CHAPTER ONE
Ryker
We’d almost reachedthe guards when they issued their first shout of warning. One of the men behind the carriage had spotted us.
I’d hoped to get closer to the contingent before they saw us, but we were near enough that we could succeed in overtaking them. The money chests, strapped to the top of the carriage, were a testament to how far we’d come already and a gleaming temptation that was impossible to avoid.
When the shout rang out, the guards riding drew back on the reins, halting their horses. Because of the narrow, twisty road, it was impossible to see anyone beyond those two guards, as a bend in the road blocked the rest of them.
The guards twisted on their horses to see what had caused the cry of alarm. As they did so, Luna sprinted out of her hiding place; before they realized she was there, she sliced through the reins of the first horse.
Moving with amazing speed and grace, she cut through the reins of the second horse as that guard started shouting. Bythe time he pulled his sword free, she’d disappeared behind the carriage.
While Luna had gone for the guards in front of the carriage, Callan ran for the horses ridden by the guards behind the vehicle.
Fast and deft, the siblings worked in harmony as Callan sliced the reins of the guards following the carriage. Though we all wore hoods covering our faces and mesh over our eyes, the difference in the siblings’ builds made them easy to tell apart.
The guards in the back freed their swords far faster than the ones in the front, but as the first swung at Callan, the musician shoved his shoulder into the horse’s neck. The abrupt motion startled the animal, and it reared back.
Thrown off by the horse’s abrupt motion and unable to control his mount, the guard scrambled to stay in the saddle as the animal tried to spin in the roadway. Its movements were hindered by the horse beside it. Fueled by the panic of its mate, the second horse started backing up, but it had nowhere to go.
We’d chosen this section of road because of how confined it was by the hills on each side and how difficult it would be for the guards to maneuver in such a small space. Thankfully, that was proving to be true. As the guards shouted at the animals to stop, their yells only made things worse.
When the first horse finally succeeded in spinning, its head hit the second one’s and knocked it to the side. Its eyes rolled as it tried to flee, but there was nowhere for it to go, as guards and carriages blocked the road behind it.
The shouts increased as the guards became trapped within the small confines. The men driving the carriage worked to calm the horses pulling the conveyance.
The carriage horses tossed their heads while surging forward and back as they sought to flee. They weren’t having any success.
While all this was going on, we continued to descend on the carriage. We were only fifteen feet away, and I could already feel the trunks full of money in my hands, when the door opened. An archer stood in the doorway with his bow raised and an arrow nocked.
CHAPTER TWO
Ryker
“Look out!”I shouted as I lunged to the side, wrapped my arms around Ellery, and pulled her down.
Twisting, I cradled her protectively while my shoulder and back took the brunt of the impact from the fall. When we hit the ground, her breath burst out of her as we bounced down the hill toward the road.
An arrow kissed my ear as it whistled past me when we came to a stop near the bottom of the hill. Keeping Ellery pinned beneath me, I ignored her grumbled complaints, wiggling, and an elbow to the ribs as I sheltered her body with mine.
“Ryker—”
“Stay still,” I told her.
Four archers had emerged from the carriage with their bows raised and their arrows nocked. Four guards with swords followed them out the door.
Thiswas something we hadn’t anticipated while making our plan for this robbery. I should have considered the possibilitythat my father would hide guards in some, if notall, of the vehicles.
Fuck!
I’d felt confident about how my father would handle this, and he’d been just as confident he knew exactly howIwould. It was rare for me to underestimate anyone, let alone that asshole, but I’d greatly misjudged this.
I’d expected my father to be so greedy that he’d only fill the vehicles with chests full of money meant forhim. I hadn’t foreseen him taking up precious space with guards.
“Shit,” I hissed.
While the riders at the front and back of the carriage were still trying to handle their mounts, and failing miserably, these eight guards, the one driving the carriage, and the guard with the driver were in control. Luna darted out from her hiding place and dashed between the steeds pulling the carriage before vanishing again.
