Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 83933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“I don’t know what movies are, but if given a chance, these rebels will chop me up and mail the pieces to the Guardian.” Zero emotion accompanied Jasher’s admission.
My instincts locked on flight. “Faster!”
“Give us the girl,” the same man shouted, “and we might let you go.”
Had they heard of the Guardian’s prize, and hoped to cash in?
As Jasher maneuvered me along the uneven terrain, zigging and zagging, he slammed his palm against certain tree trunks. An action I didn’t understand.
Up ahead, Nugget scaled a tree with unnatural grace and speed. He crouched atop a limb, peering down at the action, safe, and I nearly sobbed with relief when we passed him. Panting, I threw another glance over my shoulder. The soldiers rode hard, gaining ground.
The flashing man in the lead neared my pet’s tree, not that he knew it. He swiped out his arm, intending to snag Leona’s long mane, but the rabdog leaped, clamping onto the would-be assailant’s arm and dragging him down.
The rebel died with a broken scream, and dread coated my heaving lungs. I watched, guided by Jasher. The savagery! And now, the switch had definitely flipped.
Other soldiers rode past their fallen comrade. One swung a sword meant to take Nugget’s head. I screamed a warning, and the rabdog zoomed off, narrowly avoiding decapitation. He circled around, coming alongside us to keep pace. What he didn’t do? Attack me. See! I’d known he would always be my baby.
A sharp sting in my cheek drew my focus forward. Sharp, twisted branches slapped at me, cutting my skin. “We can’t outrun them.” Despite the plethora of obstacles, their horses weren’t deterred.
“Not yet.” Jasher released me to palm his axes. “Brace yourselves.”
Boom! An explosion discharged, shaking the ground. A sizzling gust of hard wind knocked into our group, tossing us several feet. I crashed, eating dirt and choking on smoke.
I blinked rapidly to clear my vision and soothe the burn in my eyes. Spotting the other women, I crawled their way. Both appeared dazed, but other than a few cuts, they were uninjured. “Jasher? Nugget?”
A growl sounded as the smoke parted, revealing Nugget. He flew over us and ripped into a soldier knocked off his horse. As soon as the attacker died, my warrior dog aimed for another soon-to-be victim with glee in his bright red eyes.
“Jasher!” I shouted, lumbering to my feet and helping the women do the same.
Boom!
Another explosion rocked the ground, another wind gust sending me stumbling. I fought to remain upright. “Jasher!”
“Here, I’m here.” He sprinted through the smoke, his shirt soaked in blood and a second arrow protruding from his torso. Not by word or deed did he betray his pain as he collected me and the others. “Run until I say stop.”
CHAPTER 15
PRETTY, DEADLY POPPIES
Only two rebels followed my ragtag team out of the forest. Their horses galloped in the opposite direction. The men were wounded, but not nearly as badly as Jasher. He required immediate tending. If the arrow had pierced his heart… if he had other wounds… He must. Blood soaked him. But stopping to provide medical assistance would get us both killed. So on we ran. The forever key’s burn only intensified.
Cursed to die a violent death for entering the forest? Yeah, the possibility seemed more likely by the minute.
Jasher tripped over a rock, barely preventing a face plant and obviously weakening. I wrapped an arm around his waist and forced him onward. Finally, we cleared the trees. A field of wildflowers loomed ahead, seeming to stretch on for eternity. Golden sunlight bathed the beautiful red petals, turning them into a sea of blood. Bones dotted the countryside, lending veracity to the illusion.
“It’s us or the poppies,” a male boomed out, satisfaction underlaying his tone. It was the same guy who’d taunted us earlier. “We, at least, might let you live. All we want is the girl.”
Leona and Patch decelerated, and Jasher commanded, “I didn’t say stop.”
“We should take our chances with the armed madmen,” Patch cried.
“The glens are a death sentence.” Leona huffed a ragged breath.
I knew nothing about the poppies, other than the warning issued by the bath babes. If you can’t go around the poppy glens, well, you die badly.
“Keep going,” Jasher commanded, his teeth gritted.
Then and there, I made a decision. Trust him, rather than anyone else. He’d kept his word from the beginning, never lied to me, even when the truth stung, and he hadn’t betrayed me. “Keep going,” I emphasized. “But someone tell me the problem with poppies.”
“They are like the sirenes, but worse.” Sweat poured over his face. We leaped over a fallen log, and he winced. “The more you move, the more they strike, injecting you with venom that slowly cooks you from the inside out. Liquified remains are their favorite food.”
A fate worse than death! “Why aren’t the glens plowed and salted?”