The Dread Lords Rising by J. David Phillips

  Chapter Eighteen

  Hound And Hare

  Niam gave out a loud exclamation of surprise as a carriage nearly ran him over. Card disappeared somewhere in a throng of shoppers along the walk in front Pirim Village’s finest shops. The carriage driver who nearly ran Niam down was too busy looking at the shops to notice him, and Niam swore as he picked himself up from the sidewalk where he had thrown himself in order to avoid being run over.

  Across the street, Bug and Card were nowhere to be found.

  Niam cursed loudly, and several people looked at him. At the moment, he did not care what anyone thought about a boy’s proper behavior. The clip-clop of horseshoes rang out as carts and carriages creaked and grated down the stone-paved street. An angry chorus of shouts erupted every time Niam tried to dart across the busy street.

  With each cart that passed, desperation began to build. After what seemed like an eternity, Niam finally found his chance and dodged between two carts. When he got to the other side, there were even more people milling around the storefronts. Niam wished more than anything that they would all just disappear. No matter how much he craned his neck to see over the crowd’s heads, seeing much farther than ten feet was impossible. He wanted to scream. If he couldn’t find Bug’s trail soon, he might not be able to catch up with her before Card did.