Anzil (Gladiators of Krix #2) - Miranda Martin Page 0,24

her baladi to a stop.

She points at the ground to one side of the road. There are footprints heading off into the woods and what looks like signs of a struggle.

“It’s not our problem,” Jyark says.

“Someone is in trouble,” Kiara says.

“I said it’s not our problem,” Jyark snaps. “Mind your tongue, slave, or I’ll have it minded for you. You don’t bear a mark yet.”

“I do,” I say, pushing my baladi to insert itself between her and him. I hold my arm up to show my brand. “You want to argue with me?”

Jyark tightens his grip on his sword, eyes narrowing, calculating what he can get away with when he ultimately reports back to Dominus. Apparently he decides against pushing his luck, because he lets go of the sword.

“It’s not our orders,” he says.

“How do you know that the one of the girls we’re after isn’t the one that caused that?” Kiara asks.

I shoot her a quick glance of admiration. She’s sharp, knowing exactly how to get the guards to do what she wants.

“It’s not our orders,” Jyark repeats, but his conviction is gone.

I arch an eyebrow, and he frowns.

“Widows’ dusty cunts,” he curses. “Fine, we’ll check it out, but quickly. We’re not getting involved if it isn’t Dominus’ property, you hear?”

“Of course, Guard,” I smile. He growls and nudges his baladi into motion. I let him and the other guards take the lead, holding back to ride next to Kiara. “Good eye.”

“Thanks,” she says, but she’s staring ahead, studying the terrain ahead of us. “Does something feel wrong?”

We’re heading towards the trees that are thick and dark. A tingle races along my arms and down my spine.

“Jyark, look—”

A thwip cuts off my words before I finish. One of the guards next to Jyark falls, a feathered piece of wood protruding from one of his eyes. He hits the ground with a thump.

I leap off my baladi towards Kiara. Knocking into her, I grab and pull her close, twisting as we fall to the ground. I shield her from the impact. The baladi shields us from the woods, but I can’t count on it staying in place, so I roll with her until we drop into a ditch.

I glance over the edge, assessing the situation. Jyark and the other guard are off their baladi, using them as shields. They’ve both retrieved bows and are returning fire into the trees, but they’re firing blindly.

Kiara wriggles until I slide off her, and she looks over the edge too. She looks at me and shakes her head. “They’re in trouble.”

I nod. The ditch we’re in looks like it curves towards the trees ahead. One glance and I know we’re in agreement. We make our way on our bellies, crawling forward. When I check our location, we’re now only a few feet from the trees, and hopefully off to the flank of the shooters.

I motion for Kiara to hold position, but she frowns and shakes her head. I can’t argue here; we’ll give our position away. I have to put my trust in her own skill and judgment. My heart slows and my breathing evens as I tense, preparing for the rush.

One nod and I go.

It’s a headlong rush for the trees. As I run, there’s a rustle in the leaves, then an arrow sings past my face right before I’m under the canopy and protected by the thick trees. The shooter is above me, in the trees. I’m too big to climb into them, but Kiara touches my arm.

We talk in hand signals as if we had worked out a language of our own, each of us understanding the other easily. I bend over, cup my hands, and she places her foot in them. I lift her up into the tree. Once I’m sure she’s stable, I race towards where I think the shooter is, creating a distraction.

I must be close to right, because an arrow nicks my arm even as I dodge behind a tree. I quickly inspect the wound and see it’s superficial. Leaning against the tree, I count three heart beats and then step around the tree. I leap towards the next tree as I scan above for any sign of Kiara or the shooter.

“Oooph.” A body hits the ground a dozen steps ahead, and a moment later Kiara drops from the leaves, landing in a crouch next to it. She glances around, spots me, smiles, then motions with two fingers.

There are more of them, which I would expect. She