Shadow and Bone

“Let the traitor walk,” Ivan replied. “And when he gets too
tired, let the horses drag him.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could say a
word, the Darkling spoke.
“No,” he said, gracefully mounting his horse. “I want him
alive when we reach the Shadow Fold.”
The guard shrugged and helped Mal mount his horse, then
tied his shackled hands to the saddle horn. I felt a rush of relief
followed by a sharp prickle of fear. Did the Darkling intend for
Mal to stand trial? Or did he have something far worse in mind
for him? He’s still alive, I told myself, and that means there’s
still a chance to save him.
“Ride with her,” the Darkling said to Ivan. “Make sure she
doesn’t do anything stupid.” He didn’t spare me another
glance as he kicked his horse into a trot.
We rode for hours through the forest, past the plateau where
Mal and I had waited for the herd. I could just see the boulders
where we’d spent the night, and I wondered if the light that
had kept us alive through the snowstorm had been the very
thing that led the Darkling to us.
I knew he was taking us back to Kribirsk, but I hated to
think what might be waiting for me there. Who would the
Darkling choose to move against first? Would he launch a fleet
of sandskiffs north to Fjerda? Or did he intend to march south
to drive the Fold into the Shu Han? Whose deaths would be on
my hands?
It took another night and day of travel before we reached the
wide roads that would lead us south to the Vy. We were met at
the crossroads by a huge contingent of armed men, most of
them in oprichniki gray. They brought fresh horses and the
Darkling’s coach. Ivan dumped me on the velvet cushions with
little ceremony and climbed inside after me. Then, with a snap
of the reins, we were moving again.
Ivan insisted we keep the curtains drawn, but I snuck a peek
outside and saw that we were flanked by heavily armed riders.