Chapter 56 – Rowan
ROWAN
The ride to the village is hard and fast.
I cling tightly to Dash’s saddle between Ayer’s arms as the stallion tears through the forest. My new bow slung across his back. Right beside his own.
I hear the screams before I even see the smoke.
Ayer pulls Dash up, signaling the group to stop just outside of the village, while we’re still hidden beneath the cover of the trees. He slips so easily into command mode: calm, focused, decisive. Immediately taking charge and relaying the plan.
Half of the group will ride through the village entrance, drawing the raiders’ attention and engaging the fae in battle. The other half will circle around to the back of the village to stage a second attack from the rear.
The goal: separate the raiders from the villagers as much as possible to minimize civilian casualties.
Ayer slides off Dash, helping me down after him. His hand lingers on my waist just long enough to make sure I’m steady on my feet. He hands my bow and quiver over, his gaze unreadable when I take them from him. Leaving the horses behind, we move swiftly and quietly through the woods.
Ayer, Theo, and I are part of the second group closing in from the rear. Hayes and Wyatt are leading the group attacking from the gate.
Staying true to my word, I stick close to Theo and Ayer. The screams coming from the village twist my stomach; they aren’t just the screams of men, but of women and children too.
The sounds of laughter coming out of the village amongst the terrified screams sets me off.
My magic flares, uncontrolled, a sudden burst of unrestrained rage.
It lashes out wildly, only to crash hard against the rune’s barrier.
My wrist lights up with a sharp, biting pain.
I let out a small hiss, earning a questioning look from Ayer.
But we’ve just about cleared the tree line, and the village finally comes into view.
Nothing could have prepared me for what I see.
Heat sears my face. Two buildings nearby are fully engulfed in bright orange flames. Bodies lie scattered, motionless, across the ground.
The scent of death and smoke hangs heavy in the air
Ayer holds up his fist, halting the group at the tree line.
The wait is agony, and my fingers twitch at my sides, wanting to rip an arrow from my quiver or throw the dagger at my thigh at the unsuspecting fae raiders.
They’re quite pleased with themselves, sadistic smiles on their faces as they light up another cottage—someone’s home.
My heart clenches, hoping to the gods that no one was inside.
Several painful minutes pass while we wait for the first group to attack. We need them to draw attention.
Up ahead, I spy a small group of people huddled together. Surviving villagers. Raiders circle the group. I recognize their armour immediately.
They wear the same nondescript bronze armour as the ones who ambushed Ayer’s company on the side of the road—and who hunted me by the river.
A few armed fae stand guard over the humans they’ve captured while the rest cycle in and out of the remaining buildings. They set more of them alight after taking out any perceived valuables.
A hulking fae male with a bald head appears out of the cottage closest to us. He drags out a young child by her blonde hair. She screams in pain, while her small hands claw at his wrist, trying to break free—or at least loosen his grip.
I grit my teeth, slowly pulling an arrow from my back and loading it into my bow.
She fights. Gods, she fights, but she’s so little compared to him, and he yanks her so roughly her body eventually goes limp. With no care, he drags her body into the square, tossing it with the others like he’s thrown out a sack of trash.
“Stay inside the tree line.” Ayer’s voice is so close to my ear I nearly jump. I didn’t realize he was so close. “You’re an archer. Take them out from a distance.”
I nod, my eyes still trained on the village—on the bald fae raider. My countless lessons with Riven and Fel are about to be put to the test. I might not hit the bullseye every time, but a fae skull is a far larger target.
I hold my breath as the first wave of Ayer’s men attack.
Clad in black armour, Kovari soldiers burst through the village gates on horseback, immediately drawing the attention of the fae raiders who lift their swords and engage them, leaving a few behind to guard their little circle of captives.
Ayer and Theo exchange a look, and then they charge.
I inch forward, though I heed Ayer’s order to remain inside the thick tree line, watching as they disappear into the fray.
The two of them move together with the familiarity of warriors who have fought countless battles side by side. Within seconds, each of them has dropped at least one raider, and is already on to the next.
I tear my gaze away.
Focus.
My eyes scan the small town before me. The air is thick with smoke, which significantly limits visibility .
The square is in chaos as the raiders struggle to regroup in order to fend off both attacks.
The captured villagers scatter, some of them breaking containment and sprinting for the forest. A girl—about my age—breaks free, tearing toward the tree line.
A raider is in pursuit. I recognize him immediately, the same bald brute from earlier.
She screams out when he catches her by the hair, his sword out, glistening red in the moonlight as he raises it high—
I loose.
My arrow strikes true without him ever even seeing me.
He drops, and I’m already reaching for another arrow when I spot Theo in trouble to my right. He and a towering, red-faced fae fight each other at a furious pace. Theo’s sword strikes are swift and smart, proving he’s more than just a pretty face.
I point the tip of my arrow, waiting for a clear shot.
Theo ducks an incoming blow, and I seize the opportunity. My arrow whizzes through the air, just missing the top of his blonde hair to catch his adversary square in the forehead. The male drops at Theo’s feet.
The prince twists, glancing back with a wide grin that has no place on the brutal battlefield.
My next arrow is already nocked, and I loose again, taking out the raider engaged in tight hand-to-hand combat with Hayes.
Hayes actually bows to me.
I roll my eyes, though the corner of my mouth ticks up slightly.
I scan the village again, but the battle has pressed closer to the center of town, and I’ve lost my vantage point. The rest of the raiders are too far out of range. Cautiously, I take a step out of the forest.
I had lost sight of Ayer in the fray, but once I reach the edge of the square, he’s hard to miss.
