The one-eyed guard points to me. “What happened here?” he touches his face, mirroring my dark bruises. “He do that?” Nodding to Myles.
I chuckle. “No, wasn’t him. I fell off my horse.”
He nods along, keeping his eyes on me. I’m not sure the guard believes my story. At least Myles hasn’t got any bruising on his face, or that might be harder to explain.
Footsteps burst through bushes behind me, and I catch my breath as two more guards head our way.
“Thought I heard you fuckers,” a voice calls. They walk around the fire to the redhead. “Should have known you’d find some food.” He laughs, slapping the redhead’s gut.
The familiar voice sends my body into a panic—Toothless. I bend down beside the fire, hiding, praying they leave before I’m recognised.
“Come on, you lot,Adrian wants her found quickly,” Toothless says to the others. He turns to Myles for the first time, and a wicked grin spreads across his face. “Well, well, look who we have here.” Drawing his sword, he points it towards me, “Thought you could sneak away, did you?Witch.”
Myles grabs his sword that he’s been grazing the whole time; the other guards pull out their weapons. Toothless and two of the other guards, rush towards me. Learning how to use a weapon would be helpful right about now, instead I will my magic to appear.
I focus on my breathing, throwing my head back, my arms stretched out wide—like I had done in Vendyl—my hands in tight fists. Lowering my head to look toothless in the eye, the guards stop in their tracks.
Toothless grabs hold of the younger guard, pulling him back. I throw my hands out. Nothing.Not even a flicker.
Shit!
Toothless laughs from his chest and leaps towards me. Myles swings his sword at the red head and the other guard that appeared with toothless. He kicks dirt at them, blinding the redhead. Ducking behind trees, I struggle to maintain focus, instead watching Myles as he dances around, like fighting is second nature to him. He learned this from his uncle, the blacksmith?
I turn tail and run off into the woods as the guards near me, the tree roots slowing them down, giving me enough time to search for something I can use to fend them off. Tripping up over my own two feet, my hands plunge deep into the soil, and I’m filled with a rush of energy.
Flowers bloom, and the grass grows tall.
With the guard’s fast approach, I try the only thing I can think of, I clench my fists into the ground, closing my eyes, trying with everything I have to draw on the magic.
My body fills with a tingling heat, I look up to see the tree roots lifting from the ground, new branches springing from the trees, swaying and smashing into the guards. The young guard is the first to go as a branch impales his stomach, piercing through his armour.
The one-eyed guard crashes into a tree branch, his head implodes at the force of the branch hitting him. Toothless, deftly evades all my futile attempts to pin him down.
Nearing me, cackling like a hungry animal toying with its prey, he lifts his weapon in the air poised to attack. As he is about to swing, his body goes rigid, a sword spearing through his head; Standing motionless for a few seconds before his body crumbles to the ground.
Myles stands behind him, covered in blood. I rush to him, checking him over, but none of the blood appears to be his.
“Misty bolted,” he says gravely.
He pulls me into him, and I hold back my tears. At this point, I am surprised there are any left. Misty was the last gift from Dad, and now she’s gone.
With her gone, I can no longer feel him with me. But I don’t have time to fall apart.
“Looks like we're walking from here,” I say, trying to hide my emotions.
Myles watches me dig through the dead’s pockets, stealing what little coins they had. I take a dagger, leaving the bigger, heavier weapons for Myles.
Spying a smaller sword, I try pointing it towards Myles and say, “You need to show me how to use this thing.” Myles takes it from me, and swings it around, it swooshes through the air, making it look easy. He hands it back to me, and it falls to the ground.
Laughing he says, “Well, since trouble follows you around… But I think you’re going to need to learn to hold it first.”
Scowling, I walk back to our camp, gathering our belongings. We are both tired, but having guards so easily walk in on our camp, we know we can’t risk staying longer.
Reaching the top of the hill, I stop to admire the view over the trees, realising this is the furthest I have ever been from home. A mixture of sorrow and thrill courses through me, ready for the adventure ahead.
Chapter Fourteen
Andi
