Page 29 of A Shattered Kingdom of Steel

It sweeps its arms again, wildly grabbing for any living thing it can take hold of. One of the horses bucks its hind legs, and it slides forward, freeing itself. Shaking its head, the troll swivels its gaze from us, directing its attention to the others.

As long as we’re cloaked in Asheros’s shadows, it can’t see us.

Savell, Ronan, and Orim keep their distance from the troll, using their swords to slash at its hands when it gets too close.

“Come here, ya big lug!” Gryska charges with her axes but stays far enough away from the troll’s grabbing hands.

Releasing arrow after arrow, Kheldryn stays light on her fee. The first hits its mark, the tip embedding into the troll’s shoulder. The beast lets out a groan but doesn’t slow down. The second arrow lands, puncturing its belly the way a thorn would.

The troll lets out a fierce roar. Unlike the first arrow, the second only seems to make it more enraged.

“I have an idea,” I tell Asheros, thinking quickly. Combat instincts thud in my ribcage, and the impulse to do something overpowers any hint of caution I feel. “How far does the cover of your shadows extend?”

“A few feet, without over-extending myself,” he says, slowly. Suspicion tightens his mouth. “Why?”

I hold up my wrists. “I need you to cut these ropes. Now.”

Hardening his jaw, he stares at me for a moment. Then he glances at the troll, at Savell, Ronan, Orim, and Gryska’s panicked attempts to stay out of the creature’s reach.

Kheldryn fires more arrows. None seem to do any more than annoy the troll.

Asheros’s eyes flick back to me. “Tell me that idea of yours first.” A demand.

I can’t say I blame him.

“If we can make it until dawn, the sunrise will turn the troll to stone.” I look at the creature and then meet Asheros’s gaze. “If you can shield us with your shadows, then we can distract it without being seen.”

He tilts his head forward as though to prompt me for more explanation.

“Trolls are brainless, but they have innate magic like the metals,” I say. “Your shadows can’t extend far enough to cloak everyone, and even if you could, you said yourself you’d exert too much strength to keep it up for very long. But if I can get close enough without being seen, the troilite cuff around my wrist might make it dizzy.”

His stare narrows. “I need to cut the rope for this plan to work?”

Raising my hands, I pull at the rope securing me to him. “It’s going to be much harder for me to move freely if you’ve got me on a leash.”

He straightens his mouth. “What assurances do I have that this isn’t just a ploy to escape?”

“None.” I stare him down. Though I have no plans to leave until I’ve discovered all I can on his plans, he doesn’t need to know that. “But you don’t have many options.”

Muscles work at his jaw and flex with tension. He doesn’t have a better alternative, and he knows it.

“Fine,” he says at last, with a long sigh. He pulls a silver dagger from his waistband, one that I didn’t know he had, and slips it beneath my rope bindings.

Is this the silver object he uses to channel and conjure his shadows?

I take note of that information for later use. Rubbing the rope marks from my wrists, I avert my gaze. “Thank you.”

“Don’t make me regret this, Bladesinger,” he grumbles.

“No promises,” I sling back.

Lips tugged up in something just short of a smirk, Asheros rolls his eyes. “How dare I assume otherwise.” Then, a calm stillness centers him and straightens his mouth. “I’ll move at your command, Captain.”

I nod, the amusement immediately falling from my expression. Strict focus snaps into place, and all thought slips from my mind. The shadows surrounding us reduce my visibility, but I can still make out what lies ahead well enough to act on it.

The troll continues its attempts to grab onto one of the others, huffing in annoyance each time it misses. Kheldryn gracefully increases the distance between herself and the creature, taking long strides backward. Gryska lets out a fierce cry and swings both of her battle axes, one after the other. Light on their feet, Savell and Ronan dodge the troll’s curled fingers, and Orim circles the creature from behind.

“Too slow,” Ronan shouts.

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