“Where do you think that bell is coming from?”
“Not sure, but I hope we’re on the right track.”
“I wonder if it’s close.”
I didn’t want to discourage her, so I didn’t tell her the truth. During our trips in good conditions, I never heard the sound. Only in a storm could I hear the ringing of the bell, which told me it wasn’t close and the sound carried to us from its origin on the high winds.
But it was still out there. “We’ll find it.” I took a seat against the tree. “If the wind covered our journey through the snow, they’ll find never find us.”
“I hope so…”
I pulled things out of my pockets to get to my water, including the knife I hoped I didn’t have to use. I set it on the snow beside me.
“Where did you get that?” Her eyes admired the weapon that sank into the snow from its weight.
“Magnus.”
“He just gave that to you?”
“Yes.”
“So, he knew you were going to leave?”
I nodded. “He hid all my supplies under the cabin so I wouldn’t get caught.”
“How does a nice guy like that work in a place like this?”
I shrugged. “He never told me much about himself.”
“Do you think he’ll snitch?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“The guy must be in love with you or something.”
He didn’t strike me as a romantic guy. He never said anything complimentary, and he never touched me, except when he pulled me to my feet. And he had classically good-looking features, like a strong jaw, pretty eyes, a very handsome face… Why would he be interested in a prisoner in a labor camp when he had a life outside that place? “I don’t think so.”
“Then what other explanation is there?”
I leaned my head back and looked up at the canopy of swaying trees. “I think he respected me.” That was my best guess. He never initiated a physical relationship or expected anything from me. Besides, I looked like hell every single day. Not exactly my finest look, in the baggy clothes with unkempt hair.
“I don’t think a man risks his neck like that for respect.”
“This one does.”
We continued moving through the night.
I wanted to stay focused, but my mind started to grow fuzzy.
It’d been two days since I’d last slept.
Melanie moved even slower.
We were back to feeling around in the dark once again. The storm had passed, so now the world was quiet. That was both a good thing—and a bad thing. There didn’t seem to be anyone on our trail, so we used our flashlights to keep going.
“What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we’re free?” Melanie asked from behind me. “I’m going to take a shower, do my hair, have a pumpkin spice latte…get a burger.”
“I’m going to the police.”
“Well…besides that.”
“And I’m going to kill that fucking executioner.”
“I’m not sure how you’re going to pull that off, but he’ll probably be behind bars forever.”
That wasn’t good enough for me—not anymore.
Now that the wind was gone, it was much easier for us to speak to each other. The snow was stationary, so that made it easier to navigate too. The stars came through as the clouds passed, and the moonlight provided us some illumination.
We kept going, Melanie walking in my tracks so she could keep up.
The need for revenge was so paramount in my blood that it screamed in my ears. I wanted to burn that place to the ground, all the guards with the blaze.
Well, except one.
Magnus was guilty because he’d been working there for years, but I couldn’t imagine reporting him—not when he’d saved my life so many times. But I had to report that camp and liberate all the women who didn’t belong there.
“Raven…?”
I stilled at the fear in her voice. “What?”
She didn’t answer.
I turned around to look at her.
She was looking back the way we came.
I saw it.
The lights. There were glimmers of light from flashlights. There were burning torches—like they were bringing the Red Snow to us.
They were right on our tail, like their hounds had picked up the scent.
Fuck.
“Move.” I started to run, to push through the snow harder than before.
“We’ll never outrun them, Raven! They’re on horses!
“I said, move!” I knew we wouldn’t get away. I knew we couldn’t hide. The snow kept a record of our footprints, and now that the storm was gone, there was nothing to erase our trail. Our only chance was to get to safety before they could reach us.
Which seemed unlikely since they were on horseback…and we were on foot.
The sound of the barking dogs carried to us.
They’d made incredible time.
“They know exactly where we are, Raven.”
There was no chance of success, not when there was nothing we could easily reach. I turned back around and looked at her.
She’d never looked so terrified. “They’re gonna hang us.”
Yes…they were.
She looked over her shoulder then stared at me again, emotion in her eyes. “We should have stayed.”