Page 136 of Ravenrose

I inch forward, though I heed Ayer’s order to remain inside the thick tree line, watching as they disappear into the fray.

The two of them move together with the familiarity of warriors who have fought countless battles side by side. Within seconds, each of them has dropped at least one raider, and is already on to the next.

I tear my gaze away.

Focus.

My eyes scan the small town before me. The air is thick with smoke, which significantly limits visibility .

The square is in chaos as the raiders struggle to regroup in order to fend off both attacks. The captured villagers scatter, some of them breaking containment and sprinting for the forest. A girl—about my age—breaks free, tearing toward the tree line. A raider is in pursuit. I recognize him immediately, the same bald brute from earlier.

She screams out when he catches her by the hair, his sword out, glistening red in the moonlight as he raises it high⁠—

I loose.

My arrow strikes true without him ever even seeing me.

He drops, and I’m already reaching for another arrow when I spot Theo in trouble to my right. He and a towering, red-faced fae fight each other at a furious pace. Theo’s sword strikes are swift and smart, proving he’s more than just a pretty face.

I point the tip of my arrow, waiting for a clear shot.

Theo ducks an incoming blow, and I seize the opportunity. My arrow whizzes through the air, just missing the top of his blonde hair to catch his adversary square in the forehead. The male drops at Theo’s feet.

The prince twists, glancing back with a wide grin that has no place on the brutal battlefield.

My next arrow is already nocked, and I loose again, taking out the raider engaged in tight hand-to-hand combat with Hayes.

Hayes actually bows to me.

I roll my eyes, though the corner of my mouth ticks up slightly.

I scan the village again, but the battle has pressed closer to the center of town, and I’ve lost my vantage point. The rest of the raiders are too far out of range. Cautiously, I take a step out of the forest.

I had lost sight of Ayer in the fray, but once I reach the edge of the square, he’s hard to miss.

My breath stills as I watch him fight; blood streaks his leathers, and his sword cuts through the air and bodies with lethal precision. The surrounding air appears to darken as he fights; the shadows—or maybe it’s smoke from the fires—cling to him, shifting conveniently with his movements. The raider he’s fighting can barely keep up. It takes everything he has just to block Ayer’s relentless attacks, conceding step after step as the Kovari captain mercilessly drives him further back into the shadows.

Backed into a corner, the raider panics, taking a chance and lunging for him. Ayer pivots, dodging the strike effortlessly before driving his own sword through the male’s chest without blinking. The raider’s sword clatters to the ground, and Ayer rips his own free, already turning to the next.

There’s no hesitation, no mercy, just death incarnate.

I can’t look away.

Two more raiders rush in to help, and Ayer’s suddenly facing off against all three.

He’s unfazed, his blade moving impossibly fast, blocking two more strikes before he drives his foot into the third raider’s chest, sending him flying backward several feet.

I have a clear shot.

The glint of silver in my periphery is my only warning before something crashes hard into my left side.

The force of the hit sends both my bow and my knife flying. My hands fly forward, just barely catching myself from eating a mouthful of dirt when I hit the ground.

Movement catches the corner of my eye, and I throw myself sideways just as a sword slams into the ground where my head had been.

I look up to find a dark-haired fae towering over me, a smug grin stretching across his face. It vanishes the instant he realizes he missed. With a furious shout, he wrenches his blade free of the earth, but I’m already moving. I spin across the ground, hooking my right leg around his ankle and yanking hard. He stumbles, just long enough for me to drive my left heel into his chest.

He goes down hard, sprawled out on the ground beside me. I scramble for my bow, lying just a few inches away. But his hand clamps down around my ankle, dragging me back. I kick wildly at him, and he releases my ankle with a curse. I jump to my feet, and he’s quick to follow before we square off.