AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I didn’t hesitate. The harpy had proven herself to be trustworthy, even if I found her a bit odd. There had been more than one occasion during which she’d proved herself useful. She moved with more haste than I would’ve thought her capable. She didn’t even falter as the mountain shook, throwing me off balance again.
“What is that?” I asked, knowing damn well she couldn’t answer. At least not with words. “Is it a quake?”
She shook her head.
If it wasn’t a natural quake…
“Explosion?” I asked.
She nodded at me before twisting to the right and shuffling down a spiral staircase. The mountain shook again and rock fell, nearly blocking the path ahead of us. We were barely able to scoot by. Of all the places I’d been in the mountain, this area was unfamiliar to me. I did my best to keep up despite all the questions running through my mind.
“How?” I asked. “Was it an accident? Or an attack?”
And if it was an attack, were they friend or foe to me? Everyone was well aware of the unrest in Murvort. Osavian’s forces would love to take down Reyna, but so would half of her kingdom.
The harpy ignored me and continued running down the hall. The mountain shook again, and the lights flickered.
Fuck. We needed to get out of the mountain. Before it came down on top of us.
We rounded another corner and skidded to a halt. Two of Reyna’s guards were headed right in our direction. They drew their swords when they saw us coming.
With nothing but my bare hands, I prepared to fight. I expected the harpy to hide behind me, but she stepped beside me, her claws seemed to grow before my eyes. Claws as sharp as knives and glistening in the warm light of the flickering lamps.
All this time, she’d been hiding her lethal advantages. She chose the perfect moment to reveal them.
The guards faltered for a moment, but ultimately charged toward us with the blades held high. I skillfully dodged the first attempt to strike, and I heard the other guard yell in agony. I assumed he’d met the harpy’s talons.
An animalistic cry that sounded like a hawk reverberated in the air. I didn’t chance a look to see if the harpy had been struck. Instead, I jammed my elbow into the guard’s back and he grunted as he fell forward on his face.
I didn’t give him a chance to regain his footing before I jumped on his back and grabbed him by the back of his head. Pulling his hair, I brought his head up and smashed it against the cold, dark stone. I repeated the motion several more times until his body went limp and blood splattered the floor.
Glancing up, I noticed the harpy was still engaged in battle with the second guard. She was putting up one hell of a fight, but she wasn’t as big or strong as the guard, and I could tell her stamina was fading.
I grabbed the sword of the fallen guard. I hadn’t held a weapon in months, but it felt so right. So natural. I deeply missed the feeling of power I experienced when I wielded a blade.
The harpy saw me out of the corner of her eye and skillfully maneuvered out of my way. When the guard noticed my advance, he turned his blade to me instead. He was panting and blood ran down the side of his face. The harpy had landed several deep punctures to his arms, shoulders and head.
And while I held his attention, she landed one more to his spine. His body arched, and he shrieked. I didn’t even get the chance to duel with him before his lifeless body fell to the floor.
“Damn,” I said, a bit speechless. “Where did that come from?”
She didn’t respond. She simply brushed her feathers and waltzed away. I snorted, staring at where she had just stood in shock. When I regained my senses, I ran to catch up with the harpy, who was now several strides in front of me. But not before stealing the guard’s belt to sheath my new sword. “Hang on,” I said breathlessly. “We need to get out.”
She nodded and flicked her eyes to the ceiling like that much was obvious.
“But we can’t leave behind—”
I froze as the harpy flung open another large stone door, and I caught sight of the woman lying on the floor.
“Emilie.”
She moved slowly, like she was still in a lot of pain and not quite aware of her surroundings. I rushed to kneel beside her.
Glassy eyes peered back at me as I held her face, stroking the stray hairs from her forehead. I wasn’t sure she recognized me. Or maybe she didn’t think I was real. “It’s me, Emilie. I’m here. You’re okay.”
Gentle fingers brushed my jaw, and she mouthed my name. “Ladon?”
“Your hands are freezing.” I held her hand between mine, rubbing her skin until it turned warm. Her eyes fluttered closed and I hated not being able to see her brown pupils.
