Soul of the Crow: An Epic Dark Fantasy (Reapers of Veltuur Book 1), стр. 28

“I—we’re not—no one’s hurrying.” It is my meager attempt at a lie, and I regret it immediately.

The first man pins me down with his amber eyes that seem to glow against his midnight skin. “Do not lie to us, Prince Acari.”

Fear dizzies me. I guess I had more faith in our disguises than I should’ve, but it’s still surprising. No one else in the town seemed to notice me once we changed our garments, so why would these bandits be able to spot me from a distance? And so instantly?

Unless…unless they’ve been following us.

I am trembling more fiercely than my sister is, but I squeeze her closer once again pretending to be strong for her.

“Is that the girl you saw?” the bandit asks, turning to another of his gang.

A young girl, probably not too far from me in age, steps forward, taking Gem’s face in hand. It happens so quickly that I don’t have time to pull her away, but I do notice that one of the girl’s fingers is cut down to the knuckle, scarred over.

“Yes. This is her,” the bandit girl says, nodding back to the bear-of-a-bandit leader.

“Hand over the princess willingly, and we’ll let you go freely.”

Dread freezes me. He said princess, as if he knew who Gem was. But he can’t possibly know that. No one knows. Gem has been a well-kept secret her entire life. No one was allowed to see or meet her when she was born, and since my father forced my mother to wear clothes of mourning for the first month after Gem’s birth, everyone just assumed the baby didn’t survive. Only six people knew about her: my father, myself, my late mother, my late brother, Hayliel, and Esabel.

My eyes fall to Gem only to find her staring up at me, fear wide in her pupils. Her unbrushed locks fall away from her face and down her back, coarse like the coat of a black wolf. I suppose if they looked hard enough, they could see the resemblance between the two of us, our skin the same tawny shade, our hair black as night, our eyes the same shape, although where hers matches her hair, mine are green like our mother’s.

Regardless of how they know she is the princess, I decide it’s best not to argue the point. I’d only be lying, and I’m neither great at it, nor do we have the time. What I am great at though—or at least what I’ve been trained to do—is rely on my privileged upbringing.

“Our family is rather influent—”

The man’s face contorts as he looks at me like I’m speaking a different language.

“I mean, I can pay you well,” I blurt, realizing I don’t even know how much rupees the shopkeeper gave us. Likely not as much as I’m used to carrying.

The bandit bear shrugs. “I have a better idea. We take the rupees and the girl.”

“I—I can pardon your crimes. Whatever forced you into the life of a bandit, I—I can make it go away. You wouldn’t have to live in the woods anymore. You wouldn’t have to be afraid of getting caught. You could pursue professions, make a living, have families, live normal lives.”

They’re silent for a moment, so long I start to think my bargain has worked. A prideful, though uneasy smile breaks free from my hold. Then they burst into laughter, everyone except the bear bandit who remains stoic and menacing.

“Nice try, kid,” chuckles the man with a birthmark. “But no one could’ve made that life sound more boring than you.” He pauses for another hearty bout of laughter before returning his attention to me, joy vanishing from his expression. “Besides, what we run from, you can’t pardon.”

The solemnness becomes contagious, as each bandit turns inward in their reflection. It’s a moment that I’m sure we can use to our advantage, if only I knew just what they were talking about. Surely, I can offer them something. Anything would be more important to them than a princess that no one knows exists.

But I don’t have time to think of anything else. The bandit bear steps forward, reaching into his pocket. Gem and I recoil, but he holds up his other hand in a somehow trustworthy gesture. I stand still, letting him approach.

When he pulls his hand out, he raises a closed fist to his mouth. “Enough chitchat. It’s time to sleep now.”

My eyes widen when I realize what he’s about to do.

He opens his palm face-up and blows on the dust inside. Pollen from the daminila flower sifts into the air on a direct path to mine and Gem’s faces. I don’t even have to inhale; it just works its way up my nostrils, and I fall asleep before my body thuds to the ground.