Zaria's eyes lock with mine, and she swallows audibly, her throat bobbing with a hint of anxiety. The fear in her eyes is unmistakable, and I wish I could reassure her everything is fine.
Nova nervously fidgets beneath me, and I gently stroke her neck, attempting to calm her. Storm must sense our unease, because he backs up, stopping at my side as Raiden and Maxon fan out, the ferns around us concealing most of their bodies. I glance over at Kian, who has drawn his bow and arrow.
Shit, what is happening right now?
Nova begins to prance nervously and backs up. My grip on her reins tighten, as Tristan approaches, silently maneuvering his horse to my side, coming to a halt beside Nova.
“If we–”
The sharp whistle of an arrow slicing through the air abruptly interrupts Tristan's words as it pierces his shoulder.
I gasp, lunging for him. “Shit.”
I hold his shoulder as he reaches up and rips the arrow from his body, throwing it to the ground. Then the world around userupts into chaos, the silence of the forest shattered as men came charging out from the trees. The scene before my eyes resembles something straight out of a movie.
So much is happening right now. I don’t know what to do. We’ve found ourselves surrounded by a menacing group of at least twenty Outcasts, each holding a weapon.
A piercing howl tears through the air, and my eyes lock onto Anika and Nymeria, as they bound into the group, mercilessly bringing down the two nearest Outcasts. They land with such force that they appear to lose consciousness instantly.
Maxon swings his sword, slicing through each opponent that approaches him with the ease and grace of a dancer. Zaria’s piercing shriek slices through the air, piercing the cacophony of clashing swords. My eyes snap to her, and I see a fae desperately attempting to pull her from the horse. In the blink of an eye, Kian’s arrow swiftly finds its target, sinking deep into the fae’s exposed neck. As the fae crumples to the ground in a lifeless heap, Zaria’s wide, panicked eyes lock with mine.
Tristan manages to quickly and gracefully move from his horse to mine, his arms encircling me as he grabs the reins and kicks Nova in the side. As she rears up, Tristan instinctively presses against my back, ensuring we don't topple off. Then she shoots forward, and we are racing into the trees.
“Wait, where are we going?” I shout.
We can’t leave the others. I can’t leave them. Ice drenches my insides as we move further away from the group.
I hear Zaria scream again, and Kian curses, bellowing something to the others.
“We have to go back!” I plead.
“Maxon told me to get you out of there.”
“When?” I yell.
I am getting super pissed now.
“Before we left!” Tristan growls.
The sound of the fighting fades and panic overrides everything else. Something dashes out in front of us, and I see a fae with his bow and arrow raised. Tristan ducks, pushing me down as an arrow wizzes past. I tilt my head up just as a ghastly, pasty gray figure lands on top of the fae, its teeth sinking into his neck. The deadling tears into skin and flesh, sending a spray of blood arcing through the air.
With a quick maneuver, Tristan steers Nova to the left, keeping a safe distance from the deadly creature.
“What the hell is a deadling doing topside?” he snaps.
“I never want to see one of those ever again.” I shiver, my fingers sinking into Nova’s mane. A spine-tingling guttural roar sounds behind us and Tristan curses.
I swallow roughly, choking on my words, a ball of fear clogging my throat. “Do I even want to know?”
“Probably not.” Tristan urges Nova on faster.
“We need to go back to the others.”
“Not an option right now, Everly.”
“I can fight.”
“Barely.”
