Refugee (The Captive #3)(66)

He was also aware of a difference in his brother. It was not as pronounced as Aria’s, but Jack was colder and a little more distant. Even though they were brothers, Braith knew Jack’s main loyalty lay with the rebellion, a fact that he had already proven by taking Aria away from him once.

A pit began to form in his stomach. No, it couldn’t be possible. When Jack had taken her before, he had been unaware of the fact that Braith had already shared his blood with her, that he had established the connection that would allow him to find Aria wherever she went. Jack was well aware of that fact now, he wouldn’t be so foolish as to think he could try and take her again and get away with it.

But something was up, he was certain of it.

Aria halted so abruptly that he almost snapped at her, almost grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her forward in his irritation. One of them was going to talk to him and it was going to be her if he had anything to say about it.

But she was staring at the world around her, eyes turbulent and her face paler than it had been moments before. He started to speak, but she held up a finger to him, as she used her other hand to wave behind her at the trudging humans. He was impressed, and a little amazed, when as one unit they all stopped.

Her forehead furrowed, her head tilted back as she searched the sky, then the treetops in the distance. “Something’s wrong,” she muttered.

Braith followed the direction that her eyes had taken but he saw nothing to signal that something was amiss. “How do you know?”

“I just do. Something is off. I feel it.”

“Trust her on this Braith…”

“I do.” He cut Jack swiftly off, fighting the urge to smash his fist into his brother’s face. He had no tangible reason to hit his brother, but Jack deserved it for some reason, even if Braith wasn’t sure what the reason was yet.

Aria went to step closer to him; her face scrunched in frustration, aggravation filled her as she stared down at the swamp. She gazed helplessly at Braith and then at the people behind them. Her eyes snapped to the tree line as a bird took flight about two hundred yards away.

“Braith.”

He lifted her up, pulling her free of the muck and mire that encased her. She winced at the small sucking sound, but it was far more subtle than any sound she could have made. He held her in front of him for a brief moment, before sliding her around to allow her to grasp hold of him piggyback style. Her heart beat loudly against his back as he made his way forward as silently as he could.

She slid free of his back when he stepped onto solid ground. Xavier, Gideon, Ashby and Jack pressed closer to him as she grasped hold of the limb on a frail looking pine. He almost pulled her back, wary of the decrepit looking tree, but she was already moving up it with grace and agility.

The tree barely moved as she slipped from one branch to another. Near the top she hesitated, her hands rested against two thin branches that swayed almost imperceptibly. He could almost feel her holding her breath as she waited for the branches to stabilize before lifting herself above them. She released them suddenly and though he thought she was going to plunge heedlessly out of the tree, she scrambled far enough down to leap safely down. He kept his feet firmly planted as he caught hold of her.

“What is it?” he asked.

“There are seven men that I can see, through the trees that way.” She pointed into the woods. “They may be human but I don’t think so, and they’re wearing your father’s colors.”

“They’re not human then,” Jack said.

Braith’s mind churned as he slid Aria silently to the ground. They were still standing in the swamp, cornered if there were more troops in the woods. The swamp was impossible to maneuver in these circumstances, not silently, and not with any speed.

“They’re heading this way Braith,” Aria said, seeming to read his train of thought.

His teeth clenched. “I need you to stay here.”

Her eyes heated briefly, they narrowed slightly but her attention turned to the swamp. Her brother and father had managed to creep closer, but they still weren’t free of the mud yet. She looked as if she was going to argue, but resignation settled over her features. She slid the bow from her back and grasped it in her hands. She would not leave her family unprotected.

“Be careful,” she whispered. She closed her eyes, went to grab him, but then her hand fell limply back to her side.

“Stay here.” His tone was not as brisk.

“I will.” She slid an arrow into the bow.

Braith gestured to the others and slid silently into the woods. They were about a hundred feet in when he began to smell them. The others spread out around him, filtering through the trees like wraiths toward his father’s men. He heard them before he saw them; someone commented on a woman, the others laughed as the guardsman regaled them with a story. Though he was relieved that the guardsmen didn’t sense their approach, or even feel that there was any threat within the woods, another part of him, the part that had been honed to rule one day, was irritated. They should be on guard no matter what, even if they felt safe and were far from the palace, they should be prepared for any threat at all times. Their lack of awareness was about to get them killed.

Jack appeared in the woods, his head poked up from behind a large fallen tree. Braith nodded toward his right, Gideon and Ashby were somewhere over there, while Xavier was on the other side of Jack. The guardsmen came into view. None of them were paying attention to their surroundings as they continued to exchange stories. They may be outnumbered seven to five, but the guardsmen didn’t have a shot of walking away from this alive.