Crossover

Chapter 7: Truths

I lay there as the shouts and yells got louder and closer. I heard grunts and the sound of struggles.

The door was thrown open, and I opened my eyes just the barest amount to peek through my eyelashes. Two of the men tossed Zedron inside, and closed the door behind him.

He was breathing heavily, and from his twisted shape I could see he was handcuffed too. What in Cara's name had he done to get us both arrested?

"Zedron!" I whispered.

"Kefira?" he said, a little too loudly for my liking.

"SHH!" I whispered again. "They don't know I'm awake. I pretended to faint."

He snickered. "Nice."

I sat up, and shuffled over to his slumped form. "What happened out there?" I asked. "I heard gunshots."

"Oh, that." He said, twisting into a sitting position. "They shot me and took my gun."

"Mui cara! Where?"

"Outside." He said. "On one of the dunes. I fell down the slope and then they got me."

I gave him a little kick. "No, you tirako. Where did you get shot?"

"My arm," he said. "Bullet's still inside though. And it hurts like an ijou."

I heard the clop of horse hooves on the dust road, heading towards us.

"They're going to hook the horses up to the buggy and use it to take us to Komali. That's where their headquarters are," Zedron explained.

I was just about to ask him why he had the law after him, when the carriage lurched, throwing us backwards into the back of the room. Zedron winced as he hit, probably taking the impact on his bad arm. My eyes began to adjust to the dark, and I was able to make out the vague outlines of the room and door. A faint glow emanated from the front of the room.

"They've turned on the night lamps." He hissed. "The idiots! They're gonna take this road at breakneck speed."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"We'll be in Korami before daybreak," he said. "That is, if we don't die first. Korami is in the mountains, and the roads are notorious for their sheer cliffs. These idiots think they can go up them in the dark."

I gulped. We needed a plan fast.

"Kefira..." Zedron said.

"Not now," I snapped. I was trying to think. I'd deal with that ijou later.

"I just need to tell y.."

"Quiet!" I said. The carriage lurched again, and this time started rolling along the road. I heard the chatter of the men from the front of the room. They were talking about me, and I didn't care for the language they used.

The carriage was pulled along faster and faster, making the door begin to rattle.

The door....

"Zedron," I said. "How is the door locked?"

He thought for a minute. "I have a little slide lock, made of metal. It can't be opened from the inside."

I swore. "What about the hinges?" I asked. "Which side are they on?"

"The inside." He replied. "Why?"

I pulled my arms around my legs and to the front of my body, grabbing the gun from where I hid it in my skirt.

"I've still got my gun."

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The men were talking loudly, laughing at their own dirty jokes and talking about their conquests. I was fed up.