‘No!’ I scream out as pain sears through me.
Not a chance,Fen growls as his head snaps around to snarl at the woman, his teeth only millimetres away from her flesh. Whether he misses her through choice or restraint, I cannot tell, but she releases me all the same.
A burning remains in my skull, and words echo in my head, the voice never touching my ears.
Take her alive!Take her alive.The rest are expendable.
Telepathy. The fucking Torailians have telepathy. No magic, my arse!
As lightning flashes in the air above us, the pain I felt only moments ago is gone, replaced by outright fury.
Noneof us are expendable, and whichever fucking woman just thought those words is about to learn that lesson real damn fast.
A flash of ice blasts out from beneath me, but rather than heading towards the Torailian in a manner that is helpful, it fires backward, knocking Benny off his feet.
‘Fuck!’ I say. Panic surges through me, but Fen’s mind is there to calm me.
He’s fine, Little Raven. The fire weaver has him.
A single glance behind me is all it takes to see he’s right. Benny is back on his feet,charging, blade flashing, while Ruben’s fire ignites, not in a wild burst but a controlled arc that forces three of the Torailians back. It’s oddly nice to hear Fen call him a fire weaver, when his whole life Ruben has ‘just’ been a furnace.
I’m absurdly grateful that I gave Ruben a decent power boost this morning.
Stide and Thessa don’t hesitate. The Quiet Ones fight together. The two women are silent and move with brutal precision and a synchronicity that tells of years of companionship, but always Stide has half an eye on protecting Thessa.
Caz is there too, battling one-on-one and winning. Arrows are great from a distance, but you’re fucked if your opponents reach you before you’re ready, as Caz’s adversary is finding out.
As the speared tips fly through the air, I can’t help but think of William. This is what he asked me to bring back for him. Not a cure for the affliction that threatens to destroy his life, but a Torailian arrow. And I plan on keeping my promise. I just have to stay alive long enough to snag one – and hopefullynotwith my body.
From the outside of the ring, it’s easier to disrupt their lines, but whereas we are forced to anticipate each of their moves, for them it’s like this has all been rehearsed, like a dance. No orders are shouted aloud, no directions given, and yet they regroup almost instantly, the majority of them once again encircling Fen and me.
Hold on, Little Raven,Fen tells me as he lunges back and forth, leaping and clawing at the Torailians as lightning continues to pelt the earth. My body moves and rolls with his movement. This isn’t like the fight with the Rottings, where he knew we were safest separate. He saw the nets and knows they’re trying to entrap me, and keeping me on him is the best way, in his eyes, to ensure I remain safe.
‘Kyor! Enough!’ I yell at him, worried about him burning himself out.
His injury is already sapping his energy, and if he doesn’t stop he could drain himself without even realising. One last crash of thunder ricochets through the air just as a Torailian leaps towards Fen, as if meeting the wolf in mid-air may help him win. He ducks under the wolf’s claws an instant before contact is made, almost as if he knew which paw Fen was going to use to rip his limbs from his body.
Frustration crackles along the bond between Fen and me. Fen doesnotmiss. Not when he has a target in mind, and yet somehow the Torailian can anticipate our every move.
Disgusting. A woman’s voice cuts through my thoughts the same way Fen’s so often has.She should feelashamed,bound to a beast.
Beast?
Fen’s outrage rolls through me, but it is nothing compared to the roar of my own.
‘He is not a beast,’ I snarl aloud, my voice carrying further than it should. ‘And of all the things I deserve to feel shame over, he will never be one of them.’
A laugh cracks in my skull.
One of ours, defiling yourself in such a manner. Maybe we should kill you now.
‘I amnotone of yours.’
Laughter again ripples, but this time it’s not in my head and it’s not just one woman. All of them offer the same sharp, mocking snigger as they encircle me.
‘You ride an animal,’ she replies aloud, drawing my attention to exactly which of the Torailians it is who infiltrated my mind. Though now that I know, it is a wonder I didn’t work it out for myself.
Taller than Caz, her movements are economical as she slings her bow across her back. ‘You let ananimalinside your mind.Bondedwith an animal. You are a disgrace to your power and your heritage.’
