The beast’s breathing grew slower, deeper. It sounded as if it were right on top of her.
Her attention had been on the men. A mistake since there were more dangerous things in the forest than the soldiers. The ground trembled slightly beneath her at the brineling’s approach. The bush beside her rubbed against her neck, making it itch.
Tamlyn bit back a yelp at how close the brineling was. She could’ve reached out and touched it. She didn’t know how it had missed her, and she didn’t care. Only once before had she seen a brineling, but that had been from a distance. And she didn’t dare tilt her head back to get a better look at the creature when it was this close.
Its breathing suddenly hushed as it lowered itself, readying for attack. Tense seconds stretched on for an eternity as the animal grew still and quiet. Then it leapt forward with a roar. The great horned creature rarely lost its prey, and it had its sights set on the two soldiers.
At its roar, the men screamed and turned to attack with spears and swords. Tamlyn started running at the sound of their bellows of pain amid the brineling’s noises. She prayed her feet found solid ground as she put distance between herself and the hungry animal. Limbs ripped at her face and body as she ran, and roots fought to trip her, but she kept upright. The last thing she wanted was a brineling on her tail. She’d never outrun it.
One minute, she was racing through the forest. The next, she was flat on her face. She gasped, pain radiating through her body at the air having been knocked out of her. Even that didn’t stop her. She pushed herself up and started running again.
When her lungs finally unseized and she was able to take a full breath again, she felt lightheaded. Tamlyn had to force herself to slow to a walk. If soldiers had been stationed that far into the woods, there could be more.
She was nearly out of the forest. As much as that pleased her, it didn’t mean that things would be easier. Because she was looking, she found two more soldiers hiding near the road. They were intent on the brineling. That was likely the only reason they hadn’t heard her barging through the forest so recklessly. Tamlyn skirted them and hurried from the woods. She sighed in relief at the same time a chill ran down her spine. She was leaving one lethal environment for another.
Tall, stone gates with soldiers stationed along the battlements stood before her. Beyond the gate was the city of Stonemore and the Tunris Mountains. The city had been built into the tallest peak of the mountain range, rising from the ground to the very top where the ruler of Stonemore lived and reigned. The mountains on either side of the city curved inward. And that, along with the wall, created an impenetrable fortress.
Tamlyn had been in the city far more than she wanted to admit, but she knew very little about it, other than where to sneak in and out, and what level the temple was on. Stonemore looked pretty in the night with the moonlight reflecting off its reddish stones. Except she knew what kind of wickedness lived within the thick walls.
She remained close to the woods and ignored the closed gates. Another hundred yards, and she glanced up to make sure the soldiers weren’t looking her way, then dashed across the empty expanse and right to the storm drain. Tamlyn plastered her back against the wall and listened to hear if anyone raised an alarm at spotting her. When all remained quiet, she gripped the lock and pulled. The metal came undone easily in her hand. Every time she took this route, she was surprised that no one had checked the storm drains or the locks. She lifted the heavy metal grate overhead so she could slip inside. Her muscles screamed in protest when she slowly lowered the cover back into place so it didn’t bang. She turned to look around the four-foot, arched drain.
Tamlyn’s breathing was loud even over the tinkling of water that rushed past her feet in the drain. She ignored her wet feet and crouched, walking until she reached the other side of the drain without a grate. She paused at the entrance and peeked around the corner, first one way and then the other. When she didn’t see anyone, she eased out and straightened, careful to remain in the shadows.
This was the part she hated the most. It was almost too easy to get into the city. Getting out was another matter. She shoved aside those thoughts and turned right, walking close to the wall. She made it up the first level and then the second without incident. The third was trickier because there was more housing than shops, which meant more people. She managed to dodge soldiers and residents alike to get to the fourth level.
Once there, she stared at her destination—the temple, its beauty marred by the horrors committed within. Memories tried to surface, but Tamlyn shoved them aside. The past was the past, and it needed to remain there.
It took forever for her to reach the temple since there were more soldiers on this level. Thankfully, their attention was on other things. When she made it, she still had to get across the wide square in front of it. All she could do was hope that her timing was right when she pushed away from the wall and walked across the open expanse.
She ducked out of sight when she rounded the left side of the temple. Tamlyn braced her hands on her knees and drew in deep breaths. That was the worst part of her mission. Every time, she feared she would be stopped and questioned.
Once she had composed herself, she stood. Tamlyn ignored the doors. Instead, she looked up at the windows. The one she needed was the highest of them all. The climb was perilous, the stones worn nearly smooth. But someone had once climbed the temple because there were footholds or handholds that couldn’t be seen unless you were scaling the wall. She always wondered if the person had made it out. She liked to believe they had.
Tamlyn had made this climb before, so she knew exactly where to go to get to the window quickly. She took a deep breath and sent up a silent prayer that the soldiers on the battlements didn’t look her way. If they did, she would be spotted easily. She reached up and got a good hold of the edge of a stone before putting the toe of her boot on another and hoisting herself up.
It had been a life-or-death situation that’d brought her to this side of the temple years ago. She’d never imagined she would return time and again, but here she was once more. Would she make it out this time? She didn’t want to think about what might happen to her if she got caught.
Her muscles screamed in protest as she made her way up. Every time she did this, she swore it would be the last. It was a lie she told herself to get through each event because she would continue this journey until they finally killed her.
Finally, her hand gripped the windowsill. She slowly pulled herself up to look through the glass window. She saw the boy sitting on the floor, his frightened gaze locked on the door. Tamlyn was shocked at his age. Normally, the children she came for were much younger. The boy had to be seven or eight. There was no way she could carry him like she had the others.
Her mind raced to find a way to get him out. No matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn’t come up with anything. She either had to leave him to his Fate or take him as she did the others and leave things up to chance.
She looked at his face. Tears fell down his cheeks. He knew what was to happen. His terror was palpable. There was no way she could leave without him. Her course had been set the instant she heard the scream in her head earlier.
Tamlyn made sure her footing was solid before lifting one hand from the sill and tapping her finger on the glass. His head snapped to her, but he didn’t move. She was fast losing her strength. She couldn’t stay in this position much longer. Tamlyn motioned him to her. Still, he hesitated. She tried once more. Her arms were shaking, her fingers beginning to go numb. She was about to lose her grip. If he didn’t come now, they would both die tonight.