“God damn it!” Swinging over the side of the bridge so as not to impede the flow of escaping injured, Zarrah edged back to the cliff top. Leaping the last bit of distance, she raced up the slope and skidded to a stop next to Keris.
“We cannot fight them alone on open ground,” she said, hauling on his arm. “We have to …” Words and I will personally throw you back on that island, where if there is justice, you’ll spend the balance stalled on her tongue as she looked backward. The bridge was full of injured who could go no farther, for beyond was a teeming mass of people trapped by the battle. Several tried to press sideways down the cliff tops, only to be jostled, and Zarrah clenched her teeth as they fell, screaming, into the water.
And there was no swift victory in sight.
Everyone is going to die because of you.
screams filled the night, every instinct demanding that she join the fight. Except she was the only thing Grinding her teeth, Zarrah forced the thoughts from her head right as Bermin leveled a finger at them. “You didn’t get very far, little Zarrah. You never were very good at cutting your losses.”
“Retreat to the bridge,” she said to Keris under her breath.
Keris didn’t argue, walking backward with her as Bermin closed the distance. Her cousin’s face was slick with sweat, and given the awkward hunch of his body, it was from pain, not exertion. Yet his voice was steady as he said, “Trapped once again. Makes you wonder if there is some truth to the devil claiming the souls of all who walk this ground.”
“It has certainly claimed yours,” she answered. “And it didn’t have to be this way. You could’ve chosen to be better than her.”
Bermin huffed out a breath. “Enough stalling, Zarrah. It’s over. Surrender and I’ll allow you to live.”
“You think I care about my life?”
“Surrender, and I’ll allow him to live,” he countered.
“Zarrah,” Keris warned as Bermin’s men moved to flank them.
“I’ll allow the prisoners to go back to the island,” Bermin said, moving closer. “On my honor, just lay down your weapons and surrender.”
A roar filled her ears, deafening her. “No!”
“Fine,” Bermin snarled.
But as he did, Keris caught hold of her arm and hissed, “Run.”
There was nowhere to run.
Yet as he twisted her around, Zarrah saw the bridge clearing, the injured rebels hurrying through a gap carved in the battle by the newly joined forces.
Then a roar of voices filled the air, coming from the far side of the raging battle. “In the name of the She and Keris raced toward the bridge, Bermin’s boots pounding in pursuit. Ahead, the last few injured were struggling onto the far side. Keris’s feet hit the bridge, then hers. They just needed to get across it—
A weight slammed into her back, crushing the thought and what hope she had of escaping this alive.
injured, Zarrah edged back to the cliff top. Leaping the last bit of distance, she raced up the slope and
“We cannot fight them alone on open ground,” she said, hauling on his arm. “We have to …” Words stalled on her tongue as she looked backward. The bridge was full of injured who could go no farther, for beyond was a teeming mass of people trapped by the battle. Several tried to press sideways down
“You think I care about my life?”
“Surrender, and I’ll allow him to live,” he countered.
“Zarrah,” Keris warned as Bermin’s men moved to flank them.
“I’ll allow the prisoners to go back to the island,” Bermin said, moving closer. “On my honor, just lay down your weapons and surrender.”
A roar filled her ears, deafening her. “No!”
“Fine,” Bermin snarled.
But as he did, Keris caught hold of her arm and hissed, “Run.”
There was nowhere to run.
Yet as he twisted her around, Zarrah saw the bridge clearing, the injured rebels hurrying through a gap carved in the battle by the newly joined forces.
She and Keris raced toward the bridge, Bermin’s boots pounding in pursuit. Ahead, the last few injured were struggling onto the far side. Keris’s feet hit the bridge, then hers. They just needed to get across it—
A weight slammed into her back, crushing the thought and what hope she had of escaping this alive.
ZARRAH SLAMMED INTO his back, knocking him from his feet and sending the bridge swinging
sideways. Keris rolled, and suddenly there were no longer planks of wood beneath his body.
Only open air.
He grasped wildly, hand latching on to a rope and his shoulder nearly dislocating as he fell to dangle from one arm beneath the bridge. Below him was only blackness, but Keris could hear the water. Knew that the prison was doing its best to pull him back to its heart.
It was going to have to try harder.
Reaching up, Keris caught hold of the rope with his other hand. Through the planks, he could see Bermin had Zarrah pinned beneath his tremendous bulk of muscle, close to triple her weight and crushing her.
Anger chased away reason, and reaching up, Keris caught hold of Bermin’s sword belt. Then he allowed his weight to drop. The other man grunted in surprise as he was pulled sideways, catching his balance with a rope. But not before Zarrah took advantage.
Wriggling out from under him, she rolled onto her back and kicked, heels catching Bermin in the face even as Keris heaved, using the man’s belt to pull himself back onto the bridge.
“You bitch,” Bermin shrieked, reaching blindly. Zarrah scrabbled backward.
But not quick enough.
Bermin caught her ankle, spinning her sideways so that she was dangling upside down from the bridge.
“I’ll drop her,” Bermin said. “Don’t think that I won’t.”
Keris went still.
Behind him, Bermin’s soldiers were easing onto the bridge, and once they reached the skirmish, this was over. They’d throw Keris over the edge and take Zarrah prisoner, then cut the ropes to keep the others from coming to their aid.
He needed to take away that option.
Ripping the knife in his boot free, he sawed at one of the mooring ropes. As it started to fray, he shoved the blade between his teeth and swung beneath the bridge.
The mooring rope snapped, the bridge tipping sideways and spilling one of the soldiers into the water. Bermin shouted, scrambling for a handhold.
And letting go of Zarrah.
She screamed, but Keris caught her with his legs, her weight nearly pulling him loose. Her hands clawed at him before latching on to his belt, her ankles hooking around his neck. Upside down, she clung to him. “Hold on,” he shouted, the blade between his teeth cutting his tongue.
“As though I have a goddamn choice!”
The bridge swung from side to side as Bermin’s soldiers struggled to keep their grip on the tipped planks, Bermin clutching the mooring ropes with one hand and reaching wildly for Keris with the other. Keris edged away from him, his arms shuddering from the strain of supporting his own weight and Zarrah’s as the bridge swung back and forth.
Bermin crawled after him. “I’m going to kill you both,” he snarled. “Rid the world of you, to hell with what she says. She doesn’t control me!”
A thousand quips about mothers, sons, and apron strings filled Keris’s head, but he couldn’t speak clearly with a dagger clenched between his teeth.
Zarrah abruptly heaved on his belt and unhooked one of her ankles from around his neck. Keris shouted as his trousers edged over his hips, but then she had a leg over one of the mooring ropes, her ass hitting him in the face each time the bridge bounced.
“Climb!” he shouted, again cutting his tongue, blood dripping down his chin. But it didn’t matter as Zarrah’s body strained upward, fingers latching on to the rope.
“Got it!”
Her weight disappeared from him, and letting go with one hand, Keris took hold of his knife.
Spitting blood, Keris sawed at one of the three remaining moorings, laughing wildly as it snapped and the whole bridge twisted, spilling two more soldiers into the water, though the Prince held on.
Only two ropes to go.
Bermin’s face twisted, seeing Keris’s plan, and he crawled along the bouncing length of boards and rope, reaching.
“Get to the other side!” Keris shouted at Zarrah.