Page 49 of Ties of Starlight

If he did believe her…

Could he really believe her?

She opened her mouth, turning to face him, but before she could get a word out, something whipped past her. She felt the vibration through the air hit her cheek as she turned her head.

She looked over her shoulder to see the arrow embed itself into the dirt behind her.

Her heart turned to stone. She would recognize the silver and white fletching anywhere.

Moon Elves.

“Get down!”

Before she could blink, she was pulled down from hersaddle and to the ground. She gasped and immediately started to twist and break away, but then the arm around her waist tightened. Her back was pressed flush against his front. Nyrunn.

She looked over their shoulders to see more arrows flying and Moon Elves dropping from the branches above them. They weren’t even trying to hide their race, their silver hair undisguised and the markings on the edges of their faces uncovered.

As soon as the barrage eased, Nyrunn pulled her up with him, forcing her into a run as he sprinted them back toward the guards now racing to them. A scream tore through the air and the sounds of combat took over, drowning it out.

Idonea looked around as she ran, trying to count the Moon Elves.

She’d really been hoping to go this lifetime without encountering them. She’d seen more than enough of them in her past lives.

There were quite a few. Of course, it was never an insignificant number of Moon Elves sent to attack. Their king knew well just how large the retinue was and how well guarded the Cometa Couple always was.

But it was still day. Why were they attacking now when they were at their weakest?

The five guards circled around Nyrunn and Idonea on their steeds. One, an archer, shooting and striking a Moon Elf that was coming down from the trees overhead.

Idonea looked up. In a gap in the branches, she saw it, the moon rising before the sun finished setting.

The captain of their guard was on their other side. “Your Majesty, we need to get you both out of here!”

But Nyrunn’s eyes were focused behind the captain. Idonea followed his gaze to see Frode being dragged off hishorse by a Moon Elf. Lady Asa screamed as her horse reared back, an arrow sinking into its chest.

Nyrunn’s hands flew, creating a small star and pitching it toward Frode and the Moon Elf. It landed at their feet, exploding and sending the Moon Elf stumbling back with a hiss. He looked around at the chaos. “Take Idonea to safety. I’ll be right behind you!”

“Your Majesty—”

But Nyrunn was already darting into the gap, running toward Frode as his horse struck him in the back in its panic. The Moon Elf was already recovering, drawing a sword.

Then Idonea was being grabbed by her dress and with a yelp she was hoisted into the air by the captain and thrown onto his horse. Her head was shoved into the horse’s neck as he hissed, “Stay down!”

But she was still looking behind him to see Lady Asa thrown off her horse. The archer who had taken down her horse perched in a tree nearby and started nocking another arrow. Asa hit the ground, crying out as her horse went down on top of her, crushing her beneath the weight.

Nyrunn reached Frode, drawing his sword and reaching him just in time to block the Moon Elf’s swing.

What was he thinking?

The second the captain kicked his horse into a gallop, Idonea threw herself over the other side. She hit the ground with a jarring thud, tearing open the scrapes on her hand from the night before. She didn’t waste a second though, scrambling to her feet and sprinting across the trail.

An arrow whizzed by again, missing her. Well, not completely missing her. She hissed as the tip grazed her shoulder, cutting through her sleeve.

She ignored it, running over to Asa and the dying horse suffocating her, its pained cries deafening. She dropped toher knees, right by Asa’s shoulder. She dug her hands under the horse’s flank, huffing as she said, “I’m going to lift, and you’ll have about three seconds to get out from under it before I drop it!”

Asa’s only response was a wheezing groan, but her eyes were open and locked on Idonea. So she dug her feet into the ground and pushed up against the horse, lifting it just an inch. Asa sank her hands into the dirt and hauled herself out from under the beast. Idonea’s grip was about to slip when another arrow whipped through the air, this time landing square in her shoulder, forcing her to drop the horse.

She fell back, slamming into the ground as she reached for her shoulder, hissing.

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