Shadow and Bone

After so many days on my own, the noise and bustle of
Ryevost’s crowded streets and canals felt strange to me. I kept
my head down and my hat pulled low, sure that I would find
posters of my face on every lamppost and shop window. But
the deeper I got into the city, the more I began to relax. Maybe
word of my disappearance hadn’t spread as far or as fast as I’d
expected.
My mouth watered at the smells of roasting lamb and fresh
bread, and I treated myself to an apple as I refreshed my
supplies of hard cheese and dried meat.
I was tying my new bedroll to my traveling pack and trying
to figure out how I was going to lug all the extra weight up the
mountainside when I rounded a corner and nearly ran right
into a group of soldiers.
My heart slammed into a gallop at the sight of their long
olive coats and the rifles on their backs. I wanted to turn on
my heel and sprint in the opposite direction, but I kept my
head low and forced myself to keep walking at a normal pace.
Once I’d passed them, I risked a glance back. They weren’t
looking after me suspiciously. In fact, they didn’t seem to be
doing much of anything. They were talking and joking, one of
them catcalling at a girl hanging out the wash.
I stepped into a side street and waited for my heartbeat to
return to normal. What was going on? I’d escaped from the
Little Palace well over a week ago. The alarm must have been
raised by now. I’d been sure the Darkling would send riders to
every regiment in every town. Every member of the First and
Second Armies should be looking for me by now.
As I headed out of Ryevost, I saw other soldiers. Some were
on leave, others on duty, but none of them seemed to be
looking for me. I didn’t know what to make of it. I wondered
if I had Baghra to thank. Maybe she’d managed to convince
the Darkling that I’d been kidnapped or even killed by
Fjerdans. Or maybe he just thought that I’d already made it
farther west. I decided not to press my luck and hurried to find
my way out of town.