Page 38 of The Piper's Pursuit

Katerina pretended to sleep, but the guard at her door was not only still awake, he was watching her closely.

A heavy feeling of sadness revealed just how much she had hoped killing the beast would lead to her freedom. But now that she knew the children were still alive, their freedom was more important to her than her own.

Suddenly she heard a loud crash coming from Steffan’s room, just on the other side of the wall.

Her guard’s eyes flew wide open and he stood up straight. He snatched open the door. When he did, Steffan barreled in, slamming into him. In the semi-darkness, her eyes locked onto a long knife. The guard was holding on to Steffan’s wrist, holding the knife high.

Kat snatched her own knife out of the secret sheath she kept strapped to her leg. She jumped up and came at the guard. She was aiming for the guard’s neck when another guard came through the doorway and knocked her down.

Kat struggled with the guard. He pinned her hand to the floor and used his thumb to press the center of her inner wrist so hard her fingers went limp, sharp pains shooting through them, and her knife fell out of her grasp.

She slammed her clenched fist into his face.

He slapped her, and the blow made her vision go dark for a moment.

Her eyesight was clearing when suddenly the man leaning over her was knocked to the side and Steffan was standing over her. He grabbed her by her arms and hauled her to her feet. Just then, more guards ran into the room. Steffan turned and slammed his fist in a guard’s throat. The man went down, clutching his neck and gagging.

Steffan’s fist smacked another guard’s chin and the guard’s head snapped back. Then two guards leapt on Steffan, holding his arms while a third guard punched him hard in the stomach.

The guard who had slapped her had risen to his feet and now grabbed her by the arms. She kicked out at him but missed.

“What is this?”

Hennek’s booming voice came from the doorway. Kat threw all her body weight away from the guard, trying to free herself, but he only tightened his grip on her arms until she cried out.

The guard slammed his fist into Steffan’s stomach again, then punched the side of his face.

Kat clenched her hands, still struggling to free herself, so furious she could barely see.

Another man came up behind Hennek. “Jakob is dead.”

Hennek’s mouth fell open. “What?”

“He’s in the room where Lord Steffan was sleeping. His throat is cut.”

“Lord Steffan.” Hennek’s voice took on a shocked tone. He shook his head slowly as he stared at Steffan, who was leaning forward after being punched. “You killed one of my best men. I cannot allow you to get away with that, now can I? Come.”

Another guard came alongside Kat so that a guard had hold of each of her arms, and they pulled her out of the room.

Steffan was ahead of her, also flanked on each side by a guard. As they made their way down the corridor, he turned his head to look at her. “Are you all right?” His voice sounded strained.

“Yes. And you?”

“Yes.”

Blood spatters covered his face. She hoped it was the blood of the guard whose throat he had cut. But a bad bruise was already forming on the side of his face.

They made their way down two flights of stairs and out the front door. Even amid all of the commotion, no one, not the servants, nor even her mother, had come out of their rooms to see what was the matter. Hennek must have threatened them with some dire consequence, or locked them in their rooms. She only hoped he hadn’t hurt Mother.

The street was very dark, and it would have been darker if not for the full moon shining over them, climbing its way up to its highest point in the sky. The night air cooled her cheek that burned from the guard’s slap. But Steffan had to be in far worse pain. Had they injured him internally?

Hennek must be taking them out of town so the guards could shoot them and hide their bodies.

They walked through town. No one was on the street.

As they reached the town gate, Hennek said, “I regret that I shall never see the two of you again, but a man has a responsibility to protect himself from those who wish him harm.”

“You cannot kill us, Hennek.” Steffan’s voice was almost disinterested. “My father will come and investigate. He will discover what has happened to me and to your stepdaughter. You will never be able to escape my father’s justice.”