Page 47 of The Turncoat King
Luc crouched down, shuffled closer.
The men had gotten off their horse, and he could see why. The going was impossible, too many low-hanging branches blocked the way.
They were moving slowly, and there was no sign of Ava anywhere.
So they didn’t have her.
And she was badly injured. Deni had shouted something about her being knocked from her horse when he’d come racing toward the column, waving his arms.
Luc turned away from the spies, immediately dismissing them in his mind, and started going back the way he’d come.
The sound of leaves crunching beneath a pair of boots had him going still.
So someonehadfollowed him through the bush.
He pressed up against a tree, deep in shadow, and caught sight of Revek pushing his way through a tangle of branches.
His face had been slashed by sharp twigs, and he smeared some of the blood over his cheek with the back of his hand.
He nearly didn’t see Luc, but he was a Chosen, too, and he stopped dead after a few steps.
He turned to look, and seemed to relax.
Luc stared at him.
His trust in Revek had begun to erode the first night he’d returned to the Rising Wave after escaping the Kassian fortress with Ava.
That night, he’d nearly been killed on Revek’s orders.
His old friend had sworn it was a mistake, but he knew there was something wrong with what had happened.
The attack on Ava was just another reason to be wary.
Revek’s face stilled.
A look of hurt flashed in his eyes.
“Attack?” he mouthed.
Luc shook his head. “They don’t have Ava.”
Revek blinked. “Where is she then?”
Luc shrugged. Turned and started back the way he’d come, but Revek’s hand grabbed his shoulder.
“You’re letting them go?” Rev’s whisper was directly in his ear.
“They don’t have Ava, so yes. She’s hurt. I need to find her.”
“You do that.” Revek sounded bitter. “I’ll go after the spies. It’ll be good to find out what the Kassian plans are.”
Luc inclined his head. “Good.”
Revek said nothing, and as Luc moved ahead, Revek’s hand disappeared from his shoulder.
He left his lieutenant to it, carefully retracing his steps, looking for any sign of Ava.
What he found was some of the soldiers who’d been with him when he’d negotiated with the Kassian spies for Ava’s life.
