Page 65 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

Only, as we approach, I notice one big difference—there is no one manning the gate that leads to Trador. There are seven gates built into the wall, each leading to the seven lands beyond, all of which are heavily guarded. However, I cannot see a sign of a single one of them. Usually there would be several guards stationed a hundred meters or so before the wall, who would check our identities and our business for passing through the wall. More guards would be by the gate, monitoring the comings and goings of those passing. The other side has the same amount of vigorous inspections, yet I can see straight through the open gate, and not a single soul approaches.

We slow our horses as we reach the checkpoint, and I sense my companions’ confusion. Our personal guards who are leading the way seem wary, but one climbs from his horse and jogs forward, passing the empty checkpoint and moving swiftly towards the gates.

“Where are the guards?” Eli asks me quietly, moving his horse closer to mine. His eyes flit around us, checking for threats, his fae senses picking up something I am unable to.

“I do not know,” I reply softly, unable to ease the queasy feeling in my stomach. “Something does not feel right.”

My father seems to be thinking along the same lines, his face tight as our guard runs back and reports that there is no one manning the gate. Nothing seems to be out of place, they just seem to have… vanished.

“We proceed with caution,” my father announces grimly after a momentary pause. He is clearly disturbed by this turn of events, yet he is having to choose between putting us at risk for the whole of our kingdom.

“Is that wise, Father?” I cannot help asking the question even though I know he will have weighed all the options, not one to make a rash decision.

This time, when he looks at me, I see a flicker of emotion in his eyes. “There is no time to waste, daughter.”

Biting back my retort, I nod in agreement, feeling the desperate need to get back to Trador as soon as possible. We pass through the gate without trouble, not a soul to be seen. Our entire party is on high alert, and everything is eerily quiet, yet we do not have time to investigate. Once we are past the empty checkpoint on the other side of the wall, we move our horses into a trot, still keeping our eyes on the barren land around us.

We have been riding for around five minutes now, and nothing out of the ordinary has occurred, so we allow our horses to canter, taking us towards the capital city of Trador.

Something appears on the road ahead of us, at first appearing like a dark stain across our path. As we get closer, I see it begin to take shape. It looks like a carriage, but it’s on its side.

“What is that? Has there been an accident?” I call out, glancing over at Eli for his verdict. He is frowning, looking intently at the apparent wreckage.

My father calls out, and we slow our horses to a trot, approaching with caution. Although not common in Trador, bandits do occasionally attempt to rob people on the main road to the city, yet this does not have the same feel as that. We get closer, and I see that it is not a carriage, but some strange wooden contraption. It lies on its side, exposing the wheels at the front and back, but where you would expect the body of a carriage, there is nothing. At least, from our vantage point, that is how it appears. The strangest thing about it all is that there is no one around to be seen. The landscape is empty and barren, the life drained from it, so there is nowhere for anyone to hide.

Slowing to a walk, we close our formation. Something is off about this situation, and I am not the only one who senses it.

A blast of bright, dazzling light cuts through the darkness ahead of us, as though the sun has been concentrated into a single beam. Our horses rear up in fear, and my skin burns as the light touches me. Dazed and shocked, I fall from my mount, landing on the ground with a heavy thump, my shoulder taking the impact. Pain rips through me, my right arm dangling uselessly at my side. I suspect it is dislocated, but I am in so much agony I cannot even think about putting it back into position.

“Thea!” Eli’s voice cuts through the chaos.

My eyes stream, the bright light making them sting and water. Attempting to shield my face, I desperately look around to see what is happening. Blurry figures run across my field of vision, and I hear the sounds of fighting. If I am being burnt by the light, then my father and our guards will be as well, disabling us. Thankfully, Eli won’t be damaged by the light, but can he fight off all of our attackers?

It is clear that this was all a trap, designed specifically to target vampires. Did they know the first bride was among this travel party or were we just unlucky?

The warmth of many bodies surrounds me, their scents strange and unfamiliar, disorienting me all the more. When one of them touches me, I jerk away violently, making my shoulder scream with pain as I snap my teeth and snarl in warning. I draw my dagger and hold it before me threateningly. However, whoever is attacking us is clearly not a vampire, because they approach me, unbothered by the beams. Baring my teeth and hissing, I begin to descend into my primal self, my fangs extended as I blindly thrash around. The figures in front of me are just blurry shadows. They close in, and I feel surrounded. The sounds of fighting appear far away as the guards rush to defend us but are drawn farther from me. From the sharp tugs on our bond, I know Eli is attempting to fight his way towards me, using our connection as a compass.

They are separating me from the others. This was a trap, and we rode straight into it.

“Anthea!” my father shouts, panic lacing his voice. That, more than anything, fills me with fear. Strong emotions are not proper in the world of vampire lords. I do not think I have ever seen him display fear before.

The light is still shining on me, making it impossible to see clearly, and my skin burns, keeping me disoriented and confused. The mystery, carriage-like structure must be part of the light-making machine. I do not know how they are doing it, but it is stronger than any sun I have experienced before, as though it has been magnified and directed straight onto me.

Pain explodes on the right side of my face as a fist meets with my jaw. My body is thrown to one side with the force of the blow. I try to scrabble upright, my damaged shoulder making it almost impossible. As I struggle, a pair of boots appears in my blurry vision, and without warning, those boots kick out at me, slamming into my stomach, my back, and my face. They kick me over and over, taking it in turns.

Agony encompasses me until it is all I know. Is this how I’ll die? After everything I have done to try and save us from war, I’ll die from a beam of sunlight. There are many times that I could have died in my past, yet I survived. Dying now when I am so close to fulfilling my purpose seems like such a waste.

My damaged, burnt, and beaten body screams in protest as hands grab me roughly and proceed to drag me across the ground. They are taking me away—away from my family and my mate, and thanks to the concentrated beam of light aimed at me, I am unable to fight back. Pitiful.

Somewhere in the distance, I hear Eli roar as he tries to make his way to me, but there are too many of them. Through bleary eyes, I see my father fighting his way towards me. As a pair of boots steps into my view, I brace myself for more pain, expecting to be beaten once more. The male crouches down in front of me, and just the scent of him twists something within me before I even see his face. I know exactly who orchestrated this whole attack.

Lifting my gaze, I stare at the male who once could have been my mate.

Havoc.

“Well,” he says with a wide smile, his cruel eyes scanning me with manic glee. “Hello, dear Anthea.”

The world goes dark around me, and I fall into unconsciousness.

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