Page 99 of Façade

We hadn’t traveled far when Silas suddenly slowed our horse. “We’re near a stream, Your Highness. It’d be prudent for you to rest before we continue. You’re barely keeping erect in the saddle; I don’t want to risk you falling.”

I wanted to argue against the delay impeding my return to Estoria so I could see my parents as soon as possible and do my part to fight against whatever threats we faced…before a rather pesky errant thought silenced my budding protests.

The sooner you return, the sooner you’ll be forced to part from Ryland.

Annoyance tightened my jaw.That’s a good thing.

But my rebellious heart seemed disinclined to listen to any form of sense. I wished I could carve it out and toss it aside so I’d no longer be bothered by the emotions weighing heavily upon it—my love for Ryland that refused to vanish, my regret for our estrangement, my need to forgive him—feelings that only created an obstacle to my duty to distance myself from the man who threatened my kingdom’s magic.

I reluctantly allowed my guard to help me dismount and offer his arm to guide me some ways off the trail to the forest’s shady canopy towards the nearby stream, leaving the guards further downstream to water their horses. I sensed Ryland’s gaze and glanced back just before we were out of sight; he stood rigidly, as if it took him considerable effort not to follow, a sight that once more caused my heart to twinge.

Silas helped me settle on a log near the stream before walking a short distance away to refill my canteen, pausing every so often to cast me concerned glances. “You seem quite distracted, Princess. Forgive my impertinence, but you seemed tempted to accept Prince Ryland’s offer to ride with him.”

I ached to deny it. What future queen yearned to remain near a man who’d proven to be her enemy? “In the end I didn’t.” My small voice wasn’t enough to mask the longing I wished more than anything I didn’t feel.

He didn’t seem surprised, and to my relief he didn’t appear judgmental. “Decisions become more difficult when emotion is involved, but in the end your inner strength proved stronger. You’ll make a fine queen.”

I’d spent my entire life wishing for such a compliment, only to receive it in a moment it didn’t feel deserved. How could I be strong when I was so tempted to let go of my anger and choose the path my heart desired, the one that led to Ryland? Or perhaps forgiveness consisted of a different type of strength that in the end would make me an ever better ruler.

Desperate for a reprieve from this wearying battle in order to better face the journey that lay ahead, I struggled to suppress these thoughts. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back. After several deep breaths, I was able to still my racing mind enough to bask in the tranquility of the moment—the soothing rush of the stream, the gentle rustle of the branches above, the cheerful trill of nearby birdsong. Each sensation slowly soothed the frantic thoughts that had left me and my mind exhausted.

Suddenly there was a shift in the air as tension smothered the surrounding tranquility. My eyes snapped open. Silas hovered near me clutching his sword that he’d drawn so silently I hadn’t heard him. His intense gaze carefully searched the trees even as he slowly inched himself closer until he stood completely in front of me, a shield against the danger we sensed but couldn’t yet see.

Foreboding set my heart pounding. “What is it?” I whispered nervously.

Then I saw it: a figure hidden within the canopy of branches, their black disguise barely discernible through the cover of leaves. Fear seized my heart in a vise.

An assassin.

Upon our noticing him, the assailant leapt silently from the trees brandishing a knife; the sound of clashing metal echoed through the stillness of the clearing as Silas blocked the attack. His skills allowed him to hold the assassin back, but his opponent parried each movement with equal finesse, leaving my guard without an opening to dispatch him.

“Run!” Silas yelled.

I turned to obey but froze when I encountered another assassin shrouded in the trees’ long shadows, closing in on me…and Silas was too distracted by his battle with the other to protect me.

I tried reaching for my powers, but even with the magic Ryland had returned, they remained weak from the ordeal of being so brutally stolen. That and my own inexperience slowed my access to them, as if I were swimming through mud trying to reach a distant shore where they wearily awaited my command, leaving me entirely defenseless.

The thin sunlight glistened against the assassin’s blade as he leapt forward, knife raised. Even if I managed to reach my powers in time, I didn’t know a single spell with which to defend myself. I tried to run, but he was too close and too quick.

Whoever was after my life had finally won.

I braced myself for the end…when Ryland suddenly leapt in front of me to shield my body with his own, his worry having kept him close enough to hear our attack and rush to my aid. But in his haste the angle of his parry was awkward, leaving him unable to lift his sword high enough to block the attack. The assassin’s blade knocked his sword free before making contact with his side, inflicting a huge gash.

Ryland’s agonized cry echoed through my ears even as his crimson blood splattered, almost in slow motion. My bulging gaze took in each drop as it trickled to the ground and seeped into the soil before lifting to take in Ryland’s pallid, pain-filled expression as he clutched his wound with stained fingers.

Red swarmed my vision as a new fury seared over me, one far stronger than what I’d felt from Ryland’s betrayal, this emotion fueled by a different type of pain—one not inflicted upon me but upon the man in this moment I could no longer deny I loved fiercely, despite everything.

The assassin lifted his dagger again, yet even without a weapon Ryland remained in front of me, unwavering in his protection even with the injury he’d sustained on my behalf. My panic surged. He was going to kill Ryland.

NO!

Aversion to the thought of losing him guided my movements. No matter what had transpired between us or whatever happened in the future, even if we could never be together he had to live. I would protect him, even if I had to use every last drop of magic to do so.

This desperation acted as the key to unlocking my power. I felt a rush of heat rise within me as my emotions roused the magic that had previously felt dormant, seizing it into my command. Instinct rather than knowledge gathered my power into a ball of light that I flung at the assassin just as he lifted his weapon to finish Ryland off. The magic hit him square in the chest, knocking him back just long enough for Ryland to disarm him. The dagger clattered to the ground and the assassin collapsed.

Ryland gaped at the fallen man whose shallow breaths indicated I thankfully hadn’t killed him. Silas stepped forward, his sword stained and the man he’d been fighting lying still behind him. My stomach roiled and I hastily looked away. Ryland instantly stepped forward to weakly steady me and I allowed him to, too relieved he was alive to push him away.

Silas searched the area, and after he was assured there’d only been two assailants he approached the assassin I’d fallen. Ryland’s arm came up around me as I swayed. “Are you alright, Evie? Are you hurt?”

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