Where Tigers Roam by A.J. Roe

Author:A.J. Roe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: YA Adventure, Martial Arts, Kung Fu, Karate, China, Vietnam, Asia, Action-Adventure, Coming of Age story, Martial Arts Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure Stories, History
Publisher: Westlake Press
Published: 2022-12-14T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Forty

Sophie was awake long before the sun climbed over the peaks that lay in the distance. She put it down to the nerves of venturing out alone again, but there was a nagging sensation in the back of her mind that troubled her equally. She just didn’t know why.

As she and Tai had eaten their final meal together in the warmth of the summer evening, Sophie had explained the dilemma she’d been wrestling with for the past few weeks.

‘It’s been more than a year and even if my brother’s still alive, I think it’s unlikely I’ll ever see him again. I need to travel east to the coast,’ she sighed. There had always been a lingering trace of hope that she’d find Peter, but she knew now it was now a choice between getting captured again, and dragging Tai down with her, or making a break for it alone.

‘I’ll try to talk my way onto a boat, then maybe I can get to Hong Kong and notify the authorities, they could search for him, or at least arrest Tan for murdering my family.’ In her heart Sophie knew it would never happen, but she needed a goal, something to push for.

‘I could come with you, until you reach the coast at least, what do you think?’ Tai said. ‘I know the region-’

‘-No. You’ve done enough already,’ Sophie said forcefully, ‘I’d never have survived without your help.’ She looked away, ‘I’m sorry Tai, I want what’s best for you, and coming with me would be a death sentence.’ He sighed.

‘I’ll take you to the edge of the forest. I can show you the best route to get through the valley and to the coast,’ Tai said, obviously trying to hide how he really felt.

The next morning, he wrapped some balls of sticky rice in banana leaves and loaded them into one of his weaved crop-carrying backpacks. Sophie stitched up the holes in the sandals she was provided with the day she had arrived at the castle. They were worn and on the verge of falling apart, but comfortable, now shaped around her feet and she had given them a new lease of life using braided vine to re-tie the straps.

A crash broke the silence outside the house. She glanced at Tai and the look of surprise on his face told her all she needed to know. The dogs started barking followed by the sound of footsteps speeding off down the path. He leapt towards the entrance and was just in time to see the back of a man sprinting away along the dusty track. One of the water jugs had been knocked over beneath the hut.

‘He must have been watching us,’ Tai said, frowning as though he’d been betrayed. ‘He was dressed like a farmer, I don’t know who it was, but they must know you’re here.’

‘What should we do?’ Sophie searched his face for guidance.

‘We need to go, now. A friend would never have run.’

They frantically loaded everything up. Water, food and a machete were all thrown into the wicker backpack.

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.