Taste of Darkness

Of course, she’d fight and he’d only get two steps before she’d      zap him. And if he’d been attracted to meek women, he’d have married that      beautiful mouse his mother had tried to push on him ten years ago. Not for him.      And those qualities he loved about Avry—smart, independent, selfless, and      stubborn—were what drove her to risk her life for others.

Kerrick had followed Avry and the others until they’d reached      Chinska Mare. Then he stood at the edge of the forest as they waited in line to      enter the city. After they passed through the gate, he returned to the      horses.

Once they rescued Melina, they wouldn’t need the horses. Better      to elude pursuers without the noisy creatures. Yet... Kerrick studied the big      russet male. Despite his size, the stallion walked with a light graceful step.      And he hadn’t spooked. Not once.

The horse eyed him with intelligence. Or was that Kerrick’s      imagination? Still, Kerrick wondered if he could train the horse to move      silently through the forest. Once he found the aqueduct’s southern exit, he      wouldn’t have much else to do. And a quiet horse would be quite handy.

“What do you say, boy? You up for a challenge?” Kerrick asked,      stroking the horse’s neck.

The horse snorted and pawed the ground. Kerrick decided that      was horse for yes. He also thought the horse needed a name. Huxley was the first      name that popped into his head. Hux had been the stable master for Kerrick’s      father and had taught Kerrick how to ride and care for horses. He’d also been      one of the first to die of the plague.

“How about Hux? Do you like that name?” he asked.

Another snort and paw. Kerrick was two for two.

After he checked on the other horses, Kerrick led them to a      nearby stable and sold them. The effort to leave the forest to handle the sale      exhausted him, and he slept until late the next morning.

He mounted Hux, then headed southwest at a walk. Slacking the      reins, Kerrick let the horse choose the path while he listened to the sounds      created by Hux’s hooves on the forest floor. A rustle of leaves, a crack of a      twig and a scrape as he brushed a hoof over a fallen branch. Not bad. Most      people made more noise than that.

Kerrick spurred him into a trot. At this pace, the horse chose      his steps with more care, creating less noise. The canter was all drumming      hooves and loud crashing. Not good.

Keeping Hux did have one benefit. He’d reached the south side      of the city by late afternoon. Although the trees near the city’s southern wall      had been chopped down and the vines pulled from the marble, the rest of the      forest had been allowed to grow right up to it. He guessed the exit would be      covered with greenery.

The forest sensed the wall as a rocky barrier thwarting its      efforts to expand. Kerrick stretched his awareness, but didn’t feel any holes or      gaps. Guess he’d have to find it the old-fashioned way.

He urged Hux to go east, paralleling the wall. When they      reached a small muddy stream, Kerrick entered it and turned the horse left.      Splashing in the water, Hux raised his head as if startled, but he didn’t balk.      A few steps later, Kerrick smelled a foul odor. Probably what upset Hux. It      wasn’t mud that turned the water brown, but sewage and offal.

However, the stench meant they’d found the exit. And sure      enough, the stream led right into the wall. Bushes and saplings covered most of      the round hole, but the middle above the water remained clear.

Kerrick dismounted and examined the duct. Boot prints both      coming and going marked the mud near the water. The bushes had been pruned back      just enough to let a man pass without brushing against them. Someone had used      this exit quite recently. Probably to go inside the city, since Kerrick didn’t      sense anyone nearby.

The vegetation reached inside the duct so Kerrick led Hux away      and tied him to a tree. Then he made a torch and returned. Cringing at the      smell, he entered and explored the tunnel, hunching over so he didn’t hit his      head.

The greenery stopped when the light from the opening faded into      blackness. The pull from the forest increased with each step, but he pushed as      deep as possible. He found a wagon, which confirmed his suspicions.

Smugglers were using this passage to bring in black-market      goods. No surprise, considering all forms of entertainment were illegal in      Chinska Mare. Kerrick imagined the smugglers earned a large profit due to the      danger.