How does King Hared even know who I am?
‘Well, he can’t have her,’ Torgrin snarled.
I felt more of the rope beginning to give under the dagger.I was almost free.
‘Is she worth losing your life for?’Torgrin’s father asked.‘Just because you are my son, doesn’t mean I won’t hurt you,’ he threatened.
Torgrin let out a bitter laugh that made me pause.‘Oh, I know.Having a son never stopped you from following your king’s commands,’ Torgrin said coldly.
My hands came free of the rope.Staying where I was, I slowed my breathing and waited for the right moment.
‘Get out of here, and don’t turn back,’ Torgrin’s father warned.There was a resounding silence from Torgrin.‘So be it.’
I heard a sword unsheathe and franticly pulled off my hood as I jumped to my feet.Nobody was paying any attention to me.They were all focused on the two men facing off in the middle of the camp.The leader of my kidnappers had his sword pointed at Torgrin’s chest, and I felt something primal rise inside me at the sight.
A mighty gust of wind caused my hair to whip across my face, leading me to let go of the knife and tap into the growing power of the Darkness within me.I could see the confusion on the facesaround the camp as they looked about at the leaves spinning on the ground and the trees twisting with the howling wind.
I walked deliberately towards the two men who were yet to notice me as they struggled to stay balanced in the gale.
Torgrin’s father looked past his son, his gaze meeting mine.The older man’s eyes – so like his son’s – narrowed as he gripped his sword tighter.Torgrin’s back was to me, but I still heard his warning over the wailing wind.
‘I think you should leave before she kills every one of you.’Torgrin sounded calm, and I appreciated his confidence that I could take on a camp full of soldiers, even if I wasn’t sure I could.But no-one moved to stop me.
My Curse was very distraught that a sword was pointed at Torgrin.As soon as I acknowledged that, the dark shadows seeped out of my fingertips, and the moment they touched the sword against Torgrin’s leather-clad chest, it began to turn black.
Torgrin’s father frantically shook the hand that held the decaying sword.His fingertips blackened.
No, no, no.
I didn’t want to hurt Torgrin’s father.I dragged the shadows away, defying the displeasure I felt from the Darkness, and his finger returned to normal.
Torgrin raised his arm and lowered it, cutting the air as he yelled, ‘Now!’
A volley of arrows came from the surrounding trees, causing chaos to erupt in the camp.Torgrin spun around, searching for me.
‘Tor?’The arrows flew past me, not at me, but I was still wary of being hit.
Torgrin seemed to have no fear as he sprinted to where I waited but had to halt when a man appeared, sword drawn.Torgrin barely ducked in time to avoid the blade taking off his head.
The Darkness returned, and there was no restraining it this time.I was no longer concerned with stray arrows; my only concern was protecting Torgrin.I closed the distance between myself and Torgrin’s attacker.My shadows wrapped around the man’s legs, and he screamed in terror as he tried to kick the tightening shadows away.
I understood why Torgrin took Boric’s head off inside the arena.Seeing this man almost kill Torgrin filled me with an all-consuming rage.
The man wiggled like a worm on a hook as I touched him.His arm blackened until the limb was nothing but ash, and the clearing rang with his high-pitched wails.His remaining hand lifted desperately, trying to fend off my deadly touch.But I didn’t need to touch him again.My shadows could do the rest now.
He screamed at Torgrin to make me stop.Torgrin merely looked down at him with a terrifying coldness.My shadows did not forgive or forget.
I looked down at him as he writhed in pain, his arm a pile of ash next to him.The Darkness wanted him to suffer longer – it wanted to destroy him limb by limb for what he nearly did to Torgrin, but I could not stomach watching his suffering any longer.
‘The underworld can have you now.’I clapped my hands.In the blink of an eye, he was nothing but a sooty mark on the bone-dry grass.
Without any hesitation, or fear from what I had done, Torgrin grabbed my hand and tugged.I let him guide me through the volley of arrows still raining down on the camp, very aware of how his hand enveloped mine.We had almost reached the safety of the trees when a young woman with short black hair appeared in front of us.
‘Stop!’she yelled.She had small blades floating in the air, pointing directly at us.This must be the Cursed hooded archer who had taken my swords.I watched the floating blades, more out of curiosity than fear.
Torgrin stepped in front of me, making himself the sole target of the floating blades.Was he kidding me?Did he not just see what I was capable of?
‘Braya, get out of our way,’ Torgrin growled.He knows her.I regarded her with new eyes, my curiosity becoming something I would not admit was jealousy.
