"Mari won't pay to get her back if she's dead," a fourth rider objected.

"We'll still get the reward promised for the boy. But, yeah, I want her alive. I want the joy of listening to her screams as we chop off her fingers one at a time and send them to her mother."

Kira felt her entire body go cold despite the growing heat of the sun. She looked toward Jason and saw him gaping at her, horrified.

But some of the other riders laughed. "You want her to die slow?" one asked.

"Die? Blazes, no! Mari will get her back alive, but that girl won't be in very good shape by then!" More laughter followed the statement.

Kira concentrated on breathing slowly and carefully, her eyes focused on the strands of the grasses just before her face. She knew what hate was, had heard of the things hate could cause people to do, but had never heard hate spoken so clearly, had never heard it directed at her.

Fear threatened to paralyze her, but Kira remembered her father's calm face, her mother's determination, and let some anger build in her to help her think. She was lying on her stomach, unable to reach her pistol without moving a lot, but if the riders saw them and started coming up the bluff she would have time to—

One of the riders glanced up toward the top of the bluff, seeming to look straight at Kira through the screen of grass stalks.

She stopped breathing, wishing she could still the rapid beating of her heart, which felt like it was loud enough to be heard down on the road. Her right hand quivered, ready to plunge inside her jacket where her pistol rested.

Chapter 6

"Let's go." The rider looking toward Kira finally glanced away as he and the others dismounted, the group spreading out on the road and to either side, the men and women leading their horses as they walked them south away from the crossroads.

Kira inhaled cautiously, feeling weak with relief. She waited until the group was at least a hundred lances away before daring to whisper to Jason. "We'll have to wait here until they get far enough way they won't see or hear us."

Jason shook his head. "You've got to go back."

"What?"

"Didn't you hear what they said?"

Kira had to take another deep breath to control her voice. "Yes, I heard. I told you my mother's enemies might come after me."

"You didn't say they'd torture you and maim you and…and who knows what else!" Jason insisted.

"I didn't know," Kira admitted.

"I never would've agreed to let you come along," Jason said. "I'll keep on north, keep trying to hide, maybe draw them off if they come back this way, but you head east. That cavalry they talked about will protect you, right?"