The Bounty Hunter

Chapter Thirty Five

“You threw us out of a window?”

“It wasn’t very high,” he said casually, “but it was difficult. I could have landed on your spine or something. I tell you, next time you need me to break you out of some stupid situation I’d prefer it if you were conscious. It makes it much easier. Plus then you can actually fight and contribute somewhat to our escape.”

“I’ve never needed you to get me out of anything!” she cried and Hergun looked at her knowingly. “Okay fine, apart from the one you just rescued me from. What happened after that?”

“I got changed in a friend’s house and drove you out of the city buried under the pile of carpets which were in the cart.”

“This is the most ridiculous story you have ever told me and I remember when you once claimed to have escaped a bar fight by pretending to be the queen of a foreign country,” she muttered.

“Darling I make a fabulous queen,” he chuckled.

“Oh it’s good to see you again Hergun,” Safita grinned as she wrapped her arms around him. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too Safita,” he said, “the Outlands aren’t the same without you.”

“Oh you’ll find some other unlucky orphan to raise in time,” she mumbled into his enormous chest, “you don’t need me.”

“I want you though. You can’t just erase years of friendship like that.”

“But I can bloody well try,” Safita laughed as she elbowed him in the ribs. “Wait… aren’t you at risk of being executed while we’re on this side of the wall?”

Hergun rolled his eyes and sighed. “Maybe.”

“You’re the most stupid person I have ever met,” she responded quickly.

He interrupted her before she could start shouting at him though and said, “Stop! I might be at risk of being executed but I just saved you from certain execution so you can hold your tongue Miss. Besides I was planning on heading back to the Outlands so we’ll be perfectly safe in a week or two.”

“Hergun?” She examined the ground beneath her feet and the mud which coated her shoes as she avoided looking at him. It had obviously rained the night before and the yellowed grass under her feet was wearing thin, not helped by the way she ground her shoes into it.

“Yes?”

“We can’t… go back. Not yet.” She tensed up in anticipation of Hergun’s reply; she didn’t know what it was but it would probably involve some sort of teasing and possibly anger. He had, after all, risked his life to get her out of Coraina.

Eventually his voice formed two short, measured words. “Why not?”

“There are some… things I need to take care of back there.”

“Things like?”

A cool breeze blew through the trees which surrounded them, making them whisper as if they too had opinions about what Safita wanted to do; as the wind hit her skin she shivered and remembered that she was woefully unprepared for anything like this. She was still wearing the dress which she had been wearing for somewhere near a month now which was torn and thin and the flimsy fabric shoes which she had on her feet would be more than unhelpful if she had to walk for more than a day. To top it all off she was completely unarmed and was about to suggest marching right back to the centre of the new tyrant’s domain. “Things like Nell,” she replied eventually as she crossed her arms and hugged herself tight, “and Finred and Favia.”

“Your brother’s in the castle?” he asked surprised.

“I dragged him down with me Hergun,” she moaned, pinching the bridge of her nose tightly, “he was so successful; he had such a perfect life. He didn’t know anything about me, anything about the Outlands even, and then I burst back into his life and corrupted him, just like I’ve corrupted everything else I’ve touched. The one thing, Hergun, the one thing I had while I was out in that accursed place and I’ve destroyed it!”