The Hidden Prince by Meadows Jodi

Author:Meadows, Jodi [Meadows, Jodi]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2015-05-06T23:00:00+00:00

SIX

GUILT FOLLOWED ME into the hot, sticky night.

Professor Knight would be rescued soon. He didn’t need me sitting over him, worrying. Anyway, he was one of the few people who urged me to take charge, to do something brave, to stand up for what was right. He’d want me to do this.

I scanned the grounds outside Rayner Manor, finding only glaring streetlights, motionless trees, and more homes silhouetted against the sky. Laughter spilled from a terrace on the far side of the house, while the buzzing of crickets tried to smother the sound. Another party was happening somewhere in the east, too far for me to see more than a glow of light and hear the low rumble of life in the distance.

Where was he? Surely the attacker hadn’t had that long to get away. I hadn’t heard footfalls, so unless he was unusually light on his feet, he hadn’t run.

And it was so, so dark. How was I supposed to see anything in this heavy night?

Movement caught my attention. A figure crossed in front of a mirror, blinking out the reflection of a gas lamp. Then the light came back.

Only for a moment.

Slowly, the reflected light winked out again, and I scanned the darkness for the source of the blockage. A figure stood by a small, trickling fountain.

I sucked in a breath and sidestepped, pressing myself to the wall of the house. My heart thudded as the man scanned the area.

I was a moron, standing in the open doorway like that, silhouetted by the light. He could have spotted me the same way I’d spotted him.

My pulse pounded in my ears, waiting for him to return to the house or move on.

Seconds dripped by. Five. Ten. Thirty. At last, Knight’s attacker stepped away. The gas lamp reflected in the mirror again. He hadn’t noticed the change. I could use that to my advantage, if I could just keep up with him.

As the attacker took off, I glanced through the door. Only Knight’s legs were visible, but he hadn’t moved. Still unconscious. I had to hurry.

I started in the direction I’d seen the attacker heading, the dark suddenly oppressive and overwhelming again; I’d killed my night vision by looking into the room.

The dark folded around me, but I didn’t stop moving. I would discover the attacker’s identity and have him arrested.

My boots clomped on the cobblestone path. Too loud. I moved onto the grass, squinting through the darkness ahead. But I couldn’t see the attacker anywhere.

Well, that would teach me to take my eyes off my target.

I kept moving in the direction the attacker had gone, closing one eye as I passed near a lamp. There were mirrors on every west-facing surface, which made them difficult to avoid. No wonder the attacker had shown up in them. I kept catching my own reflection in the corner of my eye, too.

It was so dark, in spite of Hawksbill being a fairly well-lit area. It was just, I’d never been out at night before.

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