Page 9 of Broken Lands

The Professor reached over, resting his hand lightly on my shoulder. “Shhh, dear. It’s okay. The fire will be from General Brand. It’s his element. He has excellent control.” He whispered, patting me on the back as he tried to calm me.

My palm began to sweat as I held it against my mouth, physically preventing myself from screaming any more, and willing my heart rate to settle. That was the second time someone had mentioned the elements. I knew little about fae or their magic, and I made a mental note to ask about it later. When we weren’t under attack and hiding from unknown assailants on the carriage floor.

Shouts rang out around us, more fire lighting up the space beyond our small window. It felt like a storm was coming to life outside as a strong wind rocked the carriage, something thudding hard into the sides every now and then.

A pained whinny rang out and my mind emptied as I realized it was Annie. Without a thought, I leapt to my feet, unbolting the door and jumping from the carriage.

Instinct had me keeping low as I landed on my feet, my gaze darting around and assessing the fight around me, searching out any immediate threat. Annie was hurt. I needed to make sure she was okay.

An arrow whistled past me, and I rolled to the side just in time to avoid contact. Arrows. Shit. That explained the thudding I had heard inside the carriage.

Movement behind a large fallen trunk caught my eye, and I spotted an archer about to nock another arrow in his bow. A powerful beam of fire was sent in his direction, and my gaze landed on the General a little way to the left. He hadn’t noticed me yet—probably for the best. I didn’t want to distract him. But I couldn’t leave Annie when she sounded injured. Who the fuck shoots an innocent creature?

Not waiting to see what happened to the attacker, I crept up to the front, where Annie was still harnessed. She was tossing her head from side to side, trying to dislodge an arrow buried towards the base of her neck.

“Oh girl, it’s okay, let me help you.” I whispered, rising from my crouch to stroke her nose. To my shock, she calmed, giving me a chance to assess her injury. There was blood, but not as much as I had expected. The arrow didn’t look as though it was buried deep.

“Looks like you got lucky, girl,” I murmured, still patting her nose with one hand while I reached down and tore a strip of cotton from the bottom of my dress. I didn’t want to remove the arrow. I didn’t think it had hit anything important, but I was far from an expert and now was not the time to take the risk. Snapping the arrow so that it wasn’t jutting out of her, I wadded up the strip of cotton and pressed it firmly around the wound.

The heat of fire flared behind me, followed by a large gust of wind that would have knocked me off my feet if I hadn’t been anchored firmly against Annie.

Now that the horse was taken care of, I took a moment to really assess my surroundings. General Brand was still to my left, shooting beams of fire from his palms out into the trees surrounding us, aimed at assailants I couldn’t make out in the shadows beyond the tree line.

The two coachmen and guards were scattered around the clearing, some sending their own beams of fire around, others seemed to be shooting water or throwing balls of wind. Professor Darmon had joined in the fight—he must have followed me out of the carriage—but I couldn’t see Stefan anywhere.

Logically, I knew we were under attack, and now was not the time to gawk at the display of magic in front of me. But I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

It looked like we were gaining the upper hand, pushing the attackers back into the trees. A shrill whistle rang through the clearing. It must have been some kind of call to retreat, those that were still fighting turning and running into the shelter of the dead forest.

General Brand waved to the others to pursue, and they obeyed, taking chase deeper into the forest. I was suddenly alone with the horses—I’d have to ask the other mares’ names—the sudden quiet of the clearing unnerving.

The crack of a twig had me whipping my head toward the tree line behind me. My heart thundered in my chest as I scanned the direction the sound had come from. The light of the carriage torches allowed me to make out two large shadows stepping out from the forest.

They were both dressed completely in black, some kind of emblem printed on the right-hand side of their black shirts. Each had a bow and quiver strapped to their back. Their hoods were drawn up, their faces covered by shadows.

“Grab her.” One of them commanded as the other moved toward me at a rapid pace. There was no time, no chance to run. I was still holding pressure on Annie’s wound, the carriage blocking any other possible escape route.

I kicked out at the man advancing on me, aiming low, with no other option. He dodged my attack, grabbing my ankle and pulling me down, forcing me to let go of Annie. I screamed as he hauled me up, tossing me over his shoulder.

I kicked and punched, battering his back to no avail. He was a lot bigger than I was, tightening his hold, making it harder for me to thrash about.

He turned, heading back towards his partner as Annie let out a loud neigh that echoed through the clearing. Despite her injury, she bucked, tearing herself free of her harness.

The bastard holding me ran, but he was no match for the furious horse. She barreled into him, breaking his grip on me, and I was flung far across the clearing. The world blurred, whirling past in shades of gray and black, my head slamming against the dead trunk of an old oak tree. My vision darkened, unconsciousness claiming me.

But before the world went black, I could have sworn a flash of pink fell from the sky.

Chapter six

Riley

Somethingbumpedagainstmycheek rousing me from unconsciousness. Once. Twice. A loud snort, followed by hot air blowing on my face, broke through the fuzziness of my mind and woke me enough that I opened my eyes.

Annie was there, nudging me awake. There was an awareness about this horse that went beyond what I’d learnt about them. Maybe she wasn’t a regular horse at all.

The sound of fighting, of men grunting and shifting as they battled against one another reminded me of where I was. Looking past Annie, my eyes locked on Stefan amid a fight against the two men who had tried to take me. He was a sight to behold, moving so fast he was a blur, weaving his way between the two, ducking and dodging their attacks and landing a few of his own.

Move. Help him.

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