In the distance, Violet saw the vague outline of the border wall separating the Tropical and Desert Kingdoms through the thickening trees. The thing was enormous, and she didn’t know if they were fifteen minutes or an hour away.
A few minutes later, Amos appeared through the trees and signaled for the women to go. They hiked far enough in so as not to be seen, then Clover stood guard with her hand resting on the pommel of her sword.
After Violet finished and Clover denied needing to go, they picked their way back toward the road.
“Took you long enough,” Griff complained. “Golden God over there was three seconds from barging through the trees like an angry bull.”
The king did not look amused.
An all too familiar voice screamed from behind them, “RUN!” They whipped around and Violet’s eyes widened at the woman sprinting toward them from the trees. For a second, she thought it was Vivian.Surely not.Why would Viv be in the Desert Kingdom?
Her doubts were decimated when her sister grew closer and screamed, “REBELS!”
Without hesitation, their group moved. Clover grabbed Violet’s hand, dragging her to the far side of the carriage horses and out of sight of the rebels. Ares mounted his horse and steered toward Violet, but he whipped around when battle cries rose in the air. She couldn’t tell how many there were, but the rebels outnumbered their small party of five.
A tidal wave of fear crashed through Violet, and her hands fumbled with the horse’s harness. “Shouldn’t we be in the carriage?” she asked Clover, proud of herself for speaking coherently.
“We’ll be faster on horses,” Clover explained, transforming into a war general.
Violet thanked the gods her father had taught her and Vivian how to ride.Vivian. She scanned the mayhem around them, spotting her sister fighting alongside Ares, Griff, and Amos.
A man in tattered armor charged toward the carriage and raised his sword. Violet screamed. “Clover, watch out!”
Clover flipped around in time to block the man’s attack. Amos appeared at her side and shoved her out of the way, but the queen drove her sword into the rebel’s side. “Go help the others,” she shouted at her husband above the grunts, cries, and clangs of the battle raging around them.
The two sides collided, and to Violet’s horror, arrows flew toward them. She knew she’d only hinder the fight and looked around for a place to hide. In the carriage she’d be a sitting duck, but if one of the rebels saw her sneak into the woods, she’d have no chance of outrunning them.
As it was, the horse hid her from sight, but she could never forgive herself for using a living creature as a shield if something happened to it.
“Move to the border!” Griff instructed the others, and Clover grabbed Violet’s hand, dragging her toward the men’s horses, leaving the carriage horses behind. They’d not been able to unhook their harnesses, and Violet’s heart wrenched.
She could see the border guards sprinting toward them, tipping the scale in their favor, and she almost cried out in relief. Griff appeared at her side, swung her onto his horse, and galloped toward the wall.
They weren’t as far from the border as she’d thought, and they gained ground quickly.We might make it.She glanced over her shoulder, thankful the others followed suit while dodging the arrows flying their way.
But they weren’t fast enough; an arrow struck the side of Griff’s horse, and it stumbled to the ground, sending Violet and Griff rolling across the rough road. Sharp stones cut into Violet’s face and hands, but her adrenaline numbed the sensation. The horse took off running with an arrow protruding from its back flank.
“Stay down,”Griff grunted as he climbed to his feet, fighting off a rebel who’d caught up to them. Amos, Griff, Ares, Vivian, Clover, and the border guards surrounded them, fighting off the rebels on all sides.I’m worthless here, she thought with despair.
A beast’s resounding roar filled the air, followed by a savage voice. “VIOLET!”
Violet looked through those around her toward the wall. War ran full speed in her direction as Roman pounded against an invisible barrier, yelling her name.
Violet screamed and ducked just in time as an arrow flew past her. War pounced on one of the men nearing Violet, and Ares swung his sword to behead another rebel attacking him from the side.
Violet watched the man’s head fly through the air and collide with the ground. His unseeing eyes stared at her as it rolled across the grass.
I’m going to pass out.
The magic kept Roman firmly on the other side, and Violet thought,If I can make it to the border, he’ll keep me safe.Griff and Ares stood protectively in front of Violet, charging and killing any rebel who got too close. Here, amid the fight, she hindered the others.A helpless person they felt obligated to protect.
Griff broke from the line and looked at two of the border guards, hoisting Violet to her feet. “Get Violet to the border.”
One grabbed her arm and told her to run, but War barreled into Violet’s side. She collided with the rough ground again, and her vision blacked as more gravel sliced her skin. She fought for breath and tried to shake the haze from her vision.
She watched in horror as War slammed to the ground beside her with an arrow speared between his ribs. Her scream rose above the raging battle. “War!”
Violet crawled toward the tigon, and pain shot up her arms with every slap of her shredded palms against the gravel. His quills retracted, and his chest moved in quick, shallow breaths.
