Sora's Quest (32 page)

The hallway stretched before them. Then she heard the sound of voices, a language of short yowls, purrs and growls. A second later, two Catlin guards turned into the hallway, spears in hand, tails lashing. They paused abruptly, looking up at her. They both stared, mouths agape. Apparently the expression of surprise was consistent across races.

Immediately Crash lurched past her and sprinted down the corridor, directly at the Catlins. One let out a loud, high-pitched shriek, and the assassin rammed into him full force. He smashed his fist into the first Catlin's neck, breaking its windpipe. The guard collapsed to the floor, writhing and wheezing in pain, his spear falling to one side. Crash picked up the weapon and thrust it forcefully into the next guard's stomach, ripping a large hole through his gut. Blood and intestines spilled across the ground. The guard staggered back, screaming and hissing, toppling into an adjacent hallway.

Sora stared in disbelief. She felt sick.

Then she heard noises in the distance. Catlin voices and the sound of scrambling feet.

"Come on!" Crash motioned for her to follow, as though he hadn't just killed two seven-foot guards. Sora was still in shock. Her body moved automatically, stiff and awkward at the sight of so much blood.

"Hurry!" he insisted.

The sounds of pursuit were coming on fast. Still, Sora couldn't seem to organize her limbs. The assassin didn't hesitate. He dashed back to her side, grabbed her and dragged her down the hallway, past the massacred bodies and the Wolfies' cell. Sora gasped, catching Dorian's eye as they ran past. She dug in her feet, skidding across the blood.

"Crash!" she exclaimed. "We can't leave them!"

"Go!" Dorian yelled, signaling for them to keep running. "The guards are coming. We'll slow you down. Go!"

Crash pulled at her arm. "We can't help them if we're dead," he said harshly, and hauled her forward. "We'll come back."

Sora wasn't completely convinced, but she didn't have a choice. Dorian's eyes pleaded with her, his hands pointing desperately down the hallway. She could hear the guards approaching. Soon, they would block off any chance of escape.

Somehow, she found the strength to run. She leapt next to Crash and they sprinted down the hall, not looking back. They reeled around a corner, turning haphazardly down a network of corridors and stairs. She hoped that Crash knew where he was going—and apparently he did, because a minute later they reached the exit. It was blocked by thick, heavy vines.

"Quickly!" he yelled, and pushed her at the doorway.

This time, Sora only had to touch the wall.
Flash!
The green light blazed and the Cat's Eye eagerly drank in the magic. Her head spun briefly. The vines dropped to the ground, limp.

Crash grabbed her. They barreled through the exit, jumping over piles of loose vines and foliage. Outside, the colony was strangely quiet. Sora could hear distant sounds below them, chattering voices and the general bustle of the market. But on the prison level, there was hardly any foot traffic at all.

They took off running. Crash led her to a bridge on their left.

"Do you know where we're going?" Sora gasped. Her wounds ached with each step. She could feel blood dripping down her ribs.

"Maybe," Crash replied.

Sora wanted to roll her eyes, but she was too focused on running.
Well, "maybe" is better than "no."

Then she heard the shouts of Catlin guards. A dozen or so converged from the mist, leaping from different bridges and ropes, trying to cut them off. She forced her legs to run faster, pain piercing her side. Adrenaline fueled her steps.

Crash took a sudden turn, cutting to a bridge that dangled off through the mist, separate from the thick tree branches that supported the colony. Sora followed him, worried that the bridge seemed old and decrepit, not well-maintained. It swung and bowed under their weight. But when she looked ahead past Crash, through the spinning veil of mist—she saw dense leaves and vines. Open, untamed foliage. The end of the colony and the beginnings of the swamp.

Hope bloomed. If they could just make it across, they might escape....

A series of yowls erupted in the air. More Catlins joined the chase, thundering onto the bridge, bounding from rope to log like fierce, giant squirrels. Then a Catlin dropped onto the bridge in front of them, swinging down on a large vine. Sora screamed. Crash ran headlong into the beast and tackled it, toppling across the wooden planks.

"Crash!" she yelled, skidding to a halt. They were blocked by the Catlin's massive body. The two struggled, wrestling with each other, a match of pure strength. The bridge rocked and creaked violently. Sora grabbed the ropes, holding on for dear life, fear choking her. When she looked back, she could see dozens of Catlins crowding the entrance to the bridge. A few were coming up behind her, spears held threateningly.

She turned back to Crash. Surprisingly, he was holding his own. As she watched, he threw the Catlin back and kicked the guard firmly in the chest. The guard stumbled away, half-off the bridge, struggling to reclaim his balance.

When Crash turned back to her, he held the Catlin's long, curved knife in his hand. His eyes met hers. "Can you swim?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, frowning. She didn't like his expression. "Wait...." she murmured. He raised the knife. "Don't!"

Too late. The assassin swung the blade down with both hands. It passed cleanly through the ropes of the bridge. Sora's mouth dropped. She was too shocked to react, even as the planks started to pull apart beneath her. The ropes snapped, fraying under so much weight. The Catlin guards on either side started yowling in terror, fleeing from the bridge as quickly as possible.

"Wait!" she yelled, fear constricting her chest. Her voice was cut off by a sickening
crack!
The bridge started to cave in. She wanted to throw herself forward and grab onto the assassin—but she couldn't; there was no time. She thought she might have screamed. Her mouth opened. Her hands reached. Grasped. Useless.

Crash disappeared, plummeting into the mist.

