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Chapter Eleven
“Getdown!”Serayellsand swings her sword toward me in the same second.
I drop and shield my face as her blade severs a neck. Blood splatters over me, but I don’t have time to digest the kill. I throw a leg out and trip a woman sprinting toward Sera before I jump up and push my back against hers.
The other warriors have us surrounded. They form a circle, trying to overwhelm us.
“We need to retreat,” Sera shouts and cuts into a thigh.
I grit my teeth and dance over a couple of bodies before I land a strike on someone with their back turned and their attention on a different opponent. They fall with a cry, confusing their opponent long enough for me to make a second strike.
I stab my blade through their opponent’s chest, but I wobble on my feet. I’m tired. Too tired. No amount of adrenaline will get me through the entirety of this battle. “Let’s go!” I answer Sera.
She backs up toward me, and we press our shoulder blades to each other. “We need a distraction.”
My eyes search the arena. Some of the weaker warriors turned their attention to those more their caliber, leaving only a few enemies against us.Still, it’s a few too many. “I don’t think we will be that lucky.”
“Then we fight through.” Sera groans as she takes a hit from the side.
I counter, blocking a second blow before it can reach her. I avoid eye contact with the female warrior attempting to take us down before I swivel my blade and plunge it into her torso. It’s easier this way – not seeing the light leave their eyes.Innocent innocent innocent, my brain screeches, but I refuse to listen. I can’t.
The warrior crumples, and I yank Sera away.
We sprint toward the tree line, then we slam ourselves down as metal zings through the air. Golden arrows whiz by in the same instant. The moment they pass, we shoot back up to our feet and continue to flee, hand-in-hand.
It’s not until the first twig hits my face that the muscles in my jaw unclench. We run up a hill, then hide behind two trees to catch our breath.
I stare up at the foliage, listen to the screeches of battle beyond. “Now what?”
“We find Harmony.” Sera gulps in air. She checks her side for a wound. The blade made a deep cut into her leather, but the actual wound is a minimal scratch.
I reach up to my bicep, hoping for the same luck but pull back a sticky hand. “Shit, I really hope these bags have gauze in them.”
Sera’s eyes narrow in on my shoulder. She frowns. “It’s bad.”
“It feels bad.” I close my eyes and lean my head back on the tree. As my heart rate slows, the pain trickles in. Soft and steady, then a roaring storm.
“The stronghold isn’t far from here.” Sera rolls her shoulders back and sheathes her sword. “We should go while we still have the strength to carry on.”
“Who says I even have that?” I grumble and take a languid step forward.
Sera rakes a hand through her long, bloodied hair. Her face twists into a haughty, annoyed expression, and I see a semblance of the frustrating gossip I first met. “Just move.”
I glare at her back but follow her further up the hill.
The forest becomes denser as we trek forward, and after several minutes, I can’t hear the battle. Leaves rustle nearby, and I study the shadows. “It’s just us in this arena, right?”
Sera glances back at me with weariness before she sets her focus ahead. “The arena is filled with any challenges the Heir fears we will face during our reign.”
“That’s not really an answer,” I point out.
“No, it’s not just us,” she deadpans and parts a set of vines.
I struggle to pass through them as she doesn’t hold them open for me. I grunt as I tangle myself, batting the things around until I make it through. I slow, and my muscles turn to liquid.
Sera crosses a river over a thin, wooden plank before she meets Harmony on the other side. Behind them is a small hut made of branches, twine, and leaves.
Harmony stands covered in dirt, a pile of twigs and branches held under one arm.
