Page 24 of Ravenrose

Has it been longer than fifteen minutes?

Panic rises and my head spins while my heart races with both fear and adrenaline. Tearing myself away from the window, I fly down the tower stairs instead of up. When I reach the hall, I can already hear shouts coming from inside the castle, more clanging metal, and the sounds of shattering glass.

The battle now spilling into the castle.

Chapter 12

ROWAN

Riven.

With so much happening around me, I focus on my brother. I need to find him and get us both out of here. Before it’s too late.

Racing down the main hall, I’m debating whether or not to descend the stairs when a hand wraps tightly around my bicep, yanking me roughly into one of the sitting rooms.

I panic, fighting the grip on my arm, until my eyes meet a familiar pine green. I stop swinging and tackle my adversary with a hug so tight he grunts.

“What the fuck are you still doing here?” Riven hisses once I release him. He takes a step back out into the hall, his eyes scanning the area cautiously, checking to be sure it’s still clear. The sounds of fighting flood in from below.

“Looking for you,” I choke out, my relief that he’s here, and he’s okay, overwhelming me.

“You should be in the tower.” His gaze rockets back to mine, a flash of anger in his eyes. “You should have already sealed the tunnel—you should have sealed it the second the wall fell.” Lines of worry crease Riven’s forehead, and my eyes catch on the trickle of blood behind his ear.

My eyes narrow. “And you were supposed to be here already. Can you blame me?”

Riven only glares back, one eye still on the hall. A flicker of movement in my periphery nearly sends me jumping out of my skin when I realize we’re not alone.

A young woman holding two small children stands near the center of the room. Both of them are crying and clinging tightly to the woman I assume must be their mother.

“The escape tunnels in the village and the keep have been sealed,” Riven explains. “The west tower is the last gate open. Kovaria has already breached the wall and the first floor.”

I nod solemnly, having watched it fall myself.

“We need to go now.” Riven motions to both me and the woman at my back to follow him out into the hall. “If we can’t seal the gate—” He shakes his head, pushing the thoughts away. We all know the consequences.

Holding out an arm, he once again checks the hall. Despite the clanging of metal and the shouts of men that sound entirely too close, the hall before us lies empty.

The woman shifts uncomfortably behind me, struggling to keep hold of both children who wiggle in her arms. Riven notices, too, and he reaches out, taking one of them from her—the little boy—and settling him on his hip. With his other hand, he grabs hold of mine, tugging me out into the hall with them.

Together, we make a break for the west tower stairs, Riven carrying one child and the mother the other. We’re nearly at the tower’s entrance when a crashing sound, followed by screams and shouts, comes from up ahead.

Far closer than before.

Riven swears, ducking into a nearby alcove, pulling both me and the young mother behind him protectively.

“They’re already here,” he whispers, and his eyes meet mine, the green flashing with intensity. “Follow my lead; it’s just a few paces up the hall. Don’t let them see you.”

I nod, motioning for the mother and her child to go ahead of me this time. Riven moves swiftly, his back pressed against the wall as he stealthily makes his way toward the steps. The mother and child follow close behind, with me bringing up the rear.

On high alert, he guides us to a room right across from the tower’s entrance, ducking into the room as we hear more shouting up ahead. We crouch down, the mother and I huddled together while Riven puts his finger to his lips, waiting patiently. His eyes stay fixed on the hall up ahead.

My fingers twitch alongside my anxiety, but I force myself to remain still. When the men’s shouts fade, Riven holds up a hand to make us wait before he slips soundlessly across the hall. Even with the child in his arms, his steps are light and quick, and he’s across in no time at all. When he’s reached the other side, he checks the hall once again before nodding for us to join him.

The mother, with her little girl’s arms wrapped around her neck, crosses next. All is quiet in the hall, the sounds of battle nearly falling away. When she makes it safely to the other side, I take a steadying breath before I too sprint for the steps.

When I’m halfway across, Riven grabs the mother’s hand, starting up the steps.

I’m nearly there when movement catches the corner of my eye. For the briefest of seconds, I look up, locking eyes with a soldier. He’s dressed in silver armour, covered in mud—or perhaps smears of blood. He’s right below the arch leading into the hallway, silent, his sword drawn.