He hated to leave her, yet he had to go. His heart was torn, knowing her loyalty was divided between him and her sisters. He couldn’t look back at her for fear of being too tempted to remain. He would make it up to her.
He kicked his horse hard, desperately trying to outrun the doubt and indecision that had taken over his mind. He wanted to return to Raven and tell her it was going to be well. He had to discover how many of Sterling’s men were following them. He had to keep them all safe.
His eyes darted between the copse of trees to his right and the dense, prickly bush to his left. The wind whipped through his hair, and his steed’s hooves pounded against the hard earth. He slowed as he reached the edge of the ridge, squinting into the shadows of the trees. If someone were following them, the trees would offer a perfect place to remain concealed. They bloomed in the center of two roads like a large bouquet of flowers.
Landyn narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the terrain. He stared into the thick growth of weeds along the bottom of the trees, looking for any sign of motion. If someone were tracking them, they would need a horse, so he searched for a likely place to hide it.
Landyn cautiously followed the edge of the road. He inched closer to the hill, hoping whoever hid in the trees wouldn’t see him as he skirted the hill. He was positive Demory was not alone.
He rounded the hill and moved toward the trees. Their branches swayed lazily in the breeze. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the ground for traces of horses’ hooves, but there wasn’t a single indentation. He pulled his steed to a walk and ventured closer, searching for telltale signs of riders leading into the forest.
He glanced at the trees again. Could they have approached from the other road? It appeared as though Demory was the only one trailing them.
He steered his steed off the road into the brush. Nothing. Silence. No breeze. No rustling of branches. No birds. The air was still and eerily quiet. Landyn dismounted and eased slowly into the tree line, their trunks like giant ancient sentinels keeping watch all around him. His eyes darted this way and that with every sense heightened.
When he heard the snap of a twig, his pulse raced, and he crept toward the noise around the thick trunk of a tree. He spotted the swooshing black tail of a horse. Someone elsewashere.
His hand grasped the hilt of his sword, and he slowly removed it. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and he spun.
A man with cropped hair and a beard came at him, his sword raised over his head.
Landyn blocked his blow, twisting his wrist to the side. He swung, and the man backed up, holding his sword before him.
Landyn lunged forward with his sword, his muscles tense from the effort. Their swords met with a large clang of steel, echoing through the forest as they traded blows.
The man stepped in and grabbed Landyn’s wrist as their swords met. The man’s grip tightened like a vise and an unmistakable glint of determination shone in his eye.
With desperate strength, Landyn seized his wrist, grimacing as he realized he couldn’t afford to let this man live.
The man hooked his foot behind Landyn and shoved him back. Landyn fell onto the ground and barely had time to react as the man’s blade slashed toward him. He desperately rolled out of the way as the blade impacted the earth, sending a spray of dirt into the air like a cloud.
Landyn leaped to his feet and ducked the man’s swing. The blade hissed over his head. He lunged in, catching the man in the stomach, driving his sword deep.
The man’s eyes widened with surprise as he glanced down at the blade of Landyn’s sword, now embedded in his stomach. When Landyn pulled it free, the man let out a sharp gasp, and a single bead of red welled up in the corner of his mouth.
Landyn stepped aside as the man dropped to his knees and then toppled to the ground.
Landyn took a breath as he stared at the man. The smell of blood filled his nostrils, and a pool of blood dampened the vegetation beneath the man. Now, Demory was the only one he had to deal with.
He turned…
To find a second man with long hair and twisted lips behind him, his sword pulled back for the strike.
Landyn didn’t have time to react. The moment seemed to stretch. The man’s expression softened, and spittle formed in the corner of his lips. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell forward to reveal Raven standing behind him with her hand around the hilt of her weapon, blood marring the tip.
A tumble of emotions erupted inside Landyn, leaving him breathless. His chest swelled with relief, and his heart overflowed with gratitude. And then realization struck him like a thunderbolt.
She had chosen him over her sisters.
He reached out to her, but she stepped back and thrust a finger into his chest. Her tone was stern. “I told you not to split up.”
Chapter Nineteen
Raven’s hands were clenched, and she shook with anger. Sage had Marcus, but Landyn had gone off alone. She was grateful she had followed him. When she had seen that man behind him, preparing to run him through...
She trembled and brushed by Landyn, ignoring his outstretched arms. Panic rose in her chest as the consequences of their separation occurred to her. Sage could be in danger, and Willow could be anywhere. She had told Landyn they couldn’t separate, and he had ignored her.
She marched to her steed.
