Yeah, right.I creep forward, keeping Redara in my line ofsight as well as the two guivres circling overhead.
“We just want to talk,” the same voice says.
I don’t say anything; I know this is simply a trick to get me to speak. As soon as I make a sound, those guivres will attack. They're blind to my position until I make a sound. I don’t give them one as I step quietly towards Redara.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
I mentally snort.That’s so cliche.I must not respond quick enough for them because suddenly three men walk out from behind Redara.Three to one,I mentally calculate. The odds aren’t in my favor, but I can do this. But then at least five more men step out and then another three from each side. I watch as they converge on me, and all hope that I can get us free dies a quick death.
Chapter 35
“Drop your weapons,” somebody shouts. I really don’t want to, but I’m not stupid. Cursing myself to the moon and back, I drop my two daggers onto the hard ground. “The other ones too.” I grind my teeth and grab two of my daggers from the sheaths on the front of my pants and drop those next.
“And the one on your back,” another voice from another direction calls out. I do as they say.
Two men approach me, and I take them in. They look...rough. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s a darkness to them that I don’t like. I've always felt like I’ve had an ability to sort of sense people’s good or evil; it’s what’s kept me alive all these years and helped me survive living outside the city walls. And right now, I’m getting a whole lot of straight-up evil from these guys, similar to the Northerners. I study them as they walk closer. Their faces are gaunt and pale, like they haven’t seen the light of the sun in too long a time. Neither of them has any semblance of a look to them that is anything but just wild. They have longstringy hair and beards that are long and unkept, but they don’t look old.
I think it hits me right before Redara sends me,They’re guivre men.
The shock of it nearly bowls me over, right before fear nearly strangles me. I don’t know why; it’s not like we haven’t been facing guivres yesterday and today. But something about them being in human form is terrifying. I don’t let my fear show on my face. Years of survival have taught me to never show emotion in the face of danger. Instead, I keep my head high and stare them down as they approach me. I glance at Redara again and the metal net holding her down. Our odds of surviving this and getting out of here are not great, but I refuse to cower in fear. “Morning,” I say when they get close.
They stare at me like I’m an odd specimen, which, to be honest, is pretty fair. “You’re bonded to a dragon,” the one on the right says. His voice is gritty, like he doesn’t use it often. My guess is he hasn’t in a long time.
“Yes, very astute of you.”
Might not be the best time to give them the full essence of who you are,Redara says dryly. But I catch the pain in her voice that she’s trying to hide.
What’s wrong?I demand, keeping an eye on the men in front of me.
I'm pinned beneath a metal net. What could possibly be wrong?She sends back.
I ignore her sarcasm.Are you hurt?
I’m fine, just trying to figure out how to get free.
I don’t exactly believe her, but I don’t have time to focus on her quite yet. I have to deal with the threat in front of me...and all around me...first. “You’re from the Dragon Kingdom,” the same guy speaks. “Are you the Queen there? Only royalty bond to a corporal dragon.”
I mentally run through what they're saying and how I should play this. They were removed from the Dragon Kingdom decades ago, so they wouldn’t know what’s going on currently, and that’s in my favor. I just don’t know how to spin it. I make up my mind right before I hear Redara hiss at me,Don’t you dare.
But I’m already speaking. “Yes, I am the queen of the Dragon Kingdom.”
Do you ever listen?Redara demands.
“And you should know that I have the entirety of the Dragon Kingdom at my—” I don’t get to finish my words as they suddenly lunge forward and grab me. Or at least they try, but I was ready for them to try something. I twist and drop before they can grab me. I grab my knife from my boot and whirl around, stabbing the first man as close to his heart as I can. I yank my knife back and spin to find the other man. A piercing pain hits my arm, but I ignore it.
“Don’t shoot!” somebody shouts. “We need her alive.”
Well, that’s a relief.I kick the man trying to grab me where it really hurts, and he doubles over just as somebody tries to grab me from behind. I drop to my knees, pulling him off balance and then turn and stab him. I jump to my feet. My adrenaline is flowing as I calculate each man that comes after me.
