Viper's Creed (The Cat's Eye Chronicles) by T. L. Shreffler Read Free Book Online

lot of travelers asking to visit their jail cells. She widened her eyes, trying to look innocent and naive. “He's been missing for so long, and I've been so worried!”
    “Right...” the redhead said slowly. The two soldiers shared another glance, then looked back at her. “Could we see your wrists first, miss?”
    “My wrists?”
    “Aye,” the blond guard spoke up. “Let's see 'em.”
    Sora frowned, but complied. She dropped the reins and rolled up her long sleeves, showing the guards her bare, white wrists. The guards looked at them carefully, and one even stepped up to the horse, taking her small hand in his and turning it over, inspecting it closely, as though she had a knife up her sleeve. Which she did, but she was far better at hiding that.
    “She's clean,” the blond guard said. The freckled one looked relieved.
    Now it was Sora's turn to stare incredulously. “Clean? Is that what this is all about? Well, honestly, I haven't bathed in several days. Road dust has a way of clinging....”
    “No, we meant your wrists,” the redhead soldier interrupted her. “You don't carry the mark of the bandits. They always brand their members... scar them with fire... you know, to identify them.” He looked a little pale at the thought.
    Sora felt her lips twist into a grimace. “Brand them?” she echoed. “Like cattle?”
    “Aye... or slaves.”
    She wasn't sure what to think of that.
    The blond guard motioned for her to follow, and turned toward the guardhouse. “If you'll come with me, miss, I'll show you the prisoners."
    She dismounted her horse and tied it to a nearby post, then followed the blond guard toward a large brick building next to the front gates. The redhead stayed behind to keep watch. He turned his back to them, staring out across the plains.
    “I take it you're not from around here?” the blond asked, looking at her curiously. Now that they were alone, he seemed more relaxed.
    “Just passing through,” Sora said, somewhat guarded. It occurred to her that Volcrian might travel this way as well in the next few weeks. She might have already made a mistake by speaking to the guards. They would certainly remember her if anyone described her appearance.
    “Ah,” the soldier said. “Well, better that way, I suppose. You should be careful on the road. We've been fighting off the Ravens for years now. They'll go after anyone—caravans, travelers, children. I've even seen them make off with stray chickens.”
    “They sound more like jackals than ravens,” Sora commented.
    “Aye, they're bandits, through and through. We killed the old leader almost eight years ago, shot through with an arrow. For a while, things died down, but in the last few years, they're more active than ever! They've been attacking towns, raiding our warehouses, stealing livestock and robbing inns.” The soldier leaned close, as though sharing a secret. “We suspect they have a new leader, but no one's got close enough to see him.”
    Sora nodded, listening with half an ear. She didn't really care about bandits, not if it didn't involve her friends. She had heard rumors of such things back home, when speaking to the farmers who passed through her mother's village. They had talked about terrible, depraved outlaws who watched the roads, but she hadn't realized the problem was nearby—or that the bandits were even real. She wondered if the Ravens would eventually make their way further north to her mother's area. She couldn't help but feel a little concerned. Her mother lived out in the woods by herself, after all.
    “Here we are,” the guard muttered. He withdrew a keyring and unlocked the heavy iron door, nodding to Sora to pass through.
    She stepped into the cool, shadowy interior. The floor was tiled and swept clean. It appeared to be a common room; there were a few wooden tables and a barrel of water—or, she suspected, ale—in the corner. The narrow windows along the far wall let in faded light, casting the room in