The Elves of Cintra (Book 2 of The Genesis of Shannara)

“All right,” he said, and walked reluctantly toward the speaker.

PANTHER, SITTING IN THE driver’s seat of the AV and holding up both hands to show that he meant no harm, waited until the Knight of the Word and his captors were out of sight before taking a quick head count of the guards that had been left behind. Three, at least. Might be a fourth back behind the hay wagon; he couldn’t be sure. The two standing in front of the AV were human, but the other one looked bigger and stronger. A Lizard, probably. They were all wrapped in dark clothing that partially concealed their features, so he couldn’t be sure.

One of the two in front walked over to him and glanced inside. “Shut down the AV,” he said.

Panther reached down and with one hand turned off the AV

and with the other released the safety on the Parkhan Spray shoved down between his seat and the door. If they were taking the Knight of the Word away, they weren’t bringing him back, no matter what that guy said. Which meant, in turn, that once they had disposed of him, they wouldn’t need the Ghosts, either. The choices were crystal clear. They could sit there and wait for the inevitable or they could do something to save themselves.

Panther’s dark face tightened with determination. He already knew which choice he was going to make.

The guard who had spoken to him walked away again, looking bored. Kids, he was probably thinking. Waste of time.

“Panther, what are you doing?” Owl asked suddenly from the backseat, as if divining his intentions.

“Nothing,” he said quietly. “Yet.”

He made another quick survey of the guards, counting heads and weapons, making judgments about their abilities. Hard to tell anything about the latter until you saw what they could do. Panther wouldn’t know that until he made his move. He wasn’t going to be able to get to the Lizard right away because it was behind him. He was going to have to take out the front two and then hope he could get that one afterward. It would be risky. The other Ghosts would be exposed and in danger while it was happening. If they died, it would be his fault.

But if he didn’t do anything and they died, it would be his fault, too.

He felt his blood pumping harder. There was no way to win in this business. No way.

He was fortifying himself for what he needed to do, telling himself to stay calm, stay focused, knowing that he had never done anything like this before, never been in a position where he needed to, when he heard someone call out sharply.

“Rabbit! Come back here!”

He glanced over his shoulder. It was Lizard girl. She was climbing down off the hay wagon and running after her stupid cat, which was bounding toward the AV. The guards had turned at once, alerted by her cries.

The cat ran and then hopped, looking like it was spastic or something. Panther groaned inwardly. This was messing up everything.

“Look,” the guard who had spoken to him earlier called over to the other one. “Target practice.”

The cat got all the way to the front of the AV before the girl reached it, snatching it up just as the guards were leveling their weapons. Her hood slipped off her head, revealing her mottled face. The guards saw what she was and recoiled instinctively.

She cradled the cat closer. “The ones in the AV have got plague,” she told them. “Want to see?”

“Get back on that wagon!” the speaker snapped angrily, gesturing with his weapon.

She glared at him, and then turned and walked back toward the wagon. As she was passing the AV, she said quietly to Panther, “If you fire that Spray you’ll bring them all down on us. Let me handle this.”

She was past him before he could reply. What was she talking about, Let me handle this? Like she was some sort of special. He glanced over his shoulder at her, wanting to say something about it, but she was almost back at the wagon.

Then her stupid cat got free again and came bounding back toward the AV. She rushed after it, got to it right at the AV door, and scooped it up just as the guards were coming toward her.

“Get out of the AV,” she said to Panther without looking at him. “Drop down on all fours and pretend you’re sick.” She handed the cat to him through the window. When he hesitated, holding the cat like it was made of glass, staring at her in disbelief, she hissed, “Do you want to get out of this alive or not! Do what I say!”