Instead, he’d seen everything as it’d come for him while he fought. Every arrow. Every sword.
Deftly and without thought, his body had moved of its own accord.He’d been a puppet to some higher force. His mind had turned completely off and it was as if something else had controlled him.
When he became aware again, the battle was over.
He’d stood among the slain, covered in blood, but completely unharmed.
Only then had he felt the weight of his armor, or heard the moans of the dying. Felt his own thirst or smelled the putrid stenches of war.
They had simultaneously hailed him a monster and a hero. And while no one wanted him as friend, they definitely didn’t want him as a foe.
That inhuman power and sensory disconnect was what he felt now.
He urged Ganille forward, guiding his skittish horse through the snow. Somehow he knew where the road was. He saw it so clearly.
Instinctively, he knew where to go, and in no time, he found a small brown palfrey whose reins were ensnared on the side of the road in a bramble bush. She shrieked and tugged at the lines.
Cold winds bit into his flesh and his joints were stiff from riding as he dismounted.
“Easy now,” he breathed, approaching the panicked horse with care.
Moving slowly so as not to further alarm the mare, he gently patted her side until she calmed. Then, he took her bridle and untangled her reins. Scratches marred her flesh as he rubbed his gloved hand over her flanks, noting the blood seeping there and over her bare back.
What the hell had happened?
As he eased the mare back, he saw a damp red saddle blanket on the ground that was embroidered with his dragon.
This was definitely from his stable. He hadn’t mistaken the horse.
“Ariel!” he called, hoping she was somewhere nearby.
Only the howling winds answered his call. No doubt, his voice had been lost to them.
Tying the mare’s reins to his destrier, Valteri searched the area on foot, calling for his wife, his heart lodged painfully in his hoarse, sore throat.
Where could she be? Had the palfrey thrown and trampled her like it’d done the blanket?
All too well, he remembered what it felt like to be stomped by his own horse.
Could Ariel survive such an attack? Unlike him, she was tiny and frail. Unused to being brutalized.
Valteri closed his eyes, hoping she was all right. He couldn’t bear the thought of her as otherwise. Then, he felt a strange pull. Something inside knew where to go.
Listening to it, he headed straight toward a large tree.
Vaguely, he saw a small lump lying in front of it.
He rushed forward and knelt down to find her there.
“Ariel?” he gasped, pulling her over, and into his arms.
Her face was a ghostly white and a large bruise swelled against her right cheek.
Terror consumed him. She lay too quiet. Her body was too cold.
“My lady?” His voice trembled with the weight of his fear and panic as he gingerly pulled the strands of pale hair free from her cheek. “Please, Ariel, speak to me!”
Her eyes fluttered open and the dazed look gradually sharpened. “Valteri?”
