leave. He froze when he heard the crunch of a footstep from within one of the tunnels. Aria was up and beside him in an instant, her bow raised and an arrow nocked as she took aim at whoever hid within the shadows beyond the closed gate.
“Who’s there?” Aria demanded.
Silence met her question.
***
Melinda
“I’m sorry milady,” one of the king’s guard apologized and hastily lowered his bow.
Melinda’s shoulders slumped in relief, but Ashby continued to scowl at all of the men and women who had pointed their weapons at them. Behind the king’s guard, the residents of Chippman and the refugee survivors of Badwin were huddled close together. Their eyes were filled with alarm as they surveyed her and Ashby.
“Where is the king?” one of the king’s men inquired.
“We were ambushed by the same group of people who devastated Badwin.” Cries of alarm met her statement, and frightened murmurs raced through the crowd. “My brothers are working to try to keep everyone protected.” Not entirely a lie. “We’ve been sent back to see you safely onto the palace, but we must move quickly.”
“Is Hannah okay?” An older-looking vampire shoved his way to the front of the crowd to demand. Melinda recognized him as Hannah’s uncle Abe.
Many of the residents of Chippman had some kind of genetic defect. Abe hadn’t stopped aging until he was sixty-two. He was spry and healthy, and wouldn’t age another day, but he looked older than most of the vampires surrounding him. Beside him stood his son, Lucas, and Hannah’s best friend, Ellen. Their faces were filled with worry as they stared anxiously at her. Tempest’s best friend, Pallas, and a few of the children she’d fled Badwin with also pushed their way to the front to stare at her.
“Hannah is fine. Everyone is fine,” she assured them, or at least most of them had been fine the last time Melinda had seen them. “Now, we have to go.”
They would be able to move faster now that the sun was down and the vampires from Chippman who were unable to stand its rays, like Lucas, could travel without the hindrance of the covered carriages built for them.
“Leave the carriages behind,” Ashby said when some of the vampires started to ready the horses for them. “We will be returning to the palace tonight.”
“What if we don’t?” one of the vampires demanded anxiously.
Ashby’s gaze didn’t waver as he met and held the man’s. “We have no choice but to reach it tonight.”
Uneasy murmurs went through the crowd. “Then we will reach it tonight,” Lucas declared. “Easy enough if we move out now. Let’s go everyone.”
Melinda took a minute to gather herself as she watched them all saddle their horses. They were doing as she and Ashby had instructed. Now they had to get them all to safety. Ashby claimed a horse from one of the king’s men and lifted her into the saddle.
“I can get up on my own,” she said.
“Nope,” he said as he swung onto the saddle to settle himself behind her. “Get used to being pampered and not lifting a finger. I intend to spoil you.”
“More than you already do?”
His smile was strained; his normally lively eyes didn’t dance, but she still saw the joy in his gaze as he stared at her belly then her. “Far more.”
She settled back against him when he nudged the horse in the side and they took off at a brisk trot through the woods. They weren’t as familiar with this area of the forest as Aria and her brothers were, but Melinda had been through here enough to know at least three ways back to the palace.
“We can’t take the main road,” she said.
“No, we can’t,” Ashby agreed as he steered them toward a rocky ledge and two side roads.
One side road ran parallel to the main road, about three miles away from it, but still too close to the main for her liking. The other was a convoluted pathway that meandered through the woods, over a mountain and down into a valley. It was a little known road
“Who’s there?” Aria demanded.
Silence met her question.
***
Melinda
“I’m sorry milady,” one of the king’s guard apologized and hastily lowered his bow.
Melinda’s shoulders slumped in relief, but Ashby continued to scowl at all of the men and women who had pointed their weapons at them. Behind the king’s guard, the residents of Chippman and the refugee survivors of Badwin were huddled close together. Their eyes were filled with alarm as they surveyed her and Ashby.
“Where is the king?” one of the king’s men inquired.
“We were ambushed by the same group of people who devastated Badwin.” Cries of alarm met her statement, and frightened murmurs raced through the crowd. “My brothers are working to try to keep everyone protected.” Not entirely a lie. “We’ve been sent back to see you safely onto the palace, but we must move quickly.”
“Is Hannah okay?” An older-looking vampire shoved his way to the front of the crowd to demand. Melinda recognized him as Hannah’s uncle Abe.
Many of the residents of Chippman had some kind of genetic defect. Abe hadn’t stopped aging until he was sixty-two. He was spry and healthy, and wouldn’t age another day, but he looked older than most of the vampires surrounding him. Beside him stood his son, Lucas, and Hannah’s best friend, Ellen. Their faces were filled with worry as they stared anxiously at her. Tempest’s best friend, Pallas, and a few of the children she’d fled Badwin with also pushed their way to the front to stare at her.
“Hannah is fine. Everyone is fine,” she assured them, or at least most of them had been fine the last time Melinda had seen them. “Now, we have to go.”
They would be able to move faster now that the sun was down and the vampires from Chippman who were unable to stand its rays, like Lucas, could travel without the hindrance of the covered carriages built for them.
“Leave the carriages behind,” Ashby said when some of the vampires started to ready the horses for them. “We will be returning to the palace tonight.”
“What if we don’t?” one of the vampires demanded anxiously.
Ashby’s gaze didn’t waver as he met and held the man’s. “We have no choice but to reach it tonight.”
Uneasy murmurs went through the crowd. “Then we will reach it tonight,” Lucas declared. “Easy enough if we move out now. Let’s go everyone.”
Melinda took a minute to gather herself as she watched them all saddle their horses. They were doing as she and Ashby had instructed. Now they had to get them all to safety. Ashby claimed a horse from one of the king’s men and lifted her into the saddle.
“I can get up on my own,” she said.
“Nope,” he said as he swung onto the saddle to settle himself behind her. “Get used to being pampered and not lifting a finger. I intend to spoil you.”
“More than you already do?”
His smile was strained; his normally lively eyes didn’t dance, but she still saw the joy in his gaze as he stared at her belly then her. “Far more.”
She settled back against him when he nudged the horse in the side and they took off at a brisk trot through the woods. They weren’t as familiar with this area of the forest as Aria and her brothers were, but Melinda had been through here enough to know at least three ways back to the palace.
“We can’t take the main road,” she said.
“No, we can’t,” Ashby agreed as he steered them toward a rocky ledge and two side roads.
One side road ran parallel to the main road, about three miles away from it, but still too close to the main for her liking. The other was a convoluted pathway that meandered through the woods, over a mountain and down into a valley. It was a little known road
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