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“Fuck,” the rest said in unison.
“Griffin,” Elijah barked. “Get moving.”
When the few sets of footfalls became several, the men exchanged glances, having a silent exchange.
Griffin dove back into his task. He worked quicker, no longer trying to be subtle in his approach, his hands rapidly flying over the rough stone wall. He was grunting in an effort to widen the hole that was not quite large enough for a person to slip through.
E.Z. and Elijah drew their swords as one, facing the guards that were rapidly closing the distance. Liam joined them shortly after. Each took on a fighting stance, swinging their swords and warming up.
No one said it, but we all knew we were in trouble.
My heart was racing, and it was becoming harder to breathe. I forced a deep breath and shook out my arms, getting frustrated with myself when nothing seemed to calm the rising panic. I couldn’t afford to freak out.
This was my worst fear coming to life. These soldiers were people they’d fought and lived with their whole lives. None of the team would want to be responsible for killing their comrades or lifelong friends.
Unfortunately, the approaching soldiers wouldn’t have the same qualms about hurting us. We were going to be caught red-handed opening a hole in the side of their magic-proof, impenetrable wall. I was an escaped prisoner. There were no longer words to explain away our actions. We were all traitors to the kingdom.
The soldiers wouldn’t accept anything less than our surrender, capture, or death at this point. They wouldn’t be holding back to save us from injury and would be releasing the full force of their magic for sure.
I stared helplessly with a feeling of forlornness creeping up my back.
They could die if Elijah and his team didn’t fight back or hesitated a moment against these men. Or they could be charged with treason and possibly die anyway. Despite their fighting prowess, we were out of options and had terrible odds.
The guys were on their own in this fight. I would not be any help. My body was stiff and sore, I was surviving on very little sleep, and I didn’t have shoes, let alone weapons. I also had no Magic. Something the others did not know…
There was no way I could go back to the castle now, and soldiers were coming from all directions, herding us against the wall. More and more footfalls sounded as the minutes stretched on.
The moonlight glinting off the soldier's long swords didn’t give me the same thrill as usual. When I’d watched the men spar, it was always in a controlled environment. There was never any actual fear for the combatants. This was completely different, and my bravado was failing me.
I sucked in a breath, my heart stopping, when an arrow embedded into the dirt at my feet. My eyes searched the sky, but I didn’t see any archers on top of the wall. That didn’t mean they weren’t there, though.
“Hurry, Griffin! I’ll shield,” Liam insisted, seeming to grow up before my eyes. He had matured significantly over the last year, especially since joining the Denalians. However, this was the first time I’d really absorbed those changes. He was becoming a man before my eyes.
A massive stream of fire burst out of his hands. He moved them in an arc until the whole team was enclosed in a fire-dome. It stretched from the wall on one side of us to the other, covering our heads as well. The dome halted the approaching soldiers. Their shouts and screams could be heard through the roaring blaze, yet we felt no heat inside the dome.
Griffin’s eyes were squeezed shut, working diligently despite or possibly because of the threat. He showed no fear. His back was straight and his hands confident as they moved over the wall urgently, grunting with the effort.
“You should have had this done before we got here,” Elijah threw back at him, still facing the dome of fire, completely alert.
If Griffin was offended by Elijah the way I always was, he didn’t let it show. He kept running his hands over the stone, ignoring him.
“Even if he wasn’t spotted creating a hole in the castle walls in broad daylight, we’d risk early discovery if someone found it afterward,” E.Z. threw back. “Take your head out of your ass and—”
Sizzles cut E.Z. off. Water Users were blasting the dome from the outside, the steam making my eyes water.
“Could sure use a Water User right now,” E.Z. said, using his Air to catch any boiling drops before they reached our heads. He waved away the steam, giving us back our visibility.
Elijah shot E.Z. a death glare, his body tightening further as he watched the fire dome for possible weaknesses.
“We will hold them off. Griffin, hurry and finish. E.Z., run to the next checkpoint. Take Kaia and make sure the path is clear. We’ll deal with this and meet you.”
“Ok,” E.Z. replied without his usual flare.
The worry in his voice only heightened mine. My mind was spinning, and hysteria was starting to take over.
Just as Griffin had a rough, person-sized hole framed, E.Z. reached for me.
“I can’t go anywhere without Liam,” I stated firmly without following, not that he’d asked my opinion.
