Page 186 of Black Sea

Running side by side, just like we had done when we fled the flooding of Lake Caran.

The soldiers tailing us resembled white lightning bolts darting through the trees. Multiple times, I had to halt and confront them as quickly as possible to prevent the distance between Amlach and me from widening.

But when a soldier hurried past me as I disarmed his comrade, I realized that Amlach had also lied to me about the skills of his elven side.

He was as fast as a pureblood elf because, at the last second, he dodged the slash aimed at slitting his throat.

He was as strong as a pureblood elf, because the next moment, he crushed the young soldier’s skull with his bare hands.

Immediately, I turned back to the elf I had disarmed. She was shocked, as were the other soldiers who, horrified by the scene, had frozen in place. I gave each of them a look that left no room for disobedience, swinging my axe threateningly.

“Go back,” I ordered in Elvish.

The soldiers shared uncertain glances, but ultimately, their loyalty to me—the general they had fought for over centuries—won out. They gave me subtle nods, then turned and climbed through the woods until they disappeared into the vegetation.

I exhaled a sigh of relief, then turned to Amlach. The blood and lumps of brain on his hands and tunic should disgust me terribly. I ought to feel a surge of anger, enough to rush at him and tear him apart. Instead, I sensed those emotions so faintly that it frightened me.

It made Amlach’s gaze burn with ravenous wickedness.

A sudden hiss.

I subtly tilted my head, and a dart flew so close to my ear that it swayed a few strands of my hair.

In the next moment, Amlach caught it before it could pierce his forehead. His focus shifted behind me, and he snapped the arrow’s shaft between his fingers, his expression turning grim.

The archers had followed us.

I heard more arrows being nocked in rapid succession. Amlach and I sprinted instantly, the sharp thud of arrows piercing the bark accompanying us as we meandered through the trees.

The riverbed sank gradually deeper into the ground, forming steep and uneven walls as the forest thinned and rocks grew more numerous and slippery. The roar of the water became so loud that it was hard for me to hear the hiss of the darts and the undergrowth crunching under the archers’ boots.

We had reached the cliff.

“There is a small port pier, below,” I said to Amlach, and I leaped over a heap of rocks with a stunt before an arrow pierced me. We didn’t have time to use the steps carved into the limestone wall, so I screamed, “Jump!”

He jumped into the void with me.

When we landed on the dock, I somersaulted forward to stand up at once, while a beam snapped loudly under Amlach’s knee, and he propped himself on his fist to avoid falling.

I had only a few seconds to quickly scan the moored boats—some in good shape, others abandoned or waiting for repairs—then I swiftly grabbed the broad lid of one of the six barrels stacked to our right and used it as a shield to protect us from the hail of arrows coming from above.

Just as I had done in Rubra’s arena.

“The sailboat down there,” I said to Amlach, grunting as an arrow nearly severed my fingers while I clung to the edge of the lid.

At my signal, Amlach dashed to the end of the dock, while I threw the lid at the four archers positioned on the edge of the jagged cliff to distract them. I swiftly grabbed another lid and repeated the action, providing Amlach with an opportunity to cast off the moorings and set sail between the crags, aided by the current at the mouth and an eastward breeze.

After throwing the second-to-last lid, I glanced back quickly to check if my mate had made it. Then, I got ready to reach him when I heard the snap of a bowstring.

I pulled my leg off the dock just before the dart lodged in my thigh, bending it back while spinning and simultaneously grabbing the last remaining lid to shield myself.

I heard the bows draw and . . .

“ Stop!” came a voice, speaking Elvish.

My heart skipped a beat.

I peered over the edge of the lid, astonished to see an almost blinding figure on the opposite overhang, her very long, wavy hair seeming to embody sunlight as it swayed behind her.