Chapter Fifty-Three
Ryker
We advanced through the ravine at a careful pace, guiding the wagon over the uneven ground. Every guard kept a vigilant eye on the woods, scanning the dense trees for any hint of an ambush.
The massive warhorse beneath me grew restless, tossing his head from side to side, ears twitching with each sound.
“Easy, boy,” I said, running my hand through the loose strands of his mane.
He knew we weren’t alone in our isolation, and his instincts were screaming at him to flee.
I drew my cloak tight around me, my features obscured in the dwindling light.
The guards moved past me without so much as a glance, unaware of the truth concealed beneath my hood.
It would remain that way until I rooted out the traitor in our ranks.
And when I did, even the gods would stand powerless against my wrath.
The hunt should have been enough to occupy my mind. Every snap of a twig or distant rustle in the brush kept me alert, but my thoughts kept circling back to her.
To Cadence.
She was at the palace, I reminded myself.
Safe.
Riordan, Eamon, and Malesh would see to that, even if it meant dying before letting her come to any harm.
And yet, I couldn’t shake the dread gnawing at my insides. I felt caged, my teeth bared at the thought of someone else getting to her first.
Twice, I had failed her. Twice, an assassin had slipped through our defenses, hell-bent on taking the life of my mate.
I wanted her here. Where I could see her. Where I could protect her.
“You couldn’t keep her safe in a room full of witnesses,” my inner voice taunted. “What makes you think you could do it now?”
I gritted my teeth, my jaw so tight it ached.
Here, I would have seen the threat coming. Here, I was in control.
I would tear my enemies apart and leave their bones for the crows. No pretty palace walls between us, no soft courtiers getting in the way.
Just me, and whoever was stupid enough to try to take her from me.
The snap of a branch sent my horse rearing, his muscles bunching beneath me as panic rippled through his frame. I squeezed my thighs tight around him, forcing my attention back to the present as I scanned the trees on both sides.
“Settle down, boy. You’ll look foolish when a rat comes scurrying from the brush.”
My every sense was stretched thin, my nerves crackling with anticipation. The wagon creaked as it bounced over a patch of roots, and the guards on foot grunted as they steadied it.
The wind shifted, and I caught the stench of sweat, fear, and leather. But there was something else, too.
Blood.
A faint metallic tang. Fresh, but not ours.
I raised a hand, signaling for the column to halt.
A shadow moved near the ridge, and I zeroed in on it. Before I could get a proper look, it slipped between the trees and disappeared.
My jaw locked tight, and every muscle in my body prepared for attack. Sweat rolled down my spine despite the chill, and my instincts told me not to lower my defenses. The ravine closed in around us, the walls steep and slick with moss, offering a thousand different places for an enemy to hide.
“Hold up,” I said, sliding from my horse and drawing my sword.
The guard captain, a grizzled man with a scar across his mouth, signaled to the others. The convoy stopped, every weapon at the ready.
I waited, poised but vigilant.
A crow shrieked, and the wagon jolted as the driver tried to calm the horses. Silence engulfed the area as seasoned warriors slid from their saddles, boots hitting the earth without a sound.
“Fan out,” I whispered, and those around me didn’t question my command. They could sense the impending violence in the air. They moved out, blending into the darkness like wraiths.
I stalked closer to the trees, sword low and eyes unblinking. My shadows moved ahead, probing the undergrowth, licking at the roots and stones for any sign of a threat.
The scent of blood thickened, metallic and sharp. It wasn’t animal blood, but that wasn’t the reason my hackles rose.
The streaks of crimson lining the forest floor looked too… purposeful.
Like someone wanted us to find them.
A wet, meaty thunk rang out to my left, and a guard grunted, clutching at the shaft of a crossbow bolt buried in his thigh.
“Ambush!”
Inky tendrils exploded from my fingertips, wrapping around the wounded man and dragging him behind cover. More bolts rained down, ricocheting off armor and embedding in the surrounding trees.
The forest grew oppressive, thick with menace as I let my shadows crawl up my arms. A scuffle to my right caught my attention, and I silently motioned for the guards nearest to investigate. Three men peeled away from the group, their blades shimmering in the dim light.
Then silence fell all around us.
Nothing moved. Not a whisper or a single exhale. Even the crows had gone quiet, like the whole fucking forest was waiting with bated breath.
The silence didn’t last, though.
Without warning, a low, guttural growl pierced the vale, and a chorus of roars quickly followed. The earth shook as a stampede of footfalls descended from the hills, a thunderous rhythm that rattled my bones.
But I didn’t move.
Instead, a slow smile curved my lips as I tightened my grip on the pommel of my sword.
I was ready, eager.
