The driver held a crossbow in one hand and a sword in another. He fired the crossbow.
I retreated behind the chests as Ryker ducked out of the way before rising again. My heart leapt into my throat as I grabbed for him, but he was already beyond my reach.
What is he doing?
I rolled over to look out from behind the chest as Ryker pulled his sword free with a hiss of leather against steel. All around us, arrows flew, other guards shouted, and horses fled as the remaining guards tried to stop what was unfolding.
Tucker and the others worked to take them out and keep them at bay, but I barely heard any of it as Ryker stalked across the top of the carriage. As he walked by the guard still pinned to the roof, he brought his sword down across his neck in a powerful blow that severed his head and sent it rolling across the roof before tumbling over the side.
He didn’t miss a step. The remaining driver was trying to reload his crossbow when Ryker reached him.
He kicked the man in the face three times. The driver’s jaw caved from the blows; he staggered back after each impact before toppling out of the front of the carriage and landing beneath the horses.
Startled by the man’s unexpected arrival, the horses surged forward, but they spun when the rope shot up before them again. The jarring movement caused two wheels to lift off the ground, and I slid toward the side.
I scrambled for something to hold as the carriage tilted precariously. If it tipped over, we were done.
Just when I was about to be flung over the side, I snagged one of the ropes securing a trunk. I clung to it as my body flew off the roof, my feet hung precariously over the side, and the carriage tilted further.
Something gave way with a loud crack, and I glimpsed Ryker, clinging to the bar behind the driver’s seat, where the carriage hung on a precipice. Trees and road flashed before me as the carriage groaned.
And then, the horses succeeded in turning themselves completely, the wheels hit the ground with a bang, and the panicked animals bolted down the road. As they ran, I saw the source of that loud crack as one of the shafts tying the horses to the carriage bounced through the air.
If the other one gave way too, we’d lose the animals and our ability to get far enough away to open a portal. Right now, if we tried, the guards would follow us through; we required time to gain more distance from them.
Ryker pulled himself back onto the carriage as I used the rope to drag myself away from the edge. I pried my hands off the binding that had saved me and scampered toward the front of the carriage.
The vehicle hit a hole in the road, and the out-of-control bounce and sway almost knocked me off. I scrambled to keep my balance as I slid toward the side again.
Throwing myself down to keep from falling over, I continued sliding but grasped one of the railings running across the top of the carriage before I toppled over the edge. I tried to right myself, but a jarring bounce shot me a foot off the roof as Ryker dropped into the driver’s seat.
Unable to get my feet underneath me in time, I crashed onto the top of the vehicle. The impact knocked the breath from me, but while I contemplated lying there and licking my wounds, I couldn’t as arrows whistled far too close for my liking.
I was an open target here.
CHAPTERSEVENTY-NINE
Ellery
I scrambledto get my feet back on the roof while Ryker leapt onto it and ran toward me with a grace that should have been impossible given our current conditions.
No! Go back!
I almost shouted the words at him, but we’d all agreed not to speak. It was doubtful anyone would recognize our voices, other than maybe Ryker’s, but it wasn’t a chance worth taking. Besides, my voice would give away I was a woman, and that secret was better kept… for now.
An arrow skimmed Ryker’s shoulder and sliced across his flesh, but it did nothing to deter him as he held his hand out to me. I was afraid to stand and scared of the arrows flying around us, but I didn’t hesitate to take it.
Ryker pulled me off my feet and put me in front of him. “No,” I whispered.
I’d broken our vow not to speak, but he couldn’t keep himself fully exposed. At least if I was still unprotected, we’d provide two targets for their arrows and a distraction.
He didn’t say anything as he wrapped his arms around me, lifted me, and ran toward the front of the carriage. I almost told him that he should at least hunch over and make himself a smaller target, but he was moving faster this way and had to get away from the arrows.
The jarring impact of the wheels bouncing off the ground and the speed we traveled had to be difficult for him to navigate, but he didn’t show any signs of it. We were almost to the front when his body jerked forward, and he grunted.
A scream of anguish strangled in my throat as I restrained myself from turning to look at him. He’d been shot. However, I couldn’t help him while the carriage careened recklessly onward.
When Ryker dropped me over the front, I landed on the driver’s seat and scrambled to undo the reins he’d tied around the seat. Ryker joined me and twisted so his back didn’t touch the carriage.
