We spotted the kidnapper before he spotted us. He seemed to have one eye on sky, so Mishtaw’s falling trick must have worked. The harp was still strapped to his back and Juniper lay still in his arms. I couldn’t tell if he had put her to sleep or if she had just given up.

“Get Juniper,” Mishtaw said before pulling her prayer needle free, pricking her wrist, and putting it away again in one fluid motion. “Blood and honor to the goddess.”

Then she let out her whooping cry and I felt my strength and agility increase, pushing our sprint through the forest even faster. The kidnapper’s attention snapped over to us at the noise but Mishtaw had timed the use of her blessing well. He likely would have noticed us in the next couple of moments anyway, and now we had the initiative and unexpected speed on our side. He started to curve away from us but Mishtaw threw her spear at the ground by his feet. He tripped over its haft and Juniper tumbled out of his arms. There was a muffled cry as she hit the ground but from what I could tell she didn’t hit any vital.

Mishtaw closed the distance and went to knee the kidnapper in face as he got to his knees. He dropped back to the ground, her knee only hitting air, and tried to take my mentor with him. I left them to their grappling fight and hoped Mishtaw would be able to keep her edge on him despite his higher strength and size. If I tried to get involved I’d probably just get the way, so I did what I was told and circled around the fight to reach Juniper.

She was struggling against her bonds now, but without something sharp to cut them on she was doing a better job of bruising herself than twisting free. At some point the kidnapper has tied up her ankles and linked that cord to the one tying her wrists together. I pulled off her gag and got to work on cutting ankles free. Better that she could run first.

“How are you here?” She stared at me, wide-eyed.

I recalled a previous conversation and smiled back. It felt a bit feral. “Spite.”

She laughed before her gaze caught on the scene behind me. “Hurry!”

I did. The cord on her ankles snapped free and I pulled it away from her feet so she couldn’t trip over it like she had with the blanket. I was cutting through the cord on her wrists when Juniper suddenly shoved me to the side and rolled in the opposite direction. I lost my grip on my knife and it landed near Juniper. Mishtaw landed on her back exactly where we had been. A gash bleeding down the length of her left forearm.

Apparently, the kidnapper didn’t have the same restrictions against killing that we did. Or he thought he was skilled enough with his long knife that he wouldn’t cause killing injuries, but that wasn’t a smart risk to take. Not when it came to the goddess. Death was still Her domain.

We could kill the fish and other sea monsters all day long and She wouldn’t care, but as soon as Mishtaw had used her spear to trip him instead of going for a killing blow, I knew that he was supposed to be treated as any rival tribe member or Picker band thief: you could beat them senseless, tie them up in the elements if you were feeling nasty, but outright killing was asking for the goddess’s wrath.

The kidnapper strode toward us, long knife in hand. He apparently didn’t have the same qualms despite the fact that he hadn’t tried to kill me when I first ambushed him. Maybe he thought I was a child. I glowered at him as Mishtaw shot up like a snake striking, getting inside his guard. He aimed for her back, she blocked and elbowed him in the gut with her other arm. The harp’s weight threw his balance off and he crashed to the ground. Mishtaw stomped on his hand. Something snapped and he released the knife with a cry. She swiped it up as he struggled to get up off his back.

His thumb touched one of his rings. The world went white. I couldn’t see anything. Snow crunched. A series of thumps, people moving around, someone groaned in pain. I rubbed my eyes and blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision, trying not to be totally defenseless. Blurry shapes were coming into focus when Juniper screamed.

I rushed towards the noise and struck at the largest blob in my vision. It shifted and my knuckles connected with wood. Pain lanced up through my hand and up my arm. Nothing felt broken but they’d be badly bruised. Lucky.

Instead of punching again, I reached out with my other hand to grab onto whatever I could reach. Orient myself based on what I felt rather than the little I could see. A handful of tunic and the kidnapper sounded like he was cursing. Something large moved toward my head and I ducked before his arm could clip me in the ear. Juniper was close, screaming that he couldn’t take something.

I reached up and latched onto the arm that had almost hit me. Better to be a hindrance than a liability. I bit too. A painful hindrance.

He yelled and tried to pry me off. I refused. He’d get one arm or leg loose but I’d clamp down with the other three I still had around his arm so he couldn’t pull me free. He tried to pull me off a couple times by my waist but he couldn’t get the best angle and I did my best to make I didn’t make it any easier.

My vision cleared more so that everything was only somewhat fuzzy by the time the kidnapper found my braid and started yanking on it. Tears stung my eyes as it felt like he was pulling every single one of hairs out but I refused to let go. I didn’t know where Juniper or Mishtaw were or why it didn’t seem like they were attack him now, but I couldn’t let him gain the advantage and keep the chase going by snatching up Juniper again.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

“Let her go!” Juniper’s voice. “Let us go or I’ll cut the strings!”

An eating knife waved around on the edge of my vision. I wasn’t sure if it’d be enough to snap string that had stood up to the elements for who knew how many years and I doubted the kidnapper understood a word of she said. But he did seem to understand that Juniper was on his back with a knife and he didn’t like that. He started reaching for her instead of me and I did everything I could to hinder his movements.

