There is a strange whistling sound, followed by a thud. It’s a sound I’ve heard before but can’t place immediately. I frown. It happens again, and the penny drops.
Arrows finding their mark.
Just as I think it, two guards topple from their horses.
“We’re under attack!” someone shouts.
“They’re shooting from both sides!” someone else yells.
I kick my horse forward. I need to get to Kyrie. Shadows start to form around us. They’re nowhere near as thick as they were in the tent. I look up. There isn’t enough light to cast shadows, and therefore, the shadowfae are not as powerful as they usually would be. The general used the light from the blazing fire to cast a dark shadow to bolster his magic. That isn’t possible in the waning light. This attack has been well-timed.
There are more whistles; several arrows fall away, thwarted by shadows, while others find their mark and more fae fall.
I maneuver between horses and screaming fae, making my way to Kyrie, who has ducked down on her horse, trying not to be hit in the crossfire.
The general is shouting orders to his men, who are pulling up their horses and turning to protect themselves and to fight.
There are screams from the enemy as they ride toward us, horse hooves thundering, and battle cries rending the air all around us.
“It’s the bloodfae,” the general shouts. “They want the icefae. We need to fight. Draw your weapons. Stand your ground and fight!” he screams.
They’re after me.
They want the bounty on my head, and all I can think about is ensuring Kyrie’s safety. Nothing else matters. I would never forgive myself if she were to be killed in the crossfire.
Another guard falls as I pass, an arrow jutting from his eye. The shadowfae form a circle; they’re using their shadows as a shield. All of them are working together to bolster their waning magic.
I’m stuck between their horses when swords start to clang together. We are surrounded by blood drinkers. Their armor is also bronze and silver, but their crests are different from those of the shadowfae. They don’t wear plumed helmets. Some of their heads are bare; others have plain silver helmets.
I jump from my horse, squeezing between the beasts, elbowing my way through. Kyrie is just ahead. She’s still on her horse, crouching low on its back.
An arrow flies by, grazing her shoulder, and Kyrie’s horse rears up in alarm as she screams, clinging onto it for dear life. When it lands back down, I grab her and pull her from the beast, shielding her with my body as more arrows rain down around us.
“How bad is it?” I ask her.
“Just a graze.” The clash of steel and cries of battle fill the air around us.
“We need to move!” I shout over the chaos.
She nods.
But first, we need to arm ourselves. Arrows continue to fly, the clash of swords growing louder as the battle rages on. I pick up a discarded sword, ready to defend us against the bloodfae closing in.
Kyrie tries to do the same, but the blade is too heavy for her to hoist, so she settles on a dagger pulled from a nearby corpse.
I push her behind me as one of the bloodfae comes at me with a yell. His face is red, his eyes wild. The bloodfae thrusts his sword toward me, aiming for my heart. I block him easily. The clash of metal reverberates in my ears and up my arm.
“Don’t kill him!” another of the bloodfae shouts. “That’s our target. We have to take him alive.”
I lock eyes with the bloodfae, his sneer twisting into a grin that has my blood boiling. He feints to the left and then lunges toward my right side. I sidestep, narrowly avoiding theblade that slices through the air where I stood a moment ago. Designed to maim but not to kill.
Kyrie screams from behind me. I turn and see a fae has her in a hold. Her dagger is on the ground. I’m about to launch an attack when she knees him in the groin. The male chokes out a groan, falling to the ground.
I turn back just in time to parry another blow. I’m out of practice but starting to get back into the rhythm of battle.
On the next block, I kick out at my opponent’s knee. There is a snapping noise. He screams, but it is quickly cut off when I remove his head from his shoulders with one swift sweep of my blade.
I dispatch the fae at Kyrie’s feet; he was still holding his balls. I kill another male who is trying to get at Kyrie. Both his arms have been slashed open. Kyrie has the dagger clutched in her hand. It’s dripping with blood.