Vampire's Prey

Chapter 23: Ivan

Rahlan springs from the tree and lands on the wall. Ohan charges forward and the rope forces me to follow.

We reach the wall free of arrows. There's a shout, but it quickly becomes muffled. Something crashes to the ground just two feet away from me, and I nearly jump out of my skin. It's the guard in chainmail armor, dead from the fall. Another one of Rahlan's victims. It feels like I'm surrounded by death every day.

A rope is tossed over the side. Ohan secures it to the loop holding my wrists together. My eyes widen to the size of saucers at the thought of suffering the same fate as the guard.

"Don't worry." He pats my shoulder. "'Tis a good knot."

I hope so.

He tugs on the rope, and it's pulled upward, first raising my arms then my whole body off the ground. I groan from the stress on my shoulders. Ohan retreats back into the forest, and I'm hoisted up and onto the wall.

Rahlan begins untying Ohan's knot, but my wrists are left bound together. I glance at the sword on his belt.

We're on top of the high stone wall, and the walkway is barely wide enough for two people to pass each other. My gaze is drawn to the city and the myriad of thatch roofs. There are so many homes here. It's beautiful.

Rahlan jumps over me. Two swords clash from behind. A soldier has his blade locked with Rahlan's, and another soldier rushes towards me from the other side. I jump upright and shout to alert Rahlan, but it's muffled by the gag. There's nowhere to go. I'm trapped with a thirty-foot fall on either side of me. The soldier's sword comes flying down towards my head. I duck and use my arms as a shield.

The blade slices through my sleeve and cuts into my arm. I let out a wail in horror, but there's no immediate pain. Rahlan whips around and stabs the man in the shoulder through a gap in his chain mail mesh. The man screams, and Rahlan kicks him back, causing him to lose his balance and fall backwards off the wall.

Both soldiers are dead, leaving just Rahlan and myself.

The second it feels like I can breathe again, a sharp pain shoots up my arm and into my chest. I'm bleeding.

Rahlan grabs my arm and inspects the wound.

"You'll live," he says.

He attaches the loop connecting my wrist together to his belt and hurries across the wall. My hands are yanked forward behind him, and the sudden tension over the wound brings an intense pain. I scream.

He stops, turning back to him. My legs buckle, and I wail into the gag. My arm is dripping blood.

He unties my rope from his belt, finally realizing his mistake.

"Follow," he orders.

I shoot him a dirty look and wince from the pain again.

He heads for a guard tower, and I follow out of fear of the alternative. A young guard boy inside bolts the moment he sees us. "They're inside! They're inside!" he screams at the top of his lungs.

We hurry down the tower's steps to ground level. We're inside the city, and my arm is throbbing, but I'm relieved to be off that high wall.

He glances at me as a silent reminder to follow, and I glare back at him.

We hurry down the alleys between houses, crisscrossing from one street to the next. He's searching for something. I manage to yank the gag off my head despite my stinging wound.

We turn a corner, and he jerks backwards, pulling me with him. His hand smacks over my mouth, forcing me to stand flat against the wall beside him. Numerous metal footsteps hurry down the adjacent street.