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I couldn’t see behind me in the dust, but I was only five feet from some oaks, so I rolled until the edge of my wing hit a trunk. I jumped to my feet. A manticore swung its tail at Kieran, and the second monster swiped at him.
The drafty had stayed behind to distract them from me.
As I removed my bow, Kieran swung his sword, blocking the tail, then spun away, barely avoiding the second manticore’s claws.
I snatched an arrow from the quiver and loaded my bow. The second manticore lifted a bit higher in the air, his front half rising to strike at Kieran again. Kieran’s back was turned toward it as he swung his blade at the neck of the one striking him with its tail.
What in the icicle hell was he doing? I let the arrow go, and it sailed into the second manticore’s stomach as Kieran’s sword sliced into the neck of the other monster. Brown blood squirted from the sword’s cut, splattering Kieran’s armor and face.
A whizzing noise came from my left and I yelped as a quill lodged into my hand. A sharp pain exploded as it went all the way through, and I hissed and rolled between two oak trees, needing a layer of protection.
I’ll be right there, Kieran vowed from his spot out in the open.
I could hear the whooshing of more quills and knew that the manticore was shooting them at Kieran. I glanced at my hand. Blue blood poured from the wound, and wisps of pink magic swirled from it. I wiggled my fingers, shooting pain through my arm.
Even though removing it wasn’t smart, I’d die if I didn’t. Not wanting to overthink it, I dropped the bow and gripped the quill. Gritting my teeth, I yanked it out. Agony shot through me, and acid lurched in my stomach, burning my throat. Clutching my hand to my chest, I rocked back and forth, waiting for the pain to subside. Crisp magic flowed through my hand, mixing with the pain and easing it enough for me to pay attention to everything going on.
Between the various roars and hisses of the manticores, I finally understood what humans meant when they claimed to be in a living hell. That was exactly what this was, and I was certain the other four would agree with me.
I had to get moving before a manticore tracked me down.
My head said to go farther in the woods, but my heart wouldn’t contemplate leaving Kieran. Legs in tune with my heart, I snatched the bow off the mulchy ground and went back toward the exposed dirt.
Before I could exit the woods, I slammed into Kieran’s chest. His arms wrapped around me, and he scooped me up and sped deeper into the woods. I’m sorry, but the manticore you were fighting, I struck its tail and forced it back out into the dirt, then took off to check on you. We need to put distance between us and them before I slow down.
I shouldn’t have allowed him to carry me, but I didn’t want to fight while we were in danger. When I turned into his chest, I smelled something rancid. I jerked my head back to see it was the manticore’s blood. There was no blue mixed in with it.
After a few minutes, Kieran slowed and set me down in the middle of some brush. The two of us burrowed into the greenery, and I found it sort of chilly, watching a man his size hiding in cover so small, but he made it work.
He took my hand, and his forehead creased. I thought it struck you. I felt your pain, and I can see the blood.
Of course it … I looked down, and my breath caught. There was still blood on my hand, but there was also a scab. That shouldn’t have been possible. I … I don’t know.
A shrill scream came from fifty yards away then promptly cut off. The world tilted underneath me. There was only one female other than me, and I had no doubt she had died.
Tears burned my eyes as I wrapped my arms around my legs. Rowan had saved me during the last trial, and even though we hadn’t been close, I hated that someone who’d tried to do the right thing had been lost. Curry was more deserving of death.
Your empathy astounds me, Kieran said as he stared at my face. I know of no fae other than Brianne who would feel that way about someone from the other court, but you truly care.
Multiple sets of flapping wings caught my attention. I peeked through the brush to see two manticores flying directly at us. I froze … and heard the sound of heavy breathing.
I spun around to find two more manticores behind us. They were sniffing the air and heading our way.
We were being hunted.
I removed my bow, ready to use my arrows, but it snagged on a branch. The heavy breathing stopped, and a chill ran down my spine. They knew where we were. I had to do something fast. Now that they were in the forest, I could use my magic more easily.
I lifted a hand, and vines sprouted from the ground, encircling the two behind us.
I’ll take the other two, Kieran said as he jumped to his feet and raised his hands. We stood side by side, facing opposite directions. I could feel his magic flowing through him as he shot ice at the two manticores behind me.
My vines wrapped around the four legs and moved to capture the tails. Both manticores struck with their tails. The sharp points sliced through the vines while the monsters’ legs ripped the vines from the ground.
My magic wasn’t working against them, but it was slowing them down.
Kieran’s determination flared. My ice is barely affecting them.
Same here. I glanced around, unsure what else to do. I could shoot arrows, but I couldn’t take down all four before they reached us.