Just as suddenly, the bridge tilted to one side and Sora's feet slipped. With a shriek of surprise, she jolted downward toward the endless drop. She grabbed onto a piece of rope just before the mist claimed her.

She clung there, suspended at an unknowable height, and tried not to look down. If she did, she would fall. Her heart pounded, her hands shook wildly. If she could just pull herself up, she could still escape. Climb across the damaged bridge, reach the other side. It wasn't too far now.
If I can just pull...a bit harder....

Her hand slipped. The slick rope burned her skin.

Then the world gave way.

Lily sighed, watching Housekeeper Grem flounce about the room, dusting tables, straightening vases. The old woman hovered in the background like a vulture, casting malicious glances in her direction. She understood her anger. It was quite an honor, to be promoted at such a young age to a full Housekeeper. She wasn't entirely certain that she was qualified for the task. But if it would get her away from Grem's nasty claws, she would take it, no questions asked.

"Sit down, my dear," said The Honourable Dustin Fallcrest.

Lily hesitated. It was a breach of protocol, but she couldn't refuse him. She took a stiff perch at the edge of the chair opposite him.

The Honourable Dustin Fallcrest sat before her with a warm cup of tea. He was a stork of a man, tall and gangly, with a pronounced nose similar to his older brother's. She guessed him to be around forty, perhaps a little younger, with a thick head of brown hair, his sideburns turned a distinguished gray. His eyes were softer than his brother's, his tone less sharp. He took up the end of the couch, the armrest too low for him, but that was to be expected. They sat in Lady Sora's outer chamber, at the front of her compartments.

He nodded politely to Lily. "It's a simple townhouse, smaller than you're used to, I'd imagine," he said. "But our last Housekeeper has retired and we are looking for someone new." He cast a side-glance at Grem. "And fresh."

Lily saw Housekeeper Grem cast a vicious look at Dustin Fallcrest's back.
Lord Fallcrest,
she corrected her thoughts. For lack of an heir, the title passed to the brother, though the lands were still held by the King's court until Lady Sora could be confirmed dead. Lily hoped that never happened.

Lily held tightly to her handkerchief, her thoughts returning to her mistress. She still held on to a shred of hope that Lady Sora might return. She often lingered in her Lady's bedroom, gazing down at the gravel drive, wondering if her friend would appear some day, a little older and a lot wiser.

But it had been almost two months since her disappearance, and the odds of her return grew slimmer by the day. The countryside still talked about her, but less frequently. Few serfs cared about the matters of the estate as long as they were able to work there. The farmers were more concerned with planting crops.

The women were a different story. Midwives and farm girls still speculated about Lady Sora's whereabouts, chatting out of windows and over clotheslines. There had been several flurries of rumors. Some said she was dead, others said she was still in the manor, hiding in the attic or the basement.

Lady Sinclair claimed to have seen her on the streets of the City of Crowns. Lily remembered the conversation darkly. She had run across the noble Lady and her companions at the marketplace. Pretending to buy fruit, Lily had lingered nearby, listening to their chatter.

"Hiding in plain sight,"
Lady Sinclair had put it.
"Albeit in a despicable district."
She winked knowingly to her friends, who burst into a chorus of laughter. The point was clear. Lady Sora was now a woman of the night, a harlot begging on the streets.
"Takes after her mother, I suppose,"
Sinclair had snickered.

But Lily didn't believe that. She also didn't believe the story that ran in the papers stating that Lady Sora was now living in Fennbog swamp, hiding from the law. She couldn't imagine her delicate friend surrounded by wild animals, living on berries.

No, Lady Sora was somewhere safe and well-hidden, Lily was certain of it. She didn't know where. But she refused to believe the worst.

Dustin Fallcrest sneezed heavily into his handkerchief, drawing her attention. The new Lord had arrived three weeks earlier to put the estate in order. He hadn't been able to balance the accounts, so he'd hired a bookkeeper and steward. Tomorrow, he would be returning to the City of Crowns. He didn't take well to country life, or so he had explained. He had too many allergies.

His invitation to be his Housekeeper had come as somewhat of a surprise. Honestly, she had expected to be laid off, just like the kitchen staff.

I suppose I should be grateful,
Lily thought, and smiled politely. "I would love to accompany you, My Lord," she said, once he was done blowing his nose. "It has been a pleasure to serve the Fallcrest family."

Dustin Fallcrest nodded, a wide smile coming over his face. At least he seemed friendlier than his brother. A shame that Lady Sora had never met him. Lily was certain they would have become fast friends.

"You'll have your bags packed in the morning?" Lord Fallcrest prompted, sipping on his tea.

"Gladly, Milord," Lily replied, and stood up, then dipping into an elegant curtsy. "I will see you tomorrow." She stepped lightly from the small sitting room, thankful when the door closed. For the next twenty-four hours, she would have to avoid Housekeeper Grem. She was certain the old crone would find countless ways to punish her before tomorrow.

Perhaps Lily would enjoy a final walk across the lawns, revisiting her favorite spots. A bit of sadness tugged at her heart. A shame that she would have to do it alone.

* * *

Sora seemed to plummet forever. The fog was so dense that she could see nothing but white; as far as she knew, she could have been falling up. Her stomach churned sickeningly. The wind whistled past her. The fall seemed to take a horribly long time, but then again, falling was better than landing.

Wham!

Icy water engulfed her, as hard as rock. She was immediately stunned. The air rushed from her lungs, her muscles cramped and convulsed. Her eyes closed tight, and for a brief moment, she blacked out.