IgrabbedLadyBogataunder her arms and tried to lift her.Shegroaned, andIsaw the large gash on her forehead still wasn’t healing.Shestumbled and pulled on me, and my arm shot through with pain.Igritted my teeth.
“Theothers, are they safe?”Shewas barely audible over the crunch of wood as the house tried to collapse around us.
“Theywill be, come on.”Sheshuffled her feet, and we made our way down the stairs, but with every stepInearly dropped her as my arm lurched.Ibit my tongue so hard it bled, butIkept moving.
Wemade it down the stairs whenIheardKaleos.Amoment later, he was on her other side, lifting her, and we managed to stumble down the rest of the way out of the house.
Isaw the rest of our group outside, several helping servants and other household members, setting them down outside the danger of the burning house.WeplacedLadyBogatawith the others, andIknelt down to see the gash in her head still bleeding.Ilooked her over quickly and saw an iron shackle clamped around her wrist.Igrabbed a beat up sword from a horse nearby and used my fae strength to pry it open just enough for her to slip her hand out.Herwound immediately started to knit itself together.Sheblinked up at me in the harsh sun, and her face went ashen.
“PrincessTori, you can’t be here.”
“It’salright,LadyBogata, you and your household are safe now.”Iheld her shoulder.Shewas ice cold, going into shock.
“No, don’t you see!Theyare still—”
Anarrow flew past my face, barely missing both of us.Myhead snapped up, andIsaw them.Dozensof men clad in thick furs rose up out of the wheat fields where they had hidden.Theyhad us surrounded.
“Formation, now!” shoutedKaleos.Thecohort lined up, shields locked together, swords drawn.ButIstill couldn’t hold a shield.Gods,Iwas so useless— a weak link.Ilined up behind them, the only thingIcould do. “Staywith the wounded,Tori,”Kaleosyelled.Yes,Icould do that.Ifell back, my sword at the ready.
Thebandits closed in, and arrows flew, sending resounding knocks through the shields of the cohort as they hit.
“Hold!”Kaleosyelled.Butthe bandits immediately ran for us, they covered the distance with shocking speed, and in only a few breaths they were on us.Swordsflashed from behind the shield wall.Butthey outnumbered us.Normallythat wouldn’t have been enough to break them up, but these men moved as a unit.Theywere trained with military precision, and quickly, the fighting devolved into direct combat.
Icrouched with the wounded, awaiting my moment.Raulatook on three men at once, andIfound an opening.Shepositioned them, so their backs were to me, andIleapt out and struck one across the back.Hedidn’t wear armor, and blood dripped to the ground.Hespun, seeming unfazed, but he was unprotected, and this timeIdidn’t hesitate to run him straight through his gut.Hefell to his knees, clutching his stomach, butIwatched in horror as even that wound started to knit itself back together.Afae?Ididn’t stop to ponder asIsent my sword through his heart, my arm aching with the force.
Iturned to helpRaula, but an arrow narrowly missed me again.Isaw my assailant across the yard, notching another.Hisgreat bow was almost as tall asIwas.Ifhe landed a clear shot,Iwouldn’t be getting back up.Hepulled the string back, ready to release.
Idid not have a shield, but training withAbraxashad made me fast.Thearrow flew andIswung my sword, striking it from the air.Anotherflew, andIslashed through it, each time closing the distance between us.Ilet my focus drive away my pain, untilIwas only a step away from my opponent.Iswung my sword, knocking the bow from his hands, and used the momentum to spin around, sending my sword straight across his neck.Amoment later, his head fell to the ground, a shocked expression still locked on his face.
ButasIlooked at him, his long hair pulled back and revealed long pointed ears.Ilooked at the rest of the bandits, and yes, most of them were tall, lean, and moved with a grace that a human could never match.Agroup of fae bandits?Itwas unheard of, what was going on?
“PrincessTori!”LadyBogatascreamed, andIturned, to see the largest of them all barreling at me.Iswore he hadn’t been there just a moment before.Hisface was mostly covered, butIsaw a long white scar running over his left eye.Iswung my sword to parry him, butIwas off balance.Hetook advantage and knocked me to the ground, his free hand colliding with my injury so hardIthought my arm would split open again.Idropped my sword, and he kicked it away.
Ifell to the ground, seizing, when his great arms wrapped around me.Istruggled to free myself, to no avail.
Apiercing whistle filled my ears, as he called to his men. “I’vegot her, fall back.”
What?Idoubled my efforts to escape, but he just laughed in my ear.
“Notso dangerous without your claws?”Helaughed again, but then groaned and released me.Ifell to my knees but spun to see a sword had pierced his side,Kaleoson the other end of it.
Buthe didn’t hesitate long.Hespun, the sword still lodged in his stomach, and pulled it free ofKaleos’ grip.HekickedKaleoshard across the face, and he crumpled to the ground.
“Filthyhalf-breed.”Hepulled the sword out, andIsaw the wound quickly knit itself together.Heturned the sword onKaleos, soIlaunched myself at him.Itwas like trying to knock down a mountain, but gods be damned ifIdidn’t try.
Itdistracted him fromKaleos, but not much else. “Fuckingfemale, enough from you.”Hepunched me so hard across the face that my vision went black, andIfell back down.Bloodfilled my mouth, butIheard from the distance, “Commander, reinforcements from the north.Wehave to move.”
Ifelt theCommandergrab me around my waist. “Headback to base.Takethe half-breed as well, leave the rest.”
Isaw two men grabKaleos’ arms and drag him behind us.Thecommander covered my mouth with his hand, andIbit down untilItasted his blood. “Fuckingbitch.”
Hegrabbed my neck, squeezing it untilIthought my bones would crack, and everything went black.
* * *
Iwokeup in the dark, to the smell of rot and damp.Mywrists burned, andIyanked at them through the haze of my mind.Eachmotion caused the burning to surge, but the pain brought me back to consciousness.
Mywrists were bound to a wall, extended outward like wings, with iron shackles.EverymovementImade drove the iron into my skin, andIcould hear the flesh sizzling.Igot my feet underneath me, removing some of the strain, but the shackles were tight, and still my skin burned.
