Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue Read Online Free

sound of the arrow penetrating the man’s back seemed to echo through the forest. Carliss was now only twenty paces away. As the first man fell from view to reveal the horror on Salina’s face, Carliss drew back and pinpointed her next target.
    The second man’s eyes opened wide as he realized what had happened. Salina tried to scream, but the man gripped her throat tighter and held her close, positioning her to protect himself from Carliss’s next arrow. For an instant, the scene paused, and no one seemed to know what to do. Carliss stood with the tip of her arrow aimed just above Salina’s heart and into the shoulder of her captor, anguishing over the decision to release or not.
    “Over here!” the man shouted toward camp.
    The shout destroyed any chance of quiet escape, but it also gave Carliss the split-second diversion she needed. The man’s eyes looked toward camp as he shouted, and in that fraction of a second, Carliss released the taut string of the bow and sent her arrow to its target with deadly accuracy.
    The man looked back toward Carliss with only enough time to see the final few feet of the arrow’s flight. Salina’s eyes went wide as the arrow skimmed her left shoulder and sank solidly into the man’s shoulder. He screamed and released his grip on Salina as he fell to the ground.
    “Come on, Salina!” Carliss shouted. She drew her sword and whipped her bow onto her back as she beckoned for her friend.
    Salina seemed dazed and unable to move. Carliss heard a commotion from the camp and knew an alarm had been raised. She could not wait for Salina, for their only chance now was to untie the horses and flee. She ran back toward Rindy, glancing over her shoulder to see that Salina had broken from her paralysis of fear.
    “Hurry!” she called out.
    Salina seemed to drag behind, but Carliss did not wait for her. She would need time to loose and ready the horses. She made it to the steeds, untied them, and mounted Rindy. She grabbed the reins of Salina’s horse and rode to cover the distance between them. Within a moment, she reached Salina and threw the reins to her. The marauders had spotted them and were coming quickly, but fortunately they were all on foot.
    Salina seemed to struggle to place her foot in the stirrup, and Carliss was nearly beside herself. Rindy danced in circles, sensing her master’s apprehension.
    “Come on, Salina!” Carliss shouted.
    Just as Salina lifted herself into the saddle, Carliss slapped Rindy’s reins and bolted into the forest, away from the pursuit of angry men. She led them at a near-reckless pace through the trees, chasing the setting sun.
    After a long ride, Carliss circled back to look over a knoll and see if their escape had succeeded. It was difficult to tell, for the sun was now set and the fading light was nearly gone, but she felt fairly certain they were safe. She changed their direction two more times and rode until it was too dark for them or the enemy to see.
    They dismounted, and Carliss took a deep breath. She looked at Salina, whose face was downcast.
    “What happened with you back there?” Carliss asked, still a bit frustrated with her friend’s lack of response to the danger.
    Salinas gaze fell to the ground. “I saw them—Alston and my mother and father. They have them tied up…” She turned and walked away from Carliss.
    Carliss hadn’t considered what that sight might do to her friend and felt ashamed for judging her too harshly. She walked to Salina and put an arm around her.
    “I’m sorry. That must have been difficult for you.”
    Salina nodded and covered her eyes with her hand.
    “We will free them, Salina. I promise.”
    “How? We don’t even know where they are going,” Salina said with an edge of anger in her voice. “We’ll have to follow them until we find out.”
    “No we won’t,” Carliss replied. “I heard the men talking. They are going to Moorue. Now we will ride back to Salisburg and gather a force of knights