Page 34 of The Throne's Undoing

He quickly rolled away, shaking Terin off. His friend did not stop his pursuit, though, driven by the remnants of Kalisandre'scommand. She had indeed gotten stronger since they first found her and took her to the Whispering Springs. And Graeson only had himself to blame for that.

Terin lunged again, grabbing Graeson and sitting on his legs, stilling him. With blind ferocity, Terin smashed Graeson's face into the ground, and dirt and grass filled his mouth.

"Just hold still!" Dani shouted.

Graeson released a muffled groan as Terin yanked Graeson's arms, twisting them behind his back.

Graeson winced as the sharp pain shot through his body. Behind him, he heard a loudthump, followed by a groan. In an instant, his hands were free.

Rolling onto his back, his shoulder throbbing, Graeson found Dani brandishing her dagger, the blade pointed to the sky. With her other arm, she caught Terin as he slumped over, unconscious. Dani huffed as she lay the prince carelessly beside Kalisandre on the ground.

"Playtime is over, don't you think?" Dani cocked a brow, swiping up Graeson's scimitars from the ground and tossing one of them at him as he stood. "Perhaps now you can do something useful?"

Graeson caught the first blade by the hilt, then the second. "You just knocked out--"

"Kill now, talk later," Dani snapped, spinning on her heel as a soldier came barreling forward.

Graeson looked at Terin and Kalisandre, hesitating briefly. But as more soldiers flooded from the nearby treeline, Graeson knew Dani was right. There was no time to argue.

Joining the fray, he ran toward Sylvia and Medenia. Sliced one of the soldiers at the ankles, Graeson pulled him to the ground and stabbed him straight through the chest.

"Hey! He was mine," Medenia shouted, her voice a near whine.

"You can thank me later! Protect them," Graeson said, not bothering to stop as he changed directions and headed toward Ellie on the other side of the camp.

One soldier had Ellie's back pinned to his chest while his friend waved a blade in front of her, taunting her with her untimely demise. Graeson didn't wait to hear the man speak before charging forward.

Jabbing his shoulder into the man, he sent them both crashing to the ground. The soldier was quick, though; he rolled, forcing Graeson under him. As the soldier raised his dagger, poised to strike, darkness swept over the area and the wind picked up. A sound akin to a screech filled the air.

The man stilled, his face rife with fear.

Graeson's mouth curled into a sinister smile as he peered at the sky. Enormous wings flapped against the backdrop of the sun, their nearly translucent membranes nearly glowing. Sharp claws shimmered in the sunlight as the creature circled overhead.

"What is that?" someone nearby asked as Emmett's high-pitched scream ripped through the forest.

As the soldier looked up, Graeson did not waste time to question why the dragon-wolf was here or how it found them. He twisted the soldier's dagger around and drove it straight through his heart.

Quickly tossing the man's lifeless body off him, Graeson stood just as the dragon-wolf dug its claws into one of the soldiers running for Dani. The creature crushed him flat against the ground, muffling the victim's scream.

It swiped its tail across the forest floor, knocking one of the soldiers Ellie was battling off his feet.

Just when Graeson thought maybe the wild animal was on their side, its black-feathered wings flared out, and Graeson ducked, narrowly missing them. When Graeson tried to pushhimself up, the dragon-wolf's tail came flying towards him. His chest smacked the ground, pushing out a groan. Air whipped over his head. Just as quickly, a scream ripped through the air behind him, followed by a thunderouscrack.

Cautiously, Graeson lifted his head and peered behind him, his stomach curling with dread for what he may find.

Pressed against a tree, a soldier struggled to get up, his limbs shaking and fear sparkling in his eyes. With a snarl, he grabbed a dagger from his belt, his gaze dripping with anger. Glaring at the dragon-wolf, he reared his arm back, preparing to strike.

Before he could release the blade, though, a black throwing knife pierced his neck.

The man's blade fell from his hands as blood spurted from his lips, mouth gurgling as his life force swept out of him in currents of crimson. He scrambled to apply pressure to the wound, but it was no use; he fell limp to the ground moments later.

Across from Graeson, Medenia grabbed another throwing knife, rage drenching her stance as she turned away from Graeson and the soldier, who now slumped dead against a tree.

The massive creature stood on its hind legs, roaring as several soldiers ran towards it from multiple directions, their swords raised.

As the animal stomped down, it lashed out with its wings, sending a powerful gust of wind whipping at the men, knocking one of the men to the ground.

A blood-curdling scream left his lips, but another soldier came charging in his place.

---