Battle had never depleted me so much, spell or not.
At the edge of the chaos, three of our warriors dragged the wounded into the safety of the forest. Dozens of bloody trails already marred the ground.
I couldn’t let my gaze linger on them. They already pressed against my mind.
I’d brought them here.
I’d given the command.
Now I would carry the marks of their souls on mine forever.
The instincts trained in me carried me further, like they’d waited to be freed once more from the cage I’d sealed them in along with dreams of crowns and thrones that felt trivial now.
“More are coming!” a young, terrified voice called from the other end of the battle.
My heart dropped as I looked at the rim.
Three more ropes cascaded down.
Bigger, burlier soldiers began to descend intoourcrater.
My heart slammed against my ribs. The warriors surrounding us weren’t even their best–and we were already losing.
I couldn’t let the bigger ones touch the ground.
I rushed forward, dodging more blades.
One of their blasted hooks embedded into my coat, yanking me back.
I blinked against the rattle in my brain and whirled around.
My only retaliation was an arrow.
The chain that dragged me went limp.
Fifteen arrows.
I chucked off my tattered coat as I ran.
The cold air slammed against my skin, offering sweet reprieve.
With the sun now above us, the icy wall glistened, playing tricks on my eyes and making them water.
I raised my bow at the wall and shot.
I missed the rope.
The arrow embedded itself into the ice, cracking it. A shard broke free, falling the same way my heart did.
Not stopping my dash, I grit my teeth, and tuned out the screams and pleas surrounding me. I narrowed my eyes, and aimed again.
This time, the arrow cut straight through one of the ropes, right underneath one of the new soldier’s dangling feet.
I hoped it would scare them back onto the rim.
Another rope unraveled down, taking its place.
Then one more.
