ne Co
t, moving as fast as my trembling legs would carry me. The Prince's patr
rough my system. My vision blurred. I bit the inside of my chee
ago. "If you ever need to disappear," she had whispered, her hand resting
e undergrowth, I finally saw the silhouette
recent activity-footprints, broken branches, fresh tracks. Nothing. The
olds as if I had done it a hundred times before. My mother had made sure I knew this place as well
ing a musty smell of dust and decay. I sli
for air, the adrenaline finally sta
ad drilled into me since I was old enough to walk. A chill ran down
ne else in this
ped into my pocket and closed around the silver nee
ving silently up the creaking sta
And it was mixed with the tst the wall beside the door
window, illuminating a tall figure sprawled
othes and was clearly badly injured. The rug
was shallow, irregular. He was unconscious, not faking. I could
, a low, pained grunt escaping his lips before
e to die meant a corpse rotting in my sanctuary. That would attract wolves, scaven
Thready, but there. I checked his pockets-no weapons, no identificati
a moment, then tucked th
be I was just adding another complication to my escape. Either way, I
eeded time. Time to recover, to
on. I would tole
guest room down the hall. I dragged a heavy armchair aga
ed fever burning under my skin. My mind, howev
d be settled. But first, I needed powe
had a vast dowry, a fortune that my "good father," Harding Wall
my promise to reject Angelo, I n
, the man's breathing w
ke two wounded animals, cornered in this forgotten pl
ho he was, or w
ur meeting was about
ained groan from the next room, followed by a sudden, sharp
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