Chapter 16
AURORA
The sun hangs low on the horizon, the last of its rays spreading through the forest in shades of muted gold and amber. The steady creak of the carriage wheels groans beneath us, reminding me of how far I’m being carried from everything I know.
All of this still feels like some sort of strange dream.
Knights ride in formation beside us, dressed in battle-ready armor and draped in crimson cloaks. I glance around the carriage. Fiora, Lyria, and Maribel have all drifted to sleep.
Glancing again out the window, I scan the skies for any sign of Thalric. Lyria said he’s traveling with our entourage, but I still have seen no sign of him.
Even as I search for him, the truth spears through me, sharper than any blade. He doesn’t love me. At least… not enough.
Clutching my necklace, I press a hand to my chest as if that will somehow dull the terrible ache deep within.
Without warning, the carriage halts abruptly, and I nearly tumble from my seat.
Lyria and the others jolt awake.
“What’s happening?” Maribel frowns. “Why have we stopped?”
The knights form a protective circle around the carriage from atop their horses, their swords drawn as they scan the dense forest surrounding us.
“Something’s wrong,” Fiora says in a low voice as she raises her hand. Sparks of red magic arc between her fingers like lightning. “We need to be ready.”
“Ready?” I whisper, my pulse spiking. “For what?”
I turn my gaze back to the outside and my heart stops as shadows move through the trees. “I think I see something. I—”
Thunk!
An arrow slams into the carriage next to the window, mere inches from my face. I’m frozen in place, staring in shock at the quivering shaft that could have taken my life.
“Ambush!” someone bellows.
A dozen arrows whistle through the trees as chaos erupts. The air explodes with the clash of steel as the knights deflect them with their shields, their horses rearing up in panic.
Terror claws up my spine as one of the arrows breaks through the line, shattering the glass pane of the carriage door before embedding itself in the wood next to Lyria.
Ogres surge from the forest. Hulking monsters, mottled gray and brown, with tusked mouths curled in cruel grins. They carry rusted blades, jagged axes, and clubs slick with old blood as they pour from the tree line in an unstoppable wave, their roars shaking the ground as they attack.
The knights release an answering battle cry as they clash. The strike of steel against steel ringing through the air, mixed with the crunch of bone and the guttural cries of men locked in combat.
Panic grips me in an iron vise as my heart beats wildly against my ribs.
The door bursts open. A knight fills the frame, his face carved in urgency, chest heaving with ragged breaths. “We need to get you out, Your Highness—”
The words cut off as an arrow punches through his chest. His eyes go wide, blood bubbling on his lips before he collapses forward, his body crashing onto the floorboards with a sickening, wet thud.
Time slows, and sound muffles as I stare in shock at the fallen knight. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.
“Aurora, get down!”
Fiora slams into me, knocking me down and pinning me against the carriage floor just as another arrow slices through the air, embedding itself into the seat where I had been.
“Get under the carriage!” She grips my shoulders. “Now!”
The urgent command jolts me into motion. I tumble out the door and hit the ground as the battle rages around me. Magic sears through the air in jagged arcs of red, green, and blue as Fiora, Lyria, and Maribel unleash their power.
My heart hammers as I crawl under the carriage, pressing myself into the damp earth. Above me, the smell of iron is thick in the air and flashes of movement blur together as knights fight against the Ogres, swords and axes clanging loudly.
Shadows race overhead as Gargoyles descend from the sky. Thalric’s parents are among them, their talons tearing through flesh as their roars reverberate through the forest like thunder.
Frantically, I scan the darkening sky for Thalric, praying that he’s alright.
A bloodcurdling scream echoes from nearby and I turn to see Fiora with an arrow protruding from her side. She staggers forward, and then crumples to her knees, as blood spreads out across her crimson robes.
“No!” I cry out. Scrambling from beneath the carriage, I lunge forward, catching her before she collapses. Dark blood coats my hands as I hold her close.
Lyria and Maribel are nearby, sending out powerful bolts of magic as they fight the Ogres.
“Fiora,” my voice shakes as I stare down at her in shock. “Stay with me. Please, you’ll be fine. You’ll be fine.”
She lifts a trembling hand to my cheek. “You must run,” she breathes. “Go. Now.”
“No.” A sob tears through me. “I won’t leave you.”
Something heavy clamps around my ankle. “No!” I cry out as it jerks me back, my nails clawing uselessly at the earth as I’m dragged away from Fiora and flipped onto my back.
A terrifying Ogre towers above me, his black eyes gleaming with cruel hunger.
“Let me go!” I cry out, desperately trying to escape, but it’s no use as the Ogre’s meaty hand pins me to the ground. “Thalric!” His name rips from my throat in a terror-filled cry. “Thalric!”
Time slows as the Ogre raises his sword overhead, his gaze burning with deadly intent.
A massive shadow falls over the beast as a deafening roar splits the air.