The Blood Vier by Christy R. Harrill

Author:Christy R. Harrill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Sword, Vengeance, Kingdom, King, Heir
Publisher: Rose Hollow Press
Published: 2022-09-06T00:00:00+00:00

THE SUN WAS NEARLY down when the hoofbeats approached. I lifted my head, hoping to see Vladimir, but it was the missing horsemen who broke out of the trees. They were quickly surrounded by the other men whose eyes gleamed with excitement. Even our guard strayed a few feet away to observe.

It took me a moment to understand what was going on, but then I understood. Food was being unloaded from the saddlebags and distributed among the men. My mouth watered at the sight of a fresh loaf of bread, a hunk of cheese. This was good news—it meant we were close to a town.

Hoots and hollers went around as several bottles of ale emerged from the saddlebags. My stomach dropped. The bottles were opened immediately and passed around, each man taking a long draught before passing it along. One of the men who never seemed to let his gaze wander far from me stared me down as he took a long swig from the bottle. Ale ran down his chin and dribbled into his braided beard, a malicious smile ghosting his lips. The hair on the back of my neck prickled, and sweat broke out on my forehead as I looked away. We had to escape tonight. There was no other option. Whatever morals had kept the men at bay would be lost to the alcohol.

I waited for our guard to join them, but he stayed put, and the minutes ticked by dreadfully slow as the world completely engulfed us in darkness. We were running out of time. Our guard suddenly took a step closer to his fellow soldiers. I held my breath, hoping he would leave. After a moment of deliberation, he cast us a leery eye before sauntering off to have a turn with the bottle. I looked back down at my hands. He had not yet reversed our bonds.

“William,” I whispered, my voice tight.

“Roll over and face me.”

I obeyed his command and moved to my side as adrenaline pumped through my veins. He began working at the knots in my hands, the movement rubbing the rope across my chafed hands. I bit my lip as a burst of pain erupted and closed my eyes.

“Keep your eyes on the men,” William said. “Tell me if any of them look this way.”

With my eyes fixed on the drinking men, he worked his fingers furiously to untie my knots. Time was continuing to quickly slip by as the ropes refused to loosen. The men had already finished the first few bottles, our guard having waited long enough to join them that the alcohol was beginning to take effect.

“Stop.” My voice was quick, too loud.

Both of us froze as our guard’s gaze passed over, but the shadows from the fire were dancing across us, making it unlikely for our motives to be seen from a distance. His attention returned to his comrades, and William set to work again. My heart pounded wildly within my chest, every fiber in my being telling me to run.

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