Hunted by Ann Gimpel

Author:Ann Gimpel [Gimpel, Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ann Gimpel Books, LLC

Chapter 14

Blake

I shielded Abria with magic and my body as I pushed us into the only halfway reasonable position near where we’d entered the Cait’s realm. No one had noticed us so far, but if I moved around too much, it could jeopardize our mission.

This wasn’t the most comfortable spot, but I wouldn’t risk hunting for a better one. We might be here for hours. If our mission dragged on beyond a day or so, I’d reconsider. I’d been concerned the Cait would sniff us out. Not much risk of that. I couldn’t believe how far they’d fallen. To live in the midst of such an unholy stench suggested they’d lost their minds.

Abria had killed their leader during the battle in Rait Castle’s courtyard. I had no idea who’d taken over, but he should be ashamed. No Sidhe, fallen or otherwise, lived in such crude conditions.

Ever so gently, I tested my links to Roya, Abel, and Marika, relieved they remained intact. I paid out a thread of magic to figure out where Hedrek was but thought better of it. The less enchantment I tossed about, the better.

Abria nudged me. When I glanced at her, she arched a brow. I shook my head and laid a finger over my mouth. Telepathy requires a trickle of power. Better for us to remain silent unless a good reason to do otherwise reared its head.

Time passed. I sank into a crouch, back leaning against a dirt wall. Abria did the same. We remained like that, shoulder to shoulder. The occasional Cait hustled past, sometimes in cat and sometimes in human form. I caught snatches of conversation, but they never amounted to much.

Did I dare eavesdrop through my connection with Roya?

I considered the option. It held appeal because it would offer a heads up if I needed to intervene and move her and the cats out of this place. But strengthening my link, a prerequisite to listening in, would also up the odds of discovery.

“It’s been hours.” Abria’s mind voice was low, muted, worried.

“Could well be hours more.”

“Are you certain they’re all right?”

I made a chopping motion with one hand and placed my mouth right over her ear. No Cait had passed anywhere near us for a long while, so the odds of being overheard were thin. “If they weren’t,” I whispered, “Roya would have used the pull-the-plug word.”

“This is hard. I want to do something.” Her voice was so low I had to strain to hear her.

A cacophony of yowls and hisses snapped my head around. The empty walkway filled with cats all rushing deeper into the fortress. Something was definitely up. I pushed to my feet and offered Abria a hand. Waiting until the last Cait ran past, we fell in behind them.

To hell with our safe little cocoon. If Roya’s ruse had been discovered, I needed to be there to ensure her escape. Abria kept pace, clearly relieved we weren’t still sitting around on our asses. Ordering her to retreat, remain where we’d been, was a waste of breath.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.