Page 45 of Invocation

They ducked low and went quiet as a soldier passed by them, his lantern burning Novikke’s eyes. She held her breath as the man walked right on the other side of the vines they knelt behind. He was close enough that she could have touched him.

To her alarm, he came to a stop, right in front of them. Then he startled, and the lantern swung toward them.

“Hells,” the man said, jumping back and swinging his sword in front of him.

Novikke ran, all attempts at stealth abandoned. Aruna stumbled after her, gripping her hand.

“Here!” the soldier shouted behind them. Novikke didn’t look back. Her eyes were on the ruins. White spires loomed ahead as they got closer. She was vaguely aware of others joining the chase. More figures appeared in the trees in her peripheral vision.

“Watch out,” Aruna said, and pulled her back just in time to keep her from falling down a steep slope. He pointed along the slope where something resembling a path led down. “That way.”

There was no tree cover along the side of the hill, and the moons bathed the path in pale light.

“Archers—” Novikke began.

“Won’t catch us if we go quickly,” Aruna said, urging her down the slope.

Halfway down, an arrow flew past Novikke’s head. A line of figures was at the top of the ridge, drawing bows. She and Aruna were still far from the cover of the trees at the bottom of the path. She looked down into the valley below. They could jump and slide down the side. There was about a fifty-fifty chance that they’d break a leg, she guessed.

It was not a great option, but it was better than getting shot in the back with an arrow, which was what was about to happen.

“Ash,” she muttered.

“Jump?” Aruna said.

“Yes.”

They jumped.

She tried for a controlled slide and failed almost immediately. Branches tore at her skin and thorns stuck in her clothes. She rolled to a stop at the bottom of the slope, somehow still holding onto Aruna. He winced, putting a hand to his head.

An arrow stabbed into the undergrowth beside them. Novikke flinched and searched for cover. Another arrow narrowly missed Aruna’s arm, and Novikke twisted aside as another shot into the leaves beside her. They were still a short sprint away from the trees.

Then a fireball shot out of the woods behind her and landed in the middle of the soldiers at the top of the hill. There was a chorus of frightened shouts, and the archers scattered. Another fireball followed it, and then another, and then the soldiers had all disappeared behind cover.

Aruna twisted toward the source of the fireballs. “Watch what you’re doing!”

Neiryn was posted up in the shadow of a atrophied tree. He looked at his fingernails. “I think you meant to say, ‘Thank you for saving my life, Neiryn! I’m totally helpless without you, as usual!’ ”

Novikke pulled Aruna to his feet and hurried to the cover of the trees. By then Aruna was stumbling on every other step, and it seemed like just keeping himself upright was an effort.

“How do you always manage to turn up just when I need you?” Novikke said to Neiryn.

“It’s a skill. And you’re welcome.” He looked Novikke up and down, as if checking for damage. “You were gone longer than we expected. Please tell me you’ve found a way to fix this.”

Novikke exchanged an uncertain look with Aruna. “We’ll find out soon. I need to get to the ruins.”

“Then get moving. I’ll hold them off.” He shot another fireball in the soldiers’ direction.

Aruna grabbed his wrist. “Stop! The forest is weakened. You’ll burn it down.”

Neiryn gave him a dark look that bordered on sympathetic. “If those Ardanians kill us before we can fix it, it won’t matter anymore, will it?”

Aruna reluctantly let go of him. He was right.

“I’ll be careful,” Neiryn said. Aruna raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, and Neiryn smiled.

“Come on.” Novikke pulled him toward the ruins.

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