Twice, I had failed her. Twice, an assassin had slipped through our defenses, hell-bent on taking the life of my mate.
I wanted her here. Where I could see her. Where I could protect her.
“You couldn’t keep her safe in a room full of witnesses,”my inner voice taunted.“What makes you think you could do it now?”
I gritted my teeth, my jaw so tight it ached.
Here, I would have seen the threat coming. Here, I was in control.
I would tear my enemies apart and leave their bones for the crows. No pretty palace walls between us, no soft courtiers getting in the way.
Just me, and whoever was stupid enough to try to take her from me.
The snap of a branch sent my horse rearing, his muscles bunching beneath me as panic rippled through his frame. I squeezed my thighs tight around him, forcing my attention back to the present as I scanned the trees on both sides.
“Settle down, boy. You’ll look foolish when a rat comes scurrying from the brush.”
My every sense was stretched thin, my nerves crackling with anticipation. The wagon creaked as it bounced over a patch of roots, and the guards on foot grunted as they steadied it.
The wind shifted, and I caught the stench of sweat, fear, and leather. But there was something else, too.
Blood.
A faint metallic tang. Fresh, but not ours.
I raised a hand, signaling for the column to halt.
A shadow moved near the ridge, and I zeroed in on it. Before I could get a proper look, it slipped between the trees and disappeared.
My jaw locked tight, and every muscle in my body prepared for attack. Sweat rolled down my spine despite the chill, and my instincts told me not to lower my defenses. The ravine closed in around us, the walls steep and slick with moss, offering a thousand different places for an enemy to hide.
“Hold up,” I said, sliding from my horse and drawing my sword.
The guard captain, a grizzled man with a scar across his mouth, signaled to the others. The convoy stopped, every weapon at the ready.
I waited, poised but vigilant.
A crow shrieked, and the wagon jolted as the driver tried to calm the horses. Silence engulfed the area as seasoned warriors slid from their saddles, boots hitting the earth without a sound.
“Fan out,” I whispered, and those around me didn’t question my command. They could sense the impending violence in the air. They moved out, blending into the darkness like wraiths.
I stalked closer to the trees, sword low and eyes unblinking. My shadows moved ahead, probing the undergrowth, licking at the roots and stones for any sign of a threat.
The scent of blood thickened, metallic and sharp. It wasn’t animal blood, but that wasn’t the reason my hackles rose.
The streaks of crimson lining the forest floor looked too… purposeful.
Like someone wanted us to find them.
A wet, meatythunkrang out to my left, and a guard grunted, clutching at the shaft of a crossbow bolt buried in his thigh.
“Ambush!”
Inky tendrils exploded from my fingertips, wrapping around the wounded man and dragging him behind cover. More bolts rained down, ricocheting off armor and embedding in the surrounding trees.
The forest grew oppressive, thick with menace as I let my shadows crawl up my arms. A scuffle to my right caught my attention, and I silently motioned for the guards nearest to investigate. Three men peeled away from the group, their blades shimmering in the dim light.
Then silence fell all around us.
