Page 180 of Of Blood and Banes
“When this is over, you’ll be the one to get their heat, then.”She dips back down.
“Good. Tell them it was all my idea.”I tighten my hands on the horns and lean into her.
We land close to forty feet away from them to give us enough time to assess a plan.
I scan the field beyond Sethan, A’nala, and the other dragon riders. The battle surges like the tides as men and women attack and recede, with figures dropping dead left and right. Melaina fights back-to-back with a Nightfort commoner. And Gavin is gesturing to another unfamiliar person to take up a weapon from a dead body. To the northeastern side of the battle near Nightfort, I glimpse Archie backing up and drawing a dagger from his side until he bumps into a wall, cornered by a soldier.
No…
The color drains from my face, and I break into a sprint toward him, each beat of my heart matching the drumming of my hurried steps. Everyone is distracted by their own battles, and even from this distance I can see Archie’s panic.
Where the fuck is his sword?
Even if he can manage just fine with a dagger, he doesn’t notice a second soldier stalking forward from the side, ready for the kill.
The first soldier is only a distraction.
CHAPTER 57
TOO LATE
“Archie!” I scream, pumping my arms harder and hurdling over the downed soldiers littering the ground. “Archie!”
Hands snatch me from behind, and Daeja roars,“I’m trapped!”
An unfamiliar voice calls behind me, “This is her. Have they secured her dragon?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good, both of them must remain unharmed.”
I wiggle against them, trying to free myself while never taking my eyes off Archie.“They won’t hurt you, Daeja…but I have to get to Archie!”
I can hear her snapping jaws somewhere behind me. She’ll manage on her own.
In the distance, the first soldier strikes Archie, and he deflects the blade—barely—with his small dagger. The second soldier prowls toward them as Archie fights for his life against the first one. He still hasn’t noticed the second man.
I rip my left arm out from my assailant and fling it forward with curved fingers, channeling the ley line magic below theearth and pushing it until it erupts from the ground into the first soldier attacking Archie. It slams the man against the wall.
My kidnapper slaps my arm down, and I lose my grip on the magic. The man I’ve pinned against the wall slumps to the ground, knocked unconscious. The second man tackles Archie from behind. Out of the corner of my eye, a flash of red appears before I’m knocked sideways to the ground. When I land face-to-face with a dead soldier, I clamber up to find Cole scrapping with my attacker.
When Cole affords me a glance as he grapples with the man, he mouths,“Go!”
Belly down, I crawl through the bodies for a moment until I can spring up to my hands and knees. I look up as Archie is pinned down by the second soldier. The man pulls a fist back and smashes it down straight into Archie’s face.
“No!” I cry.
Someone snatches me by the ankle, dragging me backward through the dirt as I watch the man rear back and begin to wallop Archie as he writhes on the ground. I reach out a hand to him, like I’ll be able to stop it in the devastating distance between us.
Everything slows while my memories with Archie flash in my mind. Him throwing the dagger to save me back in Arterias. Us staring up at the stars and pointing out a constellation that looks like a soup ladle. Him taking it easy on me in sparring. Him finding Daeja and protecting me against her before he even knew she wouldn’t hurt me. Letting me rest my head on his shoulder to sleep.
Every laugh.
Every smile.
Mybestfriend.
I flip onto my back to face my attacker and fucking kick the man square in the face. Giving me enough time to scramble awayand turn my attention back to Archie. All the pain surges around me like a power source, filling to the brim.
