Endure - Sara B. Larson Page 0,72

set up, seemed particularly annoyed when he finally dragged me off my horse and tied me to a tree without a word. He stalked off into the growing darkness, leaving me alone in the chaos. In his rush, he hadn’t tied my bindings as well as normal, and if I worked at it long enough, I was confident that I could get at least one of my hands free from the rope and make an attempt at escaping. But did I dare try while it was still light, with the Dansiian soldiers and sorcerers surrounding me?

It didn’t matter. I wouldn’t get another opportunity to try, I reasoned. I was as good as dead anyway, so if I got killed escaping, perhaps that would just end my agony sooner.

I’d had my hands tied together in front of me on the horse, so they could secure the rope to the saddle, and rather than taking the time to change that, The Summoner had tied me facing the tree. I stepped closer to it to conceal the movement of my arms as I began to try to work my hand free. He’d also quickly tied my ankles together before leaving, but if I was able to get my hands free, it would only be the work of a moment to free my legs as well.

The sounds of the camp got pushed to the background of my mind, behind the dull roar of my pounding blood. My wrists were still a little raw from the manacles I’d worn for so long, despite Akio’s rushed healings at night, and the rope quickly bit away at my irritated skin as I sawed my hands back and forth, trying to wiggle the little bit of give in the rope into just a little bit more so I could rip one of my hands free.

“Stop it right now.” An angry whisper from beside me made me jump and twist to see Akio glaring at me, in between repeated glances over his shoulder.

“What do you mean?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

“I know what you’re doing, and you have to stop.”

All the adrenaline that had been surging through my body moments before — apparently keeping me from hearing his approach — drained away, and suddenly I could barely force myself to remain standing. I turned my head away from Akio, so he couldn’t see the devastation on my face.

But rather than walking away or raising his voice to turn me in, he walked around me to stand in my line of sight again, purposefully turning his body partially away from me and barely moving his lips as he spoke. His voice was so quiet I had to strain to hear him.

“The king received word tonight that Antion is falling apart — his scouts believe that many people are fleeing the kingdom, despite the war with Blevon. There are even rumors that the king has disappeared.”

Everything in me went cold at his words. Damian was gone? Where? Why? How? And why was he telling me this?

“King Armando is ruthless, as you know. I’m nervous about what he’s going to do. But you can’t try to escape right now — you won’t make it past the wall.”

Someone shouted something in Dansiian, and Akio ducked his head down, as though he was examining something on the ground, and then suddenly walked away.

I made myself stare forward, at the tree I was tied to, rather than craning my head to watch him leave. My heart pummeled my ribs, slamming my blood through my body. My head swam with the implications of what he’d said. Damian was missing. The people of Antion were fleeing — probably having heard that the Dansiian army was on the move from our scouts. King Armando was angry, which meant more suffering and death. But then, that last little bit … he’d said I can’t try to escape right now. Not I will let it go this time, but if I catch you again I will have you punished or The Summoner and King Armando will hear about this. He’d stopped me because he said I wouldn’t make it past the wall.

Did that mean he was hoping I did escape — once we were in Antion? Was that why he was helping me at night, trying to keep me from dying?

I finally dared turn my head, scanning the hastily erected camp, but there was no sign of Akio. He’d disappeared into the chaos.

When The Summoner returned, he was visibly upset. His