Elyssa noticed the jacket of one of the guards was singed. If Lora had shown her fire power by accident, they could have falsely assumed she was a higher level than she probably was. But even then, there were too many guards. She’d never seen so many at once. Three left the bar. Two more came with the carriage. If they drove off, that would be it.
Elyssa didn’t think twice and let her arrows fly. She hit the guards on either side of Lora first. She imagined they were cursing her from below. They let go of Lora and she tried to run away blindly, but another one forced her to her knees.
Elyssa lost count of how many arrows she let loose. The fae were taking cover behind the carriage until one of them pointed to her position on the roof. He might have yelled a warning or a threat; Elyssa tuned it all out. The chatter was unrecognisable to her anyway. She’d long since stopped relying on her hearing to help her in a fight. Her laser-sharp focus was all she needed.
She ducked just in time to avoid an arrow flying over her head. The wind whipped against her dark hood.
Drawing another arrow, she took a deep breath, rolled to the side, and peeked over the ledge enough to shoot another round. She was met with open fire, forcing her to lower herself behind the stone barrier of the roof once again. Under cover, Elyssa moved on the roof, trying to surprise them from another angle.
She peered down the street. Two of the guards were running to the door of her building. Elyssa reached for her arrows. There was only one left, not nearly enough.
Lora had pulled her hood up with her bound hands. She met Elyssa’s gaze over the rooftop and shook her head in defeat. Giving up was always the last possible resort and not something Elyssa liked to even consider.If one considers defeat, one has already been defeated.It was something her mother used to say. She had always told her to be smart but brave, to keep fighting for what she believed in even if defeat seemed the more likely outcome.
A loud noise drew Elyssa’s attention. She quickly scanned her surroundings. The door handle to the roof entrance rattled. The guards had reached her. She didn’t have enough arrows left. She could defend herself with her small knife, but even if she managed to fight them off, they would keep her from saving Lora. It was a lose-lose situation. There were too many for her, as much as she hated to admit those odds.
Elyssa glanced back at Lora. Her friend’s lips moved. Elyssa immediately understood. Lora was telling her to go, to leave her. A guard shoved the bag back over Lora’s head at the same time as an arrow flew past Elyssa’s head, snapping her back into action. Elyssa sprang to her feet, firing her last arrow. The guards ducked.
Her arrow hit its true mark. She couldn’t distinguish the yell of pain Saydren had surely let out, but she’d hit him. It drew the guards’ attention away from Elyssa as she ran across the roof. She climbed onto the ledge. The door on the rooftop smashed open just as Elyssa jumped, bracing herself for a rough landing on the balcony below. Her legs screamed as she hit the floor, but she ignored the pain and rushed down the ladder. She had almost made it to the street when two fae faces appeared over the ledge.
Elyssa pushed herself off the ladder, barely avoiding an arrow as she dashed from the scene, running as fast she could. Air rushed in her ears. Her pulse was so loud she couldn’t hear anything else as she raced to the nearest alley.
She whipped her head around several times. She could make out the two guards in the distance. Her bow hit her back with each step. Elyssa drew her hood tighter as she ran past unassuming fae on the street. Usually, she would walk carefully, keeping to unpopulated areas, but with the guards chasing her, she didn’t have that luxury.
Her vision was partly obscured by her black hood, but she knew where she was going. Elyssa had spent years mapping out Chrysa, taking note of places to hide out from any dangerous fae. Taking a sharp right, she took a narrow path between two buildings and disappeared through the hidden back door of a storage room.
Closing the door quickly, Elyssa turned in the dark space and almost cursed out loud when she found herself looking into the wide eyes of the girl from outside the bar. Her hood was now completely drawn back, revealing her shocked face.
The girl opened her mouth and Elyssa rushed forward, silencing her with one hand as she strained her ears to listen for movement outside. She couldn’t tell if what she heard were footsteps or how close they were, but she wasn’t about to take the risk.
The brunette didn’t struggle against her hold. Standing this close, Elyssa saw surprise in her unique eyes. They were the colour of an amethyst, speckled with shining brown spots that even the dim light could not erase.
After a minute, the girl put her hand over Elyssa’s. Her touch was soft, gentle. Elyssa sensed no danger. She let the girl remove her hand with no struggle, but Elyssa’s suspicious eyes never left the girl’s.
“Do you hear anything?” Elyssa asked in a low voice, taking a step back.
The girl shook her head. Her cloak had parted, revealing the sort of fine clothing only rich fae had. Her jewellery alone promised money. What a girl like that was doing out on her own—hiding from guards, no less—was more than intriguing, but Elyssa had no time to play interrogation. The less this girl knew about her, the better.
Elyssa moved to the door on silent feet. “You never saw me,” she said, before stepping outside. There was no sign of the guards. She looked over her shoulder, meaning to close the door, but the girl had drawn closer too, blocking the entryway.
Elyssa looked her up and down from her styled hair that had come undone to the rip on the bottom of her dress. She tried to keep the imminent smile off her face. “Piece of advice, next time you spy, keep your hood up.”
“Piece of advice, next time, don’t run out of arrows,” the girl shot back.
Stunned, Elyssa’s smile broke free. “Touché.” She didn’t wait for the girl’s reaction as she turned her back and took off.
* * *
Elyssa ran most of the way back to camp. Her breaths came hard and fast and she had a dull ache in her knees from jumping off the rooftop. Her legs felt as if they might give out at any point, but she did her best to ignore the pain. There was something coming her way that would hurt even more—a discussion with her brother she’d rather not have.
She spotted Eyden the moment she arrived at the camp. She didn’t have time to catch her breath. His face was twisted in anger, his brows furrowed as he stormed forward. “What the hell, El? You and Lora left without me?”
As he got closer, his eyes wandered over her face. She knew what he saw. They had always been able to read each other. Concern took over his features.
“What happened?” He looked behind her, scanning the woods. “Is Lora still with Saydren?”
Elyssa turned her head, not meeting his gaze. “I’m sorry.”
He took a step back as if her words had physically struck him. “Where’s Lora?” His voice shook as he dragged his feet over the grass. Eyden moved closer again, searching her eyes. “She left, didn’t she? She crossed without me.” His bitter laugh rang in the air.
