I tried to pull free. Ruairi squeezed my fingers so hard I felt my bones crunch. “Ruairi, you’re hurting me.”
He grinned, his fangs dangerously close to my throat. “Foolish human. My name’s not Ruairi.”
Oh god. . .
His eyes. They weren’t gold.
They were black.
I yanked and twisted in a useless attempt to escape. The man’s eyes landed on something behind me. Before I could turn, a balled-up rag smothered my nose and mouth, stifling my cry for help.
Then the world descended into darkness.
* * *
Something scratchy and rough rubbed against my sore cheek. I opened my eyes but saw nothing. Opened or closed, my eyes saw only black.
The breeze kissed my face, meaning there wasn’t anything over my head.
My eyes were open.
They were open, dammit! Why couldn’t I see?
Oh god.
I was blind.
Whatever they’d put on that rag had rendered me sightless. How could I hope to escape if I couldn’t see where I’d been or where I needed to go?
My hands flopped lifelessly in front of me, bound with coarse rope that bit into my skin. Twisting only made the ropes tighter.
“Hurry it on,” a woman hissed, her voice harsh and grating.
“Do ye want to carry her?” a man ground out.
My body bobbed and swayed. From the way the man’s body shifted beneath my abdomen, I knew he was carrying me over his shoulder.
“If he finds us, we’ll wish for death.”
The man snorted. “He won’t give a shite.”
“You don’t see the way he watches her.”
Rían.
They were talking about Rían.
The woman must’ve seen through our ruse. If Rían found these people, he’d tear them apart. But he wasn’t in Tearmann. Even if he returned in time, how would he know I was missing? What if he came too late?
I couldn’t rely on him to save me this time. I needed to find a way to save myself.
Maybe I couldn’t see, but I could listen. Two sets of footsteps. One heavy and lumbering. One swift and light.
And breathing. The man, slow and steady. The woman, wheezy and ragged.
Twigs breaking. And water. Not close, far away.
Maybe I couldn’t see, but I could smell.