EXCERPT TWO: Meet
Jared and Sophia . . .
Jared nodded at Sophia and Kezeah
without any sign of recognition. With two of his Pledged up front and two at
their rear, he marched them down the corridor to a flight of stairs. Once at
the bottom, he ducked beneath an archway, opening onto to a gloomy, narrow
tunnel. Erin, never keen on dark, claustrophobic spaces, took a deep breath and
paused.
“C’mon,” Seth said. “The sooner
we walk through it, the quicker we get to the other side.”
“What happens if what’s on the
other side is even worse?”
“Then you’ll know for sure that
the dead guys are leading this expedition,” Seth said, wanting to deny the painful
burning in his heart that reconnected him with a cursed Jared. He grabbed
Erin’s arm and pulled her into the passage.
They’d taken no more than two
tentative steps along the uneven floor when Sophia stopped. “Commander, I am not walking through this snake-hole!”
Jared turned back to look at her.
With none of the fear or diffidence Erin and Seth expected from a boy with limited
to exposure to girls – especially beautiful ones – he answered, “Of course, my
lady. You’re from Norin, where I understand you live in grass huts.” He gave a
sardonic smile. “But don’t despair, you’ll soon get used to bricks. Even our
own Outcasts have learnt not to flinch at the sight of them.” He continued down
the passage.
Seth’s mouth dropped at Jared’s rudeness;
this was so foreign to the Jared he had seen just moments ago in his vision. It
just added to his anger at Reuel’s Curse.
The Pledged at Sophia’s rear
prodded her back; she gave him a fierce look and started walking.
For Seth and Sophia, both taller
than Erin and Kezeah, negotiating the tortuous twists and turns of the tunnel
was no easy matter. Stooping, cursing each time they bumped their heads on the
rough ceiling, they struggled after Jared, but he kept up the merciless pace
until they reached a dark staircase.
Her temper now as short as her
breath, Sophia stopped walking and locked her arms across her chest. “Having
just cracked my skull open, you now expect me to scramble up those treacherous
stairs too. No doubt hoping I’ll fall and break my neck. Well, forget it. I’m
not moving.”
“Sophia!” Kezeah whispered,
jabbing her in the ribs as she stepped gingerly onto the first narrow step.
Sophia ignored her. “Only savages
and rats live in places like this.”
Jared’s
eyes narrowed. “Savages and rats, you say, my lady?”
Sophia set her face into a cold
stare, locking her hypnotic blue eyes on his.
He surprised her by holding her
gaze. “I hate to disappoint you, my lady, but Lord Rustus, Lord of the
Household, under the direction of the Overlord himself, has chosen your
apartment. Surely you don’t question their judgment in this matter?”
“As a
matter of fact, I do.”
“In
that case, I’ll gladly pass on your concerns. If that’s what you really want.”
“Enough,
Sophia. This isn’t a fight you can win.” Sophia’s Guardian had joined
them.
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