Roland scooped me up into his arms. “I couldn’t say the same about you.”

We headed northwest to the Port of Anderall. After a quick history lesson from Roland, I learned that the port was named after the seven-and-a-half-foot savage that began construction of the jetty and most of the waterfront buildings. From Anderall, we would attempt to gain passage to Copaxa. By then, most of the island would have heard about my friends turning their back on the king and few would risk helping us. More likely, they’d want to capture us and secure the reward. We couldn’t count on help from anyone.

“Leave it to me,” Nole said. “I have friends everywhere.”

“Friends or siblings?” I asked. I bit my lip to stop myself from chuckling. On the boat ride to Faemell, Nole had told me about his philandering father and how he had oodles of brothers and sisters and probably more he knew nothing about.

Otis laughed out loud. “I suppose now might be a good time to tell you Nole might be my brother as well.”

Nole groaned but said nothing.

I thought that the fight between Nole and Remmie would make things awkward or tense. Somehow, it seemed to lift the mood a little. It was as if it had never happened. Nole was smiling again, a sight I hadn’t seen in days. It made me smile, too.

Roland held me sideways, my left shoulder against his firm chest. I bounced up and down in sync with his erratic movements as he dodged trees and branches. It bothered my injured shoulder, but I bit back tears, refusing to complain until I could bear it no more. The cold wind beat against my face. Coupled with the iciness of the plummeting temperature, I felt as if my body had frozen solid. It was late fall now but winter was on the horizon.

“Roland!” I screeched, unable to take the pain any longer. “I need to stop!”

He slowed his pace to a walk before he stopped and set me down against a fallen tree.

The men jogged up beside him.

“What’s wrong?” Nole stopped first.

Remmie immediately bent down and gently lifted me up so that he could look at my shoulder. “She’s bled through her clothes. We need to rest a while.”

“No, I’m fine. We can walk. It’s just the running, the movement, it aggravates it.” Instinctively, my hand instinctively rose to my poor shoulder.

“What did she cut it on?” He looked to Nole.

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