Page 74 of What Fury Brings
When all was still, Olerra rolled off the prince and dared a glance over the lip of the carriage. There were eight of them, all on horses and with crossbows. They reloaded now.
“Shit,” she said.
“What is it?”
“Another of my cousin’s assassination attempts.”
“What?”
“Stay out of sight.”
Olerra dug the key to his bindings out of her pocket and pressed it to his fingers.
Then she exited out the door opposite of the attackers.
She wouldn’t let them get anywhere near Andrastus.
Sanos fumbled with the key, nearly dropping it in his disbelief and excitement. She was justgivingit to him? Why? So he could help her fight off the attackers?
He heard more arrows loose and did drop the key this time.
Stupid.
He made himself take a deep breath. Yes, he was manacled and half naked. Yes, Olerra was outside, armed with a sword against projectiles. And he’d dropped the damned key.
Panic would only lead to death. He rolled around on his back, crushing his hands as they blindly sought out the key. Someone outside screamed, and he didn’t know if it was Olerra, her guards, or someone else.
Not that I care.
His fingers throbbed as he finally brushed against the small metal key. He angled himself as best he could, leaning back on his ass and attempting to grip the stupid thing.
There!
His right hand had the key, and his left valiantly searched for the keyhole to his cuffs. This would be so much easier if he could just see.
There was a metallic sound outside. Possibly that of a bolt striking a sword. Was shedeflecting arrows?
He finally found the keyhole, but his fingers were twisted the wrong way. He wiggled it, willing the key to go where he needed it.
The manacles slid loose, and he didn’t waste a moment before taking the key to those restricting his ankles. Then the clamp at his neck. That damn collar.
Lastly, he removed the nipple clamps. He thought to throw them far away, but upon seeing the jewels spaced along the chain, he figured he could sell it for food during the journey home. He wrapped it around one of his wrists.
Then he got onto his knees to peer over the carriage as she had earlier.
What he saw was incredible.
Three attackers were already down, either dead or wounded by her sword. He couldn’t see Olerra at first, but then he saw her hidingbehind one of the horses of the fallen guards. She had one foot in the stirrup, one hand on the horn as she held herself parallel with the ground, using the horse’s body to completely hide herself from view. The attackers must have lost sight of her as they were reloading for the next volley.
And they didn’t suspect a lone horse for a second.
He looked behind the carriage. Olerra’s guard had all been slaughtered by the arrow volleys. The ambush had done what it was meant to, rendering the princess entirely alone.
Olerra somehow directed the horse with nudges of her knee to its side, the mare turning away from the contact, until it pulled up beside one of the other riders.
She reached up and tugged the other woman off the horse.
He watched as Olerra released herself from her own horse, landing atop the woman on the ground. Olerra found a loose rock and clipped her in the head with it.
