Samuel adjusted his frames, scanning the square. No one seemed to be inside the front portion of the butcher’s shop. The lights were off. Nothing seemed out of place. It was as if the shop had never opened. It was a relief. Hopefully Claudette and Laura had never left the confines of their home. They were safe. They had to be.
He glanced at the other shops in a bit of disbelief. Every shop seemed undisturbed, as if no one had come to open any of them. As he came farther up, he noticed the mayor’s jeep parked near the edge of the square. He went to the vehicle, peering inside. It was empty. He took a few steps back. He was too late. Everyone had run off, and Zei was nowhere to be seen. She must have run away into the woods.
He loosened his hold on the knives slightly. His mind pestered him with doubts and fears. His renewed strength was leaving him. He needed to find shelter as well. He could go and check on Claudette and her mother. He could make sure they were safe. He took a breath before squinting his eyes tightly, scanning over toward the logging sites one last time. When he did, he noticed a faint figure drudging through the small layer of snow and heading toward the pines. Samuel’s heart raced, and the rage inside of him returned. The figure was round and wearing a suit.
The burns on his marked arm twinged. He ignored the aching, tightened his grip on the handles once more, and sprinted after the mayor.
Samuel trudged through the snow, heading to the western woods. He’d heard the bustle of swaying branches and the chirping of a lone bird, but nothing else. He breathed through his nostrils, and the hairs on his neck rose. The trees above blocked most of the sunlight, and his eyes had to readjust. He wasn’t sure what he would do if he found the mayor. Did he have the guts to kill him?
He went deeper inside, careful not to brush his arms against any trunks. A gust of cold wind shook the branches, causing bits of snow to fall. He almost called out for Zei. He didn’t. He wanted her to be far away from this place. The mayor’s secret possession had escaped. She came to Samuel and spared his life. She left him a knife. Their time together had meant something to her.
Samuel pressed his heels deeper into the ground. He put a hand on the pine tree beside him. He imagined the holy roots crawling around the earth below, able to see the things he couldn’t. He knew better than to ask Azhuel for help. The last prayer he’d made hadn’t done any good. His father was dead.
“Where are you? Come back!”
Samuel stopped, listening for the direction of the voice.
“I’m not going to hurt you, demon. I only want to talk!”
Samuel squeezed the knives’ handles and headed northeast, following the sound. He treaded lightly and could feel his heart pounding against his ribs.
“You have my word as the mayor of Haid!”
A loud boom echoed through the woods, and several birds took flight. Samuel’s ears rang. The gunshot was close. He kept moving. He could smell everything: the frozen snow, the sap seeping off the pine needles, the stench of wildlife. As he treaded farther down, he caught sight of the mayor. He was dressed in a fine suit, but his thinning hair was wild and ungroomed. His chin was shoved into his neck, and he pointed his silver handgun at the trees.
“I mean you no harm,” the mayor called out to no one.
Samuel slid his glasses farther up his nose, his right eye straining to see through the cracked lens. His hands shook. He was no soldier. He was the weak, bastard son of a dead cleric. What did he expect himself to do?
“We can provide better accommodations for you! More freedom! More time with the boy! You like him, don’t you?”
The mayor waved the gun over his head as he circled around the same pines. When he moved, he spotted Samuel. His lips parted, and his brows rose. He lowered the gun down to his side.
“Samuel,” he said uneasily. His forehead wrinkled. “I didn’t hear you. What are you doing here? How did you get free?” He paused. “That’s not important. I need your help.” He waved his free hand while keeping the gun’s barrel pointed at the ground. “I guess you heard all of the commotion. It got free. Someone must’ve let it free. And when I find out who did it, justice will be served.”
Samuel was stoic. Was he going to try and kill the mayor? Should he run? The mayor scanned the area once more.
“Come, boy! You’re the only one it trusts. The only brave soul in Haid. I need you. Help me get it back, and I will give you anything you want. Half of my income and reserves. Ask, and it’s yours. We can bury the past. You have my word.”
“He’s dead,” Samuel said.
The mayor’s expression went grave, his eyes going wide. “I am sorry.” He jiggled the gun across his leg. “But you heard Mikael. There was nothing else to be done.”
Samuel tightened his grip on the knives. He knew everything the mayor said was to serve his own interests. He wanted Samuel’s help in finding Zei, and he wouldn’t give him that. He wouldn’t give him anything.
The mayor gritted his teeth. “You should think before you act, boy.”
“You killed him.”
“I never touched him. How dare you accuse me of murder! I am the law. And what gives you the audacity to question my authority? You and the cleric are criminals. And, in my graciousness, I am giving you a chance to earn back my favor. Will you throw that away?”
Samuel didn’t want to hear another word. The burn mark sang as he cocked back his throwing arm. He ignored the pain, envisioning a carved X across the mayor’s large chest. He squinted, trying to judge the distance through the cracked frames. Before the mayor could aim the pistol, Samuel arched his wrist back, pivoted his foot, leaned forward, and released. The silver-bladed knife sailed past the rows of pine and plummeted into the mayor’s stomach.
The mayor hunched over. He groaned as he plucked the blade from his gut and allowed it to fall from his hand. Samuel stepped back. Blood leaked onto the mayor’s suit as he straightened his back. He pulled the gun up.
Samuel ran. He scurried behind a large pine. Bark and wood splintered next to him as several shots rang out. He tried tucking his body completely behind the pine but couldn’t. The trunk was too narrow. Another shot was fired, and Samuel felt fresh pain in his left leg. He nearly dropped to his knees. It was like molten fire had been injected into his calf. It felt like the burning of his arm. He forced his feet closer together. His eyes watered, and his limbs shivered.
Four more shots were fired, but none connected. Next came the sound of metal clinking.
“Damn it!” the mayor screamed.
Samuel sank down. He grazed his leg with his fingers and whimpered as he felt the sticky liquid. More pain. How much could he take?
“Don’t think I won’t find you, boy. I will put a bounty on your head so high every man, woman, and child in Haid will be searching these woods by nightfall.”
Samuel curled his arms around his chest. He’d failed. He was a fool for letting his anger get the best of him. He should’ve run to Claudette and Laura the moment he escaped the blacksmith’s shop. He never should’ve come into the woods. He wouldn’t be able to flee Haid, not with a bullet in his leg.