Page 31 of Death of a Mortal

“Still following us?”I asked.

“That’s no way to greet someone who just offered you help, Ignacia.”

“I’ll apologize if you stop calling me that. I hate that name.”

“Fine, I’llstop calling you Ignacia if you accept my help. You’ll be hopeless in Dolvenar without it.”

“Fine.”

Oh, how my life had changed. From enduring abuse in a lifeless town to arguing with a bird, in my head, about sneaking into the capital in pursuit of my mother.

“You need a distraction when the right carriage comes by. I happen to be a master of chaos. Call it my specialty,”Noxie said.

I relayed to Nella what the crow had said.

“Oh…how kind of…him,” Nella said, her tone dripping with distrust.

“I’ll fly over and give a heads up when a fancy carriage is approaching.” Noxie either didn’t hear or didn’t care that Nella was not his biggest fan.

* * *

After I’d begunto lose hope that we would get our chance today—which would be problematic with no more food or water—Noxie squawked loud and clear from a distance. We looked to the sky to find him circling an approaching carriage. This was it. I was secretly glad that Noxie had come to help us. Not that I would admit that to him, though.

“If you want to hide your thoughts from me, you should work on your mental shields. Carriage approaching, be ready to run on my signal.”

He could hear my thoughts even when I wasn’t talking to him? How intrusive.

“Heard that,”he said.

“Good. We’ll talk about this later.”

Just after the ornate carriage passed our hiding place behind the tree, I saw Noxie dive-bomb toward the horses pulling it. He started weaving between their heads, cawing loudly and pecking at their bridles.

The horses grew irritated, swishing their heads and batting him away with their noses. I could just hear their huffs of annoyance from where Nella and I crouched in wait.

When one horse stopped and reared up, the whole cart came to a stop. Noxie timed it well, pecking at the rope connecting one horse to the carriage until it snapped.

“Now!”

I didn’t need telling twice. I grabbed Nella by the hand and bolted toward the back of the carriage. Luckily, the curtains were drawn over the window, so we only needed to worry about the driver.

From ahead, I saw the driver hop down and walk toward the spooked horse at the front, speaking low to calm it. Maybe Noxie wasn’t so bad after all.

We rolled under the carriage, and just as we were looking for the right places to hold on, I heard the driver say, “That ought to hold until we get to Dolvenar. I’ll replace it while you take care of your business in the capital, my lord, my lady.”

We were running out of time. I pointed to a crossbar parallel with the rear axle that connected the back wheels, then to Nella’s feet. She understood and slipped her feet up and over just before I did. I reached up and grabbed onto the front crossbar, and Nella followed suit, mere seconds before the carriage lurched back into motion.

It was uncomfortable, and our packs and cloaks were dragging on the ground. I worried that someone might see from a distance, so letting go with one hand, I wrapped the ends of my coat around me and tucked the pack into my lap, then helped Nella do the same.

Luckily, the cart was moving at a decent pace, and the gates weren’t too far ahead. I just prayed neither of our grips faltered.

“Hold on tight. I’ll meet you in Dolvenar.”

“Thanks, Noxie. We owe you.”

“That’s twice you’ve thanked me now. Careful, Naci, or I’ll think you’re losing your bite. It’s my favorite quality of yours.”

I smiled when I heard him caw in the distance and fly off toward the capital.