He pulled himself to his knees and tried to stand, but one ankle could not bear the weight.
Above him, the queen's brother leaned out the window.
“You! Boy!” he shouted.
Puck realized he should have remained still. Moving had only made him visible in the dark.
Queen Hesperus joined her brother at the open window.
They hadn't called him by name, so maybe he hadn’t been recognized, but Puck knew it wouldn’t be long before someone was sent to investigate.
His ankle throbbed, but he knew he must put as much distance as possible between himself and the castle. He couldn’t go back home to the kennels, not yet. Anyone could follow his tracks in the snow. If they led back to the kennel, he could easily be identified. He would be missed there soon.
The dense branches scraped his face and caught the leg of his trousers. Thorns tore at his shirt and made a gash down one sleeve, but he had to keep going.
Puck tried to sort through his thoughts as he pushed deeper into the forest. He thought of Lucia and her father the king. He thought of ways he could warn them of the danger. He thought of the queen and her brother, and wondered if they had recognized him. He wondered if his ankle could hold out.
However, throughout this blur of uncertain thoughts, one thought remained crystal clear.
The queen was planning to murder King Hothgart, and she planned to do it tomorrow night.