Hidden: Rapunzel's Story (Destined Book 2) by Kaylin Lee

Author:Kaylin Lee [Lee, Kaylin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-10-01T16:00:00+00:00

I stayed in the small strip of shade until it dwindled and disappeared in the midday heat. The sun moved directly overhead, scorching my pale skin as the hours passed.

Still, the guards and trackers remained at the market below me. Why wouldn’t they give up and leave? As soon as the thought struck, I grimaced at my own foolishness and shook my head. They knew what I was—what a monster I was—which meant they couldn’t give up. They couldn’t let me roam free in the city. No doubt King Anton himself had already been interrupted in his mourning and informed of my appearance in the Common Quarter market. The guards and trackers wouldn’t leave. They couldn’t.

That meant it was up to me to leave.

I finally peeled myself off the low wall at the edge of the roof, my sweat-soaked dress sticking to my skin, and scrabbled as quietly as I could across the roof to the other side of the building. No luck. Across the street, black Quarter Guard fomewagons were parked everywhere, and men in various uniforms paced back and forth as though they expected me to walk right down the main street.

I leaned away from the edge. Were the Sentinels among them? If only Darien was here like he’d promised to be. If only I could go down, fling myself into his arms, and trust him to make everything work out. But he wasn’t. He was dead. Once again, I’d have to figure this one out on my own.

I stayed low against the roof and half-slid, half-crawled to the next side. This one appeared more promising. The gap between the buildings was narrow, like the one I’d entered on the other side to scale the building. I could most likely make the jump. At least I could have, back when I’d been training my body daily, back before I’d birthed twins and spent three years cooped up in a bakery’s upper room, sedentary and useless.

I squeezed the fist of one hand so hard my nails bit into my palm. Why had I allowed myself to grow soft and complacent when I had three little girls depending on me to be strong? I’d been so concerned about staying sane in that upper room that I’d forgotten I had to be ready for anything. Idiot. Fool. Now I’d lose everything for my negligence.

I inhaled again, straining once more to rein in my power and stop it from leaving a trace. Then, before I could give in to fear, I took a running leap and dove across the gap between the buildings. I rolled as I landed, collapsed, and gasped for breath, straining to hear any sign they might have heard or seen my leap. Nothing. The sounds of trackers and guards in the streets hadn’t changed at all. I might stand a chance, after all. Now I just had to figure out how to get home.

The sun was close to setting, and the street was shrouded in shade by the time I set eyes on our crooked, dirty lane.

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