Page 19 of A Storm Rises

Avalynn paced her room. Her father tasked her. The Sublander challenged her. Now Nia wanted her to think about her heart? Perhaps she could’ve added twelve more things to put on the list.

She fell face down on her pillow-littered bed. Her thoughts scattered every which way while she pictured Mateo. Eyes like a tempest sky. Hair, black as night. Beautiful, arrogant, infuriating…all things she was not expecting. She rolled over, grabbed her feather pillow, and slammed it against her face. Stop thinking about him. Stop, stop, stop. Focus on the hunt.

Whoosh.

She sat up. Her glance found a plain white envelope on the floor. She hopped off her bed, rushed over, and flung open the door. No one was there. Her eyes darted one way and then the other. “Hello?” The empty corridor echoed.

She returned inside and with a quick step, her hand swooped up the envelope. She pulled out the handwritten note.

Be brave, for a new path is on the horizon.

Another mysterious message. She rubbed her forehead, then pinched between her eyes. Who was doing this? She set aside the envelope and note. Her hand searched under the mattress and found the previous one.

Trust your instincts, not your past.

She placed them side by side. Same parchment. Same simple yet elegant black lettering. She raised both to her nose. Same woodsy, earthy scent. It wouldn’t require an inquiry to learn they came from the same person. But who slipped these under her door? And why?

With all the excitement, she forgot to tell Nia about the first letter. Now she had two to tell her about. She shoved them under the mattress, walked over to the window, and sat on the windowseat. A gentle breeze tickled her cheek.

Trust her instincts? She already did that. How was the past pertinent? Be brave? She already was. Since birth, nothing scared or got the best of her. Yet, the reference to her new path troubled her most. Surely, it meant the hunt.

Avalynn gazed outside from her perch on the window seat. The large moon glowed, and the night stars glistened. She pulled her legs up to her chest. Her arms wrapped around her knees when movement in the bushes below caught her eye. Somebody was violating the rules of Stromm Palace.

She leaned forward and studied the shadows. A tall figure crept along the near-darkness, heading toward the back of the gardens. Her gaze followed the creeper along the path, then sped past, wondering where the person was headed—bushes, trees, fountains, benches. Her gaze stopped on the edge of the forest. There it stood—her beautiful white Enbarr—the one she had ridden only a few nights ago.

Avalynn’s heart raced. The creeper… Her Enbarr…

She snatched her bow. She flicked an arrow from her quiver. Her aim fixed on the creeper. She pulled the string back. And then the forest darkened.

Thunderation.

She leaned out the window and glanced up. A cloud was passing over the moon, hiding her target. She lowered her weapon and waited for the slow-moving mist to finish its course. But the creeper would surely reach her Enbarr first. She had no time to waste. Her Enbarr needed her protection.

She snatched her black cloak. Quiver at her back, bow slung over her shoulder, she descended the lattice with ease. She darted across the gardens, taking the same dark path as the housebreaker. She knew all visitors were forbidden from roaming the grounds at night. What fool would have violated such a royal directive?

Dawning realization filtered through her. She paused her step and furrowed her brow. She knew the exact fool—the Sublander. He stepped in front of her for the procession. He declared himself the hunt winner. Well, his luck had run out tonight. If he touched her Enbarr, he would wear an arrow for a hat.

She picked up her pace. She slipped the bow off her shoulder and unsheathed an arrow. He was not getting anywhere near her Enbarr. Her heart thumped. Her muscles tensed. With each stride, she exhaled bursts of warm vapor into the chilly night. She was gaining on him. Soon, he would fall at her feet.

As the perfectly manicured gardens slipped past, she crossed into the wild area where tangled undergrowth and gnarled roots reached out to claim the path. Moonlight began filtering in from above. Finally, she could take the shot.

She slowed. She nocked her arrow. She pulled back the string. Her aim narrowed on the space between the Sublander’s shoulders, then quickly redirected to his hand. She could not end him there and then. He still needed to compete in the hunt so he could take last. Her father still required appeasement. Worse yet, killing the Sublander would signal to her father that she, too, had violated the rules.

She let out a long breath, her hand keeping the string taut. As she was about to release her weapon, the Sublander spun and caught her eye. He crouched like a black panther with his dagger over his head, ready to unleash.

A standoff in the Summit Range forest. It came down to her or him. Her arrow versus his dagger. Avalynn, the bold Stromm princess and Mateo, the mysterious Sublander.

BRAYYY!

An urgent whinny filled the air. Hooves thundered. The gorgeous Enbarr galloped between them, skidded to a halt, and reared up on its hind legs like a steed possessed. That silver mane sparkled in the moonlight. Its lavender eyes widened, ears pricked forward, and nostrils flared. BRAYYY!

Avalynn stumbled and fell on her backside, awestruck at the display. “Okay, okay!” She lowered her weapon. “I see what you are doing.”

The magical Enbarr continued stamping and stayed between her and Mateo, snorting and whinnying. From the ground, she saw Mateo, still on his feet, his dagger in hand. She said the only thing that made sense. “It wants you to put your weapon away.”

Mateo’s brows shot up. “Are you jesting?”

“No, I am not. Now, do as you are told, Sublander.”

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