The Marksman [The Talent of Three: Book 1]

19 ••• Atheris's Deal

Morning breaks cold and glum over the forest with the promise of rain hanging in the clouds.

Atheris scowls. "Great. It's gonna rain."

"Hey, maybe it won't," Chip began.

"Let's be optimistic, eh?" Kayne suggests.

Just as he speaks, it begins to rain. Atheris gives the two boys a pointed look and finishes packing her tent into the sleeve.

•••

Atheris squints through the rain. "Uh, guys...we're about to have company."

"How can you tell?" Chip asks.

"Listen," Atheris whispers. "What do you hear?"

"Pounding," Chip says after a long moment.

Atheris nods. "Horse hooves."

Kayne looks at her nervously. "Which can only mean one thing."

Atheris and Chip both look at him strangely.

"Centaurs."

And as if they were summoned by magic, the centaurs appear, completely surrounding the three. All hold bows, all of which have mocked arrows pointing at the trio.

"Your territory, Atheris," Chip mutters. "What do we do?"

"Lower your weapons," a centaur instructs.

"Lower your weapons," Atheris agrees hastily.

"State your purpose here," the same centaur snaps.

Atheris's jaw moves, but no words come from her mouth. Kayne takes her place.

"We are Questing," he begins, "and we must pass through your forest to get to the mountains."

"Our forest is not the only way to the mountains, as we keep telling you!"

Kayne frowns. "Uh, we've never met before—"

"Not just you," the centaur snarls. "All of you Questers, tromping through our forest and disturbing the peace, bringing back creatures we've not seen since the Ancient Days." He shudders. "Even Ladon and the sirens stir!" The centaur gestures to another. "Bind their hands. We'll take them to Nictyrus."

"As with all the others?" the new centaur asks.

The first one nods. Atheris waits as her hands are bound in front of her, noticing both boys have had their hands bound behind them.

A sly grin pulls at Atheris's lips. They have underestimated me. This is how we can escape.

But how? a smaller, more annoying voice whispers. Everything rests on you, Atheris. And you don't know what to do.

Not yet, her optimistic side says.

•••

Atheris gasps as pain floods through her legs, the centaur who had been handling her having slammed her down onto her knees.

She slowly raises her head, ever concious of the dangers these centaurs provide, and her heart climbs into her throat.

Pippa is bound by her wrists, likewise to her companions, and hanging from a tree branch. As Atheris's senses come back to her, she realizes all the other teams that went before she and her friends are also suspended from the tree branches of various trees in the area.

Atheris feels sick.

Atheris looks straight ahead of her, determined not to look a Pippa.

"Nictyrus, we found these three in the woods," a centaur says.