him know he was almost to the top of the hill he was climbing, to the rustle of leaves in the distance. The air told him that he had about a half mile to go before he could find a way to get word out, and the leaves, well—that was just rabbits. They were young by the sound they made. If a predator didn’t pick them off in a few months they would learn to make less noise. He, on the other hand, was silent as he moved. The only sound anyone would be able to hear would sound like nature, nothing out of its place. They wouldn’t even know that an animal was there. A lifetime of training made sure that no one could track him. Soon he would be at the top and could report back in, and then hopefully he would get orders before someone messed things up.
* * * * *
Kovos felt his legs burn from staying crouched for so long. It had taken them twenty minutes to run to their hiding spot and three hours to get back down. They moved slowly now as Legon plotted a safe course. They wrapped around the town and were entering close to his house. They didn’t have a huge amount of time. The moon told him it was about eleven at night and they needed to pack and get out long before daybreak.
As they closed in on the sleepy houses he felt a pang as his eyes crossed Emma’s house. He wasn’t going to have time to say goodbye, and even if he did, what could he say? He would come back for her in two or three months. He’d come back and they could start their life together. That’s what was going to happen—if he didn’t get killed first.
He didn’t blame Legon for being forced to leave. He could have told the queen’s men the truth. He could have hid like a coward, but he wasn’t a coward. He had made his choice, and if he died it was his fault, not anyone else’s. Keither had chosen as well when he had charged that soldier. Maybe leaving would be good for Keither, teaching him how the world works and how to live in it.
They moved in the shadows of the buildings they passed, keeping close to the walls and doing everything not to make a sound. This wasn’t new to Kovos. After all, he did it all the time when he was going to visit Emma. If he could just have spent one more night with her or maybe…“Get yourself together! Now’s not the time to get sentimental!” he thought to himself.
There was still no sign of the soldiers. That was worrisome; they could be anywhere, maybe at their homes, maybe watching from somewhere out of sight. After all, it was royal guard they were dealing with here. Kovos could see his house. There was light coming from inside, but nothing to suggest that anything was amiss. They had made it home for probably the last time.
* * * * *
The hours after Legon got home were intense. His father had come home right before him, bringing the news that the soldiers had set up camp by the pond, putting them right next to the only road out of the valley. That wasn’t the problem Sasha was having right now. She had to figure what to bring based on what they were likely to need over the next few weeks. They only had two horses and they just couldn’t bring that much, not if they needed to move fast. She had packed all the essential things early in the evening, but now it was down to what she wanted to bring that was hers—things to remember her parents and her old life.
She picked up her diary. That was a given, but what else? She didn’t have a lot of jewelry or fancy things, which depressed her because she didn’t have that much after all, but still… In the end, she managed to get everything into a few bags and began her way downstairs to load up the two horses and go. The abruptness of the day had removed almost all emotion from everyone. Normally people would be sad and crying at the parting of a family, but not in these circumstances. There was no room for emotion; things just needed to be done.
Her mother was in the kitchen writing down a few last notes in a book,