Chapter 31
They were on the road early the next morning and everyone was silent.
Raine rode in the back with Finnley and she was paired with Xander again. They refused to let her ride in the front due to protection issues and she made sure they knew she was annoyed.
She couldn’t be too upset though, waking wrapped up in Kaden made her feel unusually happy and she didn’t want to waste that feeling.
She couldn’t recall ever waking up with that feeling with Declan or Silas, and it was making her mind spin in thoughts. It was like an inner thread was being pulled inside her, one that seemed to link directly to Kaden.
When she goes back to Elnora, she would try to search the library again for what it might mean, but for now she just held on to that thread.
Zuri was happy to be out, along with all the other horses and she could even see Finnley having a little difficulty controlling his horse behind her. Being cooped up for so long made them extra naughty sometimes, but seemed he was handling it well.
“Xander, switch for a while.” Kaden’s voice pulled her out of thought and saw the two men switch positions.
“I can feel your glare all the way up there,” he whispered.
“I don’t see why I can’t ride up front,” she snapped.
“Because I want to keep you safe.”
She flinched slightly at his words, feeling as though it was out of his own feelings and not his job at this point.
“I’m not a poor defenseless girl, Kaden.”
“I know, but right now my priority is to make sure you are not in harm's way.”
She glared at him but tried to see it from his perspective even if she didn’t like it. He was trying to care for her, but she still had parts of her wall up even after the last few days.
Zuri started to prance under her, her ears going front to back as she snorted in distress. It was very unusual for her and Alyra instantly went on high alert.
Kaden did too, making the group halt and everyone went silent.
There was a rumble in the air they all could feel, Zuri snorting again with her head directed to her left. She followed the horse's stare and saw a shadow move in the trees.
“There is something out there,” she whispered, her hand going to her sword on her hip.
“There are many.” Kaden whispered back.
She didn’t dare turn to look at him just in case whatever was out there jumped for her. She could hear branches snapping and Zuri pawed the ground with her ears pinned.
An arrow flew through the air from the woods, barely grazing her cheek and Kaden roared in pain as it embedded in his shoulder.
Before she could react, dozens of men darted from the woods and started to charge for them. She looked back to Finnley, eyes pleading.
“Get her out of here!” She yelled, watching Raine get on the back of Finnley’s horse.
She watched the hesitation in his eyes, but she threw a dagger in their direction, hitting one of the men charging towards them directly in the head.
“Go!” she screamed, Raine’s eyes full of terror.
Without questioning her further, Finnley spun his horse around and bolted down the path avoiding a few more men. None of them followed and right then she knew these men were after her, not the rest of the group.
She grabbed at her power, all she could pull from it and pushed it out around them. It hit the men within a few yards, sending them flying backwards into the woods.
Xander and Boone were next to her trying to get Kaden off his horse. It wasn’t a fatal wound but it definitely was hindering him more than it should have.
She dove off her horse, sending Zuri and the rest of the horses into a run ahead out of danger.
“Follow them!” She yelled to Titus, who took off with the wagon after the rest of the horses.
Now it was just her with the three men left, Kaden among them who was injured. He roared again and she knew they had pulled the arrow from him, anger rising in her.
Men approached quickly, their swords out and she found herself pulling at her power once more. Her sword flared white with fire in one hand, axe in the other, and she started swinging.
Clattering of metal rang through the air, her sword hitting with one of theirs and then she sliced through him a second later. She had not killed a man in over a century, but she would not let herself dwell on what was happening, only that she needed to survive.
She could hear others around her colliding with metal and knew her men were fighting, her friends were protecting her.
She kicked out at a man that was coming from her right, his body flailing backwards but she didn’t see where he landed before another sword was swinging towards her.
“Do not kill her!” she heard a voice from the trees yell, confirming she was their target.
Fury bubbled in her veins and she let her body take over as she cut down three more men. She pulled her axe from one's head and saw another man running towards her, but before she could swing, another cut him down in one swift strike.
Kaden was there by her side, his posture looking like he was hurt but she didn’t have time to examine him fully. She felt the other two allies behind them, all circled together and ready.
There were still dozens of men coming towards them and she had no idea where they had come from. Grimstone was still over a day away, but it was obvious they knew they were traveling and knew who she was.
They were not after the others, just her and she had to make a decision she knew Kaden wouldn’t approve of. She was not going to let her friends die for her, not again.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her eyes locking with his and she saw them widen just before she struck.
She threw the last bit of her power out around her, pushing her friends back towards the road and away from the rest of the men charging her.
Then she ran.
Her legs pushed as hard as they could from the ground and took off down the tree line, diving into the woods a few yards down.
She could hear yelling, an enraged roar vibrating through the woods and she didn’t have to look back to know who it was. He could hate her for it, but from what she could tell her plan was working.
All the men were running for her, bolas landing on the ground all around her and she tried her best to dodge them.
More men were approaching from the right from deeper in the woods and she knew she was in trouble. It didn’t stop her, sword in one hand and axe in the other and she kept running.
One man caught up to her, his hand grabbing at her arm but she swung and sliced it off with her sword. He screamed and she kept going, the ground starting to slope downward and it was harder to keep her steps steady.
A bola landed right next to her foot, making her lose her balance and start to tumble down the embankment.
She landed with a hard hit to her head, dizziness taking over and she saw a man step over her.
“Hello princess.”
The unknown man smirked, her vision hazy and suddenly everything went black.