“Had one growing up. Never liked it much,” Sawyer answered.
“Owls?” Sebastian questioned.
“Creepy eyes,” Sawyer stated.
I hadn’t heard it the first time, but the clang of scraping metal bounded off the surrounding trees.
“Okay. Definitely not a bear,” I agreed under my breath, reaching to my thigh wrapping for my dagger.
“Maybe it's an iron python,” Kade quipped, wiggling his fingers in a dismissive taunt.
Using both hands, Sawyer flipped him off, then shot two harsh jets of water into Kade’s face.
Another ringing clatter filled the space, silencing Kade’s string of curse words.
“Stay here,” Sebastian instructed before sticking a landing off our horse’s back and ripping his sword free from the leather strap around his waist.
Before I got my argument out, he vanished into the trees, Jensen’s blond locks swaying closely behind him.
Sawyer maneuvered his horse beside mine and drew his own sword, letting it linger loosely by his side. “Take your dagger out.”
“Already did.” I flaunted a glimpse of the shining blade. “Worried a snake is gonna slither over here and I may have to kill it for you?”
“I should have never opened my godsdamn mouth,” Sawyer muttered, the words leaving his lips just as the sound of clashing steel filled our ears.
“She’s the marked one!” a harsh, raspy voice called from behind me.
My head jerked to the side so fast I think I gave myself whiplash.
A broad, armored man propelled towards Sawyer and I, his sword extended and angled perfectly at my skull. He bore no helmet, just a full head of orange hair that made him stand out amongst the neutral shades of the forest.
Sawyer jumped from his horse to attack, but Kade was faster, securing a blade against the man's throat before Sawyer had even steadied his footing.
The man stumbled backwards to avoid Kade's weapon, his spine and elbows colliding with the ground. It was then that I recognized the Draemornian symbol etched into his armor.
Oh…Oh fuckkk.
“Are you alone?” Kade snarled, saliva flying from his jaw as he inched his blade closer to the man's throat.
“Nope,” Sawyer answered for the Draemornian, swinging his sword to the side. With sheer muscle power he sliced the head off of another armored opponent who had been lurking behind us.
An open-mouthed skull tumbled through the dirt, stopping awfully close to the man Kade held immobile.
“How many more of you are there?” Kade snarled. His blade crept into our enemy's flesh, tearing a curse from the sliver of his lips.
I shuffled in the saddle as three more Draemornians revealed themselves from a clearing in the woods. “Uh, guys,” I called out, the alarm in my voice briskly grasping Sawyer and Kade’s attention.
A flame whizzed past my head as Kade discharged a ball of fire, aiming it at the Draemornian beyond me.
The burning heat missed its target, but sent my horse into a repetition of pitching jolts. The reins tore my palms open as I gripped them for dear life. One of my boots slipped from the stirrup and my body slid dangerously close to the edge of my saddle, though I narrowly managed to steady myself.
Using his gift from Zenith to retaliate, the Draemornian directly behind me conjured up a violent gust of wind. The current pushed into Kade’s chest, knocking him away from his comrade, the blast strong enough to put a few yards between the two.
I blinked, and multiple variations of magic were flying about along with the clambering shine of metal.
A different kind of weapon would be more useful in this situation, but I needed to think fast. Discretely, I tucked my dagger back into its sheath.
It was four against three, so our odds were good. But it seemed like an unnecessary risk to take when I could potentially solve the problem.
