"Is he safe?" I ask, twisting to see behind me.
The men still surround the Shadow Knight, whose stony gaze is on me rather than those who are nothing more than toilet paper in his way.
"Nay," is the honest, quiet response.
I don't recognize his voice either.
"But we must leave the pass before he loosens his rage and comes for you."
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," I murmur.
"For now, it must be enough that you are alive, and so will he be. I cannot return you to him." His tone is apologetic - yet firm, youthful and confident.
"Who's your father?"
"The Desert Knight."
That's not good. He's armed, and the medallion at my chest isn't working. My chances of escaping aren't promising. My gut is still telling me to go with him, and there's nowhere for me to run in the narrow pass with steep cliffs on either side.
We reach a pair of horses being held by one of our captors. He motions me to one and mounts the other.
I watch him and clumsily mirror his movements, finding it much more challenging to haul my ass on top of a horse than anyone around me makes it appear. Safely on top, I grip the saddle. My reins are handed over to the man who brokered my freedom.
Or maybe, who helped capture me. Uncertain what's going on, I glance back once more at the Shadow Knight.
He hasn't moved. I have a feeling he's waiting until I'm clear of the shallow valley to unleash his fury and then come kill me.
It's business, or should be, but I can't help being a little hurt that he acted like I'm no more than another weapon to use against his enemies.
We start off at a jarring trot that turns into a smooth canter. The man leads us out of the pass into the forests on the other side. His horse takes off when we hit a path through the forest, and I hold on for dear life.
The forest opens to reveal a wide dirt road running atop a cliff overlooking the ocean, and I lift my gaze from the horse's mane to stare at the dark depths of the ocean. A full moon's light manages to filter through the mists overhead and reflects off the waves far below. They appear black, and I'm astonished to see the subtle glimmer of purple, green and blue beneath the surface of the ocean.
A cold wind sweeps up the cliff and over me, piercing the thin clothing and taking my breath away. I shiver and huddle closer to the horse's neck, unable to take my gaze from the ocean stretching to the horizon.