The trolls shook the ground as they rushed forward, roars eager for more vengeance. They fought side by side with the warriors, everyone protecting this land which had protected us tonight.
“Beren, Edrin, and Lioran have scattered,” Ryker hissed. “We managed to break their shield barrier, but now they’re gone.”
I shot three more arrows, eyes narrowed on the fight.
Right between two statues, I saw Dax and Lioran grappling.
Before I could fire an arrow their way, Dax lifted his dagger and hit Lioran in the neck, who crumpled in his arms.
“Dax got Lioran,” I said.
Two more soldiers rushed my way. My arrows stopped them a few feet away.
“Edrin’s dead,” Ryker said after a few moments, without any emotion. “Fool got himself impaled on a weapon. He probably tripped.”
Shame.
He could have given us answers.
“Beren’s the one we’re after,” Ryker said. “He couldn’t have just vanished.”
“Nadya did,” I said.
The chaos drew our attention away from each other.
The clash of steel against steel and stone didn’t end. More bodies slumped to the ground. The smell of blood turned my stomach, and my quiver felt lighter with each minute.
We were fierce, but, at the end of the day, we fought against a three-Clan army. They indeed had numbers on their side.
My knees turned numb against the stones as I kept firing arrow after arrow, ignoring the way my sodden clothes hung to my back. The calluses on my fingers bled from pulling the bow string back so many times.
Fatigue was setting in over the entire battlefield.
But we wouldn’t give up.
We had a chance to win.
As the first rays of sunlight peaked from beyond the crater’s shards, illuminating the true gore of the field, distant drums resounded from the rim.
My gaze slashed toward it, but I couldn’t see anything beyond a few glimmers.
But Ryker saw–and whatever waited at the rim made him smile. “The Blood Brotherhood army is here!”
Chapter 83
Allie
“You–” I gestured at the troll leader with slow movements. “–should stay here longer.”
He tilted his head at me, one hand carelessly wiping blood off his fur.
I bit my lower lip and looked up at the sun, still fighting to climb over the horizon. I pointed at it and made a large arc through the sky seven times.
“A week. Stay here–” I pushed my open palms toward the ground and pointed at the sky again. “–for at least one more week.”
Until we made absolutely sure the crater was secure once more.
Understanding finally shone in the leader’s eyes. He threw his head back and roared. All the trolls tilted their heads toward me before walking back toward the kennels. They’d lost some of their own, as well. Few bodies slumped to the ground, but they picked up their clubs like cherished memories, big tears falling into their fur.
