Broken Prince (The Broken Ones) by Jen Wylie Page A

to stay and make camp.
    "What’s the word?"
    "We’re heading out again." The way Bo
wouldn’t meet her eyes worried her.
    "What’s wrong?"
    "Storm coming," Kei said quietly, jerking
his head in the direction of the sea. Before she could open her mouth again he
added, "Bad one."
    She nodded once and put what she’d collected into the
packs. "Is there shelter nearby then?"
    Garen sat next to her. It has been a very long time
since I was this far south and I am not very familiar with the land. I do
remember it gets rockier very quickly. There will be outcrops, cliffs, ravines.
Perhaps we can find a cave.
    She supposed that would have to do. It wasn’t like
they’d come across a small house. "But what if we can’t find something?
Wouldn’t it be better to use the time to make a shelter now?"
    "The storm comes quickly," Prince answered,
pulling himself up onto the horse. "We are moving further into the forest."
    "What!" She turned sharply to look at Bo. "You
know that’s not safe for us, right? We’re lucky Garen is the only Were we’ve
met."
    Bo grimaced and scratched at the long scar on his
cheek. "I know, pup. But Garen and Prince say the further we head toward
the mountains, the more likely we’ll find decent shelter."
    "Come, Aro. We need to get moving."
    She glared over at Prince. "Just for the record,
I don’t like this one bit."
    "Understood," he said sharply, clearly
beginning to lose patience with her. "You can ride with me or run, but we
need to go now."
    Pressing her lips tightly together to keep from saying
something she shouldn’t, she turned on her heel and took off toward the west.
    This way. Garen
quickly bounded ahead of her, and a moment later Kei ran by her side.
    What’s wrong?
    She didn’t glance over at Kei, they were running quite
quickly through the trees and she didn’t want to trip. The trees were large
here, and though much of the area was in shadow and free of thick undergrowth,
some places weren’t and fallen branches were always something to be careful of.
    It took her a while to decide what exactly she wanted
to say. Kei didn’t push. At least he had some patience. I’m worried about
going deeper. What if the Were find us?
    They won’t hurt you. I won’t let them.
    His thought made her smile for a moment. But there
might be fighting. Someone could get hurt.
    Don’t worry. They will be taking shelter from the
storm. The rain will wash our scent away. As soon as the storm passes we’ll
head out.
    Leaping over a branch, she held in a grimace. But–
    You should be worrying about the storm.
    Getting wet won’t kill us. We’ve been through storms
before.
    Not like this one.
    That put a stop to her rambling thoughts. Apparently
they weren’t about to get a summer shower. Kei was right, she should be
thinking about the storm; what could go wrong and how to avoid stupid mistakes.
    Weather could kill just as easily as a man could.
     
    * * *
     
    After running west for a time, Garen led them
south-west. She was happy with the change. They were sort of still on course.
    Prince and Bo pushed the horses as quickly as they
could. Once the ground began to turn rocky, their pace noticeably slowed.
Quickly enough the terrain turned even rockier.
    Spread out, Garen said. Search for caves, overhangs… anything that can provide shelter.
    The speed the storm moved in rather shocked her. They
hadn’t been searching long when the first buffets of wind began. Grey and black
clouds soon rolled in the distance, moving quickly enough she ran more
haphazardly from one outcrop to another.
    Stopping a moment to catch her breath, she jumped as
thunder cracked in the distance. Someone cursed in her mind.
    Will the horses bolt? Should we each get our packs?
    Good idea, Bo answered. We’ll put ours on now. If you or Kei see us, come and collect
yours.
    Her mind murmured with everyone’s agreement. She shook
her head slightly. When everyone spoke at once it still got confusing.
    Thick clouds turned