The homestead appears through the thinning trees. The paddock beside it is fenced with rough-hewn rails.
Two horses stand inside, their heads lifting at my approach. One is a sturdy bay mare. The other is a smaller chestnut. Both look well-fed and rested.
I slip over the fence, speaking softly. “Easy. Easy now.”
The bay regards me with calm, intelligent eyes. She doesn’t shy away as I approach. I reach out, letting her nose my hand.
“Good girl,” I murmur.
After a quick inspection, I find a bridle hanging just inside the barn. I take a look around but can’t find a saddle. This will have to do.
I go back to the mare and slip the bit into her mouth, quickly doing up the buckles. She accepts it without complaint. I carefully lead her out of the paddock and vault onto her back.
She’s solid beneath me. Broad-backed and steady.
I urge the mare forward, and she responds immediately, breaking into a smooth lope. Then I head south.
I push the mare faster. She’s no warhorse, but she’s willing, and she’s strong. Her hooves eat up the distance as we ride hard along the road. I have to go slower once I reach the general vicinity of where I figure they should be.
It isn’t hard to find them since they’re a rowdy bunch, filled with the excitement of a shared bounty.
There are seven shadowfae guards on tall, dark horses. And among them, a smaller figure. Isla is bound and hunched in the saddle of a horse being led by one of the guards.
My chest tightens, and my blood turns hot with anger.
I lean forward over the mare’s neck and kick her into a gallop.
21
Isla
I need a plan.
I’ve been trying to come up with one since they bound my wrists and threw me onto the back of this horse. I need to find a way out of this.
Unfortunately, I keep coming up with nothing.
My magic well is nearly empty. What little remains is a thin, flickering thing at the bottom of my chest. There’s barely enough to light a candle, let alone fight my way free. The shadow bindings around my wrists are tight, biting into my skin every time the horse shifts beneath me. They pulse with someone else’s magic, cold and suffocating.
There were nine guards when they captured me. Two rode ahead a while ago to announce our arrival at the castle. That leaves seven.
Seven against one half-breed with a depleted well and bound hands.
Arghhhh!
Up ahead, the towers of the shadowfae castle rise above the tree line. They’re closer than I’d like. Another half hour of riding, maybe less, and we’ll reach the gates.
Since I won’t say so much as a word about what I know, I’m going to die in that castle.
The guard leading my horse yanks the reins, pulling me forward. I grip the saddle horn to keep from toppling. My thighs are sore from riding.
“Keep up,” he snaps without looking back.
I bite back the retort sitting on my tongue. Antagonizing them won’t help.
Think, Isla. Think.
If I could get my hands free, I could use the last dregs of my magic to create a distraction. A burst of shadows. A flash of fire. Just enough to spook the horses and buy myself a few seconds to run.
