Page 50 of Ties of Starlight

“Idonea!”

“I’m fine!” Idonea gritted her teeth and took a deep breath.

It might not be accurate to say she’dsurvivedworse, but she’d certainlyexperiencedfar worse injuries.

It was a shame that the arrowhead didn’t go through to the other side. If she survived this, that was going to be painful.

For now, she reached up and snapped the shaft so at least it couldn’t get caught on anything.

“The arrowhead—” Asa started reaching for it, but Idonea swatted her hands away.

“Is still in me, I am aware. Until we’re out of danger and the healers can attend it, it’s going to stay there.” Idonea got her knees under her. She fumbled with her good hand until she’d hiked her skirts up enough to expose the two daggers strapped to her thigh. She drew them both and shoved one in Asa’s hands.

She took the other one and located the elf that had shot her, already aiming again.

Idonea aimed faster.

She threw the dagger, a twitch of her fingers activating the starlight that had been forged into the metal, allowing her to improve the accuracy. His arrow clipped her arm, another graze, but her dagger sank into his heart.

She’d been killed too many times on this trip not to bring some protection.

The guards she’d abandoned came circling back right as her dead elf fell from the tree and hit the ground.

“Lady Idonea, the king ordered—”

She didn’t really care what he ordered.

She ignored him to find the king who’d done what she had first. Frode was desperately trying to get back on his horse without it trampling him, likely to be able to reach his bow and quiver strapped to the back of it. Nyrunn was stuck dueling the Moon Elf whose sword’s slight glow seemed to be increasing his speed with each second the moon grew more visible as the sun began setting.

Another Moon Elf was running toward them, dagger in hand.

The only thing worse for Adastra than losing the Cometa Couple and weakening for another two hundred and fifty years would be to lose their king.

Nyrunn had no clear heir.

It would condemn them to a war they would lose.

Idonea would be coming back in two hundred and fifty years anyway, assuming there were any Star Elves left for her to come back to. What did she have to lose?

The captain’s hand missed her by a hair as she took off once more, running faster than she had in any lifetime.

Her shoulder burned as her arms moving—even just to run—caused the arrowhead to dig in deeper. She ignored it and pressed on.

Nyrunn hadn’t even seen the other elf yet.

“Nyrunn! Behind you!” Could he hear her over the sounds threatening to drown her out?

His eyes landed on her, widening, and not looking around like he was supposed to be in order to see the second threat.

But the other elf drew his hand back and threw the dagger. Idonea was faster.

She grabbed Nyrunn by the shoulders, using her whole weight to throw them both to the side. They hit the dirt, Nyrunn grunting, fumbling to grab the hilt of his sword again. The first Moon Elf was right on top of them, drawing back. Idonea rolled onto her side and slammed her heel into his ankle.

Her vision went black and a scream fell out of her throat at the motion, something hot and sharp tearing through her. When her vision returned, it was blurry, but the Moon Elf was right in front of her. A sword through his stomach.

Nyrunn had his hand around the hilt, his other pushing up off the ground. He grunted and ripped his arm back, the sword pulling out with a sickening squelch, condemning the elf to death as he began to bleed out. Nyrunn shoved him to the side, pushing up to see the second elf was drawing another dagger as he reached them.

But before Nyrunn or Idonea could act, an arrow sank into his back. Then another.

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