Hanna and the Hitman - Honey Phillips Page 0,61
ahead, she slowed down, stopping to listen between each step.
A loud cry echoed through the jungle, and her heart skipped a beat. That didn’t sound like Aidon. She wanted to race forward, but she forced herself to maintain a slow approach.
When she heard voices in front of her, she ducked down behind the nearest bush. Trouble gave a low growl, almost too quiet for her to hear, but she could feel his body vibrating. He knew there was something wrong.
As cautiously as possible, she peered through the branches. Her heart thudded against her ribs as she saw four huge males standing around a pit in the ground. She had a sinking feeling she knew who was in the pit. What was more, she had the uneasy feeling that she had seen these males before. Their coloring and weaponry reminded her of the occupants of Chotgor’s mansion back on Hothrest.
Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later when Chotgor came stalking up from the riverbank. He was almost unrecognizable—one side of his head and one arm were heavily scarred, the flesh looking almost melted, and she remembered the terrible fire at the mansion.
A Pardorian in the public form walked behind him, and her heart sank even further. If Aidon’s own people had turned against him, how could she help him?
Chotgor and the Pardorian stopped at the edge of the trap and looked down. Chotgor laughed triumphantly, but she thought a flash of dismay crossed the Pardorian’s face.
“You said you wished to hunt for arslan,” he said quietly.
“You didn’t really think I went to all the trouble of kidnapping your female just for a stupid animal, did you?”
The Pardorian didn’t answer, and Chotgor turned his attention back to the trap.
“Is he conscious?”
“I don’t think so, sir. He hit his head on the way down.”
A lightning streak of fear made her shiver, her arms tightening instinctively on Trouble. He gave a muffled whimper, and she could have sworn the Pardorian looked in their direction, but his expression never changed.
“He better not be dead yet,” Chotgor snarled. “I intend to take my time with him before I kill him.”
“No, sir. His chest is still moving.”
Oh, thank God. Relief made her almost dizzy, but she forced herself to concentrate on the conversation.
“Good. Use the net and get him out of there. We’ll take him to our camp and see if we can wake him up.” Chotgor laughed, the sound sending a shiver down her spine. “I want him to be conscious when I get started.”
She watched in trembling silence as they threw one of the spirin’s nets down into the hole and then hauled up Aidon. The net had already pulled tight around his body, but he hung limply in its strands, so still that for a dreadful moment she thought they had been wrong about him being alive. Chotgor apparently agreed because he approached and pressed a scarred hand to Aidon’s neck. He grunted, then smacked Aidon’s face. His body rocked back from the blow, but he didn’t react.
“Bring him,” Chotgor ordered.
Two of his henchmen strung Aidon’s body between them, and the whole party headed for the riverbank. The Pardorian cast a last look over his shoulder, and she could have sworn he was looking directly at her. Was he trying to tell her something?
Her body still trembled, and her mind raced in frantic circles as she tried to figure out how she could help Aidon. As much as she wanted to charge after him, she didn’t stand a chance against six males, and if Chotgor captured her, she had no doubt he would use her to hurt Aidon.
She needed help. Help…his grandfather! He had helped her before, and despite Aidon’s doubts about how much he cared, she was sure he would help her again. He was only one man, unless she could persuade him to bring others with him, but he was the only hope she had.
As she retraced her steps through the jungle, not moving as cautiously this time, she realized that the light was fading. She would have to make the trip to the village in the dark. All the things that Aidon had warned her about, everything that she had seen over the past week, floated through her head. Her hands were shaking so badly that she almost dropped Trouble. But despite her terror, this was the only way that she could think of to help Aidon. She had to do it.
As soon as she reached the clearing and was back