We sit there a moment longer in silence before Ethan turns to me again.
"Nothing's going to happen to you, brother. But if, god forbid, it did, you know I'd take care of Ana. And your kid.”
I'll be fine, I'm sure. I've more experience in hand to hand combat than most men twice my age. But for some reason I can't ignore, something isn't sitting right. Something’s wrong.
Maybe it's the men I don't know around me, or how last-minute planning for tonight was. Maybe it's just Ana's pregnancy, fuck knows that's throwing me off.
Keeping my body and mind tight and ready, I wait, and I watch.
A few minutes later, the faint sounds of horseshoes carry from the distance and we all grip our weapons tighter.
It's time for a fight.
Two dozen of us are hiding along the sides of the path, more than enough to overpower the dozen or so that remain even though they are on horseback with better weapons. The noises get closer and I’m grateful for the bright moon, illuminating the trail before us. I still can’t shake the uneasy feeling.
When they turn the corner, I see Ana and Tahar riding out front and feel the corner of my lip turn up. Exactly where she is supposed to be.
I’ve got Brutus just ahead of me, his only job is to get Ana to safety when the fighting starts. Omer and a few of his boys have a few tricks up their sleeves, including a few of them hiding in branches above. One of the boys catches my eye, a glint of the blade in his hand shines through the leaves and I’m reminded of myself at that age.
So far so good.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ana
The twisting and cramping in my stomach continues though I hold my head high as we make our way into the forest. It takes all my focus not to bend over and hug my middle as the pain increases. Something sharp stabs my belly and I have to swallow to keep a moan from passing my lips. Perhaps the fish we ate earlier, I tell myself.
Breathing out, I give a wan smile to Tahar.
"Just this way, into the forest. I'll show you where I saw him."
My entire form is tensed as I lead my horse forward onto the path out of Tekir. The moon illuminates most of the path, but things always look different at night. My eyes are peeled for a certain tree I know we’ll pass in a few moments. Ax and whoever he enlisted will be waiting after that and once I hit a second marker, I’m to say I’m getting off to go to the bathroom. Once I’m off my horse, that’s the sign for the others. Then my only job is to run like hell.
With how I’m feeling right now, that’s not a hard ask. My back is spasming with every movement of the horse and I feel nauseous at the pain.Just anxiety, I tell myself.Just a few more minutes.
A few blades are tucked into sheaths around my body, but with the stupid dress I’m wearing I won’t be able to draw as quickly as I’d like. As much as being in the fight does sound amazing, I know I need to leave this one to Ax.
My head begins to pound as the churning in my gut increases.
Just a bit further.
We turn a corner and from the distance I can see the tree. Keeping my head forward, my eyes dart to and from the sides of the road for any sign of the others. I suppose I should be grateful I don’t see anything.
“That’s far enough,” Tahar says, stopping twenty or so feet from the tree. Panic rises in me, but I try not to let it show.
“It was just up here,” I say pointing. “I can sh—”
“No. We’ll come back when it’s light,” he turns and nods to his men who all start to turn. I frantically try to think of what I can possibly do to urge them forward, just a bit more, when I see a glint in the tree branches above us. At first, I think it’s an animal, the light catching the reflection of its eyes. My own eyes widen without thinking when I realize it’s Omer, moving through the trees silently above our heads.
Tahar turns to look at me sitting there in the road and I realize I can’t warn Omer without alerting Tahar.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” I announce, getting off my horse without further preamble.
Tahar opens his mouth, I think to object, but before he can a childish war-cry sounds out.
“Omer, no!”
The boy drops onto The Watch leaders head and the chaos begins. The other Watch members start to turn on hearing their leader cry out. In front of us, the bushes begin to move.