Despite his clumsiness, I was stuck two stories high with no way down. He would catch me within a matter of seconds, and if I jumped, I would surely break something.
I looked around for something, anything, to aid me in my escape, igniting my hands at the same time. I knew the fire would act as a signal to the other guards, but it was my only defense.
‘Stay back!’ I warned as the thin man drew closer. He slowed to a jog as he approached, stopping mere meters from me. ‘Come any closer, and I’ll burn you to a crisp.’
‘Don’t do anything silly now. It’ll only get you into more trouble,’ he said, raising a hand. ‘Why don’t you step away from that ledge?’ He took a step closer.
‘I said stay back!’
I looked over my shoulder at the teetering edge behind me. The other guards had caught up and were loitering in the street below, like alligators in a swamp, waiting to be fed. I was the meat that hung on a hook above their heads.
There was nowhere to go. I couldn’t go down, forward, or back where I had come from.
At that moment, a shadow passed over, blocking the moonlight and throwing us into darkness. The thin man looked around for the source, but nothing could be found, and no clouds were in the sky. He dismissed it as a trick of the night and focused his attention on me, but I knew better. The temporary darkness had been a signal.
‘Sorry,’ I said to the thin man. ‘I really have to go now.’
‘And how do you plan on doing that?’ He could barely hide the sneer on his sunken face.
I took a step backwards so my heels were teetering over the edge, as if I were a diver preparing for a spectacular back-flip into a pool.
‘You’ll break your neck, kid,’ he said, his oversized adam’s apple bobbing noticeably as he gulped. ‘Not that it makes much difference to me. If you jump, it’ll be much easier to take you in.’
I put my hand to my forehead in a sarcastic salute and allowed myself to fall backwards from the roof. The air rushed past me, and all sound ebbed away for the split second I was falling. Something large and furry swooped beneath me, catching me in mid-fall. I clung to the long, white fur as we leapt into the air, taking flight immediately, leaving the stunned guards on the ground below.
I whooped and cheered with delight, throwing my leg over Hawthorne’s back and raising my arms in the air. The wind whipped through my damp hair, drying it quickly. This really was an excellent example of how in-tune Hawthorne was to my needs. He was the Yin to my Yang, and my gratitude did not need to be expressed for I knew he could feel it emanating from my very being.
It was time to leave Scyre, but I still had nowhere to go. Staying at an Inn or lodge was out of the question for I had no coin, and was sure to be recognised. The Realm had made it very hard for me to go anywhere unnoticed.
But then it occurred to me: R?ven. I could go to R?ven’s home in Frost Arch – she would take me in and look after me. I did not like the idea of going back there, but what choice did I have? I needed somewhere to stay.
‘Let’s go to Frost Arch,’ I called to Hawthorne, who looked over his shoulder wearily. ‘We’ll visit R?ven!’
Reluctantly, Hawthorne changed his direction, heading North.
I was extremely tired, and the cold wind against my eyeballs didn’t help much. It was becoming harder and harder to stay awake, and soon, I felt myself nodding off, straddling Hawthorne’s back as if he were a giant pillow. I wasn’t scared of sliding from his back because he was so vast, and my fingers were entwined through his fur.
Hawthorne landed in a large patch of farmland an hour later, and we slipped into an abandoned shed. The floor was littered with straw and grain, but at least we were warm and dry. It took mere minutes for me to fall asleep, buried in a large bundle of hay. I only hoped that I did not ignite the dry straw.
~
I was being poked - hard.
I groaned and rolled over, but the poking continued. Grumbling, I curled into the fetal position.
‘She’s alive,’ whispered a high voice.
‘I thought she was dead!’ said another.
It took a long time for me to realize that I did not know these voices. It took an even longer time to realize that I was not at home.
I opened my eyes, which proved difficult as they were so congested with sleep they stuck together.
‘She’s waking up!’
‘Why do you think she slept in the barn?’ the high voice asked.
‘Maybe she’s homeless.’
‘Should we get Dad?’
‘No! What if he sends her away?’
‘She might be dangerous!’
‘Girls can’t be dangerous. They’re girls.’
‘Shut up! They can too be dangerous!’
I rubbed my eyes and peered around for the source of the voices. It was bright in the barn; light was streaming in through the open doors. Two silhouetted figures stood in front of me, one of them holding a long, wooden stick to poke me with. They were small, barely four foot each.
‘Who’s that?’ I grumbled.