Those who had plotted against me and my kingdom were about to find out why that was a fatal mistake.
Inhaling deeply, I let the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves fill my lungs, closing my eyes so I could savor the moment.
The impending bloodshed.
Retribution.
Victory.
It was already mine.
I allowed the darkness to expand inside me, and in the next moment, chaos erupted in the ravine.
Crossbow bolts tore from the shadows of the forest, slamming into the wagon and splintering wood. A cacophony of shouts and grinding steel met my ears, and my body moved without conscious thought as the first enemy broke through the tree line.
He raised his sword, already swinging at my head. Threads of darkness lashed out, slicing through his ankles and severing the tendons that stretched tight across his heels.
A blood-curdling scream left his lips as he toppled forward, where he met my blade. I watched his eyes go wide as the tip of my sword sank into the wet meat beneath his jaw.
I grinned, baring my teeth. “Traitors will find no mercy in the Kingdom of the Unseelie.”
With a tug on the hilt, I pulled my weapon free, just as an onslaught of bolts rained down on me from above. I dove behind a mossy boulder as three more projectiles flew past my ear.
Nearby, one of my men screamed, the sound turning into a bloody gurgle as the shaft punched through his throat. Blood gushed down his armor in thick, crimson rivulets, and I could feel the shadows leaching into my eyes as my gaze turned obsidian with my rage.
I was done playing.
A sense of calm washed over me. The air tasted of iron and carnage, and I drank it in, letting it ground me.
All around us, bodies barreled forward, arms outstretched, intent on delivering our demise. A faint breeze moved through the valley, tousling my hair and whipping the loose strands about my face.
I inhaled a deep breath, my shadows spilling from my palms, sinking into the earth, ready to do my bidding. The first line of assailants faltered, watching transfixed as black tendrils ensnared one of their comrades.
My shadows ripped through his chest, and I relished the resistance that met me as I forced them farther past his ribs, through his heart, and out through his spine.
The man before me gasped, his mouth forming a perfect circle before I jerked my shadows free, spraying hot, sticky blood across my face.
Turning toward the stunned onlookers, I snarled. “Who’s next?”
Ragged, half-starved faces peered at me, looking nothing like the image I had conjured in my head. Dressed in oversized armor and tattered clothing that was little more than rags, they looked almost feral.
They didn’t care about formation or tactics. They were here for blood, my blood, and nothing would hold them back.
A keening wail shattered the stunned silence, and the rebels advanced.
One went for my throat, teeth bared like a savage animal.
I gripped his hair and slammed his head into a stone.
His skull caved in with a satisfying crack, right before his friend tried to gut me with a curved blade.
I let my shadows coil around his legs, pulling him to the ground before they crashed into his chest, crushing him.
Then my shadows surged forward, hungry and wild.
They collided with the first line of attackers, knocking them off their feet and tearing at exposed flesh.
Screams echoed through the ravine, sharp and piercing, but more bodies kept coming.
The guards behind me held the line, swords raised and shields braced.
“Retreat!”
My head whipped around, my eyes scanning the thicket.
I knew that voice.
“Fall back! It’s the Prince. Retreat!”
Those still standing heeded the call, turning and fleeing without a second glance. My gaze fell on a figure farther up the hill, his face obscured by the hood of his cloak.
My upper lip lifted in a sneer, and I sent my shadows racing toward him. Our eyes locked for the briefest moment, his chocolate-brown ones clashing with my storm-grey. Everything seemed to go still as we stared at each other.
The soldiers, the rebels, the wagons — they were all forgotten as a silent conversation passed between us.
In that instant, it all became clear.
The leaked intel.
Failed traps.
Stolen supplies.
It had never been an insider, at least not in the way we had thought.
The realization must have been written all over my face. He froze, understanding flashing in his eyes.
He knew every secret he’d held was now exposed.
Then he turned and fled.
But he wasn’t fast enough.
My shadows snaked around his boot, pulling him back as I recalled them to me. I took no care with my prisoner; his body collided with anything in my way.
When he was within my grasp, I reached out, grabbing his tunic as I pulled him close to my face.
“Callum,” I said, the threat unmistakable in my tone.
Instead of fear or hatred, only stunned silence greeted me.
“Callum?”
He sucked in a harsh breath, his lips stained red with blood. Confusion furrowed my brows as my gaze trailed over his body.
A thick, twisted branch jutted from his gut, its broken ends forming jagged, razor-sharp points.
Callum coughed, blood splattering his chest as his eyes rolled back in his head.
“Don’t you dare fucking die on me, Callum Tiernan,” I said, lifting his limp body into my arms. “I’m not through with you yet.”
One final time, I let my shadows loose, their black tendrils encasing me as I stepped into the darkness.