Page 90 of Aryn

My swallow is so loud it’s like an explosion in the silence. “Where do we go?”

More footsteps sound in the distance, too many for me to track. “There’s a back way,” he says, barely moving his lips. “But we need to move.”

Aryn

I kick myself a million different ways. If we’d turned around at the first signs of trouble, we could’ve made it back to Thralune. Maybe we could’ve joined a caravan heading this direction, or used our extra coin to hire protection. Now we’re here, exhausted and exposed, all because I was impatient to get home.

It’s my fault we’re in this position.

My fault Cato is at risk.

Gods, if something happens to him because of me…

“It’s only a few hours from here,” I say, forcing myself to stay alert as I lead the group through the trees. Lillith has fallen into the rear to watch our backs with Cato, and I hate not being able to see him.

“Is it smart to leave the road?” Ronan demands from my side.

Smoke rises in a plume not far ahead, and I nod toward it. “They’re guarding the path, Ronan. Look at the fires up ahead. If they haven’t attacked another cart, then they’ve blocked the way. They have us barricaded.”

Ronan stares into the forest, jaw working as he tries to find another option. “This is too risky.”

“We can’t turn around,” I counter with a sharp edge to my voice. “We’d never make it.”

Ronan’s eyes flash with frustration. “And charging forward blindly is better? You’re letting your need to get home cloud your judgment.”

The words sting because part of me worries he’s right, but right now, it doesn’t matter. Retreating would have us run right back into their hands.

It’d be suicide.

“This is the only way,” I insist. “The back path is our best chance. I remember it. If we move quietly and slip through, we can lose them.”

Ronan stares at me for a long beat. “If you’re wrong…”

“I know,” I say quietly, “but we can’t turn around now.”

Another cracking branch echoes behind us, and Ronan’s jaw tenses. “Go on, then,” he grits through his teeth.

I focus on the path, pulling ancient memories from the corners of my mind. Without them, our chance of escaping is next to none. The route comes back to me as though it were yesterday, and I lead us through trees and rocks, using the points of the mountains as my guide. Another few miles slip by without so much as a sound besides our footsteps. For a brief, foolish moment, I allow myself to believe they’ve fallen back.

I let myself think we’ve won.

My ears twitch as a creaking noise reaches them, and I realize what it is as a shock of cold rushes through my limbs. “Get down!” I shout.

Everyone drops as a bowstring plucks and an arrow whizzes past. For a split second, I’m paralyzed, staring at the feathered shaft sticking out of the trunk where my head was only moments ago.

Footsteps close in from every direction at once, and I’m shocked by how silently they stalked us with their numbers. Low, guttural voices bark orders in harsh Elyrian, telling them to fan out and surround us.

“Go!” I roar as I scramble to my feet. “We have to go now!”

Branches whip across my face and arms as we sprint into the dense forest. The snow is much deeper here, sucking at our legs like wet cement and slowing our pace. Behind us, the voices have stopped trying to be stealthy, and shout taunts at our backs.

“Faster!” I plead, heart pounding.

One of them bursts from the trees to my right, a lean warrior with a handprint painted over his face. He lunges for Cameron with a jagged spear pulled back and ready to throw.

Cato bellows and charges forward, swinging his machete with all that coiled power in his body, and the blade catches the attacker across the throat with a wet crunch. Blood sprays hot across the snow as he collapses, gurgling his last breath.

We run even faster as everything explodes into chaos. More fighters pour out of the forest, throwing spears and firing arrows that whistle through the air like deadly hornets. An arrow grazes my ribs, ripping open my coat and tearing a burning line across my side. I snarl from the pain but keep running, falling back to take the rear from Ronan.