Behind you!Redara shouts. I’m already turning before shefinishes. The man tries to grab me, but I’m faster. I take his legs out from under him, just as somebody gets my arms behind me. I react violently, slamming my head into the man behind me. I’m rewarded with a sharp crack and a shout of pain.Left!I heed Redara’s warning and react instantly.Right. Behind you. Right. Drop.
I heed every command she sends at me, taking down as many of them as I can. But there are too many of them. I know they’ll overtake me; I’m just trying to get as many of them as I can before that happens. It happens before I’m ready. Somebody hits me across the face. My head snaps back, and I see stars. I react with my knife, but I can’t see anything. Somebody kicks my knees out from under me, and I hit the ground. I look up just as something slams into the side of my head, and I drop to the ground. I take a kick to my ribs. “Don’t look like much of a queen now!” somebody shouts in anger.
Harper!I can hear the fear and anger in Redara’s voice. I want to console her, but I’m having a hard time breathing right now. Somebody pushes my face into the dirt, and I can’t breathe. I buck against them, but the hold is too strong. Panic courses through me. Then my head’s pulled up, and I'm yanked to my knees by my hair. I pull on my arms, but whoever has them is too strong. Or maybe it’s multiple people. My head is pulled so far back, I can only look up at the sky. I miss seeing the blow coming, and my ribs take the abuse. There’s a sharp crack that hits my ears before the pain hits. Pain explodes in my rib cage, and I can’t catch my breath. I think I hear Redara’s voice in my head, but I can’t see past the pain to concentrate on it. There’s another blow to my face, and I spit blood. My vision swims, and I can’tkeep my body upright. I’m no longer being held up by my own power. I’m barely conscious of what’s going on around me.
Redara’s voice reaches me in my fog of pain.They’re here.
I can’t even mentally respond. Her words slip into my mind and then dissipate. Screaming reaches my ears...a lot of screaming. Then there’s the smell of burnt flesh. Suddenly, I’m no longer being held up. Unable to catch myself, I fall face first into the dirt. Pain explodes through me when I connect with the hard ground. I close my eyes and black dots dance through my vision, but I force my eyes open. I need to know if they’re hurting Redara. I hear the screeching of guivres, and my blood chills. If they’re after Redara, I won’t be able to stop them. I put my hands in the dirt and force myself onto all fours. I won’t watch as they try to kill her while she’s defenseless. I take all my pain and force it away in that black box of my mind and take a breath. My breath snags on my probably cracked ribs, but I fist my hands and push off the ground. I stumble as I try to get my feet under me. I blink as blood drops in my eye and stagger towards the dead man nearest me. I fumble around and grab a dagger from his body. I hear a chilling sound and look up, blinking at the brightness of the sun. I blink and then blink again because that’s no guivre; it’s too large. Confusion wraps around me, and I close my eyes as a burst of flame shoots from his mouth. Two guivre simply disintegrate in the air. I blink and stare.Noxlyn?But I don’t see Rauk anywhere. I hear a cry of pain, and I turn around slowly and finally see him. I blink and then blink again. A shirtless Rauk weaves and spins around the guivre men, cutting them down around him with his halberd as if they’re made of materialand not human flesh and bone. I’ve literally never seen anything like it. The guivre men don’t stand a chance. Except...I blink and stumble forward. Before I even realize what I'm doing, I throw my knife at the man aiming an arrow at Rauk. My aim is true, and the man drops. Rauk spins around and sees the man, then looks over at me. He's a good distance from me, and yet I don’t just see his anger. I can feel it. It’s a tangible, heavy thing that covers the distance between us. He spins around, taking down two men that were trying to get the drop on him. I stumble over to another dead guy and steal his knife. But by the time I’m back on my feet, there are no men left to kill. I blink in shock and take in the men that are on the ground around Rauk. There must be at least twenty or more. My gaze snaps to his as he strides towards me, and that fury reaches out and wraps itself around me. His dark eyes lock on mine, and I can’t move. I want to, but it’s like my feet are glued to the ground.
