I am strong enough for this.
My heart pounds, but I channel the frenetic energy into resolve. The chill night air wafts into the carriage, urging me forward. With a deep breath, I step to the door and leap out.
The ground rushes up to meet me, the wind roaring in my ears as I brace for impact. I twist my body in midair, tucking my arms close to my chest. The moment I hit the ground, I roll, the rough earth scraping against my skin. I bite back a cry as the force of the fall sends pain shooting through every inch of sliced flesh.
Nyssa is at my side before I can fully stand, her firm grip on my arms keeping me steady as she pulls me into the deeper shadows between the trees.
“Sorry,” I mutter, my face flushing with embarrassment at how weak I feel.
“Don’t apologize.” Nyssa’s eyes fill with determination as she helps me stand. “We’ll get you healed up and back to your fighting form soon enough.”
I smile gratefully at her words, but we both fall silent as the stables come into view, and my gaze lands on Myna crouched behind a thick tree trunk.
“Stay here,” she commands in a low voice. Her dark form darts forward, moving swiftly until she morphs into the shadows of a stable stall.
My gaze shifts back to the drifting shape of the sky-carriage we just abandoned, tracking its steady approach to the docking platform.Silhouettes move within the luminous mouth of the building now, the guards no doubt preparing for the carriage to dock. It won’t be long until they find it empty, and they’ll surely send people out to search the surrounding area. The thought has every tendon in my body strung tight, ready to snap.
A faint shuffling sound from the stables pulls my focus back in that direction. The shadows shift, and Myna reappears out of the stall like smoke, two horses in tow. Their ears flick nervously at every gust of wind, but they follow obediently.
Nyssa pulls me from our hiding spot. The sharp, acrid scent of horses and damp hay bites at my nose as we rush forward. The cool air sinks through every frayed thread of my gown, biting at my raw flesh, but I push the pain aside. Not here. Not now.
Without hesitation, Myna thrusts reins into Nyssa’s hands before turning her focus to me. “Up you go,” she mutters, grabbing my arm before I can protest. Her grip is assertive but cautious, her other hand sliding to the small of my back to guide me into the saddle. My damaged thighs scream in protest as I move, and a tiny gasp steals itself from my lips.
“Quiet,” she says firmly. “I know it hurts, but you need to stay silent.”
Once I’m settled atop the horse’s broad back, Nyssa mounts behind me, her arms looping protectively around my middle. Myna leads the second horse out onto the open path, her sharp gaze darting left and right, hunting for any lurking threats.
And then I hear it. Faint at first—barely loud enough to cut through the hammering of my pulse in my ears. A soft clang. Then another. The sharp scrape of boots against stone.
Guards.
“Fuck,” Myna breathes, her tone cutting through the air like a blade. She grips the reins tighter, pivoting her horse toward an opening in the trees. “We need to ride. Now.”
No time for hesitation. Nyssa clicks her tongue, and the horse beneath us leaps forward, its hooves hammering against the stone with a deafening rhythm that thunders in time with my heart. Cold wind bitesmercilessly at my face, throwing my tangled hair into my eyes as we plunge into the darkness ahead.
A shout rises behind us, sharp and cutting, followed by the heavy thud of booted footsteps.
“They’ll be after us soon,” Nyssa hisses, twisting to glance behind us.
“I know,” Myna barks, riding just ahead. Her horse is a blur of dark muscle, its nostrils flared as it powers through the uneven terrain. “Stay on me—and don’t stop for anything.”
The ground becomes increasingly perilous, with loose stones shifting and scattering. The horses snort wildly with each step, their breathing loud and ragged in the chill air.
My fingers tighten on the saddle horn, knuckles white with the effortof staying upright. Every jolt sends a fresh wave of agony slicing through me, blurring the edges of my vision—but I grit my teeth and hold on.
Shouts and curses echo, these ones closer, and the unmistakable whistle of an arrow slicing through the air sends a jolt of terror throughme.
“Myna!” Nyssa calls, her voice urgent.
“I see them,” Myna snaps. She twists in her saddle, her silhouette rigid. “Ride. Don’t fucking stop!”
Another whistle.
I hear it before I see it—the arrow slamming into the trunk of a tree just inches from my arm. Splinters explode outward, grazing my shoulder, but I barely have time to register the sting before Nyssa shouts sharply in my ear.
“Down!”
I duck instinctively, and another arrow sails past, close enough that I feel its deadly whisper against the crown of my head.
