The Rebel Assassin

Chapter 42: An Exploration

"So are we just going to leave him here?" Joshua asked.

I dragged my eyes from Iso's body. "What?"

"I mean, I know how to hide a body, but we need to get out of here, so I don't think we have time for that." Joshua jerked his head toward a few of the braver, gaping neighbors who were watching us from doorways and windows.

I checked that my hood was still covering as much of my face as possible and got to my feet, brushing off the snow as well as I could. "Good point. He can just... stay here. Let's go." I strode off purposefully.

"Other way, Laerhart."

I turned back and rolled my eyes at him.

"Great," he sighed. "We're not going back yet, are we?"

"Obviously not. His horse is right here." It watched me suspiciously as I approached and began to untether it.

"I hate not knowing why you're doing what you're doing," he complained. "It always means I'm going to hate it even more when I find out."

"Stop griping and take that lantern. And get ready to run."

"What? Why?"

"Because we have to follow this horse," I said. And then I threw my arms up and screamed.

The horse spooked back and ran down the street. I took off after it. Joshua's curses, and then his body, followed me.

"Laerhart! What the hell!"

"Save your breath!" I yelled back. The horse galloped ahead of us, only slowing at corners. It was our second chase of the night and my shoulder was killing me. Eventually I had to slow down, gasping and clutching my shoulder until I staggered to a halt.

"Are you alright?" Joshua asked hoarsely. He held onto my arm as I bent over, braced my hands on my knees.

"Fine," I forced out.

"No, you're not. And you pushed yourself for no reason. We lost the horse. Sit down on these steps and rest for a minute, and then we'll go back to the Hall. Nemia's going to kill me for letting you do this."

"Probably," I agreed. "But we don't have time to rest. Give me the lantern."

He handed it over reluctantly, and I swung it over the ground. Deep hoof prints stretched down the road in the snow and slush. There were plenty of other prints from the traffic of the day, but they were recent enough to recognize.

"You give up too easily. Come on." I was in a lot of pain, but I was too awake and exhilarated for that to stop me from following the horse's tracks down the street. We didn't have to walk long. Around and down the next twist in the street, I saw the horse whickering impatiently in front of an inn's stables.

"Alright, I get it," Joshua said. "Scared horses go back to their stalls. Iso must have been staying here."

"You could at least try to sound more impressed."

"I am rarely impressed when you make me do sprints several times in one night. And I want you to think long and hard about why you're the kind of person who has made me do that more than once."

He was referring to a prank me and Nick had pulled when I was fifteen, which had involved stealing the left shoes of every high ranking guard in the castle during the night, and ended with Joshua chasing me barefoot across the training grounds. The memory brought a smile to my face. "Because," I said, leading him to the inn's door, "I have interesting hobbies."

He scoffed. "That's one way of putting it. What, do you bring lock picks with you everywhere you go?" he added as I pulled a pouch from my pocket.

I glanced up from the lock. "You don't?"