time, by using the magic of their moon-clan partner, paired up and bonded at birth. Once they were all dressed and their nudity concealed by the midnight-colored cloaks, we moved from the stables and into the crowd littering the streets.
It took us twenty minutes of trekking through the people of the town before we separated from them. On the dark, empty street, we hugged the wall while heading to where the guard had taken Amo on our first night here to have some privacy with her. It was a maze of hidden tunnels that had once been used to hide the people during the war against the Sun Clan, my people. It was ironic that we were now using it to escape the Kingdom of Night.
Once safely inside the tunnels, we rushed through them toward a smaller one that led out into the woods. It wasn’t something that Torrin or his men would assume we’d know about, which would aid in our escape. They were expecting us to leave on horseback out of the kingdom and would lock down the gates to prevent that from happening.
A horn blew loudly, causing us to pause, slowing to a crawl while we listened. My heart leaped into my throat, and my palms began to sweat. Everyone held their breath while we waited to hear the orders and what was happening. Shouts echoed above and around us, coming through the holes of the tunnels. I nodded for everyone to move. We were being hunted by Torrin, a notorious tracker rumored to have never lost his prey. That was a record I intended to break.
“They’re here! Find them and bring that little bitch back to me. No one hurts her but me,” his voice sounded above us.
I closed my eyes before turning down another tunnel that stunk of mold, decay, and wet earth. We moved blindly in the dark while creatures scurried around us, screeching or hissing as the sound of claws over stones filled the tunnel. The tunnel opening, lit by moonlight, came into view, and I paused, turning to ensure everyone was still with me.
The moment we broke free of the underground shaft, the equinarians shed their cloaks and changed back into horses without a word. There was no usual banter or jokes about them being hung like a horse because we had just escaped the king and his warriors, which meant we were within the enemy’s territory and heading deeper into it still.
I kneeled, unfurling the map to study it, noting the direction we would head before rolling it up and pushing it back into my bag. Adjusting the cloak, I tightened the face-covering while Chivalry nudged me with his nose.
Mounting the horse, I turned to take in the eyes of my team, smiling as the screech of an owl sounded above us. I watched a single arrow flying by Scout before he turned, narrowly missing the attack. Scout didn’t fly directly toward Amo, choosing to lead those chasing us in the opposite direction.
“I don’t think I need to say this, but just in case anyone hasn’t figured it out, I will. Torrin and his nightwalkers are hunting us, and they won’t try to take us alive. They want to get us by any means necessary. I drew blood for those they needlessly killed when we were promised they wouldn’t harm our horses. We avenge those pointlessly slaughtered by cruelty, and they were. Therefore, I took the stable boy’s life as payment for his trespasses against our team. Torrin will more than likely kill me as retribution, but I will not go down without a fight. We’ve lost many, and we’re fighting alone now. We’ve lost the right to call ourselves of the Moon Clan for our unknowingly entertaining nightwalkers. That is on me, and if any of you wish to leave, I will not hold it against you. We have no home in which to return, but we can finish our mission. I intend to find Landon and the others who are missing, and then I plan to find the location of the library.”
“I am with you,” Amo said softly, her hand touching my shoulder.
Tabitha snorted, “I am with you as well. You know that without asking. I am your friend and your sister. Not because the Moon Clan asked me to be, but because you’ve never left me behind, not even wounded. You’ve risked your life countless times for ours, and you’re my family. We’re together until the end because