My breath stills as I watch him fight; blood streaks his leathers, and his sword cuts through the air and bodies with lethal precision.
The surrounding air appears to darken as he fights; the shadows—or maybe it’s smoke from the fires—cling to him, shifting conveniently with his movements.
The raider he’s fighting can barely keep up.
It takes everything he has just to block Ayer’s relentless attacks, conceding step after step as the Kovari captain mercilessly drives him further back into the shadows.
Backed into a corner, the raider panics, taking a chance and lunging for him. Ayer pivots, dodging the strike effortlessly before driving his own sword through the male’s chest without blinking. The raider’s sword clatters to the ground, and Ayer rips his own free, already turning to the next.
There’s no hesitation, no mercy, just death incarnate.
I can’t look away.
Two more raiders rush in to help, and Ayer’s suddenly facing off against all three.
He’s unfazed, his blade moving impossibly fast, blocking two more strikes before he drives his foot into the third raider’s chest, sending him flying backward several feet.
I have a clear shot.
The glint of silver in my periphery is my only warning before something crashes hard into my left side.
The force of the hit sends both my bow and my knife flying. My hands fly forward, just barely catching myself from eating a mouthful of dirt when I hit the ground.
Movement catches the corner of my eye, and I throw myself sideways just as a sword slams into the ground where my head had been.
I look up to find a dark-haired fae towering over me, a smug grin stretching across his face.
It vanishes the instant he realizes he missed.
With a furious shout, he wrenches his blade free of the earth, but I’m already moving.
I spin across the ground, hooking my right leg around his ankle and yanking hard.
He stumbles, just long enough for me to drive my left heel into his chest.
He goes down hard, sprawled out on the ground beside me. I scramble for my bow, lying just a few inches away. But his hand clamps down around my ankle, dragging me back. I kick wildly at him, and he releases my ankle with a curse. I jump to my feet, and he’s quick to follow before we square off.
He’s got his sword; I’ve got—nothing.
The male is huge, towering over me by at least a foot; his body rippled with the muscles of a seasoned warrior. He takes my measure, smiling a wide, feral grin at his assessment. I hold up my hands, my bow still too far away to be of any help, sidestepping carefully as we circle each other.
He lunges.
I dodge the bite of his blade, striking fast—landing quick blows on his head, arm, and leg—but I’m just not strong enough to knock the sword from his hand.
My heart races. I need a weapon.
Anger and frustration propel him forward, and again, I avoid his blade—but not his fist.
Pain explodes across my skull when he makes contact, and I go down, seeing stars.
When my vision clears, I find my gaze locked with Ayer’s. He’s watching me from across the square as he drives his blade through the last of the three raiders he was fighting.
A fourth raider emerges from the trees behind the Kovari captain. The tip of his blade pointed as he rushes Ayer, who doesn’t see him coming because his eyes are still on mine…
The other raider is on me instantly, holding me down with his weight before pinning my wrists to the dirt to stop me from clawing for his eyes.
I fight, twisting and straining against his grip, trying everything I can think of to buck him off of me.
But he sits heavily, his menacing smile widening as he takes control, enjoying my struggle—so much so that he drops his sword, letting go of one of my wrists to close his hand around my throat instead.
Strangling me.
My eyes fall to Ayer again, he rips his blade free from his opponent, taking a step toward me, still not seeing that raider at his back.
My breath cuts off and I claw at the raider’s face with my free hand. I dig my nails deep, tearing raw streaks of red down his face before going for his eyes. The male screeches in agony, releasing my throat when I pierce one of his eyes with my thumbnail.
I suck in air— “Look out!” I scream at Ayer, but it’s too late.
The charging raider buries his blade deep within the gap in Ayer’s dark leathers and armour. The steel tip slices clean through to his front, and Ayer stumbles forward.
Ice floods my veins.
Even from where I’m standing—hundreds of yards away—I know.
It’s a fatal strike.
“No…”
Ayer stays on his feet, gripping tight to his sword as he advances on the last remaining raider of the four he was fighting. The male scrambles backward, desperately searching for help—for anything that can help him fend off the furious war captain.
Ayer raises his blade, and metal meets metal with a sickening crash as the fight spills into the forest, disappearing from sight.
“Rowan!”
My gaze snaps to the right just in time to see Theo throw something. It lands right beside me.
A knife.
I don’t hesitate, snatching up the knife and driving the blade with little mercy into my attacker’s throat.
His eyes go wide, gaping at me in surprise.
Blood pours from the wound—his mouth—and he chokes, spluttering and drowning in his own blood.
I watch, my own eyes icing over. It only takes a few seconds before his eyes roll back and he collapses down on top of me.
Before I even have a chance to panic, his weight is gone.
Both Theo and Hayes appear above me, hauling the dead raider off me.
I scramble out from under the body, and they drop him back down in a heap on the ground.
Both men stare at the body, at the knife still sticking out of the male’s throat, and then at me.
Theo lets loose a low whistle. “Damn, girl, remind me never to piss you off.”
I narrow my eyes at him, but when he extends his hand to me, I take it and allow him to pull me to my feet.
Hayes goes to retrieve my bow, and I rip Theo’s knife from the raider’s body before handing it back to the prince.
“Thanks,” I say as our eyes meet.
“Keep it.” He winks, his blue eyes sparkling.
Hayes thrusts my bow into my hands, and the two take off, running back toward town—toward the battle. They didn’t see what happened to Ayer.
My hands are covered in the raider’s blood, but I try not to think about it.
Taking a step to follow Theo and Hayes, I pause, my head turning back to the dark thicket on the edge of the forest where I last saw Ayer disappear.
With that fatal wound.