Free Rise of the Sparrows (Relics of Ar'Zac #1) by Sarina Langer

punishment. His mouth twisted into an expectant grin just thinking about it.
     
    Rachael shifted in her spot so she could warm her side by the fire. Cephy had started it almost an hour ago, but it was still burning as hot as it had done when she had first lit the small pile of snow-covered branches. It hadn't spread even a little, contained to its small seemingly ever-lasting pile of twigs and kept alive by Cephy's will alone. If it hadn't been for her, Rachael wouldn't have stood a chance out here. Her toes tingled with new life and for the first time this winter she wasn't cold. She owed the girl.
    “Tomorrow I will show you how to defend yourself, in case we get separated.”
    Cephy's face fell. “I don't want to get separated. I want to stick with you.”
    “I know, but we might not have a choice. We might have to split up, and I want you to be able to look after yourself if we do.” Cephy was lucky that she had taken her in. Left to herself she would have died in Blackrock, just like Rachael would have died out here without the fire. They needed each other, and for the first time in her life Rachael didn't mind being dependent on somebody else. Both of them knew what it was like to be on their own. She could trust Cephy, and in return she would look after her.
    Thinking it over, Cephy nodded. “Can you show me how to hunt?”
    Rachael frowned. “I'm not a hunter myself. I'll show you what I know, but it won't be enough to feed you properly. You'll need to find a town if we get separated. Find a couple, or maybe an old lady. They'll have no reason to be suspicious of you if you don't set fire to anything.”
    “What if they are mean to me?”
    Rachael paused. When people had been mean to her she had run away, or kicked them where it hurt when they had been men and had tried things, but setting fire to someone was not the same. She wanted Cephy to be brave enough to defend herself if it came to that, but setting someone on fire would kill them. It would only add to their problems.
    “You can't burn someone just because they are mean to you. You can defend yourself if someone tries to hurt you, but don't use your fire unless there's no other way.”
    Cephy nodded, looking unsure.
    “Can I use it to hunt rabbits?”
    “Only if no one is watching.” Starting a new life would be difficult enough for them as it was. Being careless, no matter how safe they felt, wasn't an option.
    A shadow fell over the girl's face, causing the fire to flicker.
    “Look a'that! Cornered like foxes!”
    Rachael's heart stopped. There were two men standing in front of them, blocking the only exit. Men wearing the armor of the White City. She couldn't move her head to look at Cephy, somehow hoping that they hadn't spotted them yet, but she knew that Cephy was just as frozen in fear.
    She didn't dare move. For the moment she had forgotten how. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to go in these wide open forests where these two men wouldn't find them. They likely hadn't come alone, either. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, remembering the merciless voice of their commander. One of these guards was stronger than both of them together—fighting them would be pointless. If the commander was nearby it was over.
    The man who had spoken had the worst, most nasty grin Rachael had ever seen. Even those men who had tried to rape her in Blackrock hadn't looked as evil as those two men did now. “Like pretty lil' foxes! I say we take 'em back to the commander. He'll be happy to see their pretty faces unharmed. More fun for 'im.”
    The bigger of the two reached out, grabbing hold of Rachael's arms. His grip was so tight it hurt, and when he jerked her up on to her feet her bones twisted painfully.
    Cephy screamed, trying to duck out of reach from the other man's arms, but she wasn't fast enough and his arms closed around her. He carried her away from the tree as though she were nothing but a half-filled sack of flour. Following behind,