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Daimis, instead of trying to stop the ogres is still looking around for me, but a bit more feverishly now.
I’m relieved when the ogres retreat to the bridge. One by one, they run onto the rickety thing. It sways and groans under the ogre’s weight, but other than one wooden slot breaking, causing an ogre to trip, it holds fast. The ogre recovers and keeps running.
My relief is short-lived when the last ogre, about to run out onto the bridge with the others, grabs Daimis and crushes him to his chest while drawing one of Daimis’s knives from his belt to hold firmly at his neck.
Shit, shit, shit. This was not supposed to happen.My chest feels like a fist is squeezing it, and my heart races.
“Stay, or I kill prince,” the ogre says in a gruff voice, backing onto the bridge.
I run out of my hiding place. I glance at the Steel Guards, surely they’ll jump to Daimis’s aide, he’s their prince, heir to the throne. But they simply turn to the Regent, awaiting orders. Instead of telling the guards what to do, the Regent almost looks pleased with the turn of events. Is he viewing this as a perfect way to get rid of Daimis?Bastard.
“Archers, ready,” Kellan says. At least I can count on him to do the right thing. He would never sit back and let something happen to his Prince, his friend.
“Hold,” the Regent snaps.
“Father!” Kellan looks to his father with an incredulous gaze.
“Shut your mouth, boy!” Then as an afterthought he adds, “We can’t chance an arrow hitting the prince.”
They’re not going to do anything? My blood boils and I draw my blade. My eyes find Daimis’s. I can read so much in his expression, almost as if I can see right into his thoughts. He gives a little shake of his head; he doesn’t want me risking my life for his. His eyes go from me to the Regent, he wants me to focus on stopping the Regent. His jaw is set, he can take care of himself.
He sucks in a sharp breath, and I look to the knife which has just cut into his flesh, a drop of red blood runs down his throat and something in me snaps. A growl escapes me as a primal protectiveness awakens deep within—no one harms my Daimis. The Regent, the ogres, the whole damn world can go to hell, I won’t watch them harm him.
I follow the ogre onto the bridge. It shifts under my weight, and I use my free hand on the rope railing to keep a steady foot. Kellan and the Regent are commanding me to come back, the commands quickly turn into shouted threats, all of which I ignore and continue after the ogre.
“Let him go,” I say in the ogre’s tongue. “You can escape into fae territory. You’re almost there. You don’t need a hostage; these fools won’t follow you on fae land.”
The ogre’s face only betrays a trace of surprise that I know his language.
“You’ll follow,” the ogre says. “I can see it. You care for this one.”
“You’re right, and if you can see that then you should also know that I will hunt you all down one by one if you harm him. But, if you let him go, I’ll let you go. I was the one who released your chains in the first place. I’m not your enemy.”
“You can hunt us down and kill us. It matters not. We have failed.” His face crumples. “Our children are forsaken.”
And that’s when I know I’ve lost him. He’s only seeing the ruined shrine and what that represents. He’ll kill Daimis as revenge for the children that he fears may perish now that they won’t be protected by their goddess. The other ogres are now off the bridge and it’s just me and the one holding Daimis.
I have to do something and fast. I focus on Daimis. “Troll bridge,” I say. When his eyes widen, and he gives me a slight nod, I know he got the message.
I spin around and slice my blade through the ropes of the draw bridge, severing it just behind me, I send magic with my blade, whispering a single word for strength, to ensure it cuts clean through. I use the precious seconds my lack of surprise gives me over the ogre and drop to the floor, hooking one arm through a wooden slot. As the bridge falls out from under the ogre’s feet, he lets go of Daimis. They both fall. I wait for my opportunity, the only one I’ll get. There are no second chances here, Daimis’s life depends on me getting this right. I let my instincts guide me.
Already knowing what’s to come, Daimis reaches for my outstretched hand. We lock onto each other’s forearms just before the bridge changes our trajectory, hurtling us to the wall of the ravine. A burning pain slices through my shoulder as his full weight yanks my arm. I bite back a scream. Daimis hooks his free arm into the closest slot just under me.
“Brace!” he yells.
We collide into the rock wall. The impact is so jarring, I can feel it in every bone and every joint, and I’m dislodged from the hanging bridge. I dangle precariously. Daimis’s vise-like grip is the only thing keeping me from falling to my death no less than a hundred feet below. The pain in my shoulder is almost too much for me to bear and I cry out.
“I got you,” Daimis says through clenched teeth. He grunts and pulls me up until I can loop my free arm once again through a slot in the wooden bridge. Daimis lets go of my injured arm and wraps his securely around my waist, making me feel safe and secure once again. We lean our heads against the bridge, breathing heavily, staring at one another, until . . . we both break out into laughter.
“You’re insane!” Daimis says between his chuckles.
“I know,” I choke out.
The sound of arrows slicing through the air stops our laughter. We look up to see Steel Guards loosing arrows at the opposite bank. The bank we’re now dangling from.
“They’re shooting at the other ogres,” Daimis says.
I look down and see the ogre that had Daimis struggling to swim to the shore. His magic must have given his body enough strength to protect him from the fall. We wouldn’t have been so lucky. But this was a better option than seeing Daimis’s throat cut before my eyes.
