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I bent down, lifting up from the knees as I tried to heave the heavy pole from the ground. It twisted slightly. I could do this.
I looked around, not seeing my weapon anywhere at first. But I wouldn’t have much time to search. Escape first, weapon second.
I started tugging and pushing, twisting and turning like a crazy woman. Grunting and muttering under my breath until finally it came free. The pole fell sideways, taking with it the cloth of the tent. I crouched down, sliding the rope from the pole’s base that was now exposed.
I was free.
Almost. My wrists were still bound, but they were bound in front of my body, and I could make a run for it now. I crawled under the drooping fabric of the tent, making my way toward a lighted area before the tent swallowed me whole.
As I rose to stand on my feet, I wobbled. The ankle I’d rolled coming out of the window yesterday was screaming. I guess the adrenaline had worn off. I took some deep breaths, praying I could manage with it and ran for the woods, limping slightly here and there. The Seelie army was too busy running toward the line of battle farther ahead, so I was escaping unhindered—so far.
“Hey!” I cried as a soldier pushed me from behind. I fell forward, my wrists screaming as I fell on them funny.
I don’t even know if he realized he’d done it because he was gone when I turned around.
“Stupid Seelie,” I grumbled as I awkwardly rose to my feet. I looked around, noticing a sword by a small log that was in front of a still simmering fire.
Perfect! I grabbed the weapon, holding it awkwardly as I adjusted my hands to grip it as best I could with my wrists tied and continued to the far side of the woods to sneak along the perimeter. I fiddled with it, thinking I could quickly adjust my hold so that I could free my hands. But with the threat of being discovered if I didn’t get away, I decided to clutch onto it instead until I made it to a quieter part of the woods.
I had to make it out of here. Back to the right side and not get caught on this side of the fight. Regardless of being a prisoner, I didn’t want to be here when the Unseelie came storming through triumphantly.
Fire came down from overhead and a dragon swooped so low from the sky that I thought he was after me. But he wasn’t. I was getting closer to the main battle.
I ran farther toward the fight, staying to the outside. Something sharp hit my leg and I fell to the ground, looking around to see where it had come from.
Engaged in a battle, I saw a cloaked figure. I ran my hands along the ground, frantically searching and pulled up a sharp throwing star. The same one that had whizzed by and scraped my arm in town.
The assassin! The assassin was here.
I struggled to get up, watching the figure fighting a few other warriors. I was bound by the wrists, and the chance of surviving anything was slim, but I needed to know who the person was. Why they were after Noah.
Because something in my gut was once again telling me it was important. And I couldn’t get it out of my mind.
My legs shook as I gathered up my courage, inhaling sharply and raising my weapon directly in front of me. Charging with my sword stoically before me and having to move my entire body to follow through with each motion while my hands were bound was not going to be an easy way to fight.
But again, I had to try.
I took the assassin by surprise, knocking them to the ground and slicing down with my sword.
Seelie attacked two of the fae that had been fighting the hooded figure, and I was left alone. I circled, shuffling my feet sideways.
“Who are you!” I demanded.
A soft chuckle came from behind the cloak and two throwing stars came at me. I blocked one with the sword but the other hit my thigh. Thankfully, I’d dodged and it hit and fell off my pants. Not without leaving a small gash.
I growled, launching forward at the assassin, fury growing inside of me. I whipped my sword around. The assassin had a dagger in their hand now, but it wasn’t a good enough weapon for hand-to-hand combat, even if I was at a disadvantage.
We tussled, swinging the sword taking much more energy than I was used to exerting so early in a fight. The forest floor grew denser, adding obstacles to our path.
The assassin reaching inside the cloak, pulling another dagger, but I took the opportunity to swing my feet out.
I had one chance at it because doing so meant I had to fall to the ground completely. But it was a shot that came to mind and one I knew I had to take.
The assassin tripped and hit their head on a nearby rock, completely to my advantage.
I’d done it. Something had worked in my favor.
I rolled onto my stomach, pulling my knees in and rising. Now I just needed to take the cloak off and see who on earth was underneath, though I knew it had to be a Seelie. But what I really needed answers to would require the Seelie to wake up. Was it Prince Landon who sent him? Or someone else?
