Dark eyes met mine.
The horse.
“Uh, I’m sorry about the whole rock thing. It was all I could think of at the time.”
If a horse could scowl, this one did.
I slowly got to my feet. “You and I? We could be a team.”
I’d travel much, much faster with a horse. Approaching slowly, I made soothing sounds as I shuffled through the forest. It was getting so dark now that I could barely see.
“There’s a pretty boy.” I ducked my head. “Girl. Sorry. Either way, you’re gorgeous.”
The horse didn’t exactly look like she trusted me, but she allowed me to stroke her. The knot in my gut began to unravel, even as my hands continued to shake.
I reached into the hunter’s saddlebag, pulling out his food stores. Bread. The hunter had bread, an apple, and—wrapped in a soft cloth—a valeo.
My breath caught. The sweet fruit was rare, often almost impossible to find. Papa used to travel to other villages a few times a year when I was young. I’d loved it when Papa had gone southeast, because the villages near the coast were much more likely to have my precious valeo available.
Tibris had liked it best when Papa went north, where some of the best woodworking artisans lived. Papa would always bring back tiny wooden animals, and by the time he died, we’d each had a collection on the small tables next to our beds. I’d give almost anything to have one of them in my pocket right now. Just one small wooden piece to remember him by.
Lifting the fruit to my nose, I inhaled. Memories rushed at me. My father’s smile, the way he’d pretend he hadn’t been able to find any valeo and then pull one from his pocket. The time right before he’d died when I’d spent a precious few coppers on a valeo for him.
What would he think of me now?
The horse shuffled, and I pushed the memories away. I now had bread, fruit, water, and a horse. All it had taken was for me to murder a man.
Enough.
Grimly, I pulled the saddlebag completely off the horse. I’d eat just enough to get me through the night, and then I’d lead the horse on foot. I couldn’t risk traveling far in the dark. If the horse broke a leg, I’d be back where I started.
“We’ll get along just fine,” I murmured. “I’ll eat, we’ll walk far enough to find shelter” —and away from the body behind me— “and then we’ll rest. Tomorrow will be better than today.”
Something snapped behind me. I jolted.
The horse bucked to the right. Cursing, I reached for the reins, but it was too late.
The horse bolted. She had already been spooked, and I’d scared her further. Now she was frantic, galloping in the dark.
She wasn’t coming back.
I sat on the forest floor and sniffled, tearing off chunks of bread and stuffing them into my mouth. The bread was stale, but in that moment, it was the best thing I’d ever tasted.
A dull fury took up residence in my gut.
I never asked for this.
I would have given the gods my magic a thousand times over.
They were the ones who’d rejected my offering when I was just days old, leaving me in possession of my power. I would never know the reason, but I’d now be hunted for the rest of my life solely because the gods had decided they didn’t want my power.
The unfairness of it all took my breath away.
I fisted my hands and rose to my feet. I would stay alive simply to spite them.
I would live, and when I died, old and content in my own bed, I would demand an explanation from those gods. And if they decided to make me burn in my afterlife, at least I would have sucked all the joy and sorrow and love from this life first.
Glancing up, I let out a shaky breath. Above my head, stars gleamed in the night sky. More than once today, I’d thought I’d never get to see them again. But here I was, suddenly in awe of the way they glittered.
I’d survived. It was all I could ask for.
Stalking back to the hunter’s body, I rifled in the dark until my hands met cool wood. His bow. I was a terrible shot. Truly awful. But I took it anyway, along with his arrows.
My head felt as if it had been stuffed with Tibris’s healing bandages. I was so tired I could no longer hold a thought for more than a few moments.
But I made myself move, counting my steps to keep myself awake. Word of the bounty on my head had already gotten to Mistrun. I couldn’t risk stopping to steal more food or better clothes. But I could travel across the bridge. Now, when it was dark and cold, and there would be few people crossing. It was my best chance.
Finally, finally, the bridge came into view.