The Hound's Prey (Revolution's Blade Book 1)

Chapter 15 - Siletto

Moon and starlight shinned down over the forest. The day's multitude of greens had given way to shadow and darkness. The trees were still and silent, an endless expanse that swayed with the wind. All the clouds had drifted away leaving the night cold and clear. I could see a long way from up high in my branch and I searched for any sign of people following us.

What I spotted made my heart thump in my chest and I stared hard to make sure I was seeing it right. Alas, it was there, smoke drifting up in front of the moon. I had to guess the distance to the smoke as best I could, perhaps only a day behind. Thank the First I'd seen this, but curse my luck it was there to see. I sat in the tree for a while longer, keeping an eye on the drifting smoke. Whoever was out there must have stopped for the night. I climbed down then; there was nothing more to gain by watching any longer.

When I got down, Jeyahadin and Haze didn't stir so I sank back into my seat at the foot of the tree and contemplated what to do? It was dire that the smoke was so close. It could be the town guard, but a bounty hunter seemed more likely. Maybe the Hound the people in the bar at Stonebridge had spoken of had returned after seeing, or receiving, news of the fire. Maybe another was already in the town or approaching it when Haze started the inferno.

I sat there in knots of worry, but decided not to wake the others and tell them. Let them sleep. There was no point in travelling on at night; it would be such slow going. Best we rest and continue in the morning, when I would have to tell them, to confess we were being pursued, and perhaps by a Hound who had been tracking me since the Capital.

My companions would then no doubt ask me why I was being hunted, and the idea of telling them the truth filled me with dread.

The rest of my shift keeping watch was uneventful, except in my mind. I kept playing out scenarios of sudden ambushes by Hounds. I was so fixated on this that all thoughts of the Revenant left my mind. When it was time to wake Haze for her turn at watch, I needed to sleep badly, and I hoped my dreams would not be plagued by the same thoughts I suffered when I was awake. I shook Haze on the shoulder and once she was up; I lay down without a word to her.

Later, I woke because a Hound, wearing the face of the girl I'd killed back in the Capital, stabbed me in my dream. Feeling worse than before I'd gone to sleep, I opened my eyes and sat up.

The sun was creeping into the morning sky, Haze and the monk were busy breaking the camp, hiding the signs we'd been there as best they could. We had a lot of meat left over from last evening's dinner and they'd packed that into our backpacks. We chewed on a small amount for breakfast before we went on our way. I decided then that I would have to tell them. I was still trying to decide exactly what I would say when Haze pre-empted me.

"So did you see anything from your tree last night?" she asked in a teasing tone. She obviously still thought it was a stupid and pointless thing for me to have done. I stared down at the ground and swallowed to clear the sense of nervousness I felt. Haze continued. "After you woke me I didn't have a chance to ask."

I turned to face her and she must have seen the worried look I wore, for some colour drained out of her face.

"Oh no! You saw something!" Jeyahadin looked up from what he was doing in response to her shock. I couldn't look at them, I stared down at the ground as I delivered the bad news.

"I saw smoke rising to the north," I said. "It was at most a day behind us. We are being followed even though this." I gestured around me at the forest with one hand and glanced at my companions. Both had sat down, slumped down, onto the ground and had their shoulders sagged; I was about to make it even worse.

"Back in the town, I spoke to people in the bar. They told me - they said - they said," I was so nervous I stumbled over my words. I swallowed and paused for a moment to find my courage. "They were certain a Hound had been through the town a few days before, searching for one person travelling alone." I stopped, I could imagine my companion's staring at me, but I would not look up. I had to finish, to admit that this Hound was hunting me, but then I'd have to tell them what I'd done.