It didn’t take him long to decide enough was enough. He strode over purposefully to a tree and slammed me against its trunk. On the third hit the hand that had punched the harp refused to grip anything and everything else felt one giant bruise too. He pried me off him and threw me onto the ground. Then he went after Juniper. She was perched on the harp, clinging to it and crouched down so he couldn’t reach her.

I tried to get up, to keep fighting, but my left arm and leg weren’t ready to support much weight after being thrown into a tree three times. My vision cleared all the way and I finally spotted Mishtaw. On the ground. Not moving.

I didn’t want to believe she could go down so easily. That she would be gone right after I got her back. That without her this fight was going just as badly as the first one.

The fight needed to be over. Now. If she was dying time was of the essence.

So what did I have?

My spear, though I couldn’t kill him. My sling and stones. My waterskin and random pouches filled with things that weren’t helpful right now…and Rawley’s gift. The poisoner’s pouch I had neglected since healing was officially taken from me. I hadn’t replaced the jar that had shattered during the water snake fight or two others that had cracked. Nor had I added more poisons to have on hand, but I did still have my mostly full jar of the Black Root poison. As long as I didn’t give the kidnapper too much, it could be the advantage we needed.

I just needed to get up and shove some in his mouth.

The kidnapper was slipping out of the straps he had put on the harp so he could go after Juniper more easily. I wouldn’t make it in time. Trying for the next best option I had strained to pull my short spear free. It was made to come out of its spot easily if I used my right hand but that hand was useless since I punched the harp and my left arm wasn’t much better after the beating it took against the tree.

Juniper leapt off the harp and ran for it. The kidnapper scrambled to get the harp back properly in place on his back before he chased after her. That gave Juniper the time she needed to set her trap. I saw her cupped hands, the water dribbling behind her, the glowing pearl on her forehead. The kidnapper didn’t—or didn’t care. He stepped down on the wet ground.

“Surge!”

At Juniper’s command the water surged up around him. He thrashed for a bit before he suddenly focused on Juniper and stilled. Then he reached up and touched his necklace. The bubble of water burst and he landed on the ground with a small thump. He started forward again but hesitated when Juniper raised her cupped hands threateningly. One of his hands reached back protectively around the harp. I doubted Juniper could do her special move again right away but at least she made the threat convincing.

More water poured out over her cupped fingers.

I also wasn’t sure how he had canceled out her power but I hoped he couldn’t do it repeatedly either. He glanced around at the three of us and the bird circling overhead. I did my best to look threatening while focusing on the harp. The storm bird let out a fierce cry and dove for the trees.

The kidnapper said something that didn’t sound kind and pulled the harp off his back again. I could see where this was going and I had no way to stop it. Not from this distance. I shoved myself up and ignored the screaming pain as I tried to make my left leg take my weight. It held until I tried to take a step. Then I was nose down in the snow and dirt while his fingers were nearly to the strings.

A rock struck him in the back of the head. I turned my head to find Mishtaw up on one knee, sling in hand. He slumped, nearly falling over before he braced himself on the harp. Blood was already staining the back of his shirt. He shook his head while bringing one hand back to the strings. Another stone hit him in the shoulder but he played a note.

High and sweet it swept through the air and tiredness immediately dragged at my eyelids. Interestingly it seemed to drag at the kidnapper too. He slumped more against the harp as we all fought to stay awake. A branch broke over head before the storm bird’s loud cry jolted me fully awake. Thankfully it hadn’t plummeted into sleep right away but it had lost control of its flight long enough to hit a tree branch. Now the storm bird was flying away as quickly as it could.

Juniper drooped where she stood and Mishtaw had collapsed back tot he ground. The harp’s pull seemed to be stronger now that we right by it. One note had nearly pulled me under when Prevna and I had lasted for minutes before. He couldn’t be allowed to keep playing.

If I couldn’t walk then I’d crawl. I shoved my way forward and gritted my teeth against the pain the protested every movement.

“Plug your ears!” That was Mishtaw.

That was what I should have done the first night the kidnapper played the storming harp but then it had been the choice between that and keeping Prevna upright. Now it was the choice between that and having any ability to move forward. I chose movement even as I saw Juniper listen to Mishtaw’s advice.

He played another note and drooped closer to the ground. My eyes closed and I had to shock myself awake by burying my face in the snow. I couldn’t spare any more attention for how the others were faring but overall this was very different from the fluid music that had played on that first night even if each individual note was more powerful. Perhaps he had something to protect him from the music then.

Our eyes met as I dragged myself closer to him and something in his expression changed. Not fear but something else. With what looked like a great effort he lifted one hand and pressed one his rings between his eyes. Immediately he looked more alert but he was still bleeding from his head wound and he wobbled as he stood up. He played one more note and nearly collapsed again. He spat something like a curse, got the harp back on his back, and cast one last look at all of us. Then he ran off. Slower and more wobbly than before but still too quick for any us to catch him with our own injuries.