Free Mine to Fear by Janeal Falor Page B

return to the others when
a flash of bright green catches my eye. I dart behind the nearest
tree, wait a moment, then peek around it. A warlock all right. A
guard from the way he's scanning the scene. Yet clearly not doing a
good enough job since he hasn't noticed me yet. Over-confidence in
others is a blessing in times like these.
    I follow him silently for several minutes.
He tracks first north then south, passing by the original spot I
saw him. When he heads back, I figure this must be the area he's in
charge of and since I haven't seen anyone else, silencing him would
be best.
    Instinct says to spell him, only with my
skill level, I can't guarantee it will work for long. Best knock
him out the old fashioned way, I guess.
    After finding the biggest rock I can, I hide
behind a tree and wait for him to go past. Only he doesn't move
past. Where is he? There's a crunch of leaves. Here he comes. I
grip the rock tight in my hand and whirl around the tree, arm
raised high. I bring the rock down only to realize there is no
guard, only Jack.
    Oh well. I continue to bring my arm down
anyway.
    He sidesteps, grabs my arm, and shoves it
toward the ground, making me drop the rock. “You took too long
getting back. I already took out the guard.”
    I huff at him. Almost had the guard and him
taken care of. Annabelle better know what she's doing trusting him.
Though I hate to do so, Mother did instill manners in me. I let out
a gruff, “Thank you.”
    I twirl away from him and hurry back to
Annabelle and Tawny. My breathing is uneven as I return to the
hidden spot. I lift the hatch. They're patiently waiting in the
hidden room. “It's safe now. Are they going to be able to track you
through any of the things you left behind?”
    Jack and Tawny should know what I'm talking
about, but I expect to need to explain it to Annabelle, but she
says, “Daniel spelled all of my things long ago not to be attached
to me. They won't be able to spell any of my items to find us.”
    “ He's not at all like other Chardonian
warlocks.”
    “ No, he isn't. One of the biggest
reasons he worked so hard to get on the council and to gain
supporters was to fight against the Grand Chancellor.” Her voice
cracks. “And now it's the reason he's gained a death
sentence.”
    Tawny and I both give her a quick hug.
It's all there's time for. It sounds like Daniel prepared for
something like this to happen, but not being separated from
the wife he so clearly cherishes.
    “ I forgot our packs,
Tawny.”
    “ All my important things were back
home.”
    “ And I have nothing of importance, so
my things won't be a problem,” Jack adds.
    If I wasn't so worried about him turning on
us, I'd feel sad for him. Everyone should have at least one thing
of importance. And why wouldn't a Chardonian warlock have something
like that?
    “ I'm like Tawny and left my important
things back in Envado,” I say. “Thank you for having these packs
ready for us, Annabelle. They'll be vital. Let's go.”
    We're walking for maybe five minutes when I
hear a noise. I stop and put my hand up in the air. The others go
instantly silent. There's a crunch close by to the right. That had
better be some sort of animal. Another crunch follows and another,
sounding all too much like the footsteps of a person. Drat.
    I glance toward where the sound is coming
from. There's a flash of black. A law officer. Just what we don't
need. With a little luck, he'll walk right by us without noticing
our presence. I hold my breath as he continues by. And he keeps
going. We've made it.
    Suddenly, the man looks back, staring
straight into my eyes. I don't think, just react, slamming a
punching spell into him, the bright black and green smashing into
him twice more. He falls back.
    “ Run.”
    The others take off after me, Jack bringing
up the rear. There's no time to think whether or not this is going
to work against us. There's more crashing through the brush coming
our way. The disturbance must have