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

panic, she thought, tears pressing their way to the surface. Don't cry!
    "Who?" she demanded, forcing herself to stay composed. "Who hired him?"
    "I've said too much, and you need to stop asking questions," Dorian said briefly.
    "Who?" she repeated, the panic rearing up again. She grabbed the Wolfy's narrow shoulder, wrenching him around in the saddle. " Who did this? "
    "Get off me!"
    "Answer me!"
    Dorian flung her aside, shoving her back. Sora lost her balance with a yelp. Struggling to stay on the trotting horse, she tumbled out of the saddle, landing gracelessly in the dirt. She winced; her hip and shoulder were bruised.
    "Dammit!" Dorian yelled, and brought his steed to a skidding halt. He whirled on her, reining in the horse only a few feet away from her. With a strange expression on his face, he looked down at her. "Don't run!" he said. "If you run, I'll have to kill you."
    Sora was still recovering from the fall. She sucked in a breath of air, then rolled to one side, climbing painfully to her feet. It had been a hard, unexpected impact. "Blast you," she cursed. "Murderers. The both of you. You deserve to be hanged!"
    Dorian dismounted and stood next to his horse, who was upset, pawing at the earth and flicking its ears about. He ran a hand over the horse's nose, holding it firmly by the reins.
    "Don't run," he repeated to Sora, watching her in alarm.
    "Why not?" she balked, already moving back to the treeline. It would be better to run, truly. Even if she was to be taken by an arrow or a knife in the back, at least she wouldn't be traveling with this lying scum. And to think, she had been warming up to him. "You killed my...Lord Fallcrest," she grunted, her gut churning again. It was difficult to say "my father." He had been so little a father to her, more like a distant employer or a landlord. Still, the tears swelled up again, clogging her throat.
    "I don't want to kill you," Dorian said. But suddenly she noticed the knife glinting in his hand. He held it up, following her gaze, as though trying to prove his good intentions. "You're not a bad sort, Sora. You're quite spirited, for a spoiled noble. Trust me, I'm not the one you have to be afraid of. Just don't run."
    Sora glared. His words almost won a laugh from her. "Trust you?" she choked. "Trust you? After all you just said? No bloody chance!"
    "There are worse people out there than an honest thief," Dorian replied earnestly. He actually looked concerned.
    "You take me for a fool?" Sora demanded, almost to the treeline. Only a few more feet, and she could dash into the underbrush. "I'll report you to the nearest patrol and have you arrested! You'll be sent to the King's prisons! Murdering nobility is as good as treason!"
    "Like I said, I'm not the one you should be afraid of," Dorian repeated. Why wasn't he following her into the forest?
    "Oh? And who is that? My father's assassin?" she spat.
    "Yes." The voice came from behind her, soft and lethal.
    Sora gasped.
    Arms grabbed her from behind, easily swooping under her shoulders and around the back of her neck. She was clamped against a tall body, lean and hard with muscle. Her arms were locked and a painful pressure was applied to her neck. Her eyes met Dorian's, full of fear, but she saw no pity on the Wolfy's face—only a solemn frown.
    Sora opened her mouth, but fear choked her, like ice caught in the back of her throat. "Who hired you?" she managed.
    But the assassin didn't answer—or at least, not in the way she wanted. "You may have something of great use to us," his dark voice murmured. If the Night could speak.... "Until we know for sure, we can't let you go."
    "Then take it!" Sora shrieked. She knew what they were talking about—her mother's necklace. She didn't know anything about it, and in that moment, she didn't care. She just wanted to be away from them. Far, far away. "Take the damned necklace! I don't want it!"
    "We can't do that," Dorian said.
    "Just let me go!"
    His grip tightened sharply