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I’mnotafraidofa good fight, even one where I might be outnumbered. In fact, I welcome a challenge.
But I know the openness of the forest and road beyond the outpost will give us the ability to maneuver around these men. In such a tight space within the building, we would be easy prey to fall upon.
I dart through the exit, several footsteps following after me. Everything was going smoothly with Silas until the captain spoke. Did he know I was lying the entire time, playing me for the fool? No. I would have sensed it.
Athump,growl, and subsequentclangreaches my ears. I’m halfway across the clearing when I turn around, finding Captain Montgomery fighting off three men, another two coming up close behind him.
He moves with exactness, the need for a sword rendered almost moot as his body becomes the essence of a sharp, cold weapon. His fist connects to the side of one man’s face, knocking him back into two others before they all fall over. The captain grabs the man’s sword from his hands before he even hits the ground.
His movements are devastatingly graceful as he twists around, counterattacking another man coming at him from behind. His arms ripple with the impact of jabbing the sword’s hilt into the man’s stomach, his other elbow swinging across his opponent’s face before an explosive kick lands the man to the ground. The captain’s advance is relentless.
Without thinking I pivot, charging to protect his back from yet another coming at him from behind. Another line of swords come barreling out of the threshold, wielded by their now emboldened owners. I dip low, retrieving my dagger as I move to meet them, joining the fray at the captain’s side.
Something whooshes past my ear before a gurgling noise erupts from somewhere close by. I’m taken aback as I see the shaft of an arrow protruding from a man’s neck, a small drop of blood dripping down his skin. Silas’s group hesitates, gaping at their companion.
Another whiz fragments the air. Another. Then another. Three more arrows find their target in three more men. One lands in an arm, another in a leg, and the last one in a side. These subsequent hits aren’t killing blows, but they will be painful, hindering the men and aiding us greatly in our escape.
“Run!” someone screams. Otto bursts through the tree line mounted on his horse, my bow in his hands.
My periphery catches more movement. Aiden rides forward, another arrow nocked and ready to fly, aiming steadfast for any of Silas’s men who dares move forward. It causes just enough pause for the captain to free himself from the bulk of the assault, his size clearly marking him as the greater threat. I don’t have time to scoff at their naïve assumptions. He runs for his horse, spurred forward by the safety of Aiden’s cover.
Jaren, the man who gave up his chair at Silas’s request, notes the momentary lapse of focus, darting forward with his sword raised, chasing after the captain regardless of Aiden’s threat. I grab the tip of my dagger and launch it across the distance, landing the cold metal into the soft heat of his flesh.
It embeds deep in his side. His cry of anguish and outrage echoes through the clearing, his pain bouncing off my impervious skin— now as well-built and hard as the Turinian steel jutting from his wrenching wound. The captain turns in stride, pulling my knife from the man’s torso. In the same motion he kicks Jaren square in the chest, knocking him flat on his back.
My vision tunnels as I race for Prue, grabbing the reins from Otto as I leap atop her. When I turn to locate Captain Montgomery, he’s gone. The pounding in my ears grows louder, my breathing shallow and ragged. I search the ground, tensing to dismount and find our fourth companion.
My gaze is drawn by sudden movement. I flick my focus to the back of the property, the captain running from the stables. A held breath releases from me in huff, my shoulders dropping as I see him. Horses shoot from every direction, sprinting left and right past their riders and deeper into the forest. The captain cuts the last one free, grabbing the reins of the chestnut horse before climbing onto its back and barreling toward us.
He’s smart, scattering any chance that Silas or his men will be able to follow. A few of the horses may return by the end of the day, confused and directionless, but we will be long gone.
A glint catches my eye as Captain Montgomery rides closer, and I realize my dagger is still in his hand. I spare one last glance at the mail outpost, just in time to see Silas step outside. My victorious smile greets his darkened gaze.
Aiden nocks one more arrow. His concentration and skill paint over the boy who started this journey with us only yesterday, molding him into the man now in front of me. The arrow’s point lands only a finger’s breadth from the head of Silas just before we disappear down the road.
The building and wounded men are now only a trace in the wind as it blows through my tangled, sweat dampened hair.
Rain falls around us in sheets.
Otto ties a small tent between the trees, hardly big enough for two of us let alone four, while the captain releases the extra horse acquired earlier.
Each movement I make pulls my soaked shirt away from my body, its weight a heavy suction, exposing more of me than I wish to bare to these guards. I undo what’s left of my braid, wringing out my hair in a futile attempt to keep it from matting while I sleep. My skin prickles as I accidentally nudge into the captain.
He turns toward me, his gaze trailing down my dripping hair. “Thank you,” he says, quieting his voice in our close proximity. “I believe this hunk of metal may have saved my life today.” He hands me my dagger, now cleaned of any remnants of Jaren.
I suck in a breath at his description. My dagger is a sleek piece of art. “This hunk of metal, as you say, has saved my life more than once. It’s no respecter of persons, living up to its purpose well.” I avoid meeting his gaze as I take it from his hands.
I did save his life today, without question. In my dreams I’ve never saved a guardsman, let alone the Captain of the Guard. A good day would be watching their barracks burn to the ground, even better if it was by my own hands. The idea of saving Captain Montgomery’s life only a few days ago would have been absurd, not to mention riding as a companion to two other guardsmen. I would have thought myself gone mad if I could go back and relay the last two day’s events.
My hate has driven me these last five years, taking me for a heavy ride as I mastered my craft with Lady Margaret. Where would I be if I let it go? What other purpose would my life hold? It anchors me to this life— one I choose to spend in the murky clouds so others can see the stars.
My muscles relax when I see that true gratitude rests in his blue eyes. Water drips from the captain’s touseled, sable hair, trickling down the hard planes of his face and falling to his neck. I let my thoughts drift away with the steady drum of beating rain, watching the drops of water as they disappear beneath the fabric of his shirt.
“Our fortune couldn’t be better,” Otto says, looking out toward the rain. “This will greatly deter Silas and his men, covering any remnants from our path today.” His words are meant for no one in particular, being as our entire group is squished together like the corseted torso of a wealthy woman.
“Did you find out anything about the princess? Or Parker?” Aiden finally asks, turning his attention to the captain and myself. Our tent grows quiet at his question, a small echo of thunder sounding in the background.
I don’t know if he’s speaking to me or to the captain, but I answer anyway. “They knew something. Did you notice?” I turn briefly to the captain before explaining everything that transpired while we were separated. “The moment Captain Montgomery gave the description of the princess and Aldren—”
