Chapter 14: Hunted

“You can’t be out here,” Colin says, glancing over his shoulder. A line of steeds thump in unison with Reapers atop, covered in black. “I’m taking Death’s Door back into town. I can make it out of their reach.” I march towards the crooked sign but Colin jumps off his horse and darts toward me. “They will capture you at the bottom. I won’t be able to help you. I have a plan, if you come with me now.”

I look down at my wrist, bound by his hand. His hood hooks backward, his steed whinnies with the howling wind. I tear my arm away and look down the trail, ready to take my first step. He grabs my wrist again and pulls me in. “Jo,” he says, his tone high with desperation. “They’re approaching. They will find you and arrest you. What you’re looking for out here will be lost.”

My breath catches on that string of words, I tilt my head to the side. He nods and sighs.

“I don’t know what I’m looking for, but it seems you do,” I say. He remains stoic. “I think you know exactly what’s happening, actually, and you’re trying to protect me from it. Tell me the truth and I’ll go with you.”

Colin whips his chin over his shoulder with worry in his eyes. He runs his hands through his hair and paces a few strides, huffing under his breath. After seconds of contemplation, he faces me.

“The King believes there’s a woman in Drinn with Mana blood. He deployed me here to find her.”

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A beat of silence. A flood of questions arise but none of them stick. How, why, when? I take a step back, my feet near the edge.

“He sent me here to find you.”

I clench my hands, my ears pound. Horse manes sway from afar, shifting into focus. Is everything I’ve felt towards him a lie? Is my life as I know it a lie? My throat tightens around my voice, “How long have you known? That I’m who you’re looking for?”

He senses my anguish and leans in, his eyes a vibrant green against the white snow. “The moment I saw you, Jo, I knew.” Our eyes lock in place. His words tell one story but the connection between us, as electric as a live wire, tells another. I’m who he was looking for yet here I stand, safe, and not in the King’s custody. “But how?”

“You asked for the truth and I gave it. I’ll tell you everything I know, soon. Please. Come.” He reaches his hand for mine, but I stay still.

The thumping draws closer. The horses form an arrow, with the head Reaper at the front. Colin's eyes flicker to mine, begging. He’s different from the others. He has to be. His auburn strands and hazel eyes that glow when we’re together, like the King's curse breaks in our presence. In my presence. My head tells me he can't be trusted, but every other part of me screams to go with him. There’s a line of darkness to my left and a pit of darkness to my right. I don’t have time to decide which part is correct.

“Fine,” I blurt, and without missing a beat, Colin wraps his arm around my waist and throws me over his horse, awakening parts of me I didn’t know existed. Parts that I wish to explore further when I’m not fleeing from danger.

I take hold of Colin’s waist and hang on for dear life as his steed takes off without a kick, his Bloodsword holstered beside me. I dip my chin away from the chilling wind as the morning sun warms me, unsure of what my future brings.