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I was about to ask what that was about when a piercing cry startled us.
Jeddak whipped his head toward the sound.
“What was that?” I whispered. It sounded like a screeching bird.
“It’s a magpie,” he breathed, his shoulder muscles tensing. “But they don’t call at night.” Kah was suddenly on alert too.
Jeddak grabbed his staff and doused the fire with water from the waterskin. The embers hissed in protest.
“What’s going on?” I said, peering into the darkness. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the faint light of the moon. The wind howled as it raced through the abandoned structures around us.
“We’re not alone,” Jeddak said as he and Kah stepped silently into the courtyard. I stayed on their heels.
The bird called again from a distance, snapping my attention down the hill to the road. There was movement in the dark. It looked like a small army of black ants was marching under the archway leading into the ruined city, their drawn weapons gleaming in the moonlight.
“Jeddak, look,” I breathed, my voice cracking with fear. The Rathalans had found us.
“I see them.” He scanned the area as he spoke. “They may not know we’re up here. Our fire was concealed in the alcove. If we hide, with any luck, they’ll be on their way in the morning.” But when he caught my hand to pull me back, it was already too late. The courtyard was alive with tall shadows, encircling us like a pack of wolves.
Kah’s menacing growl shook the ground.
“Get back in the alcove,” Jeddak breathed in my ear, pushing me behind him. “Now!” Before I could move, he raised his staff and swung at the closest intruder, releasing a ferocious growl of his own.
The clang of weapons echoed across the cobblestones. A deafening roar reverberated off the mountain face as Kah lungedtoward the line of fighters, plowing three of them over like paper dolls.
My feet felt frozen to the ground as Jeddak drove his staff into one of the Rathalan’s chests, knocking him to the ground. He turned to block the blow coming to his left as Kah swatted at several other guards attacking from the right. With one swing, Jeddak flattened the two guards rushing at him and then reached back to grab my arm. Our eyes met. “Please, Raven.Go,” he rasped, his voice rough, pleading.
Without a word, I ran.
I found a hiding place deeper in the alcove. The sounds of fighting echoed against the crumbling stone walls around me. I tried to sit still, but my heart was pounding. I felt useless leaving Jeddak and Kah to fight alone. There were too many Rathalans out there, stacking the odds against them.
You don’t know how to fight, Raven, I reminded myself.What could you possibly do out there but get yourself killed?
Just then, a Rathalan fighter stumbled into the alcove, collapsing to the ground, dead. From my hiding place, I stared at the sword he’d dropped.
I felt my fingers twitch like they longed to feel the weight of the blade in my hand, to grip the rough bindings of leather that wrapped the handle.
For so long, I didn’t have the choice to fight back. In Malengard, I’d cowered in fear every time a guard glanced at me. I’d been terrified someone else would be punished if I stepped out of line. The Rathalans had taken everything from me. My best friend. My freedom. My magic. I wasn’t going to let them take any more.
If I could wield a pickaxe to serve them, I could certainly wield a sword to fight against them.
Jumping up, I grabbed the sword, the handle still warm from its previous owner's grip, and ran out into the dark courtyard.
When I emerged, one of the Rathalans saw me and stalked forward, his dark face all but shattering my resolve. Shaking, I held my sword out, waiting to strike. “For Hen,” I breathed.
My arm moved instinctively to block his first blow. The clash of metal on metal rang in my ears. I kicked him in the knee, and when he stumbled, I thrust my blade forward, slicing a deep gash in his arm. Blood soaked his sleeve.
I was so surprised, I almost laughed out loud. The sword felt familiar in my hand, like we used to be friends in another life. I might not remember my past, but my muscles had apparently retained some of their memory.
With renewed confidence, I lunged forward again and swung my blade at his neck, where his armor was the weakest. He deflected it and jabbed his sword toward me. I pivoted to the side, and his blade skimmed my leather armor. I returned the blow, this time my blade catching him in the thigh. With a snarl, he knocked my blade aside and shoved me backward with such force that I stumbled to the ground with a cry.
“Raven, get out of here!” Jeddak was shouting from across the courtyard, a wildness in his tone.
Breathing hard, I quickly got back to my feet. Pain shot through my leg from where I’d hit the cobblestones, and I could taste the tang of copper in my mouth from where I’d bitten my tongue.
“Drop your weapon,” the Rathalan commanded. By now, his comrades had noticed me. More Rathalans approached out of the darkness, the points of their malarite swords forcing me back against a wall.
“Make me,” I spat, reaching inside for the rage that had fueled me in the malarite mines for so long. I’d rather them kill me than think they could ever control me again.
