“Please, leave me, Zacriah.” I waited for him to turn, to look at me but he kept his eyes trained on the tree.
“I can’t and I won’t. You said the Morthi could be here, so I cannot leave the prince alone if that is the case.” He looked over his shoulder, his eyes wet.
I let go of him and took a few steps back. Hadrian’s bottom lip trembled and his lashes clumped together.
“The youngling she is carrying…” Hadrian choked on his words. He looked up, trying to catch the tears before they fell.
“I know…” I didn’t know what to say. The thought made me sick.
Hadrian buried his face in his hands. “How could they do this? Monsters. I want their heads on pikes; I want to wash the very ground with their blood. Why would they kill and destroy innocent people like this? What have they done to deserve this treatment?” I knew Hadrian wasn’t looking for an answer from me.
Hadrian sagged, his entire body caving when his knees connected with the ground. I moved for him, the urge to hold him too strong to ignore.
My ears picked up a sound beyond the treeline.
I caught the blur of movement and watched in dismay at the arrow head that spun with vigour and power. It flew straight for Hadrian.
My body went cold.
The cage broke apart.
My power ran free.
TENDRILS OF MAGICK filled every inch of my body and in a split second, I was connected to the world around me. I felt the air of the forest and grasped it, picking up its gentle breeze until I was a cyclone of power.
I reached out a hand and willed the air to latch onto the arrow. I pushed until I changed its course. It passed to the left of Hadrian’s face by inches.
I was a spectator, watching the world rip open. I spun my arms, controlling the torrent of air that held the arrow and moved it to arch behind us. With a great push, I controlled the arrow and sent it back towards the cloaked being who’d released it.
A gift for you, I thought.
The spinning arrow whispered to me, soothing my wild control whilst it swam into the tree line. I felt the thud of the arrow, it’s hollow vibration as it embedded into a tree.
It’d missed.
More arrows came our way. I threw both hands up before me, a wall of solid air stopping their path. They snapped and fell to the floor.
Everything moved so fast.
Hadrian was already up, running for the attacker. His strong footfall pounding on the ground while he flew into its welcoming darkness. I chased after him, flexing my hands to allow my claws to extend beside me. The winds followed me like a lost puppy. I saw out of the corner of my eyes leaves and dirt burst from the forest floor where my magick dwelled.
I softened my footfall, cushioning my magick beneath my feet. It propelled me faster ahead. I reached Hadrian in seconds. But I ran right past him.
The trees shook, their leaves pulled from the branches against their will. The Morthi were nowhere to be seen, masters of shadow.
I pushed both hands forward, sending my magick ahead of me. The wind screamed against the trees and I reached forward, trying to find them.
There. Only one.
In my mind’s eye, I saw the shadow move from tree to tree.
Hadrian’s deafening roar merged with the screams of my magick, blending together in a symphony of rage and power.
I was aware Hadrian could see me, but I didn’t care. I wanted to kill.
There was a sudden burst of heat behind me and I spun around to greet it. Flames, coursed up trees and under every footfall of Hadrian’s as he ran towards me. Fire spilled from his hands like lava, coating everything behind him.
Distracted, I didn’t notice the next arrow until Hadrian’s fire engulfed it. I threw myself to the ground as it burst into ashes beside my face. I stumbled up, hearing the song of an arrow again.
“Up ahead!” I screamed.
Hadrian roared. I sent my wind forward again, searching for the attackers location, and found three of them. Three shadows.
“Watch out!”
The shadows moved like assassins of the night, disappearing then reappearing in different locations. Impossible.
I threw my hand to the side, my wind knocking the next volley of arrows off course. I couldn’t keep up with the shadows.
Hadrian was beside me. He sliced his hand, sending an explosion of green flames at the two arrows I’d missed.
I pulled the bow from my back and started running as I nocked an arrow. I reached out with my power to locate the Morthi again. In my mind’s eye, I felt the three of them. Latching my magick onto them, I held the arrow and…
My face connected with the ground first. There was a loud snap somewhere below me and a sharp pain ran across my side.
My magick cut off in that moment. I could feel nothing, but the pain in my stomach. I reached a hand to it, my palm came back wet. Hadrian knelt beside me, his face was flushed red, sweat dripped from his head.
“You are hurt!” he said.
“Don’t let them get away!” I pushed at his arms, willing him to move on. Flames no longer poured from his hands, not a single burn or mark laced his body.
“They are gone, it is over!” Hadrian gasped, “You are bleeding. Let me see.”
I tried to sit up, but my side cramped. I looked to my stomach to see a broken piece of wood jammed into my side.
“It is only a scratch.” I winced when Hadrian pressed his hands against it.
“Bite on this.” He pressed something into my mouth. “This is going to hurt, but we must get it out.”
I didn’t have a chance to decline before Hadrian dug his fingers into my side.
I screamed.
Every muscle in my body tensed when I felt Hadrian pull out the splinter. It was over quickly, an instant relief when the pressure was removed.
Hadrian pulled a vial from a small pouch strapped to his belt and poured the contents onto the gash. My entire stomach went numb the moment the liquid touched it.
“Browlin passed this onto me before we left, she said I would need it. She was right.”
The cut had knitted together by the time the first shifter ran through the tree line. My heart sank. Hadrian placed a finger to his lip and turned to those who followed into the clearing. Before he moved his gaze to them completely, I pulled on his shirt. “Please don’t tell anyone what I did,” I whispered.
He shook his head, “Oh, I won’t. We both have secrets to keep.”
Hadrian yanked my shirt back into place, his warm hands brushing against my stomach. A shout distracted me, and I turned out to see Fadine. She moved like a dancer, jumping over huge roots and dodging trees until she reached us.
“What happened?” she shouted, not stopping until she scanned the forest around us.
“We were ambushed. Zacriah saved my life. Without him, I would have an arrow in my head.” Hadrian stood, addressing Fadine and the crowd. I cowered under their glances.