Page 84 of Slaying the Shadow Prince
Twisting in her saddle, Drue faced him. ‘Ready?’ she asked.
‘When you are,’ he replied.
Together, they led the charge down the ridge, attacking the raiders’ stronghold at last.
19
Drue
Drue’s heart hammered mercilessly, her blood roaring in her ears as they charged the stronghold from all angles. The swing of her sword made hope sing from within her, for there was nothing more she wanted than to bring the traitors to justice. To her, the raiders were worse than the wraiths that had plagued their lands and felled their kingdom; they had turned on their own people.
Along with the rest of her small cavalry unit, Drue burst onto the exterior perimeter of the village. Shouts rang out as armed men surged from the buildings.
They had expected this. They had planned for this. The surveillance she and Talemir had conducted had rewarded them tenfold.
On horseback, Drue and the others fought through the meagre outer defences, bringing down one opponent after the next, cursing each and every one of them for betraying their fellow Naarvians.
As they closed in on the heart of the stronghold and the buildings drew closer, Drue leapt from her horse and into the fray of the skirmish, more eager than ever to wet her blade with the enemy’s blood and deliver swift vengeance for all those captured and caged within the warehouse.
We’re coming for you, she chanted silently.We’re coming for you.
She fought in close quarters with Adrienne, Talemir and Wilder, the four of them making a formidable unit, leading the attack with great success. All around them, Adrienne’s forces were winning, infiltrating the stronghold just as they had all planned.
Drue engaged with a raider who tried to flee. No way in the midrealms was she letting one of those bastards get away. With Talemir and Wilder’s demonstrations fresh in her mind, she attacked. Gripping her sword in both hands, she prepared to deliver a full-force overhead strike to her opponent before sidestepping him and delivering a brutal kick to his liver. As the man staggered back, winded, she advanced, utilising every moment of advantage, and without hesitation, she lunged, thrusting her blade into his gut.
Blood sprayed and a cry of agony escaped the raider’s lips, but Drue was already moving on to her next opponent. She’d slay them all for what they’d done to her people, for how thoroughly they’d betrayed their fellow Naarvians.
In her peripheral vision, she spotted Talemir. He fought with his back to her, dual wielding his great swords against several opponents. His whole being hummed with power and she didn’t know if it was the Warsword side of him or the wraith.
Drue didn’t care.
She leapt to his aid and together, they battled side by side and back to back, working as one to drive the raiders into the ground. Somehow, they fell utterly in sync, their timing and their distance complementing each other. Their rhythm and awareness of one another was a kind of magic foreign to Drue. Not even she and Adrienne fought this well together.
She ducked and parried, blocked and struck blow after blow, her strength, her energy barely wavering. A strange calmness had taken hold within as she wielded her sword, her movements answering the attacks raining down on instinct —
‘We’re nearly at the warehouse!’ Adrienne called out. ‘You two take the furthest doors. Wilder and I will take the north. I’ve already sent Baledor and four of his men to cover the other exits. We’ll have them surrounded!’
With their victory in sight, Drue’s spirit surged, and she gutted her final opponent, sprinting for the southern exit. Talemir was right at her side, the pair of them grinning almost manically at the sheer chaos of battle.
Drue kicked in the door and burst into the warehouse, her sword raised and ready to attack. The overpowering scent of oil filled her nostrils and her gaze shot to the cage where the people were being held.
Sure enough, thick liquid dripped from its corners.
Adrienne and Wilder rushed inside from the northern doors, only to freeze at what they saw.
Moments later, Baledor and his men did the same.
Drue’s heart seized, her breath catching in her throat.
Unlike all the previous times she and Talemir had spied on the warehouse, there wasn’t a patrol of raiders guarding their prize, but a single man, who held a blazing torch mere inches away from the oil-soaked cage.
‘Drop your weapons,’ he rasped. ‘Or they’re dead.’
20
Talemir
‘Talemir…’
