Free Sora's Quest by T. L. Shreffler Page A

enemy.
    "It was the most practical thing to do," the thief replied. "Don't see how you could ride otherwise. But if you try anything stupid, Crash will have to put you down. I'd hate to lose such a pretty new pet."
    His words were a sharp reminder of her position, as though she needed one. Sora shut her mouth, her sense of relief dissipating. Pet? she thought in disgust.
    Still, perhaps it was a good sign that he kept talking to her. She wasn't as scared of Dorian as she was of Crash. She got the feeling that he was warming up to her, which could be used to her advantage.
    So he thinks I'm pretty, huh? she thought with a little smirk. She glanced down at her stained shirt and felt the unexpected urge to laugh. How refreshing to be in day-old clothes! She hoped she would get dirtier before the day was done.
    "Git!" Dorian clicked his tongue to the horse, who moved into a smooth, fast trot. Sora wasn't expecting the sudden change of pace, and held on tighter. The horse found a trail and they followed it through the woods, ducking under low branches, picking their way around rocks. She could only assume they were following Crash's lead, though she hadn't caught a glimpse of him since waking. With any luck, she wouldn't see the killer until nightfall.
    Almost an hour passed in dull silence. The trail moved through dense forest and hidden meadows strung with wildflowers, yellow and blue petals scattered throughout the shade. Sora tried to entertain herself by bird-watching; she counted twenty-three species before losing track. There were dark-winged crows, skinny red robins and blue jays. A few plump yellow finches kept following the horse. They flitted quietly from branch to branch, waiting for seeds to fall, or crumbs.
    Then the path opened up and joined with a main road. Golden wheat fields stretched out to their right while the dense forest stayed to their left. The trees fell away, as did the birds, leaving a broad, seamless sky and a hawk-like speck on the horizon. She wondered how far away she was from her father's house— probably quite a ways. She had never seen farmland like this before.
    "Where are we?" she finally asked, her curiosity loosening her tongue.
    "Don't you know?" Dorian sneered. "These are Fallcrest lands, all twenty-thousand acres...or thirty miles, if you're not a farmer. Your serfs work them and pay a seasonal tax."
    Sora blushed, then glared at the back of his neck. "Of course I knew that!" she lied. "I just meant, where are we going?"
    "A good ways from here, I can assure you," Dorian answered vaguely.
    Sora gritted her teeth. She tried again. "There is a town on my father's land, is there not?"
    "Oh, did your servants tell you that, too? My, my, you are clever." His voice trailed on, decidedly bored. "Yes, my girl, we are going to Mayville. A certain assassin needs to collect his payment."
    Sora stiffened, her breath catching in her lungs. Assassin? Her fingers tightened on Dorian's waist. "W-what?"
    The Wolfy stiffened as well, his shoulders going rigid. "Forget I said anything," he grunted.
    Sora shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "No, wait, you can't just leave it at that! What assassin? What payment?" Her stomach had turned to rock. She suddenly felt sick and oddly deceived, even though Dorian was not her friend. Her heart pounded. Assassin. Suddenly her thoughts were racing, memories of the previous night, of her father falling to the ground, injured. Perhaps worse than injured. Perhaps....
    "Lord Fallcrest is dead," she said numbly.
    Her captor didn't answer immediately. Dorian sat as though stuffed with straw. He clicked to the horse, who then moved into a faster trot.
    "It's Crash, isn't it?" she said, her words coming far too quickly. "He's the assassin. He's who you're talking about. Someone paid him to be in the manor. Oh, dear Goddess...." And her mouth went dry, realizing that the entire party had been a trap, that Lord Fallcrest had been a target. Her Lord father.
    Don't