Finnian, Ban, and Sir Noah were thrown backward by an unseen force, like a blast of magical energy. And there was aclink. Like when fractures formed in thick glass; that moment right before shattering.
Sawyer stood alone, several feet from me, and glanced down at his necklace just as the gem crumbled. I was frozen in place, trying to process what the hell was happening.
Movement came from the top of the outer castle wall. A hooded figure.
Sir Noah returned to Sawyer’s side, and the two guards were one step behind. Blood trickled down Finnian’s face, coming from a head wound, but the others didn’t appear to be hurt.
The man jumped from the wall and landed in the grass. He had bronze skin and dark hair and wore a sleeveless tunic that showed black markings on both biceps, like tattoos. The air sparked around him.
Clarity then slammed into me. The Nocturne mage. It had to be him. Rowan and the others were out searching for him, yet he’d somehow evaded them.
“Stay where you are!” Sir Noah drew his sword, keeping Sawyer behind him. The prince no longer had a charm that would protect him from another attack.
“I’d rather not,” the mage said before a slow smile spread across his face. He then sent a second blast toward us. It manifested like smoke but moved so fast I barely had time to react.
A large body jumped in front of me.
Ban took me into his arms and shielded me as the blast slammed into his back. A pained grunt tore from him, but he didn’t fall. He didn’t release me either.
“Ban!” Didn’t he realize that I should’ve been the one shielding him? I was the one with the protection stone.
“It’s nothing personal, Your Highness,” the mage said, stepping closer to us. “I was paid quite a bit of coin to capture you. My orders were to wait for the ball, but those spies got too close for my liking.”
Something about his accent seemed oddly familiar.
Finnian shielded Sawyer, while Sir Noah stood in front of us, sword aimed at the mage. We stood grouped together, close enough for me to reach out and touch Sawyer. My heart thrashed as I realized something. Ban had chosen to protect me over his prince. Why?
“Who sent you?” Sawyer asked. “King Silas?”
“Who indeed?” the mage said with a sinister grin. “Now come along like a good little prince, otherwise your friends will all die. The first attack was meant to shatter that stone around your pretty neck. The second was a warning. The next won’t be as gentle.”
When Noah lunged at him, the sword stopped inches from the mage’s throat. The knight tried to move but appeared to be held in place by an unseen force.
“Wait!” Sawyer tried to step forward, but Finnian held him back. “I’ll go with you. Just don’t hurt them.”
“He will not… take you,” Noah said through gritted teeth, straining to break the spell that kept him frozen. “I’ll… die first.”
“That death will come much sooner than you think.” The mage shifted his gaze among the guards before stopping on me. His brow tapered.
Ban shoved me more behind him.
Surely, the shouts had alerted nearby guards. But it was wishful thinking. The path we’d taken had been more secluded, cutting through a section of trees that hid us from their view. By the time they realized what was happening, it would be too late.
“No harm will come to you,” the mage told Sawyer. “Yet, your companions won’t be as fortunate. As I said. Nothing personal. Just following orders.”
I saw it the instant the air sparked around the mage. A tell-tale sign of the spell he was about to cast. He gathered the energy between his hands, and instead of appearing like smoke as it had earlier, it swirled orange. Flashes appeared in the center of the orb, like angry flames.
I didn’t have to know about magic to understand the magnitude of the attack he was about to unleash. Much stronger than the ones earlier. Finnian and Ban would probably be blown to bits.
The mage released the ball of energy, and it shot toward us, causing the hairs on my arms and legs to stand on it. They wouldn’t survive the hit.
But I could.
Acting on impulse, I shoved Ban aside and jumped in front of them, taking the full force of the blast upon myself.
And it hurt.
The breath was knocked from my lungs, and I was thrown backward. My back hit the nearest tree with a sickening crunch, and I slumped to the ground.
