Flick pulled even with Kyra. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”
“The Agan brothers found me as I was leaving the compound. Started taunting me about Idalee, and then they started threatening me.”
“They attacked you?”
Had they attacked her? Flick was clearly willing to believe that it had been self-defense. And in part, it had been—once they’d laid hands on her. But she’d had a chance to flee—she’d wanted an excuse not to. Kyra shook her head. It was hard even to think back on it. Every time she did, her battle lust crept back like a slow fog. She didn’t dare think about what would happen if it took over.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
To her relief, Flick didn’t push her. “We’ll need to figure out where to go.”
Kyra watched the ground pass under her feet. “I can’t stay in the city. There’s too many people looking for me, but it’s different for you. There’s no manhunt out for you, and you’ll have trouble from the Palace if you disappear. You’d be labeled a deserter.”
Flick considered this. “They’ll likely bring me in for questioning if I stay in the city. Even if they don’t, the best I have to look forward to is patrolling the forest with my unit tomorrow. I’ll take my chances as a deserter.”
She nodded, selfishly relieved. “Is there anyone you can take shelter with out here?”
“I have a friend who lives at the edge of the forest. We can try her.”
“What do you think, Idalee? And Lettie?” said Kyra.
Bells started ringing in the city just then, and Kyra’s heart nearly jumped out of her throat. She felt Flick’s hand on her back. “Keep walking.”
Hoofbeats sounded from the direction of the main road. A man shouted commands. Kyra looked around in panic for a place to go.
“The haystack,” Idalee said.
The houses had steadily become more spaced out as they walked, changing gradually into farms and fields. The haystack Idalee mentioned was piled taller than a man and cast a significant shadow in the moonlight. They ran for it. Idalee pulled Lettie next to the pile and ducked behind her protectively as Kyra and Flick settled in next to them, crouching in the hard-packed snow. They waited there, listening to the voices until they finally faded.
They continued like this, walking when they could and taking cover when they heard any sign of the search. And though they avoided capture, it was becoming clear that they couldn’t keep this up for long. Lettie started to stumble, and Idalee stared blankly ahead as she walked. Kyra found herself watching Idalee out of the corner of her eye. Ilona certainly wouldn’t have approved of such exertion.
Finally Flick raised a hand and indicated a small cottage in the distance.
“Is that it?” Kyra asked.
“Aye. Wait while I see if she’s there.” Flick paused. “I’m going to have to tell her everything, Kyra. I’d not feel right about it otherwise.”
“Tell her what you must,” said Kyra. “Everybody will know soon enough.”
Flick hadn’t been exaggerating when he said this house was at the edge of the forest. It would have been possible to throw a stone from the back door and hit one of the trees. Kyra, Idalee, and Lettie crouched in a dip off the road. It was very dark now, and they couldn’t see Flick near the house or know if he’d been let in. Lettie leaned on Kyra’s shoulder, then slowly tipped into her lap. The girl had fallen asleep.
“Kyra?” Idalee’s voice came timidly out of the darkness.
“I’m here,” she said.
There was a silence before Idalee spoke. “Did you kill Santon because of what they did to me?”
Kyra wondered if her heart would stop beating. She was glad for the darkness just then, and grateful Idalee could not see her face. “It all happened really quickly.”